Neoliberalism and Environmental Crisis in Brazil (2016–2022): The Weakening of the Fundamental Guarantees of Article 225 of the 1988 Federal Constitution in Public Governance

Objective: This study aims to critically analyze the impacts of neoliberal rationality on Brazilian environmental policy between 2016 and 2022, with emphasis on the weakening of the fundamental guarantees established in Article 225 of the 1988 Federal Constitution and its effects on public governance and socio-environmental justice. Theoretical Framework: The research is grounded in a critical and decolonial approach, drawing on contributions from authors such as Dardot and Laval, Harvey, Leff, Santos, and Martinez-Alier, who understand neoliberalism as a totalizing political rationality capable of reshaping the role of the State, commodifying nature, and depoliticizing the environmental crisis. Method: A qualitative, theoretical-analytical, and exploratory approach is adopted, based on the hypothetical-deductive method. The study is developed through critical literature review and documentary analysis, examining constitutional norms, public policies, and institutional processes related to environmental governance in Brazil. Results and Discussion: The findings indicate that, between 2016 and 2022, there was an intensification of institutional dismantling, normative capture by economic interests, and the financialization of nature, which compromised the effectiveness of constitutional environmental guarantees and deepened socio-environmental inequalities, particularly in Indigenous, Quilombola, and peasant territories. Research Implications: The study contributes to the debate on environmental governance by highlighting the limits of sustainability under neoliberal rationality and by reinforcing the centrality of socio-environmental justice and the public function of the State. Originality/Value: The originality lies in the articulation between neoliberalism, environmental governance, and fundamental guarantees, offering a critical perspective that dialogues with Southern epistemologies and broadens the understanding of contemporary socio-environmental conflicts in Brazil.