Brazil's Indigenous MPs Face Uphill Battle for Climate Action

Brazil's Indigenous MPs are at the forefront of the country's climate leadership, but they face an uphill battle against the powerful ruralist bloc.

Xakriabá, a federal MP and leader of the *cocar* (“feather headdress”) caucus, has proposed 83 bills since the start of her term in January 2023. However, only three of these bills have been enacted, including one aimed at protecting Indigenous women from violence, another to protect pregnant women from discrimination, and a third dedicated to rural education.

Despite these challenges, Xakriabá remains committed to advancing Indigenous and environmental causes. She has joined parliamentary committees on culture, human rights, and education, seeking to move beyond the stereotyped and romanticized role to which Indigenous representatives are often reduced.

However, the ruralist caucus is pushing dozens of bills with high potential for socioenvironmental damage, according to a survey by the Climate Observatory (OC). These bills include restricting the use of satellite imagery for identifying illegally deforested areas and weakening deforestation enforcement.

The Federal Senate has approved a bill that weakens protections for 486,000 hectares (approximately 37%) of the Jamanxim national park in Pará state. This has paved the way for the formalization of agricultural invasion, which would make it harder to meet Brazil's Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement.

Brazil's Nationally Determined Contributions aim to cut emissions by between 59% and 67% by 2035, compared to 2005 levels. Increased deforestation as a result of these bills would make it harder to meet this goal.

Indigenous representatives are also involved in debates over Brazil's reserves of rare earth elements, which are essential for the global energy transition. However, Indigenous activists were excluded while the Chamber of Deputies approved the National Policy on Critical and Strategic Minerals.

Xakriabá is chairing a committee to discuss the potential impacts of the energy transition on Indigenous peoples. "The energy transition must not mean further violations, conflicts, and violence against Indigenous and traditional peoples," she says.

As the October elections approach, Xakriabá's political future is uncertain. To date, an Indigenous federal MP has never been re-elected. However, the winds may be blowing more favourably during this year's elections, with Indigenous candidates entitled to a larger allocation of funds and campaign airtime than in the past.

| Bill | Description | | --- | --- | | 83 | Total number of bills proposed by Xakriabá | | 3 | Number of bills enacted by Xakriabá | | 178 | Number of Indigenous candidates who stood in the 2022 elections | | 513 | Total number of federal deputies | | 60% | Percentage of federal deputies in the ruralist bloc | | 486,000 hectares | Area of the Jamanxim national park affected by the bill | | 37% | Percentage of the Jamanxim national park affected by the bill | | 2005 | Base year for Brazil's Nationally Determined Contributions | | 2035 | Target year for Brazil's Nationally Determined Contributions | | 59% | Lower bound of Brazil's emissions reduction target | | 67% | Upper bound of Brazil's emissions reduction target |