COP30: How Brazilian crime cartels undermine climate efforts – DW

Report on Organized Crime and its Impact on Sustainable Development Goals in the Amazon

In the context of the COP30 World Climate Conference, this report analyzes the significant impact of organized crime on environmental stability and sustainable development in the Amazon region. The activities of criminal syndicates present a direct impediment to the achievement of several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Intersection of Environmental Crime and Global Sustainability Targets

Threats to SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land)

Organized crime is a primary driver of environmental degradation in the Amazon, directly undermining global climate initiatives. Criminal groups, notably the Comando Vermelho (CV), control illicit operations that are fundamentally at odds with key environmental SDGs.

• Illegal Deforestation: The illicit trade in rainforest wood contributes directly to the loss of vital carbon sinks, hindering progress on SDG 13 (Climate Action).
• Illegal Mining: The extraction of gold involves widespread deforestation and the use of toxic substances like mercury, which poisons landscapes and water sources, severely damaging ecosystems and contravening the objectives of SDG 15 (Life on Land).
• Drug Trafficking: The establishment of trafficking routes often leads to further deforestation and the disruption of protected natural habitats.

These activities demonstrate that safeguarding the climate is intrinsically linked to combating environmental crime.

Analysis of Institutional Weakness and its Impact on SDG 16

Challenges to SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions)

A joint study by the Brazilian intelligence service (Abin) and the Forum for Public Security (FBSP) concludes that criminal activities are the greatest threats to the region. The proliferation of these activities highlights significant weaknesses in governance and the rule of law, which are central tenets of SDG 16.

Factors enabling this erosion of institutional strength include:

1. The rising price of gold, which incentivizes illegal mining.
2. A low level of state presence and governance in vast areas of the Amazon, creating a legal vacuum.
3. The permeability of borders with neighboring countries, which facilitates transnational criminal operations.

The FBSP reports that criminal factions are present in at least 260 municipalities, with the CV controlling half of them. This struggle for territorial control is an obstacle to sustainable development and a direct assault on peace and justice.

Socio-Economic Consequences and Urban Instability

Impediments to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities)

The influence of organized crime extends beyond environmental destruction into the socio-economic fabric of the region, particularly in urban centers like Belem, the host city for COP30.

• Disruption of Essential Services: The CV’s ability to halt work on an essential electricity substation demonstrates a threat to critical infrastructure, undermining the goal of creating resilient and sustainable cities (SDG 11).
• Extortion and Illicit Economies: The practice of extorting protection money from businesses and controlling local economies stifles legitimate enterprise and decent work, hindering progress on SDG 8.
• Erosion of Public Safety: A “code of silence” imposed on residents and the prevalence of violence create an environment of fear, making communities unsafe and unsustainable.

Governmental Response and the Path Forward

Efforts to Reinforce Law and Order

In response to the escalating crisis, the Brazilian government has initiated measures aimed at re-establishing state authority and security.

• Military Deployment: The “Operation to Guarantee Law and Order” (GLO) utilizes armed forces to provide security during major events, including the COP30 conference.
• Parliamentary Inquiry: A parliamentary commission of inquiry was established on November 4 to investigate the infiltration of organized crime into political and social institutions, a crucial step toward strengthening accountability and justice as per SDG 16.

Historical Context and Future Outlook

The northward expansion of the CV is partly attributed to the displacement of criminal factions from Rio de Janeiro following security operations for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games. Originally formed in the 1970s, the CV has evolved into a powerful international syndicate. Addressing its complex network is essential for making meaningful progress on the Sustainable Development Goals related to peace, environmental protection, and economic stability in the Amazon and beyond.

Identified Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The article highlights how organized crime affects urban areas like Belem, the host city of COP30. The criminal group Comando Vermelho (CV) controls neighborhoods, extorts businesses by demanding “protection money,” and disrupts essential infrastructure projects, such as the expansion of an electricity substation. This directly impacts the safety, security, and sustainable development of the city.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The article explicitly frames the issue of organized crime within the context of climate action, stating, “Tackling organized crime is also key to safeguarding the climate.” It links the environmental crimes committed by these groups in the Amazon, such as illegal deforestation, to the broader fight against a warming world, a central theme of the COP30 climate conference mentioned.

