Brazil News
RIO DE JANEIRO – The ship Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior, which acts in defense of the environment, is coming to Rio de Janeiro for Rio +20, reported online media. The vessel’s visit marks the 20th anniversary of activities of the NGO in Brazil.
Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior
The Rainbow Warrior will be open for tours on June 16th, 17th, 21st and 22nd. During the tours, Greenpeace representatives will tell visitors about the organization’s initiatives such as its campaigns Zero Deforestation and Renewable Energy.
Since arriving in Brazil in March, the Rainbow Warrior passed through Manaus, Macapá, São Luis, Belém, Recife and Salvador. The ship will leave Rio de Janeiro on June 24th.
The Rainbow Warrior is 58 meters long, 11 meters wide and has 30 crew members. The ship can hold up to 50 visitors simultaneously. While berthed in Rio, Greenpeace expects to host more than 2,000 visitors per day.
Greenpeace and the Rio +20
The campaign coördinator of Zero Deforestation, Márcio Astrini, lamented that protection of the Brazilian forests have been left out of discussions on the Forest Code, which sets limits on the use of rural properties.
“We understand that in the National Congress, the discussion revolved around forgiving environmental crimes, to legalize deforestation which occurred in the past. If the Congress mounted a campaign to defend a law and deforestation, we are proposing now a campaign that comes with a law of popular initiative. Therefore, it is very important for people to help stop deforestation in Brazil,” he told Folha de São Paulo.
Astrini pointed out that Brazil must have a plan to explore more efficient renewable energy. According to him, during their travels along foreign coasts, the crews of Greenpeace ships encountered a lot of wind and solar energy generation stations.
Also according to the Greenpeace representative, there will be discussions during the Rio +20 that will explore the impacts of oil exploitation in Brazil, including the pre-salt layer and the alternatives to fossil fuel use.
“Brazil is not only an important country because of the leadership that it can exert on the issue, but also to prove that development of sustainable energy is economically favorable to the country. We have the conditions within the national territory to set grand examples for the world and these examples can generate a new economy,” he told Folha.
WELCOME TO RIO +20…
(Be aware of pick pockets)
… and to the beautiful shore of the city and across the country. Have you heard the saying that looks are deceiving? Yeah! Behind this beauty is installed between the mafia politicians, businessmen and senior government, except about 10%; still exists in back country the enslavement of blacks and whites, and also the old American Farwest; the Amazon rivers are infested with pirates (pirates? That’s right!); university teachers are on strike for over a month; the poor patients die on the doors and corridors of public hospitals; bandits of all suits are arrested and then released. Their lives here, Africans, Asians, Indians and other ethnic poor are worth less than that of a chicken …