Tag Archives: Environment
Children of the Amazon Posted by Rachel on May 3, 2010
One thing you can do to help learn Portuguese is to keep your eyes peeled for films and documentaries about Brazil in your area. So here’s a tip: Children of the Amazon recently premiered on American TV stations and in film festivals around the world. Be sure to look for reruns on your local station…
NPR Coverage of Brazil Posted by Rachel on Dec 18, 2009
NPR has had quite a few stories about Brazil lately, and they are always excellent and interesting. Check out the latest news features and be sure to listen to them, too! In One Brazilian Farm Town, Reviving the Forest Brazil Pins Hopes on Massive, Untapped Oil Fields In Brazil’s Slums, Police Try a Softer Touch…
Sting Meets With Brazilian Indigenous Leaders Posted by Rachel on Nov 23, 2009
Yesterday, British pop star Sting met with several indigenous leaders Caiapó tribe to discuss the Brazilian government’s plans to construct a massive hydroelectric plant in the state of Pará, which would affect the Caiapó’s lands. Sting met the leaders twenty years ago on the Xingu reservation, which inspired him to create a non-profit, the Rainforest…
Al Gore in Brazil Posted by Rachel on Oct 14, 2009
Al Gore is in Brazil this week, and attended an event at the Federação das Indústrias do Estado de São Paulo (the Sao Paulo Industrial Federation), where he gave a speech and discussed environmental conservation. While he stressed the issues of deforestation and conservation efforts, he was rightfully extremely careful to refer directly to environmental…
Acre Government Launches New Environmental Plan Posted by Rachel on Aug 18, 2009
The government of Acre, a small state in the Amazon rainforest that borders Peru, has launched a new plan aimed to curb deforestation. The proposal, which will go into effect in 2010, will monetarily reward Acre’s workers (including loggers, fish ranchers and indigenous tribes) who avoid cutting down trees and/or who actively protect the rainforest…
Brazilian Retailers Punish Deforesting Ranchers Posted by Rachel on Jun 15, 2009
This week, Brazil’s three biggest retailers announced that they will not purchase beef from blacklisted ranchers in the Amazon. According to a recently released report from Greenpeace, certain ranchers in the state of Pará are responsible for deforesting the Amazon and are causing destruction at a rapid rate. In fact, the report shows that ranching…
Global Forest Fund to Aid Amazon Posted by Rachel on Apr 6, 2009
Last Wednesday, world leaders met to discuss the formation of a fund to protect the world’s rainforests. The meeting included US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso, French President Nicholas Sarkozy, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, as well as other leaders and…