brazil

3 Activists Killed Per Week in 2018, New Report Shows

3 Activists Killed Per Week in 2018, New Report Shows

Taking a stand for environmental justice and protecting natural resources is a dangerous pursuit. A new report from the UK-based NGO Global Witness showed that 164 environmentalists worldwide were killed for their activism in 2018. That averages to just over three murders per week. And that’s an underestimation. Global Witness said the true number was […]

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    Brazil’s Bolsonaro Green-Lights 150+ Pesticides This Year

    Brazil’s Bolsonaro Green-Lights 150+ Pesticides This Year

    By Sue Branford and Thais Borges With the ruralist lobby now in control of key sectors of the federal government, Brazil is rapidly approving new pesticides for use, some of which critics say are either unnecessary or excessively toxic. During the first 100 days of the Jair Bolsonaro administration, the Agriculture Ministry authorized the registration […]

    Will American Museum of Natural History Dignify ‘Tropical Trump’?

    Will American Museum of Natural History Dignify ‘Tropical Trump’?

    The American Museum of Natural History says it is “deeply concerned” about a gala honoring Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro that is scheduled to take place at the museum next month. According to the museum, the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce had booked the museum as its venue to give its Person of the Year Award before […]

    3 Massacres in 12 Days Suspected in Brazilian Amazon

    3 Massacres in 12 Days Suspected in Brazilian Amazon

    By Sue Branford and Thais Borges Violence in the Brazilian countryside is on the rise. In the last two weeks, Amazonia has seen an alarming increase in targeted killings, with three massacres and at least nine deaths. The Catholic Church’s Pastoral Land Commission (CPT) defines a massacre as a killing involving three or more people. […]

    Brazil Moves to Open Indigenous Lands to Mining

    Brazil Moves to Open Indigenous Lands to Mining

    By Sue Branford and Maurício Torres For many years, international and Brazilian mining companies have dreamed of getting access to the mineral wealth lying beneath indigenous lands. And finally, the government of Jair Bolsonaro seems determined to give them that opportunity. On March 4, while Brazilians were distracted by Carnival celebrations, the new Minister of […]

    Amazon Deforestation, Already Rising, May Spike Under Bolsonaro

    Amazon Deforestation, Already Rising, May Spike Under Bolsonaro

    By Robert T. Walker Over the past 25 years that I have been conducting environmental research in the Amazon, I have witnessed the the ongoing destruction of the world’s biggest rainforest. Twenty percent of it has been deforested by now—an area larger than Texas. I therefore grew hopeful when environmental policies began to take effect […]

    58 Dead, 305 Missing in Brazilian Dam Collapse

    58 Dead, 305 Missing in Brazilian Dam Collapse

    Brazil endured one of the deadliest mining disasters in its history when a mining dam collapsed Friday in the southeastern city of Brumadinho, The New York Times reported. The death toll rose to 58 by Sunday, a spokesperson for the Civil Defense said, and 305 people are missing. Rescue operations had to pause Sunday when […]

    Bolsonaro Welcomes Big Business to Brazil, Alarming Environmentalists and Indigenous Groups

    Bolsonaro Welcomes Big Business to Brazil, Alarming Environmentalists and Indigenous Groups

    In his first major international speech, Brazil’s new president Jair Bolsonaro told the politicians and business leaders gathered in Davos this week that he’s opening up his country and its natural resources to foreign investment, all while—somehow—preserving the nation’s environment and biodiversity. “It is now our mission to make progress in harmonizing environmental preservation and […]