he project seeks to understand the factors that shape public perception in Brazil regarding environmental and climate policies adopted by other countries but with extraterritorial effects, such as the European Union’s Anti-Deforestation Law. It will be presented at the panel “The Role of International Sustainability Standards in Making Trade Sustainable,” organized by the United Nations Forum on Sustainability Standards (UNFSS) in partnership with the International Standards Organisation (ISO). The initiative is the result of collaboration between Rodrigo Cezar (FGV RI) and the Geneva Graduate Institute.

As a contribution to the panel discussions, the project includes a Pre-COP Consultation, to be held at FGV on October 17, bringing together 25 representatives from civil society, government, international organizations, and the private sector. The objective is to discuss recommendations on how to address environmental and climate policies in a fragmented international landscape. The consultation will focus on the role of international organizations in mediating disputes and the potential impacts of such policies on local populations.

The project will also present, for the first time, the results of a nationally representative experiment conducted in Brazil. The study examines under what conditions Brazilians perceive unilateral climate measures from other countries as legitimate. One of its main focuses is to investigate whether the participation of Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) as partners in the implementation of climate action policies increases public acceptance of these measures.

Furthermore, the analysis will assess how geopolitical perceptions influence the legitimacy attributed to such initiatives—specifically, whether citizens who are more concerned about international rivalries still tend to accept foreign measures in certain contexts.

Results coming soon.