Category: Human Rights

Belém’s Environmental Challenges: A Glimpse into COP30 Host City

Monica Piccinini

28 March 2023

In the lead-up to hosting COP30 in 2025, Belém, the capital of Pará in northern Brazil, is confronted with a multitude of pressing issues, from insufficient sanitation and widespread crime to pollution and homelessness, prompting doubts about its preparedness to take the lead on the international platform.

Recent findings from the 2022 Demographic Census conducted by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), reveals that approximately 212,370 individuals, corresponding to 16% of the population in Belém, are presently living under inadequate sanitation.

Ivan Costa, the president of the Brazilian Social Observatory (OSB), a non-governmental organisation based in Belém, explained:

“Addressing the sanitation issue is not a quick fix, given its complexity. It demands meticulous planning, significant investment, and the establishment of regulatory and inspection mechanisms for sanitation, areas currently lacking in Belém.

“Regarding the sewage system, this is a crucial issue. In Belém, numerous canals were improperly filled without oversight, becoming sites for various waste materials that have polluted the entire area, resulting in adverse effects on both the environment and the health of residents.”

According to a study conducted by the Trata Brasil Institute, Belém ranks among the cities with the poorest levels of basic sanitation.

Several articles published by Revista Cenarium highlight issues impacting both Belém and its neighbourhoods. They include inadequate garbage collection services and the challenges surrounding the Marituba and Aurá landfills, which serve as disposal sites for waste generated from the metropolitan region.

Rodolfo Salm, PhD in environmental sciences and lecturer at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA) mentioned:

“Belém is a city that leaves a strong impression, primarily due to its staggering waste problem. The abundance of trash, particularly in flood-prone zones, is simply overwhelming. Trash can be found in every corner.

“The situation in both Belém and my hometown of Altamira is deeply disheartening and worrisome. There’s a significant influx of people arriving in the region with hopes of making quick riches through destructive ventures like mining, land grabbing, and logging.

“Although their initial intention is to amass wealth and depart, many end up staying. The region lacks adequate infrastructure to support the most vulnerable populations, leaving us ingrained in this cycle of degradation.”

Landfills

Created in 2015, the Marituba landfill receives approximately 500,000 tons of waste per year from Belém and surrounding municipalities. Originally schedule for closure in 2019 due to reaching its maximum capacity, an extension has been granted, allowing its operations to continue until February 2025.

Aurá is another landfill which commenced operations in 1990. Despite its deactivation, it continues to receive thousands of tons of waste from industrial and urban areas within the city of Belém.

Despite the unpleasant odour emanating from the landfill, numerous families who live nearby earn their livelihoods by collecting discarded waste and various items, such as plastic bottles and scrap metal. Some children in the vicinity frequently search for discarded food to supplement their daily meals.   

“There is no selective waste collection system established, no designated area for a new landfill installation, and a lack of public education on city cleanliness. We are currently facing a challenging situation,” explained Costa.

Belém has not complied with Brazil’s National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS) and Federal Law 12.305/2010, which mandates the closure of all landfills in the country by August 2, 2014.

Social, Health and Environmental Impact

The streets of Belém are scattered with rubble and uncollected waste, therefore creating conditions to the spread of diseases, posing significant risks to public health and potentially overwhelming healthcare services.

In Brazil, Belém is the capital city with the highest percentage of households experiencing uncollected garbage, impacting around 35,739 individuals according to IBGE data. Residents often resort to disposing of their waste through methods such as burning, littering in public spaces, vacant lots, or even burying it.

Findings from the survey conducted by the Federal University of Pará (UFPA) indicate that the concentration of hydrogen sulphide gas emitted by the Marituba landfill is 30 times higher in its vicinity. Exposure to this substance can result in symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath, burning eyes and skin, fatigue, weight loss, insomnia, and overall inflammation.

According to the UFPA’s research, inhaling foul odours emanating from the Marituba landfill has been linked to respiratory and other illnesses among the population. The study also revealed residents’ discontent with the pollution of waterways, the depreciation of their properties, and deteriorating air quality attributed to the Marituba landfill.

The UFPA report further indicated that the existence of the Marituba landfill is a result of mismanagement of public resources and serves as a cautionary example to be avoided.

Another troubling problem impacting the streets of Belém is homelessness. According to data from the Papa João XXIII Foundation (Funpapa), it is estimated that between 2,500 to 3,000 individuals live on the streets of the city. Across the entire state of Pará, this figure reaches approximately 22,000.

