#the biggest environmental disaster in Brazilian history

[edsonjnovaes]

8 Bilhões: Somos Todos Responsáveis (8 Billions: We are all responsible) 1.2

8 Bilhões: Somos Todos Responsáveis (8 Billions: We are all responsible) – Nelson Kao. 01 dez 2024 Brasil | 2022 | 29′ | Documentário. 6 FICASC Direção: Nelson Kao, Andrea Urushima e César Shundi Iwamizu. Existe Guarani em SP – 2024 dez 04 Ailton Krenak, líder e pensador indígena, fala sobre a dor do Watú (o Rio Doce na língua Krenak). Doente com o maior desastre ambiental da história…

[antifascistblackmetalnetwork]

Antifascist Black Metal Network today presents the Antifascist Solidarity Compilation, composed of Brazilian antifascist bands and put together by the collective Metal Sem Facho. It aims to raise money for MLB and CSP-Conlutas, organisations involved in the relief effort during the disastrous floods in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in 2024. Releasing officially on the December 6th.

When some artists, activists and fans of various political tendencies started to organized the Metal Sem Facho ("Metal Without Fash") collective, we were profoundly bothered with the presence of fascists, misogynists, LGBTQIA+phobes, Zionists and other far-right scum inside heavy music, and the desire to do something to remove this presence and promote a more inclusive and left-oriented underground. Our first effort was organizing groups to debate politics and music, and we talked about and with countless bands, traded information about whom to avoid and who to publish, helped in virtual campaigns such as that against the presence of the accessories of genocide Armored Dawn in Tarja's tour of the USA, and a series of other things. 

However, we also want to fight the far-right in a more material and less musical dimension, bridging the heavy metal community and the struggles that happen in reality. We have many and deep differences between us, but we have some important common principles, among which are there is class solidarity: that is, the support, polical and material (as much as possible), to workers who are victims of polical brutality, mass layoffs, environmental catastrophes, etc. This compilation, which we hope will be the first of many, is on one hand an opportunity to bring attention to some bands that share these values with us, but it also intends to gather funds to help the organized social movements who are on the frontlines against of the biggest disasters in Brazil's history: the huge floods in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, which happened between late April and early May 2024.

The very same climate collapse we see expressed in the forest fires of Canada and Valparaiso of Chile, on the bizarre drought of the Amazon River and on the murderous heat across the world brought a absurd of rain, which led to floods that kept Rio Grande do Sul quite literally underwater for the better part of a month. The losses for the poor are incalculable: hundreds of people dead, hundreds of thousands of homes destroyed, millions of animals dead... and on the part of those responsible for all of this, the big businessmen, big farmers, the governments, the efforts to reparate the victims was insufficient in the best of cases. The floods in Rio Grande do Sul show, once again, that the exploited and the oppressed of this world have only theimselves as friends.

The groups we want to support, CSP-Conlutas and the MLB, are old friends of the Brazilian social movement. CSP-Conlutas is a antibureaucratic federation joining hundreds of trade unions, student and popular organizations who are independent from all governments and play an outstanding role in the organization and unification of struggles and strikes around the country. The Movimento de Lutas nos Bairros, Vilas e Favelas ("Movement of Struggles on Neighbourhoods, Villages and Slums") fights for urban reform and for the right to live with dignity. Both organizations are present around the country and have been exemplary in the fight against the first consquences of the catastrophe, be it organizing shelters, community kitchens and distributing free food and donations, be it organizing demonstrations, occupations and other forms of demanding the rights due to the homeless and affected. Both need help to keep the actions of solidarity and struggle, which have not ended and will probably become even more necessary considering the continuity of the climate collapse.

This compilation is a small sample of bands that are somehow involved with Metal Sem Facho, be it in the organization, in the rank-and-file groups, or just are solidary to our ideas. We have legends of the Brazilian underground, bands that play tours around the world, and newer groups/ we have black metal, death metal, grindcore, thrash, and other stuff, we have bands from the South, Southeast and Northeast regions, and from 10 different states of the country; we have bands with LGBTQIA+, black and female members. None of this is by coincidence, since fighting to open space for diversity is one of our principles - in fact, we think we are lagging behind in that sense, since we lack two regions of the country and the oppressed sectors are the minority in this compilation. We believe that heavy metal's place is on the side of the oppressed and exploited and without any type of "proletarian" reductionism like those operated by transphobes and "anti-identitarians" that sell themselves as leftists just to spread the very same disgusting conservatism of the far-right.

The arts of the cover and of the logo, made by our dear colleague Clark, give us a clue of what we want with this compilation: not only to bring antifascist solidarity to our comrades of Rio Grande do Sul, but also to raise high the black and red banners above the reactionary mud that tries to drown heavy metal... and metaphorically (or not), to drown in fascist blood our blades. Fear then, minions, ancaps and others of the same ilk, for this declaration is just the beginning of our war!

