Comments for We Saw Brazil's Future and It's Not Green But Grey at http://www.brazzil.com , comment 1 to 24 out of 20 comments http://www.brazzil.com Sat, 14 Sep 2013 23:53:03 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-2758 quote from the article- \"José Freitas de Mascarenhas, a director of the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht and head of the National Industrial Confederation told Latin Trade, \"Environmentalists aren\'t wrong to question Lula\'s Amazon infrastructure projects because they will have an environmental impact.” He maintains, however, that “they need to understand that environmental concerns need to be weighed against urgently needed economic growth, which will improve Brazilians\' quality of life. And for the economy to grow, better roads and more energy supplying dams need to be built, even if it means building them in the Amazon.\" \" The efforts and realizations for a better quality of life for Brazilians´ should be done not for the big executives around the world, but for the amazon resident, the cabloco from the amazon. - Guest Mon, 18 Apr 2005 10:05:08 +0100 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-2284 If the Amazon ends up largely deforested , the rainfall patterns will change and diminish . In the coming century the entire planet can expect less rainfall due to climate change so the destruction of the Amazon could not be at a worse time for everyone. Several thousand years ago Australia was largely forested , the Aborigines used fire a lot to burn the land , giving rise to grasslands and easier hunting. Over time the interior turned to desert and marginal country. Trees generate rain. If the Amazon is cleared over the next decades , the \"profit\" from it will be short lived , unlike the consequences. Brazil has the opportunity to do things better than other parts of the world , instead of emulating the worst of the world. Funny creatures humans , we\'re so intent on destroying ourselves . And so many other creatures as well. This is the only planet we have , there is NOWHERE ELSE to go. Good luck to our future generations , they are going to need it. - Guest Sat, 02 Apr 2005 08:53:08 +0100 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-2009 Finally someone who talks with conscience and not cheap agressivity. No, my friend, I AM a Brazilian, but I studied 6 1/2 years of English in a language school in Rio and have been living in the US, as a permanent resident allien, for the last 15 years. I do not disagree with you a bit on the criticism and on the FACT that we have to find other ways to develop, such as leaving farming for the Planalto Central and the South and preserve the Amazon Forest, as well as the Pantanal Matogrossense. The best way to generate income for the Natives in Brazil (Indios) would be to give them the right to explore the native flora for medicinal purposes and for cosmetic use. The fact is that there are rumors, which have so far resisted \"going away\", about Americans and Japanese cientists closing off parts of the only route connecting the capital of the state of Roraima and Manaus, for days at a time, in order to catalog and PATTENT the use of Amazon plants (this has been reported over and over by truck drivers which utilize that route). This is what I can\'t comprehend: On one side, we hear criticism about the distruction, on the other we see yet another source of revenue being taken away by the critics. Yes, I would love to see not only American interests, but any foreign (to the Indians, that is) interest OUT of the Amazon. We need to get the \"white man\" out of the Amazon and let the native residents take care of it, which they did for thousands of years without ever destroying a thing... - Guest Sun, 20 Mar 2005 19:04:59 +0100 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-1988 You are an American, and it is obvious from your English. along with all the other Americans who pretend to be Brazilians on this website Ok, my American friends. How many acres of undisturbed forest do you have left? We STILL have a whole Amazon forest left. In fact, data collected by 1998 revealed that with ALL the development of the Amazon area, in 25 years, 10 % of the whole forest in the Brazilian side had been destroyed. 1. Yes, of course we Americans are OBVIOUS hypocrates when it comes to the environment, trees, etc. 2. the fact is that there is much less money to be made cutting down the trees after you subtrat the cost of paying all the bribes, sawmilling it up into lumber, aranging clandestine ships, buyers etc. than there is putting your money into Brazilian government paper. Morality/environment aside - why bother? 