The climate crisis, marked among other consequences by rising temperatures, has also affected the Brazilian prison system, which is characterized by overcrowding, precarious infrastructure, and a lack of water and ventilation, exposing prisoners to unsanitary conditions and serious human rights violations.

The warning appears in a technical note from the Federal Public Defender’s Office (DPU), which identifies the risks of thermal violence as inhuman and degrading treatment in Brazilian prisons.

The document also proposes concrete measures to address this situation.

Prepared in the context of the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP30 in Belém, northern Brazil, the statement reaffirms the DPU’s institutional commitment to defending incarcerated individuals and seeks to promote recognition of thermal violence in prisons, “which is part of the multiple dimensions of environmental inequality/racism.”

“The DPU aims to contribute to building a national climate justice agenda that includes the Brazilian prison system,” the text emphasizes.

Thermal violence

Thermal violence is characterized by prolonged and involuntary exposure to extreme temperatures, compromising the health and lives of those in custody.

The Public Defender’s Office statement underscores that understanding this concept is essential for analyzing the situation of the Brazilian prison system in the context of the climate crisis.

“Excessive heat and intense cold compromise the physical and mental integrity of people deprived of their liberty, which constitutes an affront to the Federal Constitution, which prohibits torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, as well as the use of cruel punishments,” the document states.

Unhealthy conditions

The Public Defender’s Office also notes that “the lack of adequate ventilation, access to potable water, and spaces for sunbathing, combined with the high occupancy density in the cells, intensifies the effects of so-called thermal violence.”

Overcrowding

Data from 2024 from the National Secretariat of Penal Policies (Senappen) show that Brazil had approximately 1,386 prison establishments, including federal units, with an estimated total capacity of 489,991 places.

In that year, however, there were 668,570 people held in physical cells, resulting in a deficit of more than 173,000 places.

Measures

The Public Defender’s Office’s technical note outlines the necessary measures to be adopted, including:

• development of state-level schedules for conducting thermal assessments;
• suspension of architectural projects lacking prior studies on thermal variations;
• review of regulations on architectural and infrastructure guidelines for penal establishments;
• provision of clothing necessary for thermal comfort at no cost;
• implementation of air-conditioning measures; and
• provision of potable water suited to the climate of each region.

Petrobras’ board of directors unanimously approved its 2026–2030 business plan at a meeting on Thursday (Nov. 27). Brazil’s state-run oil giant forecasts total investments of USD 109 billion, with USD 91 billion going to projects in the portfolio of projects in implementation and USD 18 billion to portfolio of projects under evaluation – which consists of opportunities with a lower degree of maturity, subject to additional feasibility studies before implementation.

The current plan saw a slight reduction of 1.8 percent from the 2025–29 plan, when Petrobras approved investments of USD 111 billion, of which USD 98 billion was in the implementation portfolio and USD 13 billion in the evaluation portfolio.

“Our investments represent a significant volume for the Brazilian economy – USD 109 billion – which accounts for five percent of total investments in the country. Our projects have the potential to generate and sustain 311 thousand direct and indirect jobs, and we will contribute BRL 1.4 trillion in taxes to municipalities, states, and the federal government over the next five years,” said Petrobras President Magda Chambriard.

She said the company will continue to lead the way in the just energy transition, promoting sustainable development in the country, contributing to national energy security, generating value, and sharing the results with Brazilian society.

Brazil’s drug authority Anvisa has authorized the research foundation Fiocruz to begin clinical trials in humans with GB221, an advanced gene therapy product for the treatment of type-1 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA1), the most severe form of the disease.

Quickly approved by Anvisa under priority review, the study positions Brazil at the forefront of the field in Latin America. 

The GB221 therapy was developed by the US company Gemma Biotherapeutics, Inc. In addition to participating in the clinical development of the therapy, Fiocruz signed a technology transfer agreement with the company, paving the way for the unprecedented Brazilian production of a gene therapy.

The foundation’s strategy for advanced therapies aims to ensure that the country has the scientific and technological foundations to offer products to the Brazilian public health care network, the SUS.

With this initiative, the Brazilian Ministry of Health is increasing national support for research and development of gene therapies, one of the most innovative frontiers in precision public health care, with a focus on the SUS.

The project led by Fiocruz has received investments of BRL 122 million from the Ministry of Health. The strategy also has financial support from the Brazilian Innovation Agency (Finep), which has invested BRL 50 million in infrastructure for the production of advanced therapies.

Type-1 SMA

Considered rare and manifesting in the first months of life, type-1 SMA is caused by a mutation in the SMN1 gene, which is responsible for producing a protein essential for the functioning of motor neurons. 

The absence of this protein causes progressive muscle weakness and can compromise the survival of children in the first years of life.