Brazilian elected officials and experts will be gathering to discuss deforestation and how to turn it around.
Brazil is a key nation for the implementation of the Paris Agreement but the country’s current government appears more focused on nationalistic and predatory policies than environmental conservation or respect for indigenous people’s rights. The shift has put the Bolsonaro government on a collision course with local activists, leaders of many other nations, and even the Secretary-General of the United Nations, who is convening a Climate Week in New York City to foster more ambitious action against climate change around the world.
Despite growing animosity toward the environment by Brazil’s current national leadership, a number of exciting new social and political movements have emerged in Brazil over the past four years to challenge the status quo and deepen democratic representation. Three of these movements - Agora!, Acredito, and Livres – formed an alliance to promote constructive climate action. Together, they represent more than 21,000 individuals and in 2018 they elected 12 new members of Congress. These movements have also collected four million signatures to trigger the creation of Special Congressional Commission to investigate recent policies that Bolsonaro’s government has adopted towards the Amazon.
On Monday, Sept. 23, from 9 a.m. to noon, representatives of these movements, Brazilian politicians, and socioenvironmental leaders will get together at NYU Wagner (located in The Puck Building, 295 Lafayette Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY), to examine Brazil’s current approach to preservation, economic development, and human rights in the Amazon, and to discuss viable alternatives for the future. The event is free and open to public – and RSVP is required.
Confirmed speakers include:
- Marina Silva, former Senator, Minister of Environment, and presidential candidate, Brazil
- Tábata Amaral, Member of the Brazilian House of Representatives, PDT, São Paulo
- Túlio Gadêlha, Member of the Brazilian House of Representatives, PDT, Pernambuco
- Marina Helou, Member of the Brazilian House of Representatives, Rede, Sao Paulo
- Brenda Brito, Associate Researcher at IMAZON, Belem, Brazil
- Natalie Unterstell, Counselor with the Brazilian Presidential Forum on Climate Change
- Salo Coslovsky (moderator), NYU Wagner Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Public Service.
The forum is cosponsored by the Human Rights Initiative at NYU Gallatin, the Department of Environmental Studies at NYU, the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at NYU, and Office of International Programs at NYU Wagner. The events co-organizers are: AMAZON, Agora!, Acredito, Livres, Instituto Clima & Sociedade, and NYU Wagner.
Please note - NYU Wagner provides reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. Requests for accommodations for events and services should be submitted at least two weeks before the date of the accommodation need. Please email ch135(at)nyu.edu or call 212.998.7400 for assistance.