Guest jab by David Middleton
From the American Association for the Advancement of Science of America…
Brazil’s new president has scientists worried. Here’s why
By Herton EscobarJan. 22, 2019 , 3:25 PM
Brazil has long been a frontrunner in climate change policy and environmental diplomacy. The international conventions on climate change and biological diversity, for example, were born during the historic United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, and Brazil played a key role in crafting and implementing both agreements.
That legacy is now at risk. Since he took office on 1 January, Brazil’s new president, Jair Bolsonaro, has dismantled several government divisions dedicated to climate change. The former army captain and far-right congressman has also named Cabinet members who are openly hostile to the fight against global warming.
Government officials say climate change will continue to be a priority. But scientists and environmentalists are alarmed…
[…]
The new minister of foreign affairs, Ernesto Araújo, recently wrote that global warming is left-wing “dogma,” used to “suffocate the economic growth of capitalist, democratic countries.”
Araújo’s ministry has eliminated its Climate Change Division, which spearheaded Brazil’s efforts within the United Nations and other international fora. All environmental policies now fall under a single department and the word “climate” has disappeared from the ministry’s administrative structure.
Two departments of the Ministry of Environment that dealt with climate change and mitigation policies were also nixed…
[…]
During his campaign, Bolsonaro threatened several times to pull Brazil out of the Paris agreement, the 2015 landmark United Nations climate deal. But Ricardo Salles, the new minister of environment, said in recent interviews that Brazil will stay in the agreement while rejecting any “international interference” in its territory, agricultural practices, or use of natural resources.
[…]
If you don’t get my use of “American Association for the Advancement of Science of America“, you need to watch the movie Dodgeball. If you don’t get “Science! As in she blinded me with…”, Google Thomas Dolby.
Back to scientists being worried… I’m a scientist, I’m not worried. If I walked down the hall and asked all of my geologist and geophysicist co-workers if they were worried about making Brazil great again, I’m pretty sure the response would be 100% in the negative. Most of them would probably say it’s too bad someone can’t make Venezuela great again.
Why is it that a handful of taxpayer funded climate “scientists” and environmentalist nitwits are always referred to as “scientists”, as if they were representative of all scientists?
The Bolsonaro administration has eliminated redundant climate- and environmental-related agencies, remains committed to sensible environmental protection, “while rejecting any ‘international interference’ in its territory, agricultural practices, or use of natural resources.” How could anyone with a real job be opposed to this?
MBraGA!!!
‘The Bolsonaro administration has eliminated redundant climate- and environmental-related agencies, remains committed to sensible environmental protection “while rejecting any ‘international interference’ in its territory, agricultural practices, or use of natural resources.” How could anyone with a real job be opposed to this?‘
Whats not to like.
well the UN doesn’t like it….
“and Brazil played a key role in crafting and implementing both agreements.”…..and close to $5 billion from the UN Green Climate Fund
https://www.greenclimate.fund/home
He did limit it to people with real jobs.
That rules out the UN.
The new Brazil’s environment minister seems a pretty decent chap:
“Ernesto Araújo” Think I’ll have a T-shirt made with this guys face on it.
Better than Ernesto “Che” Guevara and his flat cap.
Bolsonaro probably ask his experts if there was any downside to staying in the Paris agreement. Response was likely No. It’s a meaningless scrap of paper. OK. We use it as a negotiating point with the Europeans and the the UN while ignoring it.
Done
““Ernesto Araújo” Think I’ll have a T-shirt made with this guys face on it.”
Or you could get one of those horrific tattoos of his face on your arm, you know, the ones that end up looking like the girl from The Exorcist while her head is on backwards.
Im worried that there aren’t enough people wanting to make America great again. I’m not worried that Brazilians are trying to make Brazil great again. Articles like this give me hope that we might be on the right side of history. Thanks
There needs to be an investigation to find out if anyone in the Obama administration had ties to America.
ROTFLMFAO!!!!!
X2!
Investigation not needed, as (based on their policies) any ties anyone in the Obama administration might have had to America was clearly not influential in their decision making process. at all.
My first guffaw of the morning!
+42
smiles
Yes, if I were Brazilian I would be thrilled the government wants to put its collective shoulder to the wheel of building the economy and not waste effort on trying to control the weather in Washington.
Maybe now Brazil will be able to clean up its waterways.
