How Artist Support Helped Indigenous Activists Resist Brazil’s ‘Apocalypse Bill’

Indigenous Brazilian environmental activist Txai Suruí. | Credit: Ana Pessoa/Midia Ninja/CopCollab25

The Challenge

In summer 2023, Brazil’s lower chamber of Congress passed the Marco Temporal Bill, a controversial piece of legislation that threatened to strip Indigenous land rights and accelerate deforestation in the Amazon Rainforest. Dubbed the “Apocalypse Bill” by climate activists, it endangered not only the survival of Indigenous communities but also the global climate by undermining the Amazon’s critical role in carbon sequestration. With the bill advancing to the Senate, a decisive intervention was urgently needed to protect Indigenous rights and halt further destruction.

Our Strategy

With the clock ticking, we worked closely with Indigenous leaders in Brazil to support their fight against the bill. Partnering with Earthrise Studios and Indigenous youth activist Txai Suruí, we helped produce an explainer video that laid out the high stakes of the Marco Temporal Bill. The video, widely shared on social media and amplified by global artists like Billie Eilish, Mark Ruffalo, and Jaden Smith, tagged Brazil’s Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco, generating international attention. This surge of global visibility gave local activists crucial leverage in their direct discussions with Senator Pacheco.

Posts from Billie Eilish, Mark Ruffalo, Jada Pinkett Smith and others tagging Brazil’s Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco.

Impact

Our collaboration softened the ground for pivotal moments:

• Senate Vote Deferred: Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco, under significant public pressure, postponed the vote on the bill and sent it to committee. This delay allowed Brazil’s Supreme Court to hear critical arguments from Indigenous communities, ultimately ruling the bill’s underlying legal doctrine unconstitutional.

• Presidential Veto: Despite the Senate eventually passing the bill under pressure from the cattle industry, President Lula da Silva vetoed it, reinforced by the Supreme Court's decision.

Key Insights

This case underscores the power of aligning international advocacy with local, frontline-led movements. By amplifying Indigenous voices through influential global artists, we helped create a delay that allowed Brazil’s Supreme Court to intervene. This victory demonstrates that strategic collaborations between activists, artists, and political leaders can counter powerful lobbies like the cattle industry, protecting Indigenous rights and the environment. It provides a compelling example of how cultural engagement and international pressure, when guided by local leadership, can drive meaningful change and offer a model for future campaigns to safeguard the Amazon.