Explaining Brazil #63: Earth v. Bolsonaro

This episode, World Environment Day: Earth v. Bolsonaro, is supported by .Futuro | Rio, the B2B conference about technology for decision-makers. On June 5, in Rio de Janeiro, 25 speakers from Brazil and abroad will get together to discuss how technology transforms businesses and society. The theme for this year’s edition is “Augmented Humanity.” Find out more.

After five months of squabbles with Congress, President Jair Bolsonaro wanted to show his political strength. A massive crowd would corner lawmakers into bending to his will. A flop, however, could spell the ruin of his administration.

Before Mr. Bolsonaro, Brazil wasn’t exactly a perfect example of how to protect the rainforest. Now, it is on its way to becoming one of the world’s biggest cautionary tales.

Today is World Environment Day, but does Brazil have anything to celebrate?

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On this episode:

• Sam Cowie is a British journalist specialized in covering the Amazon region. He has been published by Al Jazeera, BBC, The Guardian, The Intercept.

• Eduardo Franco Berton is a Bolivian environmental lawyer and journalist. He is the founder and director at Blue Foresta and Red Ambiental de Información (RAI).

Background reading:

• A journey into the Amazon Jaguar black market.

• Climate change is about to turn Brazilian big cities warmer and drier.

• A recent study from NGO Instituto Centro de Vida has shown that government websites publish less than 30 percent of vital environmental statistics about the Amazon.

• Chinese imports of Brazilian soy were linked to the deforestation of 223,000 hectares between 2013 and 2017. The extent of deforestation is equivalent to an area two times the size of New York City.

• The Alliance for the Restoration of the Amazon is a group of private companies, government and research institutes, and civil society organizations that wants to change the grim future which seems to be the Amazon’s fate.

Explaining Brazil is made by:

• Gustavo Ribeiro, editor in chief of The Brazilian Report. He has extensive experience covering Brazilian politics. His work has been featured across Brazilian and French media outlets, including Veja, Época, Folha de São Paulo, Médiapart and Radio France Internationale.

• Maria Martha Bruno, producer. She is a journalist with 14 years of experience in politics, arts, and breaking news. She has collaborated with Al Jazeera, NBC, and CNN, among others, and worked as an international correspondent in Buenos Aires.

• Euan Marshall, editing. is a journalist and translator who has lived in São Paulo, Brazil since 2011. Specializing in Brazilian soccer, politics and the connection between the two, his work has been published in The Telegraph, Al Jazeera, The Independent, among others.

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The post Explaining Brazil #63: Earth v. Bolsonaro appeared first on The Brazilian Report.