Brazil pledges on climate change, zero deforestation are a ‘crushing disappointment’

SÃO PAULO — Brazil announced to much fanfare this week plans to zero illegal deforestation on its territory by 2030 and restore an area of rainforest the size of Pennsylvania. But experts say the plans are unambitious and activists called the promises “a crushing disappointment” that mounted to nothing more than targets already stipulated by Brazilian law.

Climate change was among the headlining issues in a joint declaration made Tuesday by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and US President Barack Obama at the White House.

“We have committed to reach … a zero illegal deforestation rate between now and 2030,” Rousseff said, describing climate change as “one of the world’s central challenges for the 21st Century.”

Rousseff also vowed Brazil would restore 120,000 square kilometers (46,330 square miles) of forest over the same period.

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2 July 2015

Brazil deputies pass controversial bill on age of criminal responsibility

Anadolu Agency

SÃO PAULO — Brazil’s lower house of Congress has passed a reversioned constitutional amendment on reducing the age of criminal responsibility for violence offences, just 24 hours after an original proposal narrowly failed to pass.

The amended bill, which passed its first reading with 323 votes to 155, would reduce the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16 for heinous crimes, murder and grievous bodily harm resulting in death.

A previous proposal, which fell short of the required 308 votes late on Tuesday night, included drug trafficking, terrorism, torture, aggravated robbery and grievous bodily harm not resulting in death — all removed for the updated bill.

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