Sustainable Development and the Brazilian Judge

Brazil is a clear picture of this global unsustainability. Although it is the ninth largest economy in the world in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), it occupies the 79th position in the global ranking of human development and it is in the 60th position in the world ranking of education. It is 71st in gender equality. According to the world poverty ranking measured by the Gini index, Brazil is the 17th most unequal country in the G-20 and the 14th poorest country in the world. Lastly, Brazil occupies the 77th position in the world ranking of general sustainability and the 115th position in the category of forest protection, according to the Environmental Performance Index of Yale University in 2014. Recent precedents have shown that judges have taken this right seriously. The Judicial Branch, by applying the precautionary principle, has prevented a great deal of environmental damage as well as the deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. Several decisions prevent construction projects and the emission of substances that pollute water and soil and threaten the animals, plants or human health.