Ricardo de Aquino Salles (born 8 June 1975) is a Brazilian politician who has served as

Minister of the Environment An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of the environment) is a cabinet position charged with protecting the natural environment and promoting wildlife conservation. The areas associated with the duties of an ...

from 1 January 2019 to 23 June 2021, under President

Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and retired military officer who has been the 38th president of Brazil since 1 January 2019. He was elected in 2018 as a member of the Social Liberal Party, which he turn ...

. Salles previously served as a secretary to São Paulo Governor

Geraldo Alckmin Geraldo José Rodrigues Alckmin Filho (; born 7 November 1952) is a Brazilian politician who is the vice president-elect of Brazil. He previously served as the Governor of São Paulo from 2001 to 2006, and then again from 2011 to 2018, the lo ...

and the state's secretary of the environment.

Biography

Ricardo Salles was born in

Morumbi, São Paulo Morumbi () is a district of the city of São Paulo belonging to the subprefecture of Butantã, in the southwestern part of the city. A common folk etymology attributes its name to the mixed Portuguese and Tupi phrase ''morro obi'', which wou ...

to a family of lawyers. He received his law degree from the

Mackenzie Presbyterian University Mackenzie Presbyterian University (Portuguese: ''Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie'') is a private university in São Paulo, Brazil. The Mackenzie Presbyterian University is an institution of higher learning that has strong tradition and history ...

, did postgraduate studies at the universities of

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto, and Braga, it is the largest cit ...

and

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administrative limits w ...

, and studied business administration at Fundação Getúlio Vargas. For almost seven years, it was believed that Salles held a master's degree from

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

. In 2019, after Yale confirmed that Salles never studied there, he then alleged that the information was incorrectly provided by an aide. In 2006 Salles co-founded the Movimento Endireita Brasil (literally "Straighten Brazil Movement" and a pun for “Become more Right-Wingy Brazil”). The movement opposed the presidencies of

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist, and former metalworker who is the president-elect of Brazil. A member of the Workers' Party ...

and

Dilma Rousseff Dilma Vana Rousseff (; born 14 December 1947) is a Brazilian economist and politician who served as the 36th president of Brazil, holding the position from 2011 until her impeachment and removal from office on 31 August 2016. She is the first ...

, and supports

economic liberalism Economic liberalism is a political and economic ideology that supports a market economy based on individualism and private property in the means of production. Adam Smith is considered one of the primary initial writers on economic libera ...

. Salles was a candidate for

state deputy Established by the Constitution of Brazil, the State Senate is the State's representative body. The members are elected through the proportional system, by taking into account the joining affiliation (political party or coalition of parties), as ...

in 2010 as a member of the Democrats (DEM), receiving 25,000 votes but failing to be elected. He was a candidate for

federal deputy The Chamber of Deputies ( pt, Câmara dos Deputados) is a federal legislative body and the lower house of the National Congress of Brazil. The chamber comprises 513 deputies, who are elected by proportional representation to serve four-year t ...

in the

2018 elections The following elections are scheduled to occur in 2018. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. Africa * 2018 Djiboutian parliamentary election 23 February 2018 *2018 Sierra Leonean general elec ...

, but was once again not elected, receiving 36,603 votes (0.17% of all valid votes). Since 2017, Salles is the subject of a probe by São Paulo state prosecutors for violating environmental laws. He is accused of altering the management plan for a protected area in the

Tietê River The Tietê River ( Portuguese, Rio Tietê, ) is a Brazilian river in the state of São Paulo. The name Tietê was registered for the first time on a map published in 1748 by d’Anville. The name signifies "The truthful river", or "truthful w ...

with the "clear intention of benefiting economic sectors"; Salles has maintained his innocence and said that the evidence of the case "corroborates his position". He is also being investigated for possible administrative misconduct for ordering the removal of a bust of

Carlos Lamarca Carlos Lamarca (; October 23, 1937 – September 17, 1971) was a Brazilian Army Captain who deserted to become a member of the armed resistance to the Brazilian dictatorship. He was a part of the Popular Revolutionary Vanguard (''Vanguarda ...

from the

Rio Turvo State Park The Rio Turvo State Park ( pt, Parque Estadual Rio Turvo) is a state park in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It protects an area of Atlantic Forest. A man's skeleton from 9,000 years ago was found in the park area in 1999. Location The Rio Tur ...

in São Paulo, during his tenure as state environmental secretary. Despite President Bolsonaro's critical statements on the

Paris Agreement The Paris Agreement (french: Accord de Paris), often referred to as the Paris Accords or the Paris Climate Accords, is an international treaty on climate change. Adopted in 2015, the agreement covers climate change mitigation, adaptation, and ...

, Salles defended that Brazil should remain in the accord, while adding that the country "must be allowed to retain its autonomy when making environmental decisions". Salles has been criticized both in Brazil and internationally for relaxing regulations in favor of economic interests of the country's agribusiness, increasing

deforestation of the Amazon rainforest The Amazon rainforest is the largest rainforest in the world, covering an area of 3,000,000 km2 (2,316,612.95 square miles). It represents over half of the planet's rainforests and comprises the largest and most biodiverse tract of tropic ...

and aggravating its consequences, like the

2019 wildfires Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

, which prompted many calls for his resignation. In June 2021, Salles resigned amid multiple investigations regarding allegations that he obstructed a police probe into

illegal logging Illegal logging is the harvest, transportation, purchase or sale of timber in violation of laws. The harvesting procedure itself may be illegal, including using corrupt means to gain access to forests; extraction without permission, or from a ...

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Salles, Ricardo 1975 births Living people People from São Paulo New Party (Brazil) politicians Democrats (Brazil) politicians Progressistas politicians Brazilian Social Democracy Party politicians Social Liberal Party (Brazil) politicians Liberal Party (Brazil, 2006) politicians Mackenzie Presbyterian University alumni Brazilian Ministers of the Environment