Dear Renaissance List, Sept. 9
I recently sent a copy of a message about how the Brazilian govt. has
decided not to enforce environmental legislation to a couple friends in
Brazil. I suggested they might find the message "interesting". One freind
replied:
"Dear friend Jan:
It is not interesting. It is very sad.
Thank you for this piece and
thank you for your letter to my President.
He needs to receive many e-mails about this case."
I do think letters can make a difference so I am pasting below some
information you can use to write to the President yourself.
I am also including a juman rights sign-on sponsored by Amnesty
International. I suspect many of you will have alredy received a copy...
Again, I think it is worth taking the few moments needed to participate.
all the best, Jan
**************************************************************
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1998 20:11:27 +1200
From: "janice" <•••@••.•••>
Subject: Brazil Government Declares 10 Year Moratorium on Environmental Law
Enforcement
This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
Brazil Government Declares 10 Year Moratorium on Environmental Law =
Enforcement
By Steve Schwartzman, Environmental Defense Fund
August 13, 1998
With a stroke of the pen, Brazilian President Fernando Henrique =
Cardoso reversed Brazil's greatest environmental advance in the 1990's, =
the Environmental Crimes Act (Lei 9.605 de 12 de fevereiro de 1998), =
declaring a 10 year moratorium on environmental law enforcement.
Executive Order (Medida Provisoria) 1.170, signed August 7, 1998, =
establishes that companies that violate environmental legislation can =
sign a letter of commitment with an environmental agency, promising to =
bring their operations into compliance and be exempted from fines or =
other penalties for up to 5 years, renewable for another 5 years. Only =
six months after the Congress passed the Environmental Crimes Act, =
giving Brazil's environmental agency, IBAMA, statutory authority to =
enforce environmental law for the first time since 1989, the federal =
government has given environmental lawbreakers a ten year holiday. The =
legislation with which business has to comply has largely been in force =
since the 1970s.
The opposition Worker's Party (PT) and the Green Party (PV), on =
August 12, brought suit in the Supreme Court, charging that the order is =
unconstitutional. They argue that the order in essence overturns the =
Environmental Crimes Act, arbitrarily violating the separation of powers =
established in the Constitution.
Executive order 1.710 retroactively allows lawbreakers in business =
by March 30th to escape punishment by signing an agreement with the =
environmental agency by December 31st . This means that any company =
penalized under the Environmental Crimes Act (which came into force 90 =
days after its publication) can now be exempted for another 10 years.
Long-term observers of Brazilian politics note that, with companies =
responsible for some 20% of Brazil's GDP operating without environmental =
licenses, and 4,000 fines levied in Sao Paulo state alone since the =
passage of the Environmental Crimes Act, the order could represent a =
campaign fund raising bonanza for President Cardoso. Cardoso is running =
for re-election in the October 3rd election.
Please fax or email President Ferando Henrique Cardoso urgently, =
requesting that he revoke Executive Order 1.710 immediately.
Fax: 011-55-61-226-7566
Email - •••@••.•••=20
----------
To: Jan Slakov <•••@••.•••>
From: "Mauricio DavilaSanchez" <•••@••.•••> (by way of
•••@••.••• (James Crombie))
Subject: FWD: Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1998 10:43:31 -0300
Declaracion Universal de los Derechos Humanos
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Here is a great opportunity to support a great cause. To celebrate the
50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Amnesty
International is collecting signatures for a pledge to support this very
important United Nations declaration. Amnesty already has 3 million
signatures (real and virtual) world wide, and wants 8 million (which
would
be 1% of the world's population).
The UN Secretary General has already agreed to be present either in
person
or live by satellite, if he has to be in New York, to receive the pledge
as
a tangible statement of the people of the world's commitment to an
international agenda of human rights.
The most simple way to add your name to the pledge is to:
Send an email to •••@••.•••
Put YOUR NAME in the SUBJECT, and cut and paste the following text in the
MESSAGE:
"I support the rights and freedoms in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights for all people, everywhere."
Forward this message to as many people as you can.
