A body of law with a clear purpose
Environmental law is the entire framework of laws and standards that exists to protect the environment and ensure development doesn’t happen at nature’s expense.
How this is organized in Brazil
- Federal: the main laws, applying nationwide.
- State: complementary rules for permitting and enforcement.
- Local: municipal standards, like land use and noise rules.
Why these laws exist
Protecting resources that don’t come back once destroyed, preventing health problems caused by pollution, and ensuring economic growth doesn’t mean environmental destruction.
It connects directly with workplace safety
Many environmental requirements — emission control, hazardous waste management — use the same information as a company’s safety program, so the two fields need to talk to each other.
Non-compliance is costly
Violating environmental law can lead to heavy fines, a halt to the company’s activity, and even criminal charges for whoever is technically responsible.