"Brazil's Congress voted Thursday to weaken environmental permitting rules despite fierce opposition from environmentalists.
Business leaders in the country had criticized the existing rules as a barrier to development.
The move is a potential blow to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as he seeks to burnish his country's green credentials before hosting the United Nations global climate summit, COP30, this year.
The legislation passed with broad support in Brazil's Congress where a powerful agribusiness caucus holds huge influence.
It advanced despite criticism from environmentalists, members of Lula's cabinet, and European Union lawmakers who wrote to Brazil's lower house speaker last month asking him not to put the bill to a vote."
Source: Religion News Service, 07/21/2025
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