The new minister of the environment is also critical to the fines naturskyddsverket doomed the farmers to have devastated the rainforest. He calls the fine for “ideological”.

He also questions the statistics that show that rape has gone up by almost 14 per cent in the past year. The highest in ten years. Last year was an area larger than the counties of Halland and Blekinge.

that the appointment of Ricardo Salles is unfortunate considering the increasing deforestation and the recently revealed 453 illegal gruvbrott in the Amazon.

– He has no eco-friendly agenda. His agenda is a threat to the environment, ” says Marcio Astrini, head of Greenpeace in Brazil.

Marcio Astrini believe that the minister of the environment selected to his duties that he agreed to carry out Bolsonaros agenda to boost the economy by opening up more farms and mines in the world’s largest rainforest.

Brazil’s next president Jair Bolsonaro, who will take over at the end of the year. Photo: EVARISTO SA

worked as a miljösekreterare in the state of São Paulo, with 45 million inhabitants. The judiciary has criticized his work and accusing him of compromising on protected areas in order to provide business benefits. Earlier in the year he had in the parliamentary elections, but failed to get elected, despite the fact that the state has a 70 guaranteed seats in congress.

The one who recommended him for the post of the minister of the environment, is the n ew minister of agriculture Tereza Cristina and the jordbrukslobby which she previously chaired.

is not only controversial given that he is not an environmentalist. The appointment also breaks a tradition in brazilian politics. Previously the ministry of agriculture and the ministry of the environment have been each other’s rivals in the government and fought for different things.

the department of agriculture has wanted to legalize more herbicides, making the forest code more flexible and compromising on urfolksreservaten. The ministry of the environment has opposed these proposals, and instead campaigned for a sustainable development of the Amazon. To the minister of the environment now is handpicked by the minister for agriculture shows that the battle is over. The risk of increased deforestation of the rainforest is evident.

the Observatório do Clima (klimatobservatoriet) believe, however, that the appointment can shoot Jair Bolsonaro in the foot, because the brazilian agricultural products are now expected being boycotted in Europe.

Agriculture will have to pay the price when several markets are closing for our raw materials, writes the organisation.