This event hosted some of Brazil’s most prominent local government representatives that are taking the lead in Amazon conservation and sustainable development. Governor Flávio Dino of Maranhão took the opportunity to announce a Green Recovery Plan of 1.5 billion reais to strengthen the green economy. “We can’t have an environmental agenda that is completely removed from the reality of people and their day to day. We want to transform these commitments… into a platform of opportunities for local populations.” Dino said.
Mayor Edmilson Rodrigues of Belém highlighted the size and diversity of the Amazon, noting that if it were a country, it would be one of the largest in the world. “There can be no future of the Amazon if we don’t think about social justice and the rights of people who live there. The Amazon region has a large social variety, with many ethnic groups and different realities.”
Executive Secretary of Science, Technology, and Innovation of Amazonas state Tatiana Schor said that “We need an economy that keeps the forest standing, but if we only think about the forest standing and don’t think about development, no one will be able to live there.” She emphasized that there is already much scientific technology that is produced locally, unbeknownst to many, that can be leveraged for these efforts.
Click on the video above to listen to the conversation in its entirety. This event followed the launch of AQ’s special report on sustainable development of the Amazon and was hosted by:
This event took place on June 10th at 10:00 a.m. E.T.
Speakers:
- Flávio Dino, Governor of Maranhão @FlavioDino
- Edmilson Rodrigues, Mayor of Belém @EdmilsonPSOL
- Tatiana Schor, Executive Secretary of Science, Technology, and Innovation of Amazonas
- Cecilia Tornaghi, Managing Editor, Americas Quarterly @ctornaghi (moderator)