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Victims of Brazil’s worst environmental disaster to get day in UK courts

Court of appeal judgment allows £5bn lawsuit against mining giant BHP by more than 200,000 victims of 2015 Mariana dam disaster

More than 200,000 victims of Brazil’s worst environmental disaster will have their case heard in a UK court, making it the largest group claim in English legal history.

The lawsuit is against the Anglo-Australian mining company BHP – one of the biggest companies in the world – for their involvement in the collapse of the Mariana dam in 2015, which released toxic mining waste down 400 miles (640km) of waterways along the Doce River. Claimants are seeking at least £5bn ($6bn) in compensation.

The court of appeal released a 107-page judgment on Friday that BHP, which had its headquarters in England at the time of the dam’s collapse, would have to account for its role in the disaster. This follows an earlier ruling that said English courts would not hear the case.

The judgment said compensation being paid in Brazil did not seem adequate. It stated: “The vast majority of claimants who have recovered damages have only received very modest sums in respect of moral damages for interruption to their water supply … The claimants should be permitted now to proceed with the claims in the action.”

When the Fundão tailings dam in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais burst, it released 40m cubic metres of toxic mining waste, killing 19 people, burying villages, making thousands homeless and affecting the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands more. The claimants, including representatives of Krenak Indigenous communities, are being represented by the London-based international law firm PGMBM. There are also 530 businesses, 25 municipalities and six religious organisations being represented.

Continue reading.

[ericfruits]

A Brazilian tragedy is a Deepwater Horizon moment. Sort of

FROM THE air, the iron-ore mines in Minas Gerais look like roughshod capitalism let loose. Mines are torn out of the landscape, and ramshackle mining towns exist perilously close by. Squeezed within the dense topography are tailings dams, pools of waste material extracted from the mine that sit behind pharaonic embankments reaching dozens of storeys high. On January 25th an 86-metre-tall one owned by Vale, the world’s biggest iron-ore producer, breached, unleashing a wave of sludge that may have killed more than 350 people. They included hundreds of the company’s own employees, many of them having lunch in the cafeteria, recklessly sited below.

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Such a death toll would make this one of the worst tailings tragedies in history; worse for instance than Aberfan in Wales in 1966, or Buffalo Creek, West Virginia in 1972. Even more damaging for Vale, this is the second such disaster in which it is implicated in just over three years. For the world’s mining industry, too, it is cause for soul-searching. Similar tailings dams, which exist in their thousands around the world, mock mining’s mantra of “safety first”. At a time when the industry is under increasing pressure to put roughshod capitalism back in its box and respect land, local peoples and the law, this is a problem it cannot ignore.

As hopes of rescue fade, the immediate question for Vale is what went wrong—not once, but twice. In 2015 Samarco, a company jointly owned by Vale and BHP, an Anglo-Australian mining giant, suffered a similar tailings-dam disaster, causing the deaths of 19 people and the worst environmental mishap in Brazilian history. In the aftermath, one of Vale’s proudest boasts was about the safety of its own operations. As recently as September, a German-owned firm inspected the latest doomed mine near Brumadinho and gave it the all-clear. But it is an “upstream” dam, with a structure consisting of tailings on top of tailings, and the most vulnerable of all to failure. Experts say water seepage into the supporting dam face is the most common reason for them to burst. Days after the Brumadinho disaster, Fabio Schvartsman, Vale’s chief executive, ordered the decommissioning of all ten of the firm’s upstream tailings dams, halting production at the mines nearby, which will affect about a tenth of the company’s 390m tonnes of annual iron-ore production.

This leads to a bigger question about Vale’s future. Does the scale of the twin disasters threaten it with the sort of fines, lawsuits and damage to its reputation that BP, a British oil company, incurred after the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010? The total bill for BP came to more than $60bn. There are four reasons to take potential Armageddon seriously. Since the disaster angry Brazilians have noted that, under Mr Schvartsman, Vale offered generous dividends and share buy-backs to investors, helping its share price double since he took over in 2017. They say some of the money should have been spent on safety instead.

If the authorities accept that line of reasoning, they could demand additional safety measures and shutdowns across Minas Gerais, where Vale mines about half of its iron ore. Second, it faces still undetermined damages for the Samarco disaster, which could rise as a result of the latest tragedy. Third, Brazil’s top prosecutor has said she will pursue criminal charges against executives: three Vale employees and two contractors have been arrested. State authorities have quickly levelled fines against the company and frozen selected assets. Damages could soar. Fourth is morale. Vale’s employees will mourn the loss of their colleagues, damaging motivation. Executives will be so worried about yet another accident that they lose their appetite for risk. The more listless the company, the more likely financial performance will suffer.

That said, this is crony-capitalist Brazil, not litigation-mad America. Though politicians argue that disasters in Brazil should be no less costly to big firms than those in the Gulf of Mexico, few would be willing to see Vale suffer the same drawn-out agony as BP. The firm says mining accounts for as much as 5% of Brazil’s GDP. Vale’s big shareholders are some of Brazil’s top pension funds. It could compensate for shutdowns near Brumadinho by shifting production to the Amazon rainforest, where it has a more modern, safer mine. There are plenty of incentives for the new government of Jair Bolsonaro to be lenient, not least its pro-business bent. Initially Vale lost $19bn of its market capitalisation after the disaster, but then pared some losses. Its bond prices, though cheaper, are not indicating severe trouble ahead. Vale will probably soldier on.

