Search Climate Insights Directory

This technical briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes how Provisional Measure 901/2019 (MP 901/2019) and the resulting Conversion Law Project 31/2019 (PLV 31/2019) contain 'jabuti' amendments that weaken the Brazilian Forest Code's protections in the Amazon, specifically in Roraima and Amapá.

This technical note by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and PUC-Rio analyzes Provisional Measure (MP) 910/2019, which modifies Law 11.952/2009 regarding the land regularization of federal public lands in Brazil. The authors argue that the MP rewards criminal activities such as land grabbing (grilagem) and illegal deforestation by expanding the spatial and temporal scopes for regularization and simplifying the process through self-declaration, thereby benefiting large landowners over traditional communities and family farmers.

This executive summary analyzes the state-level implementation of Brazil's Forest Code (Law no. 12,651/2012), focusing on the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the Environmental Compliance Program (PRA). It evaluates the progress of various Brazilian states in regulating and executing these instruments to align agricultural growth with natural resource protection.

This 2020 report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the implementation of the Brazilian Forest Code (Law No. 12.651/2012) across Brazilian states, focusing on the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA). It identifies significant disparities in progress, noting that while CAR registration is widespread, the analysis and validation phase remains a critical bottleneck. The report details state-level regulations for restoring Permanent Preservation Areas (APP) and Legal Reserves (RL), the role of the Brazilian Forest Service (SFB) in providing technological infrastructure, and the legal uncertainties surrounding the potential implementation of a Federal PRA.

This research paper discusses the environmental cost of Brazil's agricultural expansion and proposes four coordinated strategies to increase production and social welfare while reducing deforestation.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the implementation of the Brazilian Forest Code (Law 12.651/2012) across Brazilian states, focusing on the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA). It evaluates state-level regulations, the progress of CAR validation, and the operational status of PRAs, highlighting significant regional disparities in progress and the technical challenges facing state environmental agencies.

This legal investigation, conducted by Front Advokater for the Stockholm Environment Institute, analyzes the legal protections available to Swedish samebyar (Sami villages) against land exploitation for hydropower. It examines the historical context of hydropower development in northern Sweden, the fundamental rights of the Sami people, the current environmental permit process, and the implications of new legislation effective January 1, 2019, regarding the review of existing hydropower plants to establish modern environmental conditions.

This technical note by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and NAPC/PUC-Rio analyzes the changes introduced by Decree No. 9,760/2019 to the rules for converting environmental fines into environmental services in Brazil. The document details the evolution of federal legislation, the specific modifications to the conversion process, and the remaining regulatory gaps that hinder the full implementation of the conversion program.

This white paper by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the relationship between livestock productivity and pasture area in Brazil. It argues that increasing productivity is essential to grow meat production without further deforestation in the Amazon and Cerrado, identifying a negative correlation where smaller pasture proportions often relate to higher productivity.

This technical briefing analyzes Law 13.887/2019, which amends the Brazilian Forest Code (Law 12.651/2012) regarding the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA). The law removes the final deadline for CAR registration, making it a permanent registry, but establishes a critical deadline of December 31, 2020, for producers to register if they wish to access the more flexible regularization rules of the PRA. The document highlights remaining uncertainties, such as the starting point for the two-year PRA adhesion window and the potential legal conflicts arising from a proposed federal PRA for states that fail to implement their own by the end of 2020.

This executive summary evaluates progress five years after the 2014 New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF), concluding that the goals to halve tropical deforestation by 2020 and end it by 2030 are unlikely to be met. The report highlights an acceleration in the loss of primary forests, inadequate restoration progress, and a significant gap between 'grey' finance for agriculture and 'green' finance for forest conservation.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the potential for Brazil to increase agricultural and beef production without further deforestation. Using stochastic frontier models based on 2006 Agricultural Census data, the research quantifies the production gains possible by eliminating inefficiencies and the corresponding capital and operational investments required to achieve them.

A collaborative project between Svemin and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) used exploratory scenarios to develop a sustainability roadmap for the Swedish mining sector, identifying 31 key action points to navigate the sector toward a sustainable future by 2050.

The Report of the IAI Directorate Science-Policy details the activities of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) in bridging the gap between scientific research and public policy. It outlines the establishment of rules for the Science-Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC), collaborations with multilateral environmental agreements, and the policy impacts of the third Collaborative Research Network (CRN3) across the Americas.

This briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the proposed changes to the Brazilian Forest Code (Law 12.651/2012) introduced by the rapporteur of Provisional Measure (MPV) 867/2018. The authors argue that the proposal risks paralyzing environmental regularization programs, increasing legal insecurity, and incentivizing illegal deforestation by shifting the responsibility for regularization from landowners to state agencies and altering the calculation of Legal Reserves.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative warns that proposed amendments to Provisional Measure (MPV) 867/2018 threaten the implementation of Brazil's new Forest Code (Law 12,651/2012). While the original purpose of the MPV is to extend the deadline for entry into the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA), the authors argue that accompanying amendments could reintroduce rejected rules and create legal uncertainty.

This technical briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes proposed amendments to Provisional Measure (MPV) No. 867/2018. While the original MPV seeks only to extend the deadline for joining the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA) until December 31, 2019, the authors argue that 35 proposed amendments—many of which are 'jabutis' (unrelated additions)—threaten the integrity of the 2012 Forest Code (Law No. 12.651/2012) and risk creating legal insecurity and further judicialization.

This policy brief analyzes the impact of rural credit in Brazil, finding that increased lending significantly boosts agricultural productivity and municipal GDP while promoting a shift from pasture to cropland. Crucially, the research indicates that rural credit can increase forest areas by allowing farmers to produce more on existing land, thereby supporting conservation goals. However, the brief notes that the current distribution system is outdated and fragmented, recommending gradual reforms to optimize credit access and further reduce deforestation pressures.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the impact of rural credit on Brazilian agriculture and the environment. Using data from 2002 to 2015, the study finds that increased rural credit significantly boosts agricultural productivity and municipal GDP while promoting a shift from low-productivity pasture to agricultural crops, which in turn supports the expansion of forest areas.

This executive summary by the Climate Policy Initiative outlines financial and policy reforms needed to align Brazil's agricultural production with environmental conservation. It proposes a transition from a public-sector-dominated rural credit system toward one that incentivizes Forest Code compliance, increases private bank participation, and utilizes risk management tools like insurance and derivatives.