Approval of the Time Frame and changes in the attributions of ministries mobilizing environmental debate

By: FGV ECMI 

 

• Speculation of a rupture between Minister Marina Silva and President Lula mobilizes opposition around the debate about the government's political and environmental interests;
• Environmental debate on Twitter increased after the approval of the Time Frame, with an emphasis on criticism of Arthur Lira and mobilization for action by the Supreme Court to prevent the law;
• On Facebook, PT parliamentarians dominate the environmental debate in a number of publications, but PL has a better performance in engagement;

Highlighted on digital platforms, the environmental debate is framed from three main topics: the vote on the Time Frame, the most prominent issue of the period; the changes in the attribution of the Ministries of Indigenous Peoples and, mainly, of the Environment and Climate Change; and, more laterally, the negotiations around the MST's CPI. This is what the survey by FGV's School of Communication, Media and Information shows, which analyzed publications on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, between May 23 and 30.

It is noted, in this sense, that the political fields behave differently depending on the agenda. While pro-government parliamentarians and progressive profiles seek to dispute the discussion on the Time Frame, mobilizing considerable opposition to the Bill, the debates on the MST's CPI and the changes in ministerial attributions are dominated by the opposition. There is, in these cases, an intense circulation of narratives that insinuate that the Government would be in a moment of many defeats, experiencing a supposed crisis because of a conflict of interest, especially between Minister Marina Silva and President Lula.  These debates, it is worth saying, lose their environmental content and take a more ideological path, which harms the very level of discussion.

General debate

Twitter

Evolution of the debate on the Environment on Twitter

Period: May 23 to 30

 

 

Source: Twitter | Elaborated by: FGV School of Communication, Media and Information

 

• The approval of PL 490/2007, which defines the Time Frame, mobilized a high volume of mentions related to indigenous peoples, mining and agribusiness. In addition to posts criticizing the bill, the content also criticizes the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira, for his conduct of the vote and for cutting off the microphone of deputy Célia Xakriabá (PSOL-MG), who spoke against the project;
• Among the critics of the Bill, there are also posts talking about the possibilities of preventing the Time Limit in the STF or the Senate, arguing that the bill is unconstitutional and represents a serious threat to the indigenous population and the preservation of the environment;
• Although most of the messages about the Time Frame are critical of the urgency, there are also messages celebrating the approval in the Chamber of Deputies, arguing that this is a victory for legal certainty and even though there are many lands already demarcated and few indigenous people, so the law would not be a problem;
• The debate on deforestation also grew after statements by Minister Marina Silva and criticism of the approval in a mixed committee of the provisional measure that removes attributions from the ministries of the Environment and Indigenous Peoples. The messages accuse the MP of "socio-environmental dismantling";
• The MST's CPI also mobilized the profiles, this time favorable to the investigation of the movement that, according to the messages, "spread terror among rural producers." The statement by the president of the CPI of the Federal District, stating that agribusiness financed part of the coup acts, also had repercussions in the debate;

Word Cloud on the Environment on Twitter

Period: May 23 to 30

 

 

Source: Twitter| Elaborated by: FGV School of Communication, Media and Information

 

• The vote on PL 490 also mobilized users of the platform, who replicated messages calling on the population to demonstrate against the bill. The messages disclose the parties that voted against or in favor of the project and criticize Arthur Lira and the ruralist caucus;
• In this theme, it is possible to observe the protagonism of indigenous leaders and influencers, who are against the project and emphasize the dangers of the Time Frame for indigenous populations and the environment. However, there are also messages from opposition parliamentarians celebrating the approval of the project, who stated that the project allowed any land to be invaded, without compensation to the owner;
• Among the most mentioned terms in the environmental debate, charges related to the changes made in the Ministry of the Environment and in the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples generated criticism of President Lula and the legislature. While part of the users blames Lula for removing attribution from the ministry, another part claims that agribusiness and center parties want to boycott the Lula government through changes in the attribution of ministries;
• The license denied by Ibama for oil exploration at the mouth of the Amazon by Petrobras also had repercussions throughout the week. The profiles involved in the debate shared articles talking about positive experiences and ways to combine economic development with environmental protection and talked about the possible impacts of fossil fuel exploration. There are also messages disclosing that Ibama will reevaluate the request and criticism of Lula for allegedly interfering with the environmental agency;
• Arguing that the deputies are serving the interests of land grabbers and lobbyists, the MST's CPI was criticized in posts that mentioned the rapporteur Ricardo Salles and the president Lieutenant Colonel Zucco;

 

Mentions of the Ministries of Environment and Indigenous Peoples on Twitter

Period: May 23 to 30

 

Source: Twitter| Elaborated by: FGV School of Communication, Media and Information