Sludgefest

In corporate disasters such as this, rivals are usually quick to twist the knife. That happened to BP in 2010. But the industry should look at itself in the mirror. Mining firms claim to be obsessed with safety; in head offices, that can extend to absurdities like obliging visitors to hold on to handrails. Yet their record on tailings dams is abysmal. The more metals they mine, the more “very serious” accidents occur, involving deaths and large quantities of sludge. According to World Mine Tailings Failures (WMTF), a database, 13 have taken place in the decade to 2017, as many as between 1948 and 1977. WMTF experts say tailings dams fail at ten times the rate of reservoirs, mostly because of poor drainage. This indicates that the industry needs to tighten its engineering standards.

The reason firms continue to build upstream dams, such as the one at Brumadinho, is not because they are safe, but because they are cheap; they require the least amount of new material. Yet that is a false economy. Though markets reward mining firms for generating profits, not for spending heavily on safety measures, in the long run the risks are literally piling up. The world needs mining to continue, and these days, with big miners focusing on richer countries with high levels of scrutiny, that means taking corporate governance seriously, not just paying it lip service. To take it seriously means shutting down facilities that are dangerous.

This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline "Into the valley of death"

https://econ.st/2DMvCnU

[android-for-life]

"Here’s to you: 15 years of Google Earth stories"

We’ve always said that if Google Maps is about finding your way, Google Earth is about getting lost. With Google Earth, you can see our planet like an astronaut from space, then travel anywhere on it in seconds with a click or tap. Even after an entire afternoon exploring cities, landscapes and stories on Google Earth, you'll have barely scratched the surface.

Now 15 years old, Google Earth is still the world’s biggest publicly accessible repository of geographic imagery. It combines aerial photography, satellite imagery, 3D topography, geographic data, and Street View into a tapestry you can explore. But Google Earth is much more than a 3D digital globe. The underlying technology has democratized mapmaking allowing anyone to better understand our world, and take action to create positive change.

Of the billions of people who have used Google Earth over the years, here are 15 stories that have inspired us:

1. Responding to natural disasters. Two months after Google Earth launched, we quickly realized that people were not just using it to plan their vacations. Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August 2005, and the Google Earth team quickly worked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to make updated imagery available to first responders on the ground to support rescue efforts, relief operations and understand the hurricane’s impact.

Hurricane Katrina imagery in Google Earth helped support rescue efforts, relief operations and understand the hurricane’s impact.

2. Taking virtual field trips. In 2006, former English teacher, Jerome Burg, first used Google Earth to create Lit Trips, tours that follow the journeys of literature’s well-known characters. Today the project includes more than 80 Lit Trips for teachers and students of all grade levels. Each tour includes thought-provoking discussion starters, classroom resources and enrichment activities.

This Lit Trip brought the classic young adult novel, Walk Two Moons, to life in Google Earth.

3. Protecting culture. When Chief Almir of the Suruí people first glimpsed Google Earth on a visit to an Internet cafe, the indigenous leader immediately grasped its potential as a tool for conserving his people’s traditions. In 2007, Chief Almir traveled thousands of miles from the Brazilian Amazon to Google headquarters to invite Google to train his community to use Google Earth. The Suruí people went on to build their Cultural Map on Google Earth which included hundreds of cultural sites of significance in their rainforest.

The Surui Cultural Map shows the Surui tribe of the Amazon's vision of their forest, including their territory and traditional history.

4. Decoding animal behaviors. In 2008, German and Czech researchers used Google Earth to look at 8,510 domestic cattle in 308 pastures across six continents. The images led them to make the amazing discovery that certain species of cattle and deer align themselves to the magnetic poles while grazing or resting.

Scientists used Google Earth to find which species of cattle and deer align themselves to the magentic poles

5. Reuniting families. Saroo Brierley was accidentally separated from his family at the age of five and  ended up in an orphanage. Luckily, Saroo was adopted by a loving family in Australia. As an adult, Saroo was curious about his origins and painstakingly traced his way back home to India using the satellite imagery in Google Earth. He was able to reunite with his biological mother in 2011 after 25 years apart. View the story in Google Earth.

Saroo Brierley found his childhood home after being lost for 25 years. Follow along as Saroo walks through just how he did it.

6. Helping communities impacted by war. The HALO Trust—the world's oldest, largest and most successful humanitarian landmine clearance agency—uses Google Earth to identify and map mined areas. The HALO Trust has cleared 1.8 million landmines, 11.9 million items of other explosive remnants of war and 57.2 million of small arms munitions in 26 countries and territories around the world. 

Two HALO staff in Nagorno Karabakh studying minefields with Google Earth.

