BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

The disparate reactions of Brazilian businesses and green communities to the resignation of Environment Minister Maria Silva have once again shed light on a crucial communications issue of the 21st Century.

At the heart of the issue are claims that Brazilian President Luiz Inacia Lula da Silva caved to businesses that felt Minister Silva was too aggressive during her six years in office. Minister Silva had long been a proponent of saving Brazil' s vast forests and succeeded in getting President Lula to protect 24 million hectares from deforestation.

That and other environmental initiatives seemingly put the minister at odds with Brazil' s agri-industry and, eventually, with President Lula.

The conflict between environmentalists and commercial interests is nothing new. It' s debated vigorously in virtually every developing and industrialized country in the world. As more people come to believe that the planet' s health is increasingly at risk, voters and concerned citizens will increasingly be demanding sustainable environmental action from their governments.

Of course, those actions often directly conflict with the desires of big business - and with such broad pressure being applied from both sides, governmental communications professionals will have to walk a fine line to avoid the same damned-if-you-do/damned-if-you don' t crisis situation Brazil' s President Lula is currently facing.

One way to mitigate this potential crisis may be to give both business and environmental groups a seat at the planning table. This allows all parties their say and, regardless of the outcome, provides affected stakeholder with the sense that they are part of a larger mission to simultaneously protect the country' s economic and environmental security.

Once the plans are set, proposed measures should be focus grouped to provide a comprehensive analysis of their affects on the public at large. After the results are analyzed, an inoculation outreach to those audiences most adversely affected would be helpful in minimizing surprises - which often times prove fatal to progressive government initiatives.