3. Why buy the land either before or after the trees are cut down? it is not worth a shit for farming! Cattle? - it is the perverbial degraded pasture from day 1 4. Economics says leave the Amazon to the indians who were there first anyway, if that happens to be morally ecologically and politically correct, you have my sincere apologies 5. Americans who are clever enough to have money to invest would not be stupid enough to squander it in the Amazon region. 6,. I´m not talking about EcoPeople who have eco tours, hotels, WWF and other types of reserves/preserves etc. I´m talking about the standard \"what does that mean! I wanna make money\" types - Guest Sat, 19 Mar 2005 00:07:54 +0100 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-1984 these gringo farmers are destroying the amazon. these gringo thieve farmers needs to swim back to where they came from. - Guest Fri, 18 Mar 2005 18:53:28 +0100 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-1981 Ok, my American friends. How many acres of undisturbed forest do you have left? We STILL have a whole Amazon forest left. In fact, data collected by 1998 revealed that with ALL the development of the Amazon area, in 25 years, 10 % of the whole forest in the Brazilian side had been destroyed. Yes, the Amazon forest is the one lung left in the World, but that is exactly the point: You people and the Europeans destroyed the other lung(s) and now it is Brazil\'s responsibility to rescue the rest of you all. At the same time, while Brazil invests in renewable fuel sources to aleviate polution and reduce dependence on oil, you people just this week approved in the Senate the budgeting to start drilling in the Alaskan reserve, the only 5% left \"in natura\" of it. Why don\'t you then stop the bullshit of \"do as I say\" and start following your own prescriptions? - Guest Fri, 18 Mar 2005 18:06:26 +0100 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-1959 AP- Jay Edwards, 46, an Indiana farmer, who manages an 11,115-acre (4,500-hectare) farm in Querencia for an American farm cooperative, said operating costs in Brazil are about the same as in the United States, but the land is considerably cheaper. Brazil doesn\'t have a pot of gold at the end of its rainbow - farming its land successfully takes a lot of money, strategy and hard work. Yet its challenges are, in part, what drew Jay Edwards to raise crops near Querência, Brazil. A former Indiana farm boy, Edwards manages 8,000 acres of transitional woods 500 miles south of the rain forest. His investors/partners include two Bloomville, OH, farmers, Ed and Richard Harer. Since ’94, when Edwards first moved to Querência, he has cleared 3,000 acres. Last year he planted 1,800 soybean acres and another 600 of corn. The rest is in pasture. It costs him $277.39/ acre to buy, clear and lime transitional woods, which has better soil than the cerrado brush land so many are rushing to develop. American farmers he speaks with are envious of those costs. “But in Brazil, when I tell people what it costs to clear land where we are, they think it\'s too high,” says Edwards de agBrazil.com de repemt sumeu THE ‘QUICK REPORT’ Comparing Roraima to Central Brazil There is tremendous opportunity in Roraima, Brazil. In terms of “going, going, gone” the land is on the second “going”. There are lots of buyers and not that much meadow ground available. In terms of opportunity, I will compare it to Central Brazil, both now, and when we moved there in 1994. Same: The land in Roraima is going for R$900 – R$1200 per hectare. That’s $130 - $160 dollars per acre. The first land we bought in Querência, Central Brazil, was under $100/A. Now, ten years later, Querência, woodland is going for $230 dollars per acre and soybean ground for $650 dollars per acre. In Roraima, there is some difficulty in getting parts and inputs. That’s also how it was when we started in Central Brazil in 1994. As of last year, Roraima has a place to dump soybeans. (one place – a co-op formed by the soybean farmers) In 1994, there was one place to dump soybeans in Querência – a condominium formed by the farmers. In Roraima, the state built and gave the facility to the farmer’s co-op. (pictured) In Querência, the farmers paid for their facility. Their toughest time to control weeds is at harvest, after the leaves fall off – just like in Querência. (pictured: Roraima soybeans) Yields are 45 - 55 sacks/ha – even on first year fields! In Querência we are getting 60 sacks/ha on some of our 6 & 7 year old fields. Roraima farmers expect yields to continue rising as they typically do on new ground brought into production. Different: In Roraima, all the main roads are already paved. In Querência, we still don’t have a main road that is paved. (pictured: road to English Guiana) In Roraima, the electricity comes from Venezuela, and is dependable and