7. Protecting elephants from poachers:To protect elephants from poachers seeking their ivory tusks, Save the Elephants built an elephant tracking system. Starting in 2009, they have outfitted hundreds of elephants with satellite collars to track their movements in real time on Google Earth. Their partner organizations, including rangers at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, use Google Earth in the fight against elephant poachers across the conservancy and privately owned rangelands in Kenya.

Google & Save the Elephants partnered to raise awareness about African elephants

8. Discovering unknown forests. Dr. Julian Bayliss used Google Earth to explore high-altitude rainforests in Africa. For almost as long as Google Earth has existed, Dr. Bayliss has been systematically flying over northern Mozambique in Google Earth and scanning the satellite imagery. One day he came across what appeared to be a mountaintop rainforest. His virtual discovery set off a chain of events that led to the discovery of an untouched rainforest ecosystem atop Mount Lico in 2018.

An untouched, mountain-top rainforest ecosystem is discovered with Google Earth.

9. Supporting students in rural classrooms. Padmaja Sathyamoorthy and others who work at the India Literacy Project (ILP) use Google Earth to build interactive content for rural classrooms, helping improve literacy for 745,000 students across India. Padmaja says, “ILP has made history and geography come alive with new tools and media content that capture the imagination of young minds. The project expands students’ horizons. It’s not just about learning curriculum from a textbook. I believe it creates a curiosity and a love for learning that will last a lifetime.”

The India Literacy Project uses Google Earth to build interactive content for rural classrooms.

10. Inspiring positive environmental change. The nonprofit organization,  HAkA, used Google Earth to show threats to the Leuser Ecosystem, the last place on Earth where orangutans, rhinos, elephants and tigers coexist in the wild. This Google Earth tour helped raise awareness about the region and incited positive changes in the area.

HAkA's Google Earth tours have helped raise awareness about ecosystem threats in Indonesia.

11. Falling more in love with our planet. Google Earth VR, which was released in 2016, gave people the chance to see the Earth from a new perspective. Whether they experienced the overview effect or toured far flung locations, one thing remained constant — people couldn’t get enough.

You can soar over mountains with Google Earth VR.

12. Celebrating global language diversity. In 2019, Tania Haerekiterā Tapueluelu Wolfgramm, a Māori and Tongan woman traveled across the Pacific ocean to interview and record the speakers of 10 different Indigenous languages for Google Earth. The project featured 50 Indigenous language speakers from around the world in honor of the 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages.

Hear 50 indigenous language speakers in Google Earth.

13. Catching (fictional) super thieves. People around the world followed the trail of Carmen Sandiego and the V.I.L.E. operatives by solving the three capers launched in Google Earth in 2019.

14. Telling more compelling news stories. Journalists have long used the rich imagery in Google Earth to create more engaging stories. Vox Video used Google Earth Studio to tell the story of how the Event Horizon telescope collected 54-million-year-old photons to take the first ever picture of a black hole.

See what it took to collect these 54-million-year-old photons from a supermassive black hole.

15. Homecoming during COVID-19. During Golden Week in Japan, most people visit their hometowns, but this year that wasn’t possible due to COVID-19. To help homesick natives, a group from Morioka city developed a tour in Google Earth that let people virtually take the bullet train to Morioka station and visit beloved locations in the city.

Travel to charming Morioka, Japan in Google Earth, whether you're a traveller or native far from home.

A big thank you to everyone for being with us on this journey. Our hope is that Google Earth will continue to inspire curiosity and move us to care more deeply about our beautiful planet and all who live here. We look forward to seeing what the next 15 years brings!

Source : The Official Google Blog via Source information

[newstfionline]

Headlines

A generation of renters (WSJ) For many young adults, homeownership is simply out of reach, The Wall Street Journal reports. The median age of U.S. homebuyers is 46, the oldest it’s been since the National Association of Realtors starting keeping track in 1981. Part of this trend can be traced to last decade’s financial crisis, when many young people entered the job market with limited bargaining power and an aversion toward mortgage debt. Between 2000 and 2017, median household income inched up by just 2%. Median home prices shot up by 21% during that same time.

Strengthening Tropical Storm Erick on Path Toward Hawaii (AP) A strengthening Tropical Storm Erick is moving westward across the eastern Pacific and is expected to become a hurricane Monday as it follows a path likely to take it just south of the Hawaiian Islands at week’s end.

Woman Set to Replace Puerto Rico’s Governor Doesn’t Want Job (AP) The woman who is supposed to replace Puerto Rico’s embattled governor announced Sunday that she doesn’t want the job as the U.S. territory reels from political crisis.

Maduro Says Missing FARC Leaders Are ‘Welcome in Venezuela’ (Reuters) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday said two former FARC commanders from neighboring Colombia whose whereabouts are unknown were “welcome in Venezuela,” a statement likely to fuel criticism that he is providing a safe haven for armed groups.

Brazil Says 1 Suspect Nabbed in $30 Million Gold Heist (AP) Brazilian police say they have captured one of the participants in last week’s heist of gold bullion worth more than $30 million at Sao Paulo’s main airport.

