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Marina Silva | |
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_(cropped).jpg) Silva in 2024 | |
| Minister of the Environment and Climate Change[a] | |
| Assumed office 1 January 2023 | |
| President | Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva |
| Preceded by | Joaquim Alvaro Pereira Leite |
| In office 1 January 2003 – 13 May 2008 | |
| President | Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva |
| Preceded by | José Carlos Carvalho |
| Succeeded by | Carlos Minc |
| Spokesperson of theSustainability Network | |
| In office 22 September 2015 – 8 April 2018 Serving with Zé Gustavo | |
| Succeeded by | Pedro Ivo Batista Laís Garcia |
| Senator forAcre | |
| In office 15 May 2008 – 1 February 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Sibá Machado |
| Succeeded by | Jorge Viana |
| In office 1 February 1995 – 2 February 2003 | |
| Preceded by | Aluísio Bezerra |
| Succeeded by | Sibá Machado |
| Federal Deputy forSão Paulo | |
| Assumed office 1 February 2023 | |
| State Deputy of Acre | |
| In office 1 February 1991 – 1 February 1995 | |
| Constituency | At-large |
| Councillor ofRio Branco | |
| In office 1 January 1989 – 1 February 1991 | |
| Constituency | At-large |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Maria Osmarina da Silva (1958-02-08)8 February 1958 (age 68) Rio Branco,Acre, Brazil |
| Party | REDE (2015–present) |
| Other political affiliations | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Federal University of Acre |
| Website | www |
Maria Osmarina Marina da Silva Vaz de Lima[1] (bornMaria Osmarina da Silva; 8 February 1958), known asMarina Silva, is a Brazilian politician andenvironmentalist, currently serving asMinister of the Environment and Climate Change, a position she previously held from 2003 to 2008. She is the founder and former spokeswoman of theSustainability Network (REDE). A formersenator for the state ofAcre between 1995 and 2011, she has been afederal deputy for the state ofSão Paulo since 2023. She ran unsuccessfully for president in2010,2014 and2018.
Silva was a member of thePT until 2009, and served as a senator before becoming Minister of the Environment in 2003. She ran for president in the2010 Brazilian elections as the candidate for theGreen Party, coming in 3rd with 19% of the first-round vote.[2] In April 2014,Eduardo Campos announced his candidacy for the fall2014 presidential election, naming Marina Silva as his vice presidential candidate.[3] After Campos's death in a plane crash on August, she was selected to run as theSocialist Party's candidate for the presidency, winning 21% of the vote and coming in 3rd.[4][5] She again ran for president in the2018 election, this time as the nominee for theSustainability Network, finishing in 8th place with 1% of the vote.
Silva has won a number of awards from US and international organizations in recognition of her environmental activism. In 2010, she, along withCécile Duflot,Monica Frassoni,Elizabeth May andRenate Künast, were named byForeign Policy magazine to its list of top global thinkers[6] for takingGreen mainstream. She was one of eight people chosen to carry the Olympic flag for the opening ceremonies of the2012 London Summer Olympics.[7]
Marina Silva was bornMaria Osmarina da Silva in the small village of Breu Velho, 70 km outsideRio Branco, Acre. Silva is a descendant ofPortuguese andblack African ancestors in both her maternal and paternal lines.[8] She was one of eleven children in a community ofrubber tappers on theBagaço rubber tree plantation (PortugueseSeringal Bagaço), in the western state ofAcre. Growing up, she survived five bouts of malaria in addition to cases of hepatitis and metal poisoning.[9][10]
At age 16, young Marina moved to the state capital, Rio Branco, to study and receive treatment for hepatitis. She was taken in by nuns in a convent and received a Catholic education. There, she became the first person in her family to learn to read and write. After leaving the convent, she went to work as a housemaid in exchange for lodging.[11] She completed her undergraduate degree in history from theFederal University of Acre at 26 and became increasingly politically active. In 1984 Silva helped create Acre's first workers' union.[12]
She led demonstrations calledempates withChico Mendes to warn againstdeforestation and the outplacement of forest communities from their traditional locations.[13]
She helpedChico Mendes to lead the trade union movement, being elected as councillor of Rio Branco in 1988 for her first mandate in a public office.
In 1994, Silva was the first rubber tapper ever elected to theFederal Senate. As a native Amazonian and a senator, she built support for environmental protection of the reserves as well as for social justice andsustainable development in theAmazon region.[14]
A member of theWorkers' Party, Marina Silva was appointed Environment Minister byLula in his first term.