plentiful. Most of the farms have electricity and are located on the paved highways, so far. In Querência, we have to generate our own electricity. (This is quite expensive.) In Roraima, the big market for soybeans is Venezuela, only 212 km away from Boa Vista, the capital, and center of the flater lands and of the soybean production area. The other option is the Amazon river at Manaus, only 700 km away with an easy backhaul for trucks that come up from Manaus with supplies for the 250,000 population of Boa Vista. In Querência, we are still 2500 km away from the big ports. (This would not be true if we could use our river, closed down by the ecologists, but so far we still cannot.) Considering the above, it is quite possible that Roraima could someday have a positive basis over Chicago, because Venezuela currently imports beans both from the USA and from southern Brazil (Paranagua), whereas the Boa Vista area is in Venezuela’s own backyard. Inputs are now cheaper in Roraima than in Central Brazil. They SHOULD be! Fertilizer in Venezuela is cheap (half price), although not always available in the formulas the farmers need. Fuel is also much cheaper in Venezuela, but is not available for importation because of tariffs. Maybe it will always be like this, but the farmers are quite confident that they will eventually figure something out to benefit from these price differences. In Querência, we cleared transitional woods. This is a very expensive process. In Roraima, we’ll be working with more of a natural meadow. Clearing cost go way down. Clearing Roraima meadows will cost 5% or less of what it costs to clear Querência’s transitional woods. Querência gets around 85 inches of rain per year; Roraima only 50-60 inches. (Less rain! We see this as a big plus!) The seasons are “backwards” from the rest of Brazil. It begins raining towards the end of April and rains through August, tapering off to almost no rain by the end of September. Roraima farmers plant in May and harvest in September, allowing them to sell ‘off season’ beans. They are in the northern hemisphere! In Querência, most of the soybeans have to be dried in a dryer. In Roraima, they get less rain overall and the rains cut off a little more abruptly, making it possible to harvest dryer soybeans. (pictured: Roraima soybeans being combined at 12.5%) The Roraima meadow soils are different from Querência soils. They are poor, as are the soils of Querência, however, there is not a problem with toxic aluminum, therefore, only half of the lime is necessary in Roraima as compared to Central Brazil. The elevation of the potential soybean areas of Roraima is around 70 meters above sea level. Querência is around 370 meters above sea level. While Querência has vast, flat agricultural expanses, Roraima’s immediately farmable land is on very gently rolling terrain. (left) Much of the land is tillable ‘as is’, but in some cases, acreage could be increased by ditching lowlands and by terracing a few of the slopes. Land has risen over 50% in price just this last year. “This opportunity is unparalleled to any I’ve ever seen here in Brazil.” Jay Edwards - Guest Thu, 17 Mar 2005 21:49:26 +0100 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-1956 My grandaddy had a very well paid job as a concentration camp guard in Poland in the war.Perks were great lots of gold fillings. - Guest Thu, 17 Mar 2005 17:30:38 +0100 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-1955 we in brazil think ,if we not put our people and our amy strongly on the amazonia we wil loose this territory, because the world interests in on this place above the marvelous speachs about preservation of the forest they ignores our rigths it is our land our country and if the other countrys have interests in preservation of the biodiversiti why they dont repopulation theys forests? one people one tree 180 milions? 180 milions trees taths wonderful .we need energy ,pipelines,roads to integrate latin america if we dont do this we wil prove our domination by the other peoples it s not gonna change because is a one state decision we have too many natural resources involved on this case to be blind.the people of brazil is peaceful we dont involved in wars we dont invade other countrys we dont think in more territory if the amazon is a world patrymoni then will be garded by us and our neighbors .I am from rio grande do sul the most southern state of brasil and here is a comon sense the amazonia is the future of the country on the century and we have to protect our future puting our army onthe forest to impose the state because the brazil is indivisible and if other peoples says wana create a area preservation for all mankind a ecological territori because the brazilians are destroing the nature ,it