Currently, it's only out-performed by countries such as China and India, both in terms of economic growth[1] and its recovery rate after the global financial crisis in the late 2000s.
[11] The main objective of this policy was to establish standards to make sustainable development possible and ensuring greater protection for the environment.
[12] The guidelines of this policy were developed through standards and plans to guide public bodies of the Brazilian federation, in accordance with the ten principles stated in Article 2 of Law 6938.
These principles are as follows:[13][11] The twelve instruments of the National Environmental Policy used to promote environment protection are presented in Article 9 of the Law, and are as follows:[11][13] The NEP created the National Environment System (SISNAMA), which brought together agencies and environmental institutions of the Union, and whose primary purpose was to put in place the principles and norms imposed by the constitution.
Brazil's natural environment still suffers from the effects of the aggressive policy of demographic occupation and economic development enforced by the military government from 1964 to 1985.
Reversing this is a difficult task as it involves removing a population which has now established itself in these environments and encouraging less investment and development to occur in these places.
Personal interests and economic pressures are significant barriers to successful environmental governance and removing bias from decision-making is of utmost importance to sustainability.
[21] The lack of local involvement, public participation and co-management is thought to limit ecological resilience and reduce the effectiveness of the coastal reserves in protecting wildlife numbers.
Protecting this natural resource is not only of ecological importance, but also social and economic, as many cities and populated areas of Brazil depend on them as a source of clean water.
[26] Today, the Brazilian federal government holds the majority ownership of Petrobras, controlling 50.26% of the company's market shares.
[29] In recent decades Petrobras has taken personal responsibility in creating a regulatory framework to govern the health, safety, and environmental impacts caused by the industry.
[31] Petrobras and other oil companies have responded with internal regulatory frameworks, both to drive consumer confidence, and to insure the longevity of the business.
[31] The Brazilian government has also created institutions responsible for the regulation and oversight of environmental damages, like the founding of the Ministry of the Environment (MMA) in 1992.
[35] However, local communities continued to eat the contaminated seafood, as they were unable to afford alternative food due to the loss of sales.
[36] In order to employ adequate response to the spill, the Brazilian government engaged multiple envionmental agencies and even created new regulatory frameworks and tools.
[35] The Instituto Brasileiro de Meio Ambiente e Recursos Renováveis (IBAMA) was the main federal environmental agency overseeing the management of the oil spill.
Brazil's large industrial and economic output, together with the fact that it hosts some of the world's largest natural resources make it a key player in global climate change governance.
In late 2009, Carlos Minc, the Brazilian Minister of Environment, announced plans to reduce deforestation in Brazil by 80% by 2020, which corresponds to a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
[10] There have been suggestions of implementing LCE in order to reduce possible environmental impacts and risks to human life, while still offering economic viability and social equity.
These tools include eco-design and lifecycle assessment, clean production techniques, reverse logistics, disassembly, recycling, remanufacturing, reuse and geographical information systems (GIS).