Brazil: soldiers acquitted of Rio ‘execution’
A military court acquitted 8 soldiers of the 2019 assassination in Rio de Janeiro of musician Evaldo Rosa, together with a refuse collector who went to his aide. The only woman judge condemned the verdict and spoke of institutional racism and racial profiling.
Carbon credits build a shopping ‘mall’
Indigenous people in Guyana have received some payments from a government scheme, selling carbon credits to US oil company Hess. But they were not consulted and were forced to reach a decision in haste. They feel that this was a scheme designed by the government for its own purposes, and in which they had no real say.
Brazil: the climate change disinformation business
Brazil's rural associations, media outlets and digital channels provide a platform for scientists who espouse climate misinformation.
Brazil: offshore oil threatens coral reef
South America's largest coral reef will be at risk of destruction if drilling for up to 30 million barrels of oil off the coast of Maranhão is authorised. Also under threat will be the longest continuous stretch of mangrove in the world, which runs from the Maranhão coastline to the northern state of Amapá
Fighting illegal mining in Yanomami territory
Agência Pública chronicles the work of Brazil's environmental protection agency, IBAMA, to root illegal miners out of the territory of the Yanomami people -- in an effort to fulfil Lula's pledge of action
Brazil: palm oil producers launch an avalanche of litigation
Oil palm producer Brazilian Biofuels is accused of violating land rights and using violence against those who oppose its intrusion onto indigenous and quilombo lands. Its response has been to launch a wave of law suits targeting protestors, prosecutors and even the police
Brazil: new farms occupy indigenous land
Since 2020, more than 400 farms located inside Indigenous territories have been granted titles thanks to a new ruling from the National Indian Foundation (Funai), now heavily influenced by agribusiness. New ruling IN-09 allows farms located inside unratified Indigenous Territories to be certified and registered in the Federal Land Management System.
Cross-border traffic in coca and labour
Peruvian coca farmers are actively recruiting Brazilian indigenous workers from the Alto Salimöes region to harvest and transport coca. Violence and exploitation are rife.
Brazil: fighting desertification in Paraíba
In Brazil’s semi-arid northeast, family farmers are using technology and collective resource management to fight climate change and environmental degradation.
Brazil: Exxon Mobil sparks oil spill fears
U.S. oil giant ExxonMobil is seeking to drill 11 wells in a marine area near the estuary of the São Francisco River in eastern Brazil. 52 conservation areas and a barrier reef are affected. The company has started training local fishermen to deal with any spill. Local communities are not being properly consulted.