is dangerous for our country and the best way to destroy the rainforest is spread this arguments because the states think like states they will prefer destroy all the forest to give for the invaders the worl pressure wil dont be effectives because the south america is gona be autosuficient and the preservacionists *or others sates interests* hve to show the example rebuilding theyr enviroments fauna e flora and not transfering responsabilitis to other peoples because our human nature is like human nature ,infortunable is the think above all of brazilian citizens are brazilian state the constitucion .the brazil is sovereig and indissoluble ,it is a fact anione interventio on the amazonia wil be a 3 world war because have too mani natural resources involved niobium ,uranium,petroleum,or you think not have this in the area?,ferro,manganes,trilions dollars euros or ienes and in the regio not have microscopics states but too many countries largest and wit natural resources and all of them think like the brazilian if we dont be united we wana loose our sovereign it is human intincts aplied on the government .im sorry but is this. - Guest Thu, 17 Mar 2005 17:17:26 +0100 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-1954 recycling makes more water and energy comsuption..most people don\'t know but paper recycling is more expensive than cut new trees and produce new paper. aluminiun Cans and metal..etc.. is where the recycle works, because there is money behind it, is more cheap recylce and the companies pay for people to collect, but paper there\'s no money, and the worst is plastics, less money to recycle, and a lot more to recycle it, you can make others things with it..but companies and governament don\'t care to invest money on it..so you a good citzen recycle, the trash truck pick up..but we only recycle less than 20% of those plastic...and this is a good recycle country like Brazil..other countries is far less than that! is a good lie to make you feel better, does not work! is easy to get a land, a shit land, and trow all there..you can get with some investment, the gas from those land for let\'s say a small + 30,000 houses city and the investment pays for it with the years! the end is is a lie, paper plastic those recycle there\'s nobody, I mean companies willing to invest there because is more cheap for them make new, and some those recycles you expend more money and resources to reuse it, like water, and that water needs to recycle too, the end is $$. - Guest Thu, 17 Mar 2005 17:16:10 +0100 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-1952 There is more corruption involved than we imagine in our dreams, Brazil is a living scandal when it come to politicians, we need a internal affair unit who investigate land distribution. The Mayor take bribes in exchange for land. And The \"Sem Terras\"(landless) become victms of a civil slavery. For you to live in my land you must work for me... Sometimes Those who know won\'t come forward for to reasons fear, and they are comfortable with the situation just like the Germans in the Nazi Era. - Guest Thu, 17 Mar 2005 16:02:18 +0100 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-1951 Eu so queria dizer que Presevar a natureza nao e trabalho do governo mas assim do povo, Cada um de nos podemos fazer algo. Reciclando, protejendo arvores. Aqueles que levem isso a serio. Uma Idea coleque correntes a redor de arvore para que destruam essas maquinas de destruicao. A forca de cada um conta! Ajude nossas Florestas, ajudem nosso povo a proteger uma nova geracao. - Guest Thu, 17 Mar 2005 15:54:11 +0100 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-1948 As much as this is an interesting article (the one poasted on the blog by a forum user), it doesn´t address the issue in the Amazon whereby 86% of the wood consumption and usage is National. - Guest Thu, 17 Mar 2005 10:56:14 +0100 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-1947 Re: The US government is run by and for business. Businesses makes JOBS!! You should try one. - Guest Thu, 17 Mar 2005 10:03:54 +0100 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-1946 so that we can bash them motherfucker americans! Long Live Castro Short Live Monkey Bush! - Guest Thu, 17 Mar 2005 08:56:57 +0100 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-1944 The US plans to wreck a British initiative to commit the G8 states to combatting illegal logging in the world\'s threatened rainforests, a leaked memorandum revealed last night. The development secretary, Hilary Benn, wants G8 environment and development ministers meeting in Derby tomorrow and on Friday to insist that all timber bought by official bodies in rich nations comes from properly managed forests. The British initiative was