A few interesting facts regarding Brazil’s sugarcane & ethanol industries that may or may not be relevant:
A report filed with the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service in 2018 predicted Brazil’s ethanol production would increase 9% to 30.755 billion liters (8.12 billion gallons):
http://ethanolproducer.com/articles/15570/report-ethanol-production-in-brazil-to-increase-9-in-2018
Brazil’s annual ethanol capacity could rise to 54 billion liters by 2030, from 27 billion today. The study said 26 new sugarcane mills would have to come online in the next dozen years:
https://www.reuters.com/article/brazil-ethanol/brazil-ethanol-output-could-double-by-2030-govt-study-idUSL1N1U70U1
Sugarcane occupies 2.5% to 3% of Brazil’s arable land:
https://www.eia.gov/biofuels/workshop/presentations/2013/pdf/presentation-08-020113.pdf
In 2016/17, approximately 9.05 million hectares were planted with sugar cane in Brazil, up from 8.66 million hectares in the preceding crop year. (One hectare equals 2.47 acres):
https://www.statista.com/statistics/742511/area-planted-sugar-cane-brazil/
But they aren’t planting cane to produce ethanol… it is entirely from the waste product of the industry which is intended to produce and sell sugar
Brazil currently has lots of fossil fuels. In the 1970s ethanol was seen as a path to energy security. link
As far as I can tell, Brazil would be amazing if it weren’t for corruption.
For commieBob and anyone interested, Brazil’s issues are (based on my fairly extensive knowledge of the country) unfortunately much deeper that the type of corruption in the wiki article, although still fixable. Here’s a quick sample of things that need to be fixed:
– Revert back to the traditional diet and remove industrial food, especially seed oils, wheat,
and added sugars. The health of Brazilians is rapidly declining and from what I can see
has caught down the US. Brazil will soon have a US-style health crisis but without the
ability to print money.
– Remove impediments to foreign investment like over-regulation and over-taxation of
imports
– Invest in ports and railroads, not in flashy wastes of money like the olympics, the world
cup and, before that, a space program.
– Benchmark the schools against Japan and Singapore. Bolsonaro has already alluded to
this.
– Stop coddling criminality. Bolsonaro is on this in baby steps as well.
– Radically increase undercover police.
– Focus environmental improvement on creating a culture of cleanliness. No amount of
flashy spending will overcome people throwing garbage on the streets and plastic in
places where it ends up in rivers. Filtering the major rivers for plastic could be a fall-back.
– Remove financial and cultural incentives for people who can’t take care of children to
have more children. This is probably the hardest of these to do.
– Benchmark property and contract law against the US.
– Create a long-term plan to expand into one or two international industries. For example,
call centers are currently not an option due to overpriced labor and lack of an English
speaking population.
– Eradicate graffiti. Create a culture of excellence.
– Create volunteer corps to address basic improvement and create a culture of self-
reliance.
That would be a good start, is all somewhat doable, but goes well beyond just reducing corruption.
If the sugar is removed first, what is the ethanol produced from?
Where is my old college chemistry book when I need it?
Brazil is interesting. It has a long history of working for self-sufficiency. Here’s a story about Brazilian fertilizer production. Brazil has a surprisingly robust automobile industry. link Brazil tried to improve the balance of payments by using open source software. link In response to the 1970s oil crises, Brazil pushed ethanol production. link
Folks have been working on making Brazil great for a long time. The slogan should be ‘Make Brazil Great’ (for the first time).
They have an aircraft industry:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embraer
I don’t fly all that often, but I’ve flown on an Embraer regional jet more than once.
The US Air Force is in the process of acquiring some Embraer Super Tucano COIN aircraft from Brazil.
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/23075/the-air-force-says-it-might-only-buy-20-light-attack-aircraft-in-the-end
Too bad they can’t just resurrect the A-1 Skyraider.
David, they are resurrecting the Lockheed OV-10 Bronco, which I rode back seat/copilot in Vietnam, with Australian Pilots (Rules? You Yanks are crazy, there are no rules in war). David great post, and shows there is finally hope for Brazil. I’m thinking we are similar, we both took big bucks from big oil, and, when our wives say we are getting worse we take it as a compliment.
The OV-10 was always one of my favorites. I built the old Revell kit back in the 70’s and I have had the Academy kit sitting in my stash for about 15 years, waiting for me to find the time to build it. When I get around to it, I’m going to build it as a US Navy “Black Pony.”
https://modelingmadness.com/review/viet/us/usaf/antov10.htm
https://www.ebay.com/itm/AOA-decals-1-72-BLACK-PONIES-MORE-BRONCOS-USN-USMC-OV-10A-Broncos-/142948146054
Louis Hoofstetter, Nice one.
Yup but I think they are innocent of that charge
As Christiana Figueres openly stated: It’s not about global warming, its about destroying capitalism!
For Brazil to become great it needs to remove the endemic corruption. The Climate Change Scam is a good place to start.
Bolsonaru will be almost as much a boogey man for the international left as Trump. Both ran against the doctrines of the left, and won.
Is it possible to have a ‘Make Great Britain Great Again’? after Brexit since it is already ‘Great’? 🙂
‘Make England Great Again’, works. MEGA! But discludes the rest of the union. 🙁
MUKGA, yeah, cant see that going anywhere!
