Sue Branford & Maurício Torres

The Brazilian minister of mines and energy stated that Brazil would open its indigenous territories to mining interests without the consent of the affected population.

Brazilian commodities producers have long dreamed of a railroad network crisscrossing Amazonia and the Cerrado, able to cheaply move crops and minerals from the nation's interior to South America's coasts. But factors, including lack of investment, political instability, and difficult terrain, have foiled those hopes—until now.

The Temer administration and Congress, controlled by the bancada ruralista agricultural lobby, is trashing environmental, indigenous, and social rights.