Children’s Access to Environmental Justice | Brazil

This report looks at whether the laws and policies in Brazil make it possible for children to access their environmental rights. 

We found that Brazil is a leader in environmental education, including public awareness and conferences for young people to talk about climate change and sustainability. It also has strong laws to protect environmental rights. The Constitution of Brazil states that ‘the Government and the community have a duty to defend and to preserve the environment for present and future generations’. Brazilian courts have applied this constitutional protection in cases about the environment. However, currently Brazil’s law and environmental policies do not always translate into practice. For example, although the Constitution allows any citizen, including children, to bring environmental cases to court, children generally cannot access the courts without representation by their parents or guardians. But progress is being made in some areas. In recent years, Brazilian courts have started referring to the concept of intergenerational equity, emphasising the importance of preserving the environment for future generations.

This report was published in March 2022 and developed with the support of Pedro Hartung and Angela Barbarulo from Alana Institute. To learn more read the full report below, and please get in touch if this information was useful and you want to talk more.