Brazil’s Environment and Climate Change Minister Marina Silva endured a barrage of personal insults during a four-hour hearing of the Chamber of Deputies’ Agriculture Committee on Wednesday, her first appearance in the lower house since walking out of a Senate session in May. Deputy Evair Vieira de Melo (PP-ES) called the minister “adestrada” and claimed her public stance followed tactics used by Hamas, Hezbollah and the Farc, while other opposition lawmakers labeled her “mal-educada” and a “vergonha”. Silva said she felt “terrivelmente agredida” but remained calm, adding that “it is better to receive injustice than to practise it.” Committee chair Rodolfo Nogueira (PL-MS) did little to curtail the clashes, prompting interventions from government allies who demanded basic decorum. Despite the hostile atmosphere, Silva presented data intended to reassure rural legislators that tighter policing of deforestation had not hurt farm output. She said deforestation fell 46% in the Amazon and 32% nationwide in the past two years while agribusiness expanded 15% and per-capita income rose 11%. The government, she added, earmarked almost R$1.5 billion last year to fight record wildfires, expanded the fire brigade to 3,500 personnel and seized 20 head of illegal cattle in Acre’s Chico Mendes reserve as part of wider crackdowns. Just 2.6% of rural properties account for 60% of environmental violations, according to Ibama, the federal enforcement agency. The confrontation underscores persistent tension between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s environmental agenda and lawmakers aligned with Brazil’s farm lobby, which controls key congressional committees. Wednesday’s exchanges echo the rancorous May hearing in the Senate that prompted Silva to leave after being told to “stay in her place.” With Brazil preparing to host COP-30 in 2026, the minister’s treatment has drawn scrutiny from foreign investors and diplomats who view sustained progress on curbing deforestation as vital to the country’s climate credibility.