January 28, 2013
Professor Paulo Affonso Leme Machado, widely regarded as the father of Brazilian environmental law, will speak today, January 28, 2013, from 4PM - 6PM in Room 251 of Weinmann Hall. The topic of his talk will be Law and Sustainable Cities: Are Environmental and Land Use Planning the Answer?
Born in 1939 in Piracicaba, Brazil, Professor Leme Machado published his first environmental legal work in 1973. At that time, he held the post of District Attorney in Piracicaba, São Paulo, which was part of the State Prosecutor's Office. In 1977 and 1978, he obtained a Master's degree in Environmental Law from the University of Strasbourg, France. He then returned to Brazil, and the Methodist University of Piracicaba, where he continues to teach today.
Professor Leme Machado is the founder of the Brazilian Society of Environmental Law, an organization which has had great influence in the creation of Brazilian environmental legislation, and he was a key figure in the drafting of Article 225 of the 1988 Constitution — the environmental protection article, as well as in other major pieces of Brazilian environmental law, such as the Brazilian equivalent of NEPA.
In 2013, the 21st edition of his classic and widely-cited work, "Brazilian Environmental Law," was published. Professor Leme Machado is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur from the Republic of France.