Now we need a new German leader that is cut from the same cloth, and ready to exit the Paris “agreement” farce, tear the stupid windmills down, and build REAL power plants and make Germany great again (you know, with a reliable grid and low energy prices).
IOW, admit the colossal FAILURE of the “green” initiatives and get on with life.
May the dominos continue to fall…
What has fake climate change “scientists” worried is that Brazil no longer believes the lies and is throwing off the shackles of voluntary “Progressive” enslavement! This is a world-wide movement, by the way!
Bolsonaro’s primary concern should be the Amazon jungle.
Forget warming, seohtwo, he should be focussed on ensuring that the whole of Brazil does not become a desert with wholescale loss of biodiversity.
It is associated with slash n burn deforestation and ranching.
Nothing to do with oil consumption….
Another example of buying progressive disinformation. For every 1 acre of rainforest being lost, 3 more are returning to nature as farmers move into the cities. The resultant newly forested area has equivalent biodiversity.
Surprised to see that this came from the NY Times. There are a lot of other articles out there on the reforestation occuring in the tropics. The “Skeptical Environmentalist” is getting a little out of date, but still a great read.
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/science/earth/30forest.html
As posted before Sigma Xi joined with AAAS into the politics/policy arena. AAAS does not want deniers to have anything to do with questioning evolution along with climate as in worrying about— “…..saying the Evangelical Church had lost influence, ‘allowing the theory of evolution into schools’ without questioning.” https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/01/brazil-s-new-president-has-scientists-worried-here-s-why?utm_campaign=news_daily_2019-01-23&et_rid=237382256&et_cid=2616190
I taught evolution for a few years and would like to have these people take one of my exams. I always left the class, lots of Catholics, open to questions. In about a decade, I got maybe two religious questions. Fascinating subject evolution, actually composed of lots of subjects, untested beliefs welcome but questioned regardless of origin.
The Brazil problem may be like Texas, government determining textbook content. I was just in the tax office. Guy with MAGA hat worried about paying his property tax.
He should get a yellow vest and hit the streets or maybe a MakeMeGreatAgain hat. Questioning”Untested beliefs” is the specialty of this site.
Questioning something is fine, nothing wrong with it. I question the Big Bang, doesn’t make any sense to me. I can see why it arose as a theory (everything we can see in the universe seems to come from a common point, or something like that), but the whole “all matter was compressed into a point smaller than the head of a pin”, either I’m too stupid to wrap my head around it, or…
Yeah – those third world countries are great targets for forcing progressive agenda.
I can understand why the greenies wouldn’t want them to have prosperity – they’d no longer be under the thumb.
Maybe Brazil is trying to avoid this…..
“Top 5 failed socialist promises: From Lenin to Chavez”
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/top-5-failed-socialist-promises-from-lenin-to-chavez
“As socialist ideas enjoy somewhat of a resurgence among young Democratic lawmakers and their liberal base in the U.S., and troubled nations such as Venezuela and North Korea reel from the fallout tied to socialist policies, Fox News took a look back at some of the biggest promises of the movement and how they turned out.”
You have absolute freedom, to do whatever I tell you to do.
“During his campaign, Bolsonaro threatened several times to pull Brazil out of the Paris agreement.” And the threats got him elected. He should go ahead.
I saw a fecal truck on a highway, with a sign “Beware! We are full of election promises!”
Thanks Curious.
I just pulled an image of a big red & black truck from the internet.
I’m going to add your slogan to the side of the tank, and send the
enhanced image to a few friends.
I saw one while visiting in Virginia a few years back “We’re #1 in the #2 business.”
And the local guy who re-did my septic tank and leech field, his business card read: “Our customers give us a lot of sh*t”
I’m a scientist, I’m not worried.
“…..global warming is left-wing “dogma,” used to “suffocate the economic growth of capitalist, democratic countries.”
That statement is spot on.
“Why is it that a handful of taxpayer funded climate “scientists” and environmentalist nitwits are always referred to as “scientists”, as if they were representative of all scientists?”
There is the $64,000.00 question!
Are there error bars on that number?
Inflation, it’s now actually worth only $64.
I always knew I liked the Brazilians. Now I see they have backbones, like the Polish and others turning their backs on the phoney far left Greens!
MBraGA reminds of Somia Braga: Doña Flor and her Two Husbands
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bs6XoneyBks
There’s gotta be a better word for it. “Brazexit” looks like a winner at Scrabble.
“The new minister of foreign affairs, Ernesto Araújo, recently wrote that global warming is left-wing “dogma,” used to “suffocate the economic growth of capitalist, democratic countries.”
three thumbs up!
I’m guessing you grew up near Three Mile Island in the 70s?
Maybe we are finally seeing some “common sense” (don’t ask me to define it) wiggling into our politics.