Brazil Opens Committee to Combat Climate Racism

The Brazilian government has opened applications for the National Committee to Combat Environmental and Climate Racism, marking a significant step toward placing social inclusion and climate justice at the center of national policy.

Created in the context of COP30, the interministerial committee seeks to broaden participation in climate debates and confront the deepening inequalities intensified by global warming.

Civil society organizations have until March 4 to nominate representatives to join the initiative, which brings together the Ministries of Environment and Climate Change (MMA), Racial Equality (MIR), Indigenous Peoples (MPI), and Agrarian Development and Family Farming (MDA).

The committee is designed to strengthen interministerial and multisectoral coordination in addressing environmental and climate racism, while expanding public understanding of how these injustices affect both society and ecosystems.

To apply, organizations must complete a registration form and submit it, along with the required documentation, to [email protected]. Applications must include information about the organization’s sector of activity, as well as the gender and region of the country of the nominated representatives. The necessary supplementary forms are available online, and the final list of approved participants will be announced on April 20, 2026.

Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Marina Silva described the committee as a fundamental milestone in ensuring that climate justice guides Brazil’s response to the climate crisis.

“There is no solution without confronting the historical inequalities that cause traditional communities, Indigenous peoples, the Black population, and residents of urban peripheries to disproportionately suffer the impacts of global warming, even though they contribute almost nothing to its causes,” she stated.

Citing regional research, she noted that between 2000 and 2018, one in four residents of low-education neighborhoods in Latin America were exposed to flooding, compared to one in 20 in more affluent areas. For Silva, expanding participation in policymaking not only increases effectiveness but also strengthens democracy itself.

Minister of Racial Equality Anielle Franco emphasized that collective challenges demand collective solutions. She underscored that the committee represents an important step in ensuring that historically marginalized groups have a stronger voice in shaping strategies to combat environmental racism. Minister of Indigenous Peoples Sonia Guajajara echoed this perspective, highlighting the central role of Indigenous communities.

“Despite being among those who most protect the environment, Indigenous peoples are among those most impacted by the climate emergency,” she said, stressing that their participation in building solutions is essential.

Formally established by Interministerial Decree MIR/MMA/MDA/MPI No. 12 of September 9, 2025, the committee is tasked with articulating public policies, developing guidelines, and promoting educational initiatives that address the inequalities faced by Black, Indigenous, Quilombola, and other traditional communities. It reinforces a model of shared governance and affirms the central role of combating environmental racism in Brazil’s national climate policy.

The committee also integrates the Circle of Peoples, created by the COP30 presidency to guarantee representation of traditional communities, Indigenous peoples, Afro-descendant populations, and family farmers in international climate discussions. Through dialogue, coordination, and education, the initiative aims to deepen understanding of environmental racism and advance concrete actions to confront it—ensuring that those most affected by climate change help shape the solutions.

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