Brazil’s Environment Minister Resigns Over Amazon Development Policy

Brazil’s environment minister resigns over Amazon development policy

RIO DE JANEIRO, May 13 (Xinhua) — Brazil’s Environment Minister Marina Silva announced her resignation Tuesday, five days after the announcement of a major government plan to boost sustainable development in the Amazon rainforest region.

Her decision caught President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva by surprise, sources said.

President Lula’s appointment of Strategic Affairs Minister Roberto Mangabeira Unger as the main coordinator for the Sustainable Amazon Plan was seen as a symptom of disagreements between Silva and the government on the policy adopted for the region.

Last year, Silva was in the middle of a controversy involving the federal government and the Brazilian Institute of Environment. On that occasion, President Lula had publicly requested that she help accelerate the process of environmental licensing for the construction of hydroelectric power plants in the forest area.

The licenses are regarded as the main obstacle to the implementation of key projects in the national infrastructure program designed to boost economic and social development till 2011.

Also, the environment minister was not fully aligned with one of President Lula’s most favored causes, the production of bio-fuels.

On Monday, she told local media that Brazil was not willing to become the OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) of bio-fuels, urging the development instead of a bio-fuel policy that would not harm food safety and the environment.

Meanwhile, Rio de Janeiro Governor Sergio Cabral said former state deputy Carlos Minc, who currently leads Rio’s secretariat of environment, is expected to replace Silva.

Cabral said Lula had called him Tuesday informing him about the decision to offer Minc the position. Minc later told media that he will accept the post.

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