Take a Cool Guess—The Fun Quiz on Renewable Energy and Environmental Sustainability. Today’s Topic: Destroying the Amazon
Question: The far-right nationalist Jair Bolsonaro, now president-elect of Brazil, said he will lift existing restrictions on land development. In what year did Brazil require all landowners to keep a percentage of their terrain forested–ranging from 20% in some parts of the country to 80% in the Amazon?
Answer: Can be found at Clean Energy Answers.
Relevance: There is a clear link between the health of the Amazon and the health of the planet. The rain forests, which contain 90-140 billion metric tons of carbon, help stabilize local and global climate. Deforestation may release significant amounts of this carbon, which could have catastrophic consequences around the world.
Craig,
The election of Jair Bolsonaro is certainly a very worrying development for Brazil and the planet’s environment.
Jair Bolsonaro isn’t a nationalist in the true sense, or he would care about preserving Brazil’s greatest natural asset. Regrettably, Jair Bolsonaro is not an astute negotiator like the US President, nor does he possess Trump’s flexibility. Jair Bolsonaro is a humourless, single minded individual with a very determined agenda that doesn’t bode well for democracy or the environment.
Unlike the US, institutional checks and balances are not well established in Brazil. Jair Bolsonaro will not take easily to being hindered by opposition.
Although Bolsonaroa will withdraw from the Paris Agreement, his reasons are not as valid as the US and will more or less render the Agreement void.
The election of Jair Bolsonaro is not a good development, I feel very pessimistic for Brazil’s immediate future.