• Minister Marina Silva was among the ministers with the highest volume of mentions in the period, after the vote on a Provisional Measure that removes attribution from her ministry and statements that were interpreted as a declaration of "war" by the minister on President Lula. The messages also claim that the government is "passing the herd" and criticize the president's alleged attempts to interfere with IBAMA to approve licensing for oil exploration at the mouth of the Amazon by Petrobras;
• Minister Sônia Guajajara also received support in the face of the approval of the Provisional Measure that also interferes in her ministry. President Lula was also criticized for not having mobilized to prevent the dismantling of the ministries. In this sense, statements by the minister about the case were also interpreted as criticism of the government;
• Having stood out since the beginning of the government in volume of mentions, ministers Flávio Dino, Fernando Haddad and Geraldo Alckmin were overtaken by Marina Silva and Sônia Guajajara on May 24, pointing to the expressive repercussion of the debate on changes in ministries. Minister Carlos Fávaro, whose portfolio received part of the attribution of the other two ministries, also had a slight increase on the date and received accusations that agribusiness would be destroying environmental legislation;

YouTube

Top Environment Videos on YouTube

Period: May 23 to 30

 

Source: YouTube | Elaborated by: FGV School of Communication, Media and Information

• The license for oil exploration at the mouth of the Amazon and excerpts from the MST's CPI were among the videos on the environment with the highest number of views. In the case of oil exploration, the videos publicize the case and echo speeches by Minister Marina Silva, President Lula and the President of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, in a perspective mostly favorable to the exploration of fossil fuel. In the case of the CPI, the videos address the heated debate between deputy Ricardo Salles (PL-SP) and deputies Sâmia Bomfim (PSOL-SP) and Taliria Petrone (PSOL-RJ). Also noteworthy are videos with excerpts from the sessions in the commission and videos of commentators from the Jovem Pan News channel; 
• The changes in the ministries promoted by the provisional measure amended by Congress, the environmental license for oil exploration and the approval of the Time Frame also motivated opinion videos stating that there is a rupture between Lula and Marina and that the president has no real interest in protecting the environment. The videos ponder whether Marina will continue to lead the ministry and allege that President Lula would be more interested in financial gain and political support than in environmental preservation policies;

Facebook

Top News Links on the Environment on Facebook

Period: May 23 to 30

• The prominent links in the environmental debate on Facebook are mainly focused on the vote on the Time Frame and, more laterally, on the recent episodes involving the assignments of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, by Marina Silva;
• Although two news items from Jovem Pan News disseminate the notion that the government would be presenting recurring losses with Congress, the main links are favorable to a more progressive perspective. In this sense, the mobilization against the approval of PL 460 was the main highlight of this news;
• The centrality of the Cenarium Amazônia Magazine, together with more consolidated traditional outlets, such as O Globo, may indicate a greater space for sources with regional operations. In this case, the magazine brings the perspective of indigenous leaders to the debate;
• It is also worth mentioning the role of international figures, such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo, in this discussion, attracting collective attention to the issues on the agenda. 

Main posts in the debate on the Environment on Facebook

Period: May 23 to 30

Source: Facebook | Elaborated by: FGV School of Communication, Media and Information

 

• The most prominent posts on Facebook offer an overview of the environmental debate in the period analyzed, marked by three main agendas: the changes in the attributions of the Ministries of Marina Silva and Sonia Guajajara, the CPI of the MST and the vote on the Time Frame; 
• The first topic is mainly addressed by opponents of the government, whether they are parliamentarians or ordinary citizens. The perspective in circulation points to a "split" led by Marina Silva and Lula. In this sense, the Minister's statements in opposition to the changes offered fuel for the opposition's narratives; 
• The MST's CPI follows a similar path, being dominated by the opposition to the government. In this case, arguments that trigger moral panic in relation to the Movement's actions are common, indicating that families and children would be under threat. In this way, the debate loses part of its environmental character, moving towards a more ideological content;
• Finally, and with the greater centrality of the period, publications about the vote on the Time Frame present a greater balance, being disputed both by profiles that support the Bill, who argue that the approval of the Milestone configures a victory for Brazilian agribusiness, and by those who oppose the Bill, who come out in defense of the rights of indigenous peoples. 

Parliamentarians and parties in the debate on the Environment on Facebook

Period: May 23 to 30

Number of publications: 1,074

 

 

Source: Facebook | Elaborated by: FGV School of Communication, Media and Information

• The environmental discussion on Facebook is marked, in terms of the number of interactions, by parliamentarians opposed to the government, especially Congresswoman Carol De Toni (PL). The focus was on the approval of the Time Frame in the Chamber, celebrated by the PL base as a "defeat of the Lula Government". In this sense, videos of the deputies in the plenary were highlighted, a resource used both to inform about the direction of the vote in real time, and to perform relevance in the plenary;
• On the other hand, the pro-government parliamentarians stood out in number of posts, with the PT being the party that most agglutinated publications (45), especially in repudiation of the Time Frame. These, however, did not obtain considerable engagement, even though the deputies adopted the aforementioned strategy of disseminating videos, with excerpts that highlight their respective participations in the plenary. Here, associations between PL 460 and terms such as "criminal", "cruel" and "brutal" were common.