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  This is a central theme, as the article details the “disastrous consequences of environmental crimes” in the Amazon. Organized crime is directly involved in “illegal deforestation” and “illegal trade in… rainforest wood.” The article also describes how illegal gold mining turns the rainforest into a “gray, poisoned landscape,” which involves cutting down trees and using mercury, causing severe degradation of natural habitats and ecosystems.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  The article is fundamentally about the breakdown of peace, justice, and institutions due to organized crime. It describes the Amazon as a “legal vacuum” where criminal cartels operate with impunity due to a “low level of government presence.” The text details various forms of violence, including “murders” and a “massacre,” and illicit activities like “drug trafficking,” “illegal gold mining,” and “human trafficking.” The government’s response, including deploying the military and establishing a parliamentary commission, points to efforts to strengthen institutions and combat crime.

Specific SDG Targets

1. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.7: Provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces. The article shows this target is not being met in Belem, where residents live under a “code of silence” imposed by criminal “bosses,” and public safety is compromised, making spaces unsafe.

2. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning. The article argues for the integration of crime-fighting into climate policy, suggesting that addressing the illegal deforestation driven by criminal groups is an essential part of Brazil’s climate strategy, especially in the context of hosting COP30.

3. SDG 15: Life on Land

   • Target 15.2: Promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests. The article directly addresses the failure to meet this target by highlighting widespread “illegal deforestation” in the Amazon, driven by criminal organizations.
   • Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity. The description of illegal gold mining turning the rainforest into a “gray, poisoned landscape” is a clear example of the habitat degradation this target aims to prevent.
   • Target 15.7: Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna. The mention of criminal groups controlling the “illegal trade in… rainforest wood” directly relates to this target.

4. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere. The article mentions “murders,” a “massacre in a favela in Rio de Janeiro” where over 120 people were killed, and police raids, indicating high levels of violence and related deaths.
   • Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law… and ensure equal access to justice. The description of the Amazon as a “legal vacuum” and the control exerted by criminal gangs who impose their own rules demonstrates a severe challenge to the rule of law.
   • Target 16.4: Significantly reduce illicit financial… flows… and combat all forms of organized crime. The entire article is about organized crime and its illicit activities, including “drug trafficking,” “illegal gold mining,” and “human trafficking,” which generate significant illicit financial flows.
   • Target 16.a: Strengthen relevant national institutions… to prevent violence and combat… crime. The article mentions institutional responses such as the deployment of the armed forces under the “Operation to Guarantee Law and Order” and the creation of a “parliamentary commission of inquiry to uncover the network of organized crime,” which are actions aimed at strengthening institutions.

Implied Indicators for Measurement

1. For SDG 15 (Life on Land)

   • Rate of deforestation: The article’s focus on “illegal deforestation” implies that the area of forest cleared annually is a key indicator of the problem’s scale.
   • Area of land degraded: The description of gold mining creating a “gray, poisoned landscape” suggests that the extent of land degraded by such illegal activities is a measurable indicator.
   • Volume/value of illegal timber trade: The mention of “illegal trade in… rainforest wood” implies that tracking the quantity or financial value of this trade would be an indicator of progress in combating it.

2. For SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions)

   • Number of intentional homicides: The reference to “murders” and a “massacre” with over 120 fatalities points to the homicide rate as a direct indicator of violence.
   • Prevalence of bribery/extortion: The fact that “many business owners pay protection money” indicates that the proportion of businesses affected by extortion could be a measurable indicator of organized crime’s influence.
   • Public perception of safety: The description of residents adhering to a “code of silence” and fearing retaliation implies that surveys on public feelings of safety would be a relevant indicator of the security situation.
   • Number of municipalities controlled by criminal factions: The article states that “criminal factions are present in at least 260 municipalities,” suggesting that tracking this number would be an indicator of the geographic spread and control of organized crime.

3. For SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities)

   • Incidents of disruption to essential services: The report of the CV ordering a “suspension of expansion work on a substation” provides a specific example of an indicator: the number of times essential services or infrastructure projects are halted or threatened by criminal activity.

Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: dw.com