Birgit Johannessen is in Brazil visiting her sister, Karen, who’s an activist trying to save the Amazon rain forest from development. They’re invited to a local governor’s plantation and are entertained by his son, Ricardo. He tells them that “the Amazon has become both the engine of China’s growth and Brazil’s path to sharing China’s rising prosperity.” He goes on, “You can’t be only focused on trees and eco-habitats. There are hungry people to feed.” (p. 241). Later, he gets angry because non-citizens are trying to tell the Brazilian government how to run their country (“Isn’t it a little presumptuous for you to show up here in our country claiming you know what’s best for us?” p. 245). What’s your take on this issue?
The environment and climate are everybody’s business. The Amazon rain forests are crucial to these. Rainforests play a critical role in “regulating the global climate”. They absorb significant amounts of carbon dioxide, storing it in biomass and soil, which helps mitigate climate change. That’s why that’s Greta Thurnberg is so important. Hence I see Birgit as a stand-in for Greta in this book.
Both sides can score some points here – there ARE hungry people to feed , and the environment is everyone’s – both those here now and those coming in the future – business. The issue is how to balance the needs in both directions, as well as the economic impact of those decisions both now and in the future. Management requires working together for the greatest mutual benefit.
2 Likes
Ricardo is not an unbiased source. His vision of “feeding people” involves western-style animal-based agriculture, and his assertion that the Chinese people are finally getting enough protein because of all the soybeans from Brazil is suspect. Monocrops are not sustainable or good for the planet, and depending on big international corporations takes all the power from local people
1 Like
Big international corporations influence the global economies and at times control what countries can and can’t do to help their people. My childhood farming background immediately thinks about the large corn seed companies. In the 40s, 50s and perhaps earlier, farmers could save seed to plant the following year. This is totally against the corporate laws now and carries heavy fines. Seed corn is patented. There were incidents in Iowa where some Chinese were discovered illegally “harvesting” seed in corn fields. These attempts were for the purpose of replicating the specific DNA for future seed production in their country.
Corporations are yet another sector of the global players. Profit drives companies. I’m not sure some of their execs consider the effects such as poverty, hunger, environmental destruction, etc.
1 Like
One of my favorite parts about this novel is that it allowed me to see global issues from different viewpoints. Weighing the right to survive and use your land against preserving it for all of humanity is a tough choice when you have mouths to feed.
Very well said Aprile_G
The Chinese and other foreign countries are clearing parts of the Amazon for financial gain. The government is letting these companies destroy indigenous communities as well as deforesting important areas of Brazil. If it was really to feed the rest of the world, there are other places that could be focused on.
Such a complicated issue….I do feel like the rain forests are everybodys business because it effects the whole world, but I also know that feeding people is very important as well, and sometimes a country doesn’t have the resources to do it right. There are so many behind the scenes issues going on with governments that I don’t understand. It seems like working together to protect the ecology while sharing resources to feed people would be the best option, but I don’t feel that it always works this way.
This is a complex issue and I feel that the author did a decent job of showing multiple points of view. I am still working through my views on the subject.