prompted by Indonesia, which said corruption there was so rampant that the authorities did not have the power to tackle the supply of timber by criminal gangs. Indonesian government ministers urged rich nations to reduce demand for illegal supplies by requiring proper certificates showing wood had come from properly managed forests. But industry lobbyists in the US have resisted moves to certify timber. A US state department memo leaked to the BBC\'s Newsnight shows that the US will refuse to sign up to the Benn initiative. The state department head of forest policy, Stephanie Caswell, drafted a strategy in January designed to scupper the Benn plan, an \"Input to strategy paper for G8 environment and development ministerial\". Under what she described as \"watch out items\" is timber procurement. She said that \"new import regulations/restrictions are unacceptable. We do not support issuance of \'action plan\' by ministers. It should not be highlighted.\" The paper adds that the \"US will work with Canada to hold back procurement actions and with Russia and Japan to dissuade them from supporting UK\". A state department spokesman confirmed that the paper was genuine, but said it was never formally accepted as US strategy. He confirmed that the US had reservations over proposals for new rules on timber procurement in America, but insisted that in this week\'s negotiations the US would allow other G8 partners to decide whether to support Mr Benn\'s scheme. He said the US \"might have had some discussions with Japan on the fringes of meetings about the issue\" in G8 preparatory meetings, but said the Japanese would make up their own minds. Europe is strongly backing Mr Benn\'s initiative, and the US tactics drew a furious response from rainforest campaigners. Faith Doherty of the Environmental Investigation Agency in the UK said: \"This is outrageous. US business simply doesn\'t want any restrictions on its own practices.\" Japan\'s foreign ministry told Newsnight that its position was much closer to the UK than to the US. It is understood that Russia is also lining up with the Europeans. Agus Setyarso, an Indonesian expert on forests who works with Mr Benn\'s department, said the Indonesian government could not contain the organised crime rings carrying out the illegal logging without help. \"The problem cannot be attacked from within the country, but from the market side. What we are asking from developed countries is twofold. One is to stop buying illegal timber from producer countries. The second is to help us in bringing back the systems in our country in such a way that the market and the law enforcement can be back to normal.\" A department spokesman said it did not comment on leaked memos, and that negotiations over the statement for the end of the G8 meeting were continuing. Privately, however, officials were said to be angry at the US\'s refusal to join international efforts. Other observers feel the state department\'s position is driven by free-market ideology. Forest campaigners say the US position is a serious blow, because if all the G8 nations signed up to the Benn plan it would guarantee that a substantial proportion of world timber was properly produced and send a clear signal to companies and exporting nations about the direction of future policy. In an echo of the debate over climate change, the US is sceptical about G8 timber policies because China is a huge importer of stolen timber. Campaigners say China is unlikely to change unless rich countries put their house in order. The US government is run by and for business, Bush record on enviromental issues is scandalous. But hey why give a shit, as long as you got cheap gas for your rugged village people gay SUV, you can still get to the drive in McD´s no. - Guest Thu, 17 Mar 2005 07:42:50 +0100 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-1936 Then why are there small high speed boats with wood evading authorities O senhor está enrolado Na verdade Amazonas tem muito lancha cheio de pequeno pau de alta velocidade. - Guest Wed, 16 Mar 2005 21:18:31 +0100 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-1933 Then why are there small high speed boats with wood evading authorities? - Guest Wed, 16 Mar 2005 20:35:03 +0100 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-1932 Including mohogany? - Guest Wed, 16 Mar 2005 20:33:54 +0100 http://www.brazzil.com/home-mainmenu-1/122-march-2005/8959.html#comment-1931 Dee Argentinos ez selin Amizonia to dee Amerikanos. Dee Amerikanos ez curting don all dee trees, an sellin dem to Sheena Day iz makin halota mooney an day don pay no ting for de indios Dee sheenezas don care bout no ting an day gonna make a rei road to make de soja go to sheenah - Guest Wed, 16 Mar 2005 20:25:44 +0100