Britain Is Turbo-Charging No-Deal Brexit Preparations: Foreign Minister (Reuters) Britain is turbo-charging its no-deal Brexit preparations and will be ready to leave the European Union with or without a deal on Oct. 31, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Monday.

Boris Johnson Heads to Scotland Amid Brexit Disagreement (AP) Boris Johnson is making his first official visit as British prime minister to Scotland, pledging to boost “the ties that bind our United Kingdom” amid opposition from Scottish leaders to his insistence on pulling Britain out of the European Union with or without a deal.

The rise of the floating dairy farm? (LI) Some 32 cows have taken up residence on the Nieuwe Maas river in Rotterdam. They are part of The Floating Farm project, an initiative that aims to promote urban farming and more sustainable food production. The cows feed on grass from local soccer fields, and they’re milked by robots. The main idea? To bring the food supply closer to cities, decreasing the environmental cost of production and making it easier to access supplies in the wake of natural disasters. Singapore and Shanghai are considering similar projects.

2 US teens jailed in Italy in policeman’s killing (AP) Two American teenagers who were classmates at a California high school spent a second night in a Rome jail Saturday after they were interrogated for hours about their alleged roles in the murder of an Italian policeman. Investigators contended in written statements Saturday that the pair had confessed to their roles in the grisly slaying. Vice Brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega, a member of the storied Carabinieri paramilitary corps, was stabbed eight times, allegedly by one of the teens, leaving him bleeding on a street close to the teens’ upscale hotel near Rome’s Tiber River. Investigators said Cerciello Rega, along with another Carabinieri officer, were both in plainclothes when they confronted the Americans about 3 a.m. Friday in the wake of a drug deal gone wrong.

Protests Over Worker Deaths Paralyze Production at Some India Coal Mines (Reuters) Members of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have mounted protests that have paralyzed production at one of India’s biggest coalfields following a deadly accident last week.

China Says Western Attempts to Stoke HK Turbulence Will Fail (Reuters) China said on Monday that attempts by what it called some irresponsible figures in the West to stoke turbulence in Hong Kong and contain China’s development will fail.

Police fire tear gas, rubber bullets at Hong Kong protesters (AP) Police in Hong Kong fired tear gas and rubber bullets repeatedly Sunday to drive back protesters blocking streets with road signs and umbrellas in another night of pitched battles in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. It was the second night in a row that tear gas was used in escalating pro-democracy protests. The demonstrations began early last month to voice opposition to an extradition bill that has since been suspended, but the movement has grown to encompass a broader push for full democracy.

China to Conduct Military Drills in Waters Near Taiwan (Reuters) China’s military is holding exercises this week in waters near Taiwan, China’s maritime safety agency said days after Beijing reiterated it was ready to fight if there was any move towards independence for the self-ruled island.

Death Toll From Attack on Afghan VP Candidate’s Office Rises to 20 (Reuters) The death toll from a suicide attack on the Kabul office of Amrullah Saleh, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s running mate in September elections, reached 20 with at least 50 wounded, officials said on Monday as cleanup operations began.

Talks With U.S. Possible if They Led to Tangible Results: Iran Foreign Ministry Spokesman (Reuters) Talks between Iran and the United States would be possible if based on an agenda that could lead to tangible results, but Washington is not seeking dialogue, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Monday.

In Burundi, fears that next year’s vote will be bloody again (AP) It made history as the first country to quit the International Criminal Court. Then it kicked out the United Nations human rights office. Even as Burundi’s vice president asserts in a rare interview that the troubled country is now peaceful, reports of abuses are up ahead of next year’s election as some people worry President Pierre Nkurunziza will run for a fourth term. More than 1,200 people have been killed since Nkurunziza announced he would run for a third term and the government cracked down on the widespread protests that followed, the U.N. says. Nearly 350,000 people have fled the country, the International Crisis Group said last month.

[therealmexicanguys-blog]

Do you try to preserve animal species?

