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This report by the Climate Policy Initiative/Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the role of Brazilian cattle ranching in climate change, specifically focusing on methane emissions from enteric fermentation. It proposes a portfolio of solutions across land use, biological productivity, feed management, and production systems to increase productivity while reducing the sector's climate footprint. The document also evaluates existing public policies and provides recommendations to align agricultural growth with carbon neutrality goals.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative and the Amazon 2030 project analyzes the regulatory and institutional barriers hindering biodiversity-based biotechnology in Brazil, with a specific focus on the Amazon region. It identifies the Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) framework as a primary obstacle to innovation and investment, and suggests that the forthcoming National Bioeconomy Development Plan (PNDBIO) is a critical opportunity to integrate biotechnology into the national strategy.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative and Amazônia 2030 analyzes the integration of the Amazon region into Brazil's 'Novo PAC' (Growth Acceleration Program). It argues that the program lacks regional planning, fails to account for the heterogeneity of the Amazon, and contains contradictions between its sustainability goals and its actual infrastructure projects, particularly in logistics and energy.

This 2025 report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) provides a comprehensive analysis of the implementation of the Brazilian Forest Code (Law No. 12.651/2012), specifically focusing on the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA) across Brazilian states. It details the transition of the National CAR System (Sicar) to a digital public infrastructure managed by Dataprev and the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services (MGI), the adoption of automated analysis tools to accelerate CAR validation, and the persistent challenges in converting validated registries into effective forest restoration through the PRA.

This report analyzes capital markets and financial instruments beyond rural credit used to mobilize private climate finance for the land use sector in Brazil between 2021 and 2023, focusing on thematic bonds, CBIOs, and BNDES operations.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) maps Brazil's public policies for climate mitigation and adaptation in agriculture, evaluating them through the lens of a 'just transition.' It identifies a framework of policies that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase resilience, while highlighting the need to better include vulnerable groups such as family farmers and traditional communities to ensure social and economic equity.

This 2023 report by the Climate Policy Initiative maps Brazil's agricultural policies for climate mitigation and adaptation, evaluating their alignment with 'just transition' principles. It finds that while a framework exists—largely driven by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) and the Plano ABC—justice elements are often limited to specific programs like Pronaf ABC+ and PNAPO. The report highlights a critical need to extend technical assistance to small-scale farmers and improve coordination between the ministries of agriculture, agrarian development, environment, and social assistance.

The 'New Economy for the Brazilian Amazon' report by WRI Brasil proposes a transition to a low-carbon, deforestation-free economic model for the Legal Amazon by 2050. The study argues that this pathway, which integrates a thriving bioeconomy, restored forests, and decarbonized agriculture and energy, would deliver superior economic growth and job creation compared to business-as-usual scenarios while enabling Brazil to meet its Paris Agreement targets.

BNDES financing in the Legal Amazon from 2009 to 2019 was heavily concentrated in large-scale hydroelectric infrastructure that serves the wider Brazilian grid, despite the region's own significant energy poverty and lack of basic services. While the North Region receives the lowest total share of BNDES disbursements, these funds are highly significant relative to its regional GDP. Recent BNDES initiatives are shifting toward the energy transition, including agreements to replace diesel generation with renewables and a pilot project for solar microgeneration. The report emphasizes that future investments should prioritize reducing regional inequalities in energy, internet access, and basic sanitation.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the activities of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) in the Legal Amazon from 2009 to 2019. It highlights a concentration of funding in large-scale hydroelectric infrastructure that serves the rest of Brazil, while a significant portion of the local population remains without reliable electricity or basic sanitation. The document suggests that BNDES has an opportunity to pivot toward the energy transition and regional development by investing in renewable energy and digital connectivity.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative examines the paradox of the Legal Amazon, a region that generates over 25% of Brazil's electricity via large hydroelectric plants but where millions of residents remain disconnected from the National Interconnected System (SIN). These populations rely on expensive, polluting diesel-powered isolated systems or lack reliable electricity entirely, a situation linked to poor socioeconomic indicators and inefficient auction models for energy supply.

This report analyzes the socio-environmental impacts of logistics infrastructure in the Legal Amazon, Brazil, noting that such projects often drive deforestation and carbon emissions while providing limited local benefit. It proposes replacing inconsistent geographic-based 'area of influence' delimitations with a 'market access approach' based on transportation costs and market size. Using the BR-319 highway as a case study, the report demonstrates how this approach identifies a much larger area of risk, including numerous indigenous territories and conservation units, and recommends that the Ministry of Infrastructure integrate these assessments into the earliest stages of project planning.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative argues that expanding phone and high-speed internet services in the Legal Amazon can reduce regional isolation and boost the economy without the socio-environmental risks associated with traditional logistics infrastructure like roads.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative examines the energy paradox in the Brazilian Legal Amazon, where the region hosts some of the country's largest hydroelectric plants yet millions of residents rely on expensive, polluting diesel-based isolated systems or lack electricity entirely. The document analyzes the socio-economic disparities between connected and isolated municipalities, the financial burden of fuel subsidies, and the barriers to transitioning toward renewable energy sources.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) argues that Brazilian presidential decrees from February 2022 exacerbate a regulatory gap in the mining sector, allowing gold mining cooperatives to operate as industrial entities while benefiting from lenient regulations intended for vulnerable individual miners. The authors call for the revocation of these decrees to better protect the environment and improve oversight in the Amazon.

This case study by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the governance and environmental risks associated with four federal transport infrastructure projects in the state of Pará: Ferrogrão, BR-155/158, BR-163/230/MT/PA, and BR-230. Using a 'market access approach' to quantify deforestation risks, the study finds that these projects collectively threaten nearly 7,000 square kilometers of Amazonian native vegetation, with over half of the impact concentrated in Pará. The report highlights significant transparency issues regarding project documentation and urges the Pará state government to engage in dialogue with the federal government to integrate deforestation control funding into project designs.

This technical note by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes Bill (PL) No. 1709/2019, which proposes to reduce the width of Permanent Preservation Areas (APPs) along watercourses across Brazil. The authors warn that the bill's substitute text would halve the required protection widths, potentially enabling the deforestation of over 2 million hectares of native forest in the Amazon.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the socio-environmental components of feasibility and impact studies for federal highway and railroad concessions in the Legal Amazon. The researchers found significant gaps in the coverage of biotic environments, a lack of coordination between Technical, Economic and Environmental Feasibility Studies (EVTEA) and Environmental Assessment Studies (EIA), and a general failure to comply with both international guidelines and national sectoral manuals.

An analysis of 14 federal land transport infrastructure projects in the Legal Amazon reveals critical flaws in the viability phase, including a lack of clear procedural rules, a missing logical sequence between viability studies (EVTEA) and environmental impact studies (EIA), and a severe lack of transparency, with 57% of essential documents missing. The report recommends mandating that EVTEA precede EIA and creating a centralized database for all concession documents to reduce environmental risks and attract ethical investors.

This policy brief by Climate Policy Initiative/Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (CPI/PUC-Rio) analyzes the socio-environmental components of Technical, Economic and Environmental Feasibility Studies (EVTEA) and Environmental Assessment Studies (EIA) for federal land infrastructure concessions in the Legal Amazon. The analysis reveals significant gaps in the coverage of biotic environments, a lack of coordination between the two types of studies, and inconsistent compliance with sectoral manuals and terms of reference (TRs).