Brazil gears up for playing environmental lead, minister and VP pledge

Record ID: 1705398

  • Title: Brazil gears up for playing environmental lead, minister and VP pledge
  • Date: 5th January 2023
  • Summary: BRASILIA, BRAZIL (JANUARY 4, 2023) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT, LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA, TALKING TO VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF DEVELOPMENT, INDUSTRY, TRADE, AND SERVICES, GERALDO ALCKMIN (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZILIAN VICE PRESIDENT, GERALDO ALCKMIN, SAYING: “Our MDIC (Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade, and Services) is one of reconstruction of industry, trade expansion, and the promotion of the service sector.” LULA, ALCKMIN, AND OTHERS ON STAGE (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZILIAN VICE PRESIDENT, GERALDO ALCKMIN, SAYING: “The sustainability agenda is fundamental for the future of the industry in Brazil. The new MDIC will have a secretary for the green economy, decarbonisation, and bioindustry.” VARIOUS OF ATTENDEES AT THE EVENT (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZILIAN VICE PRESIDENT, GERALDO ALCKMIN, SAYING: “Brazil cannot do without industry if it has ambitions to leverage economic growth and develop socially. Either the country resumes the industrial development agenda, or it will not recover a path of sustainable growth, generating jobs.” ATTENDEES AT EVENT ALCKMIN AND BRAZILIAN MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, MARINA SILVA, AT THE EVENT (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZILIAN MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, MARINA SILVA, SAYING: “We are going to act internally so that Brazil, instead of being an environmental pariah, returns to be a country that will help us finalise the agreement with Mercosur. We will get to bring in investments. We will get to open our markets for our products.” ALCKMIN AND SILVA DURING EVENT SILVA SPEAKING AT EVENT ATTENDEE HOLDING UP SIGN READING (Portuguese): “National Council of Extractivist Populations.” (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) BRAZILIAN MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, MARINA SILVA, SAYING: “(We have now created) the extraordinary secretariat for the control of deforestation, territory, and ordering of latifundia.” ALCKMIN AND SILVA ON STAGE
  • Embargoed: 19th January 2023 01:19
  • Keywords: Brazil Cabinet Environment Government Lula da Silva Ministers
  • Location: BRASILIA, BRAZIL
  • City: BRASILIA, BRAZIL
  • Country: Brazil
  • Topics: South America / Central America,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA001047405012023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Brazil will not shy away from playing a leading role in addressing climate change and the impending emergency the world is facing, senior figures in the country's new government said on Wednesday (January 4).
    Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, who also serves as Minister for Development, Industry, Trade, and Services, pledged to create a new secretary for the green economy, decarbonisation, and bioindustry.
    A sustainability agenda was “fundamental” for the future of the South American country, Alckmin added.
    In the same vein, environmentalist Marina Silva, the newly-appointment environment minister, announced the creation of an extraordinary secretary to end deforestation and plans to set up a climate authority within the administration of President Luiz Lula da Silva.
    Lula took office on Sunday pledging to stop deforestation in the Amazon, a vital biome to curb climate change.
    He quickly revoked the policies of his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro who eased environmental protection and allowed the rate of deforestation to surge to a 15-year-high on his watch.
    Silva, the daughter of Amazon rubber tappers, became a prominent environmentalist and held the same ministerial position for five years during Lula's first and second terms.
    She oversaw a significant drop in deforestation at the time, a task she will have to tackle again in helping Lula to fulfill his campaign pledge to stop illegal deforestation.
    Silva said restoring Brazil's prominent role as an environmental leader will help the South American trade bloc Mercosur conclude its free trade deal with the European Union, which had been held up by concerns over uncontrolled Amazon deforestation.
    (Production: Lais Morais, Isadora Machado, Anna Portella)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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