The extinction of animals is a natural process of the evolution and over the history has been produced massive extinctions in determining eras where the change weather are usually. Nowadays à lot of species are extincting faster than years ago the man is the only responsable of this extinctions. How can we prevent the extinction of animals? there are many endangered animals that are at risk of extinction. What that means is that we are at risk of losing these animals completely. We put considerable time, effort and money into saving endangered animals, but why? Extinction is a natural process that would happen with or without humans. But, while that is the case, research shows that extinctions are happening quicker now than ever before. And, loss of habitat is by far the biggest cause. This is a problem that we need to address, and here are a few reasons why. One thing we humans fail at is seeing the big picture. We are often blind to the interconnectedness of everything that supports life, a web so complex and interdependent, we are only beginning to understand it. The food chain, from the tiniest little microorganisms to the largest creatures on earth, keep us humans alive. So, when we talk about the grey whale, the timber wolf, the black rhino, it’s not just that we should save these endangered creatures for their own good, but it’s also for ours.The current legislation and government bodies that protect wild species from extinction are both being defunded and reorganized. It will be up to ordinary citizens and environmental groups to save these important links on the food chain. Here are someways to accomplish this. There are many things we can do to help endangered animals, here are a few suggestions. Protect wildlife habitats. Habitat loss is one of the biggest causes of extinction. Do your bit to preserve wildlife habitats. Volunteer to maintain a local nature reserve, campaign against deforestation or create a space for nature in your garden. Educate others. People are more likely to want to save animals if they know about them. Spend time doing some research and spread the word. Stay away from pesticides and herbicides. Animals are venerable to pollutants that can build up in the environment and can die if they consume high levels. Shop ethically. Avoid buying products made from endangered animals. Be an ethical tourist. We all love spending time with animals, but the rise of animal experiences abroad is endangering the lives of many animals. Often they are treated cruelly and kept t in unsatisfactory conditions. “Educate your family about endangered species in your area” There are many endangered species that we can find in all the world we can change the future of this species like protecting them and another thinks like stop the haunting of all of this species, all the species around the world would be protected by the human because animals are the balance in the world. Giant Panda Ailuropoda melanoleuca Native to the mountain forests of southwest China, the giant panda is one of the most beloved animals in the world. Giant pandas are identified by their distinctive black and white coloring. Their ears, muzzle, eyes, shoulders and legs are black while the rest of their body is white. Their thick hair keeps them warm in the cool, wet mountain zones. When on all fours, giant pandas average between 60-100 cm (2-3 ft.) tall at the shoulder and between 1-2 m (4-6 ft.) long. They can weigh between 100-115 kg (220-250 lb.), with males being larger than females. One of the interesting evolutionary traits of the panda is their protruding wrist bone that acts like a thumb. This helps the pandas hold bamboo while they munch on it with their strong molar teeth. Bamboo makes up nearly the entire diet of the panda. Due to the low nutritional value of bamboo, pandas need to eat 10-20 kg (20-40 lb.) a day. Occasionally pandas will eat other available food, including small rodents, eggs, fish and other flora. Bamboo provides a good amount of water, but pandas need to supplement this with fresh water daily. With only around 2060 pandas living in the wild, the giant panda is considered vulnerable of extinction by the IUCN. Due to the fact that pandas reproduce so infrequently, it is very difficult for their population to recover from such a low point. One the main reasons that panda populations have declined is habitat destruction. As the human population in China continues to grow, pandas’ habitat gets taken over by development, pushing them into smaller and less livable areas. Habitat destruction also leads to food shortages. Pandas feed on several varieties of bamboo that bloom at different times of the year. If one type of bamboo is destroyed by development, it can leave the pandas with nothing to eat during the time it normally blooms, increasing the risk of starvation. Macaw Overexploitation and Habitat Loss Of the 145 species of parrot in Central and South America, 45 are in danger of extinction. All 18 species of macaws are threatened. The primary causes are habitat loss and heavy exploitation for the pet trade. The hyacinth macaw is especially vulnerable to capture and habitat destruction because it is noisy, intrinsically fearless, predictable, and dependent on palm trees. Hyacinth macaws brought $5,000 to $10,000 each in the pet trade as of 1988. This high price fosters a dangerous level of poaching and smuggling. Data and anecdotal evidence suggests that as many as 10,000 Hyacinth macaws were taken from the wild during the 1980s. Trees are cut down to remove the young from nest holes, which not only removes that generation of birds, but permanently destroys the nest site. Hyacinth macaws do not breed every year even under the best circumstances, so this predation on chicks is particularly bad for the species’ survival. Since captured young survive so poorly (up to 99 percent die between capture and final sale), adults are sometimes trapped through liming of perches or use of baited clap-nets. Still, for every macaw that arrives safely abroad, it is likely that five died on the way. The United States is the largest market for the exotic pet trade. In the last decade, 8.5 million birds, at least 85 percent of birds captured in the wild, were imported or smuggled into the United States. Even when the export of birds is controlled, the domestic bird trade often is not regulated. Millions of tropical birds, including parrots and macaws, are captured for local sale. About 50 percent of hyacinth macaws trapped in Brazil were bought by Brazilians rather than being sold overseas. It is common in many rural areas for households to have a pet bird. Half the households recently surveyed in northern Argentina had some kind of parrot. Leopards Leopards could vanish before the tiger if this animal is not given due attention. This year alone, 30 leopards have died in Maharashtra while the Wildlife Protection Society of India has reported 207 deaths across the country compared to 290 deaths in 200 Leopards are the epitome of grace in motion. But leopard skins and canine teeth are widely traded in Africa, and leopard poaching is common in Asia. The IUCN lists leopards as “near threatened” and warns their population is rapidly disappearing. Leopards live in sub-Saharan Africa, NE Africa, Central Asia, India and China but despite this wide geographic spread – the largest distribution of any wild cat – many of their populations are endangered. For instance, the rare, solitary Amur Leopard is listed as “critically endangered” with a population in the wild of only around 60 remaining individual cats. And the highly adaptable, nimble snow leopard is listed as “endangered” with a population of only around 4,000 – 6,500 in the wild. It should not be a surprise that the biggest predators of these wonderful animals are humans. Sadly, these cats’ beauty is contributing to its decline towards extinction – demand for leopard fur and other body parts is driving a robust poaching market. In addition, hunting, habitat loss and retaliatory killings are additional pressures resulting in many of the Leopard subspecies teetering on the brink of disaster. These beautiful, solitary creatures deserve a chance to thrive in the wild. Let’s pass strong laws to end the illegal trade in leopard skins and other parts The highest number of leopards killed was in 2000 when it shot up to 1,278. From 1994 onwards, between 70-200 leopards have been killed every year across India Leopards tend to survive even outside the forests, as in the sugar cane plantations of Ahmednagar and Pune and therefore come close to the villages. That is how the man-animal conflict begins. Panthera onca is its scientific name, it is related to other species of big cats, such as the tiger or the lion. In fact, of the big cats, the jaguar is the third largest of all after just mentioned. It is one of the most important symbols of Mexican culture before the arrival of Hispanics, that is, the pre-Hispanic culture, where the role of spiritual protector was granted. The jaguar lives in jungle and swampy areas, which are being destroyed faster and faster. When we talk about threatened or endangered species we are referring to those species that become part of the Red List of Endangered Species or Red Book. This list was created in 1963 by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature). This organization aims to ensure the conservation of biodiversity and the natural wealth of our planet. In this way, when we say that the jaguar is in danger of extinction, we are referring to a species that has been included in the IUCN Red List. Specifically, currently, the jaguar would have the category of "almost threatened species". The natural habitat is established in the center and a good part of the south of the American continent, which includes the Amazon jungle. In fact, currently, the main threat that is decimating jaguar populations is the deforestation of the Amazon, which is advancing by leaps and bounds to obtain new crop lands. However, it is true that although the destruction of its habitat is the main threat facing the species, it is not the only one. The deforestation of the Amazon should include poaching, illegal trafficking of exotic animals and traps of the peasants, who pursue this animal because it is a specie that attacks livestock. In conclusion we search for differents endangered species the most threatened in the world, animals are the most important think in the world because without they we didn't have a lot of things that we have now but only natural thinks like the honey the polen and the most important think is that animals can carry the balance in the world and we have to protect them all the species around the world like bee, elephants, leopards etc. This Text is to create conscience about how important are the animals and the hurt that we do to they, is that the only think that we have to see the hurt that we are causing in the nature, the place where they live we have to carry them and protect all the species around the world.

