Geraldo Wilson Fernandes, Gabriel Arvelino de Paula, Mariana G. Bender, Helena Godoy Bergallo, Ronaldo Adriano Christofoletti, Guarino Rinaldi Colli, B. Dickinson, José Alexandre Felizola Diniz‐Filho, Stephannie Fernandes, Edmundo Gallo, Carlos Eduardo Viveiros Grelle, Noemia Kazue Ishikawa, Leandro Juen, Inara R. Leal, Luiz Fernando Silva Magnago, Fernando Luís Medina Mantelatto, Jean Paul Metzger, Daniel Negreiros, Yumi Oki, Reyjane P. Oliveira, Laura Ortega-Corredor, Valério D. Pillar, Helder Lima de Queiroz, Letícia Ramos, Claúdia Quintino da Rocha, Domingos de Jesus Rodrigues, Fábio de Oliveira Roque, Clarissa Rosa, Rogério Rosa da Silva, Mariana Pires de Campos Telles, Marilene Henning Vainstein, Ricardo Augusto Gorne Viani
Brazil’s General Environmental Licensing Law (No. 15,190/2025) redefines environmental governance under the banner of “simplification” but effectively dismantles preventive safeguards. The law introduces self-declared licensing, automatic license renewals, and broad exemptions for agriculture and livestock, while restricting public participation. Although partial presidential vetoes removed some unconstitutional provisions, these vetoes may still be overturned by Congress. Key omissions, such as the absence of vetoes on Articles 7 and 9, preserve mechanisms that weaken oversight and accountability. Within Brazil’s decentralized system, where most authorizations are issued by state agencies, the law consolidates existing permissive practices and deepens regulatory asymmetry. This new framework lowers the national baseline for environmental protection, threatens biodiversity, and jeopardizes Brazil’s ability to meet international climate and biodiversity commitments. Instead of modernizing procedures or strengthening institutional capacity, the law normalizes shortcuts that externalize environmental costs and undermine democratic participation.