The federal Government published in the Official Gazette of the Union (DOU) on Wednesday, October 23, Provisional Measure No. 1,268, which opens an extraordinary credit for a value of BRL 938,458,061.00 (BRL 938.4 million ) to different ministries with the aim of addressing the climate emergency that affects several municipalities.
Signed by the President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and by the executive secretary of the Ministry of Planning and Budget, Gustavo José de Guimarães e Souza, the Provisional Measure (MP) is already in force and will be destined for the ministries of Justice and Public Security (MJSP); Health (MS); Environment and Climate Change (MMA); Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture (MDA); Integration and Regional Development (MIDR); Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger (MDS); and Fisheries and Aquaculture (MPA).
With this regulatory act, the ministries will act with an immediate response to contain damage to biomes and support the affected population. The situation threatens local biodiversity, compromises transportation and energy distribution systems, affects land, river and air transportation systems, and exposes the population to atmospheric pollutants and gases derived from the burning of biomass or forest fires.
Among the actions are the strengthening of public security, support for Agrarian Reform and the regularization of territories quilombolas and traditional communities, indigenous health, civil protection and defense actions, measures and access to drinking water and food production, and assistance to artisanal fishermen and women.
According to the MP, the ministries will act with the following measures:
Ministry of Justice and Public Security: The resources will be allocated to the National Public Security Fund, complementing the support for the operations of the National Secretariat of Public Security, strengthening and continuing integrated Public Security operations, essential for the protection of the flora, fauna and heritage of the people in the Legal Amazon and Pantanal Biomes.
Ministry of Health: The resources will be applied to the National Health Fund, covering expenses related to basic supplies and health assistance, through specialized outpatient and hospital care actions, such as acquisition of inputs and supplies, educational campaigns and maintenance of support equipment. specialized assistance. They will also serve to celebrate or make addendums to contracts in eight Special Indigenous Sanitary Districts to expand the supply of drinking water, through the acquisition of gallons of water and mud filters for the affected communities; as well as the strengthening of surveillance actions in environmental health, occupational health and health and climate surveillance, in addition to strengthening the availability of basic medicines.
Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change: The resources will help the Chico Mendes Institute for the Conservation of Biodiversity (ICMBio) with the rental of aircraft, training and structuring of inspection equipment; hiring specialized professionals; acquisition of weapons and protection equipment; and the implementation of technologies that ensure effective monitoring of areas susceptible to fires.
Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture: The credit allocated to the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform (INCRA) will be used to mitigate and prevent fire outbreaks in the Agrarian Reform settlements in the Legal Amazon, in addition to protecting the settlement areas, guaranteeing the safety of the families and the preservation of the environment, in line with the objectives of the National Agrarian Reform Program (PNRA) and the environmental preservation goals established by the federal government.
Ministry of Integration and Regional Development: It will have the direct administration of the ministry, with protection and civil defense actions, to provide assistance with response and recovery actions to municipalities affected by drought, water scarcity and forest fires.
Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight against Hunger: Also with the direct action of the ministry, the resources will be implemented in the execution of budget action 8948, which deals with the “Implementation of Social Technologies for Access to Water for Human Consumption and Food Production in Rural Areas.”
In this sense, the Cisternas Program acts as a possible adaptation strategy to the impacts of the climate emergency, with the objective of promoting access to water for human consumption and food production through the implementation of simple, low-cost and social technologies. easy appropriation by the beneficiaries. The initiative is aimed at low-income rural families (per capita income of up to half the minimum wage) and rural public teams affected by drought or lack of water, with priority for traditional towns and communities.
Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture: The credit will be used to pay extraordinary aid for professional artisanal fishermen and women in the Northern Region, beneficiaries of the Artisanal Fisherman’s Unemployment Insurance, the Defense Insurancein accordance with the provisions of art. 1 of Law No. 10,779, of November 25, 2003.
The aid will be made available to beneficiaries registered in municipalities in an emergency situation due to drought or water shortage recognized by the Federal Executive Branch until the date of publication of Provisional Measure No. 1,263, of October 7, 2024. .