Also in 2005, Silva established her main lines of action for the next two years: social participation,sustainable development, creation of a National Environmental System, and an Integrated Environmental Policy. As she said, "Our ministry is new. It's only 13 years old, and it needs to be rebuilt".[15]
Deforestation decreased by 59% from 2004 to 2007, during which she implemented an integrated government policy. The policy, also known as, "The Action Plan For The Prevention and Control of Deforestation in the Legal Amazon,"[16] It simultaneously fostered sustainable development, favored territorial zoning, and attached greater value to standing forests. It also incorporated elements from international conventions and documents.[17] "All of this demonstrates that, when there is integrated planning and effort, it is truly possible to change the picture," Silva said in a statement to the Embassy of Brazil in London.[17]
In 2005, Silva was confronted by Paulo Adário, coordinator ofGreenpeace Brazil, over her environmental actions during her tenure in the ministry. Since her tenure began, Silva, together with theFederal Police, theBrazilian Army and theFederal Highway Police, performed 32 operations against illegaldeforestation in the Amazon. However, Adário claims that his organization monitors the Amazon region and that only one such operation was conducted in October 2004, in the town ofItaituba, Pará. According to him, even if the 32 operations had actually been carried out, they would represent only half of what was anticipated in the National Plan to Combat Deforestation.[15]
She remained in office until 2008 and received several criticisms from entrepreneurs (mainly related toagribusiness) on account of delays in granting permits for projects with large environmental impact. In early 2005, however, she stated that she would not give up upon facing challenges even if they were imposed by the government to which she belonged, like the controversy over theSão Francisco River Diversion Project,[18] and the building of the BR-163 highway through therainforest: "I don't admit defeat, just challenges that must be overcome".[15]
Silva resigned from the Lula government in May 2008. She was replaced byCarlos Minc.[19] Silva cited "the growing resistance found by our team in important sectors of the government and society" as the reason for her resignation.[12] Tension between her and the rest of the Lula administration increased when PresidentLula da Silva chose Minister of Strategic AffairsRoberto Mangabeira Unger to coordinate a sustainable development plan for the Amazon, instead of her. She had become increasingly isolated inLula da Silva's government due to her views against hydroelectric dams,biofuels, and genetically modified crops.[19]
On 19 August 2009, Silva announced her switch from theWorkers' Party to theGreen Party, primarily in protest against the environmental policies endorsed by thePT. Confirming the expectations,[20] Marina Silva launched her candidacy[21] to the2010 election under the Green Party ticket on 16 May 2010 in the city of Nova Iguaçu,state of Rio de Janeiro. Silva said she wanted to be "the first black woman of poor origin" to become president of Brazil.[22]
In her campaign, Silva defended the "exercise of citizen-based political principles and values", "education for the knowledge society", "economy applied to a sustainable society", "social protection, health, welfare and 3rd generation of social programs", "quality of life and safety for all Brazilians", and "strengthening of culture and diversity".[23]
With her speech against the endemic corruption in Brazil (seeA Privataria Tucana andMensalão scandal), and in favor of sustainable development (with a due consideration to environmental issues), Silva managed to attract the middle class sectors disillusioned with the government of theFernando Henrique Cardoso'sPSDB and dissatisfied with the compensatory social policies of Lula da Silva's administration. As a result, she came to be seen as an alternative.[24]
Marina Silva received strong support among young and highly educated voters. Running on a small-party ticket, she had about 1/20 of the TV time compared to the other two biggest party coalitions. Opinion polls notwithstanding, she received 19.4% of the votes cast.[25] This number far exceeded earlier estimates (more than double), but not enough to join the runoff againstDilma Rousseff orJosé Serra.[26]
In April 2014,Eduardo Campos announced his name for theOctober 2014 presidential election, naming Marina Silva as his candidate for vice president.[3]
On 16 February 2013 a new party,Rede Sustentabilidade ("Sustainability Network"), was officially launched in Brasilia.[27] According to its founders, the name to be used at the polls would be simply REDE ("NETWORK").[28]
On 4 October 2013, theSuperior Electoral Court blocked the party's creation, with there being insufficient signatures to register it.[29] The following day, Marina announced her affiliation to theBrazilian Socialist Party.[30]
On Wednesday, 13 August 2014, Campos' private jet, with six others on board, crashed in bad weather as it was preparing to land in the coastal city ofSantos, just south ofSão Paulo. After his death, Silva[31] became the Brazilian Socialist Party's candidate for president of Brazil.[32][33]
Soon after taking the place of Campos in the bid, Marina polled 20% of the votes, 10% more than Campos was polling. She enjoyed strong support among young voters and evangelicals, but because of her pro-environmental stance she was largely distrusted by Brazil's powerful agribusiness sector.[34] As anEvangelical Christian, she opposedabortion.[35] On 30 August 2014, Silva generated considerable controversy when she renounced the party's support forsame-sex marriage, which was supported by Campos and had been included in the party's manifesto, published a day earlier.[36]
On Sunday, 5 October 2014, Silva received 21% of the vote in the first round of the election, to Rousseff's 41% and Neves's 34%.[5] Although many observers had expected Silva to advance to a second round against Rousseff, Silva ultimately received a much lower share of the vote than most opinion polls had indicated in the lead-up to the election, and did not advance to the 26 October run-off.[5] Some days after the election she endorsed Aecio Neves in the run-off against Dilma Rousseff.[37]
On 4 August 2018, Marina Silva was officially nominated as the Sustainability Network's presidential candidate in the2018 elections. Silva's running mate wasEduardo Jorge of theGreen Party.[38]
Until August 2018, Silva came in third inopinion polls for the presidency, behindLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva (before his candidacy was barred) andJair Bolsonaro. However, she was later overtaken byCiro Gomes,Fernando Haddad (Lula's replacement on the PT ticket), andGeraldo Alckmin, and was later polling fifth on average.[39]
In the last few days before the election, her poll numbers dropped significantly, and in the end she polled around a single percentage point. She came out eight with 1.0% and 1,066,893 votes.
