Banning Sugar Cane Plantations in Brazil: Raw Video
-
-
- afitzgerald
- added this
Brazil's government proposed on Thursday (September 17) long-awaited environmental restrictions on sugar cane planting in areas such as the Pantanal wetlands and the Amazon forest.
The government would ban planting cane or building mills in any area with native vegetation in response to concerns about the environmental impact of Brazil's rapidly growing cane and biofuel industry. The sugar cane industry would be completely banned from expanding in the Upper Paraguay River Basin.
Despite the opposition, the bill should pass in Congress in the first half of 2010 without major changes, said Environment Minister Carlos Minc at a press conference.
Cane burning is used to clear foliage and pests and to allow manual cutters into the fields. Especially when humidity is low, it can cause heavy smoke and affect public health in nearby areas. It also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
The Upper Paraguay River Basin, where Pantanal is located, is the world's largest freshwater wetlands. A handful of mills are already installed there. Eight of these companies, located in Mato Grosso state, had plans of expanding their cane area, which the bill would forbid. The proposed restricted areas, along with conservation units and indigenous reserves, total 81.5 percent of the Brazilian territory. Still, 64 million hectares (158 million acres) of land would be available for cane planting in the country, Agriculture Minister Reinhold Stephanes said at the press conference.
The government would ban planting cane or building mills in any area with native vegetation in response to concerns about the environmental impact of Brazil's rapidly growing cane and biofuel industry. The sugar cane industry would be completely banned from expanding in the Upper Paraguay River Basin.
Despite the opposition, the bill should pass in Congress in the first half of 2010 without major changes, said Environment Minister Carlos Minc at a press conference.
Cane burning is used to clear foliage and pests and to allow manual cutters into the fields. Especially when humidity is low, it can cause heavy smoke and affect public health in nearby areas. It also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.
The Upper Paraguay River Basin, where Pantanal is located, is the world's largest freshwater wetlands. A handful of mills are already installed there. Eight of these companies, located in Mato Grosso state, had plans of expanding their cane area, which the bill would forbid. The proposed restricted areas, along with conservation units and indigenous reserves, total 81.5 percent of the Brazilian territory. Still, 64 million hectares (158 million acres) of land would be available for cane planting in the country, Agriculture Minister Reinhold Stephanes said at the press conference.
-
- groups:
- Community, Green, Sustainable Agriculture, News_Featured, 2 more
-
- tags:
- Ecology
-
- credits:
- afitzgerald Producer, VSiskos Editor, VSiskos Producer
-
-
idealist
-
the sugar company is pretty evil
- 2 years ago
-
idealist
-
-
bailey78
-
Suger the drug that every body is strung out on. not only that but it's killen us left and right. the goverment is Ok with it.
- 2 years ago
-
bailey78
-
-
Cary_Sontag
-
-
hello
- 2 years ago
-
Cary_Sontag
-
-
mirror
-
This is great news. dose anyone recall the cedars of lebanon? there were once great forrest in the middle east, and after humans, goats and the Romans, it became a dessert. Brazil was well on its way to this climate.
- 2 years ago
-
mirror
