Bolsonaro spent only 0.16% of the Union’s budget on the Environment

In an exclusive report by the Institute for Socioeconomic Studies (Inesc) for O Eco, it was found that throughout his mandate, Jair Bolsonaro has allocated only 0.16% of the total federal budget to the environment. This number refers to the average of the four years of his government, considering the mandatory and discretionary expenses of the executive branch. The report, entitled “After the Dismantling: Overview of Union Spending 2019-2022,” shows that the environmental area had a real loss of 17% in execution during the Bolsonaro administration, going from R$3.3 billion in 2019 to R$2.7 billion in 2022.

The Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) was the most affected organization, with a real drop of 32% over four years, falling from R$1.8 billion in 2019 to R$744 million in 2022. The Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) also had an 8% reduction in its budget, going from R$1.8 billion to R$1.7 billion during the Bolsonaro administration. Inesc’s report highlights that the reduced budget was further exacerbated by staff reductions, with the number of environmental inspectors falling from 1,800 in 2019 to 700 in 2022.