A recent survey by the Climate Observatory indicates that female senators demonstrate a greater commitment to socio-environmental agendas, although they remain a significant minority in the Brazilian National Congress.
The recent renewal of legislative seats in Brazil has brought new contours to the debate on the energy transition and ecological protection. Data published by GT Congresso reveal that the proportion of lawmakers engaged in nature preservation has suffered a significant retraction in the Federal Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.
At the center of this dynamic, the female caucus stands out for its robust support for green agendas, contrasting with the prevailing profile among elected men. The low representation of women in institutional politics continues to be an obstacle to the advancement of laws aimed at sustainable development and the fight against climate change.
The weight of the female caucus in the green agenda
Statistical analysis shows that women play a fundamental role in defending the environment in the legislative branch. While nearly 39% of female senators show an affinity with the topic, the rate plummets to less than 16% among male lawmakers taking office.
This same behavior is repeated in the Chamber of Deputies, where female adherence exceeds 50%, while male adherence barely reaches 28%. This discrepancy reinforces the urgency of expanding women’s participation in decision-making spaces to ensure a more balanced future for clean energy and biome conservation.
Rise of the far-right and risks to the climate
The weakening of the pro-sustainability bloc is directly associated with changes in the correlation of partisan forces. The strengthening of parties linked to the far-right, notably the Liberal Party, has altered the configuration of the Legislative Branch, expanding the caucus of parties historically distant from ecological agendas.
For industry experts, the future scenario will require strong resistance against potential deregulation measures.
This picture highlights four years of great effort for those working in climate and the environment, and a lot of concern both about serious setbacks and the terrible consequences of it all for the climate crisis.
states Suely Araújo, coordinator of Public Policy at the Climate Observatory.
The political landscape shaped for the coming years puts the country’s decarbonization agenda under pressure. With a less favorable parliament, advocates of sustainability point out that rigorous monitoring of pending proposals will be essential to prevent setbacks in Brazilian environmental legislation.