On 12 September 2022 in an event open to the press, Silva publicly endorsed former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for a third term as president ahead of theOctober general election, stating that it was necessary "to beat Bolsonaro and the evil seeds he is sowing in our society." Lula in turn vowed to enact a series of environmental proposals presented by Silva if he won the election. The turn of events has been described by commentators as a major step towards reconciliation between Silva and the Workers' Party.[40]
Following Lula's victory over Bolsonaro in the 31 October runoff, he announced Silva's return as Minister of the Environment on 29 December.[41] In addition, Silva was elected to theChamber of Deputies as a member of REDE forSão Paulo. During her second term, deforestation rates in the Amazon have fallen to their lowest in over a decade through strengthened enforcement, Amazon Fund restoration and expanded protected areas. Silva has also advocated for zero deforestation by 2030 and shaped Brazil's COP30 position on forest finance and indigenous inclusion.[42]
Marina Silva is generally considered to be acentrist and anenvironmentalist.[43] She has campaigned on an anti-corruption platform.[43] She opposes Brazil's nuclear energy program, and wants to redistribute the nuclear energy funds toward solar and wind power. Furthermore, she wants to initiate a national plebiscite on investments in nuclear energy.[44] She is in favor of imposing presidentialterm limits.[45]
Since 1996,[46] Silva has been a Pentecostal Christian[47][48] in theAssemblies of God, the second largest Christian denomination in Brazil after the declining but still mainstreamRoman Catholic Church.[49][50] Nevertheless, during her 2010 election campaign, she was criticized by one of the main leaders of the BrazilianAssemblies of God, PastorSilas Malafaia, after having proposed areferendum on abortion and thedecriminalization of marijuana. According to Malafaia, Marina Silva should be "more courageous and consistent" in defense of her religious convictions.[51]
In 1996, Silva won theGoldman Environmental Prize for South & Central America.[52] In 2007, the United Nations Environment Program named her one of theChampions of the Earth[53] and the 2009Sophie Prize.[54] In December 2014, Marina Silva was elected by the BritishFinancial Times newspaper as one of itsWomen of the Year.[55] Silva is also a member ofWashington, D.C.–based think tank, theInter-American Dialogue.[56]
The participation of Marina Silva as one of the eight invitedflag-bearers to carry theOlympic flag at the opening of the2012 London Summer Olympics surprised theBrazilian government representatives present at the ceremony.[57][58] In the Brazilian press, headlines like "Marina stealsDilma's attention" appeared.[59][60] Commenting on the event,Aldo Rebelo, Brazilian Sports Minister from the PT, said that Silva "always had good relations with theEuropean aristocracy" and that it was the responsibility of theRoyal House to choose who would participate in the event. TheOlympic Committee said it was aware of Silva's work as an activist in defense of therainforest, but denied any political motivations regarding the choice.[61] About her participation in the ceremony, Silva compared it to the feeling she got when passing, aged 16, herliteracy course: "it was the same kind of happiness."[62]
| Year | Election | Party | Office | Coalition | Partners | Votes | Percentage | Result | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | State Elections ofAcre | PT | Federal Deputy | None | 2,507 | 2.33% | Lost | ||||
| 1988 | Municipal Elections ofRio Branco | Councillor | ? | ? | Elected | ||||||
| 1990 | State Elections ofAcre | State Deputy | Popular Front of Acre (PT,PDT,PCB,PCdoB) | None | 3,331 | 2.53% | Elected | ||||
| 1994 | State Elections ofAcre | Senator | Popular Front of Acre (PT,PCdoB,PSB,PPS,PMN,PL,PV,PSTU) | Júlio Eduardo Pereira (PPS) | 64,436 | 21.39% | Elected | ||||
| 2002 | State Elections ofAcre | Senator | Popular Front of Acre (PT,PL,PCdoB,PV,PMN,PSDC,PTdoB) | Sibá Machado (PT) | 157,588 | 32.29% | Elected | ||||
| 2010 | Brazilian Presidential Election | PV | President | None | Guilherme Leal (PV) | 19,636,359 | 19.33% | Lost | |||
| 2014 | Brazilian Presidential Election | PSB | President | United for Brazil (PSB,PPS,PSL,PHS,PPL,PRP) | Beto Albuquerque (PSB) | 22,176,619 | 21.32% | Lost | |||
| 2018 | Brazilian Presidential Election | REDE | President | United to Transform Brazil (REDE,PV) | Eduardo Jorge (PV) | 1,069,578 | 1.00% | Lost | |||
| 2022 | State Elections of São Paulo | Federal Deputy | Together for São Paulo (Brazil of Hope (PT,PCdoB,PV),PSOL-REDE Federation (PSOL,REDE),PSB,Act) | None | 237,526 | 1.00% | Elected | ||||
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