Lula on the environment, ethanol and currency
Busy couple of days for Lula.
Reuters:
Reuters:
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva hit out at foreign critics of his stewardship of the environment on Monday, saying the world needed to understand that the Amazon belonged to Brazilians.EFE (Sorry, no link):
He told a forum in Rio de Janeiro it was "amusing" that countries who were among the world's worst polluters wanted to talk about preserving the rain forest.
"The world needs to understand that the Amazon has an owner, and that is the Brazilian people," Lula said.
"We're offering the world the certainty that it's possible to create a non-polluting fuel and we can advance to second- and third-generation ethanol," he added.Clarin:
He insisted that biofuels are the solution to the problem of global warming.
Lula also said that there are no risks accompanying the massive production of ethanol and biodiesel pose to the food supply, at a time when demand and food consumption has risen in large emerging nations like China, India and Brazil, a phenomenon that "frightens" some.
El presidente brasileño Lula da Silva se mostró partidario de crear un Banco Central de América del Sur, al estilo del que rige la actividad monetaria en la Unión Europea. Lo dijo ayer en su programa Café con el Presidente, donde destacó que un primer paso es dar vida al Banco del Sur, un proyecto que está en marcha pero al que le falta saltar varias vallas antes de llegar a la meta.Lula went on to say that he would like to see South America have a common currency. There are a ton of challenges to unifying monetary policies, but it's a great goal to aim for.
En la perspectiva de Lula, un banco central sudamericano sería el equivalente del Central Bank of Europe, creado el 1° de junio de 1998. Su surgimiento fue previo al euro y una necesidad para viabilizar la moneda común europea.
Labels: Brazil, development, economics, energy, environment, latinamerica |
4 comments:
For the record, Lula has come out against US-style corn based ethanol, which dominates in the production of ethanol. Still, his pollyannish view of biofuels really seems to be getting more entrenched, which is quite troubling. He even went as far as saying that "not one tree" has been felled for biofuel production in Brazil. Yeah right, documentation of production creeping into Amazon reserves is everywhere. Perhaps this is the reason his environmental minister just quit last week. She could not take the lies and spin required to place biofuels at the pinnacle of Brazillian policies. Again, I largely support Lula's sugar based biofuel policies, but his attitude on this seems to be verging on fanaticism. Certainly most of his anger at Western subsidies, supports and hypocrisy is justified. But when he starts acting like there is no potential downfalls to such a major shift in bio-matter to energy, he is covering his eyes.
for the record I actually agree with Leftsides observations. It is pretty hard-headed attitude by Lula. But Lula is merely hitting his marks perfectly, as expected of any Brazilian president. Meaning, its straight out of Brazil's foreign policy establishment, consistent with long-held views there. And it is also firmly in line with similar statements by other countries in BRIC, summed up as: "Western environmentalists quit your bitching"'
I agree with both of you… Brazilians need to get out of their 19th century-early 20th century mindset that holds that they are somehow at risk of losing the Amazon to a (never mentioned) foreign power. Likewise, foreign NGOs that have a real interest in the preservation of what is indeed an international treasure need to reassure Brazilians that they’re not seeking to take over the Amazon and that it’s preservation will be a plus for the country.
It’s a delicate balancing act, but really worthwhile…
I'm wondering if there will be a North American currency union in the near future - perhaps involving the USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean nations whose currencies are currently pegged to the US Dollar.* A long shot, but I suspect that it will be more likely after 2009 than previously, regardless of which of the three candidates is elected in November.
*Currently the only Caribbean nations who do not use the US Dollar or whose currency is not pegged to the US Dollar are the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago, plus the French islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique which use the Euro. In Central America, El Salvador and Panama use the US Dollar, Belize's currency is pegged to it - this leaves Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
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