Intergovernmental Relations and Climate Action Policies: Insights from Brazil

Brazil is a country of considerable diversity, accompanied by notable inequalities. The diversity is evident in the natural and human features. The same national territory encompasses a diverse range of ecosystems, including tropical forests, the Pantanal, and semi-arid regions, as well as large metropolises facing complex urban challenges. Considering these issues, the federal system has been embraced as an optimal institutional framework for addressing some challenges. The federal, state, and municipal levels of government are endowed with combined degrees of autonomy and interdependence, enabling them to collectively confront the multifaceted issues at hand.

The interaction between policy and polity that resulted from the Brazilian constitutional framework and the implementation of social policies during the last three decades has established a collaborative model of intergovernmental relations (IGRs). The model is characterized by a clearer delineation of competencies among the three levels of government; federal funds that distribute budgetary resources in accordance with the public services delivered by each federal unit; and federal forums where policies can be discussed. However, the model may not fully address the challenges posed by climate policy, which is highly intersectoral and has not been a priority on the governments agenda. In this context, this article examines the ways in which the consolidation of climate action policy is influencing the development of a revised model of IGRs in Brazil. To respond to this question, we compare the responses of the Brazilian governments to two recent natural disasters: the severe flooding in the city of Recife (May, 2022), the most populous city in the state of Pernambuco and a metropolitan area in the northeast of the country; and the flooding in the tourist destination of São Sebastião, in the state of São Paulo and in the southeast of the country (February, 2023).