Environmental Agenda, Legislative Power and Social Participation: An In-Depth Analysis of the Commission on the Environment and Sustainable Development in Brazil

Abstract

AbstractThe formulation of most environmental policies begins in the legislative branch. In this context, political actors propose the main initiatives that become laws and influence the implementation of environmental policy. In Brazil, since 2004, the Câmara dos Deputados [lower house of Congress] has a permanent commission that only deals with the environmental agenda, namely the Commission on the Environment and Sustainable Development. Brazil is one of the countries that hosts the greatest biodiversity in the world and, therefore, plays a very important role in global environmental governance. Thus, investigating the places where political decisions are made on the Brazilian environmental agenda is fundamental. Permanent commissions in Brazil can hold public hearings, which are spaces that allow the participation of representatives of civil society and thus encourage dialogue between different actors interested in environmental policies. In this chapter, I seek to analyze the performance of this commission since its creation, in 2004, up to 2019. The objective is to investigate the main themes discussed, the laws proposed, the more active parties and representatives and to observe that civil society groups have access to dialogue in this political field. This Brazilian legislative experience has positive aspects and may serve as an example for the formulation of similar institutions in other countries.KeywordsEnvironmental agendaLegislative powerParticipatory democracyLegislative commissionPublic hearings