About 44 million people, or almost 20% of Brazil's population, are suffering as the result of a devastating, yet little know process called 'desertification'. Which, simply put, is the process by with human activity and climatic conditions react with semi-arid and arid lands turning them into deserts. This process effects 9 north and northeastern Brazil states.
Paulo Pedro de Carvalho, the coordinator of the National program of Action for Combating Desertification says, “We are aware that desertification does not receive due attention, even within the Ministry of the Environment."
Deforestation and desertification is killing the north of Brazil and nothing is being done about it.
Here is an interesting video:
http://youtu.be/2Gn_inHG2vs
Some areas of Brazil are in the midst of horrible droughts that have already lasted for two years or more. No perceivable rain in more than two years, can you imagine what that is like?
Cheers, 
William James Woodward, Brazil & Canada Expert - Expat-blog Team
Desertification in Brazil, almost 20% of population suffer
So Brazil has a Ministry of Environment yet the ministry has decided to sleep on this issue? What are they getting tax dollars for? Or better yet, what exactly are they doing, besides finding ways to make our lives miserable?
Matt V. - Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil
Visit my Personal Blog - brazilbs.blogspot.com
Not much other than that!
They have a PAC program with the grandiose diversion of water from the São Francisco river, it has been very controversial and still hasn't produced any results.
Hi William,
You are right.
Brazil has to get proactive in various arena of development while looking internally to aspects and issues of the people suffering.
The following is a link to news I read on Reuters today.
It sort of says how Brazil perhaps is retarding its own developments. Not that I am too keen on Chinese investments to any country, but I think that Brazil should scrutinize such aspects of development with a much more keen eye.
Do take a gander at the following link.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/chinese-i … 00630.html
thanks
Maks1
Yes, it seems when China gets involved the environment goes out the window.
Matt V. - Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil
Visit my Personal Blog - brazilbs.blogspot.com
For a bit more information on the São Francisco River Transposition Project see the following links:
Folha de São Paulo article
http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacio … year.shtml
The Economist Magazine - "Brazil's São Francisco River Project, The bishop and the saint"
http://www.economist.com/node/5025936
Never before has an issue so divided the Brazilian population. Everybody has an opinion, they're either dead set against the transposition or they're all for it. It seems like they've all lost reason and aren't the least bit willing to examine this important project from ALL sides to understand it's obvious benefits and its obvious problems which are significant.
Hello guys,
See, more than the fact that bureaucracy in Brazil is convoluted in its own convoluted way, what is very apparent is that Brazil slowed don totally after the developments brought on by Lula. Dilma Rousseff was unfortunately not able to latch on to much of such developmental activities.
I think that what should have happened is that Brazil should have developed a kind of political system similar to other great democracies.
With a Federal government at the center over-seeing various developmental aspects of the country while state governments propagate semi-autonomous development within the states.
This was lot of hassles could be avoided. The various laws governing the development of the country can be formulated by the Federal government with a close support of the state government leaders.
Unfortunately, like most developing countries Brazil does not seem to have reached that stage. The reason for saying this is the fact that in the world (Internationally) things are in high turmoil (remember the riots etc. that took place in Brazil recently), keeping this aspect in mind, I think it would be better if the politicians so involved in all this looks at this more closely.
Brazil cannot afford to be reticent to investors bringing in development to the country.
As 'Matt' mentioned above, while it is necessary to closely scrutinize some countries that wish to invest in Brazil. The small investors should be welcome to do so because most times
(as seen in this forum) many expats come to stay in Brazil for good and with the willingness to indulge in social and economic developments of Brazil and the people even if it is on a small scale. After all it is indeed so many little drops that collectively make a very large ocean.
Such developments should be engendered taking the lay of the land into account. Issues like 'desertification, pollution etc as mentioned by 'William" should be taken into consideration. These are issues that have the capacity to get out of hand quicker than we can think that we can control them. The issues of providing fresh water to the burgeoning population in different countries all over the world is a very important issue that should be considered in connection with 'desertification'.
I fervently hope that the concerned authorities looks at such issues with a more open and empathic minds.
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