[suzannemcappsca]

Brazilian Mediation – Ten Years In One

Juliana Loss de Andrade

When building the Brazilian capital, Brasilia, in the fifties, Juscelino Kubitschek’s expression “50 years in 5” became famous. He was referring to the country’s expected development. Maybe a sort of analogy – ten years in one – could be used to describe the recent developments in alternative dispute resolution in Brazil.

If compared to other relevant economies, Brazil had a significant delay in incorporating arbitration and mediation into legal practice. Last year the arbitration law completed its 20th anniversary but only in the past 10 years – after the constitutional recognition by the Supreme Court – has arbitration practice in Brazil really made headway. For mediation, it has been even more complicated: after four law bills, in 2015 an expert commission coordinated by Judge Luis Felipe Salomão succeeded and the first Mediation Law was enacted. Even if we understand that there was no need for a law to make mediation happen, the growth of mediation after the enactment of this law is undeniable. In the past year, Brazilian mediation grew ten years in one.

2016 was a challenging year for Brazil in general. Particularly in the economic field, the country has faced maybe the worst crisis in its history. The challenges for the State to overcome are countless and go beyond the economic problems. As an example, the judicial system is overcrowded with probably one of the biggest number of judicial proceedings in the world: at over 105 million.

On a more positive note, 2016 was an extraordinary year for ADR in Brazil. In the private sector, the number of arbitration proceedings instituted increased, while mediation took important steps towards its consolidation. Certainly 2016 was one of the busiest years for arbitration and mediation in the country’s history, since both mechanisms and other tools were responsible for important achievements during this time. As a result, the new ADR set-up contributed to the accession of Brazil to the report Doing Business of the World Bank concerning the enforcement of contracts, which since its last report included as an analysis criterion the adoption of ADR methods and management of courts in the economies surveyed.

The positive scenario for ADR is not limited to mediation and arbitration. Relevant work and discussions are being conducted by academics and important institutions, for instance the Brazilian Development Bank recently held a seminar to discuss the employment of Dispute Resolution Boards and consensual means in infrastructure contracts. Additionally, models of Financial Ombudsman are being the object of studies and projects organized by the Getulio Vargas Foundation and the National Bank Federation. Finally, a complex Dispute System Design Program has been designed to address the indemnification disputes that are arising from the worst national environmental disaster, a mining dam collapse in the small town of Mariana/MG causing human deaths, damages and pollution.

