🌿 A lasting legacy

Last week, Marina Silva announced she would be stepping down as head of Brazil’s Environment Ministry, effective immediately, bringing an end to a pivotal 39-month spell in the government that solidified her status as the most significant figure in the history of the country’s environmental policy.

Silva has left the government in adherence to Brazilian law, which requires all cabinet ministers to vacate their posts six months prior to a general election if they want to run for office in October. Long-time ally João Paulo Capobianco has taken over as environment minister, ensuring policy continuity until the end of the government’s term in December.

While her first spell in the ministry in 2003-2008 already made her a defining figure of Brazilian environmentalism, this cabinet stint served to further cement Silva’s domestic and international influence, as she rebuilt…

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