This whole growth has been empowered by recent legislation and also by several courts’ efforts. A few days before the beginning of 2016, the Mediation law (Law 13.140/2015) came into force and since then has boosted the training for both judicial and extrajudicial mediators – although the legislation does not require specific training for extrajudicial mediators. In March 2016, the Resolution 125 of the National Council of Justice (CNJ), which established the National Judicial Policy concerning the appropriate way to approach conflicts of interests in the country, was amended. This amendment allows for the recognition of certain schools and training institutions for judicial mediators. Accordingly, Brazilian courts (in compliance with the legal provisions and resolutions of the National Judicial School) have regulated the recognition of these schools and institutions in each State.

In addition to the training and registration of mediators, another major challenge was – and still is – the structuring and adaptation of the courts for the reception of a new procedural system inserted by the new Code of Civil Procedure that came into force in March 2016, which encompasses strong tools to enhance settlements.

Even the Superior Court of Justice created a center for consensual dispute resolution. Furthermore, the movement extends beyond the judiciary: lately there have been Executive initiatives to encourage the usage of ADR in recent regulation regarding the guidelines for the continuation and reestablishment of public contracts. This regulation represents a very significant step for mediation and other ADR processes as it authorizes the employment of mediation, arbitration and other methods in issues involving public administration. By the way, the use of arbitration in this kind of dispute involving the public administration is not a new concept. The novelty lies in the authorization for the utilization of mediation and other extrajudicial methods of conflict resolution since these methods are still being developed within the country’s legal culture. On the subject of public conflicts, a new regulation regarding the use of mediation by the public lawyers in the General Counsel for the Federal Government is expected soon.

Returning to the 2016 ADR timeline in Brazil, the second semester was crucial for mediation concerning a delicate subject: the adoption of mediation in disputes regarding labor issues. In September, the Superior Council of Labor Justice (CSJT) issued a resolution which regulates the application of conciliation and mediation methods in judicial disputes involving labor conflicts. This resolution is groundbreaking especially because in Brazil there is a lot of mistrust in the usage of mediation in disputes involving labor relations. Moreover, in 2017 there are some areas such as insolvency and consumer conflicts that might bring interesting developments.

In 2016, arbitration kept its growth meanwhile mediation and other ADRs left the “promised status” and became a reality. The construction of a culture that values non-judicial methods of dispute resolution is in progress and seems to be spreading fast.

More from our authors:

Essays on Mediation: Dealing with Disputes in the 21st Century by Ian Macduff (ed.) € 160

The post Brazilian Mediation – Ten Years In One appeared first on Kluwer Mediation Blog.

from Updates By Suzanne http://kluwermediationblog.com/2017/03/03/brazilian-mediation-ten-year-in-one/

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Scientists rush to rescue sea turtles threatened by mysterious Brazil oil spill

Crude oil has been washing up on the coast of the Brazilian northeast for over a month, leaving more than 150 of Brazil’s postcard-perfect beaches covered in thick, sludgy black patches. 

The origin of the oil, found in nine Brazilian states along a 1,200-mile stretch of coastline, remains unknown. People who fish, bathe and swim in these waters have been affected.

“We do not know exactly how much oil has been spilled and how much has reached the Brazilian northeast. But I can say that this is the biggest environmental disaster in the history of Brazil, if we consider the length of the coastline that has been affected,” said biologist Flavio Lima, coordinator of Projeto Cetáceos da Costa Branca at Rio Grande do Norte State University.

It is also along this coastline that olive ridley and loggerhead sea turtles come to make their nests and lay their eggs. After 40 to 50 days of incubation, the hatchlings walk across the sand and into the sea. 

According to an Oct. 14 report by the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, 24 adult sea turtles — some still alive — have been found covered in oil along the coast.

The Brazilian Navy is investigating the origin of the oil. It said it has not found oil in the open sea, only on beaches, which means that the oil is floating under the surface of the water and harder to track. 

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[allthebrazilianpolitics]

BHP Billiton facing £5bn lawsuit from Brazilian victims of dam disaster

Action launched in Liverpool against Anglo-Australian mining company after 2015 tragedy that killed 19 people

The worst environmental disaster in Brazil’s history has triggered one of the biggest legal claims ever filed in a British court.

The Anglo-Australian mining company BHP Billiton is being sued for about £5bn by Brazilian victims of the Samarco dam collapse in Mariana three years ago.

The class action case was filed in the Liverpool high court on Monday by the UK-based SPG Law on behalf of 240,000 individuals, 24 municipal governments, 11,000 businesses, a Catholic archdiocese and about 200 members of the Krenak indigenous community.

Nineteen people died after toxic waters from the failed tailings dam surged through the village of Bento Rodrigues on 5 November 2015. The sludge destroyed hundreds of homes, devastated fisheries, contaminated forests and left hundreds of thousands of dwellers along the Doce River without drinking water.

It emerged that the company had accurately predicted the risks in a worst-case assessment made six months earlier.

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