Furthermore, data from a survey carried out by Vigisan, an application focused on monitoring food and nutritional safety in Brazil, indicates that around 53.4% of the population in the state of Pará experience moderate to severe levels of food insecurity.

Challenges such as crime, drug-related concerns and sanitation issues persistently affect some of Belém’s most iconic tourist spots, including the Ver-o-Peso market complex. Both visitors and local workers report these ongoing challenges, indicating a longstanding neglect of the site and an urgent demand for renovation.

The public transportation system in Belém is also in chaos, posing another substantial obstacle. Residents are highly critical of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system expansion, which has been underway since 2012. BRT operates on a medium-capacity public transport model with vehicles traveling along dedicated lanes, including designated stations for rapid passenger boarding. However, the system fails to meet the demands of the population and remains incomplete.

Environmental and Indigenous Rights Concerns

Belém – Photo credit: Valério Silveira

The host of COP30 ought to demonstrate global leadership in addressing environmental concerns, yet it appears that both the state of Pará and Brazil have significant progress to achieve in reaching these objectives.

Costa shared his insights on the debate concerning environmental preservation in the region:

“Currently, we observe a contradiction between advocating for the preservation of the “standing forest” to the international community, portraying ourselves as protectors of the forest, while there is a backdrop of violence against those genuinely working to safeguard it. Economic groups and even criminal entities exert influence, violently seizing public lands.”

On February 5, Revista Cenarium released an article exposing unsettling details regarding illicit mining operations occurring in the state of Pará. Drawing from data provided by government agencies, environmental organisations, and a civil case conducted by the Federal Public Ministry (MPF), it was revealed that over 2,000 miners have been active across 100 gold extraction sites, spread across 41 clandestine landing strips within the Paru State Forest (Flota do Paru).

Flota do Paru covers an area of approximately 3.6 million hectares. Created in 2006, this conservation reserve is under the jurisdiction of the Para government and administered by the Institute of Forestry Development and Biodiversity of the state of Para (IDEFLOR-Bio).

IDEFLOR-Bio issued a license to the mining company Mineração Carará Ltda, permitting their operations within the Flota do Paru conservation area. This decision has sparked concerns regarding their genuine dedication to environmental preservation, thereby setting a negative precedent for Brazil and the global community.

According to a Greenpeace study, in 2023, mining activities caused destruction to 1,410 hectares within the indigenous territories (TIs) of the Kayapó (Pará), Munduruku (Pará), and Yanomami communities, the equivalent of opening four football fields each day.

Illegal mining isn’t the only concern impacting the state of Pará. According to a report by Mighty Earth, Pará stands as the second-largest state in the Amazon region for deforestation and degradation alerts in farms with a soy cultivation history, accounting for 23% of Brazil’s total soy area in 2023.

The extraction of palm oil intended for biofuel production in Pará presents yet another significant issue. Global Witness investigation uncovered allegations against Agropalma and Brasil Biofuels (BBF), two prominent Brazilian palm oil companies, for their alleged involvement in conflicts with local communities in Pará.

Palm plantations in the state of Pará occupy an area once covered by rainforest, totalling approximately 226,834 hectares, nearly equivalent to the size of Luxembourg.

Investments

The residents of Belém are looking forward to COP30, anticipating that it will bring about investments and improvements to address the various social, health, and environmental issues they encounter in the region.

Costa discussed his viewpoint regarding the allocation of investments, project completion, and increased involvement of civil society in the region:

“There is a traditional economic elite prepared to benefit from an event of this magnitude, COP30. At the same time, we see the rise of highly committed leaders who can make a difference at this moment, including groups from the periphery, young people, and traditional communities.

“Furthermore, we’ve begun to receive numerous resources, but it’s imperative to understand how they will be utilised to avoid a situation like the “cemeteries” left in the aftermath of the World Cup, where unfinished projects left a detrimental legacy.”

Recently, the city of Belém signed a contract valued at around US$ 140 million with Ciclus Amazônia, a solid waste management firm, to tackle the challenging waste situation in the city. This agreement covers waste collection, treatment, and recycling efforts. Ciclus Amazônia secured the contract through a competitive bidding process to establish a 30-year Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

Since mid-2023, in anticipation of COP30, the federal government has announced several investment initiatives for Belém. A portion of these funds, approximately US$ 1 billion, will be provided by the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES).

Despite significant investment announcements for the region, there remains a level of scepticism regarding the planned projects, their capacity to adhere to deadlines, and ultimately, their completion. This includes initiatives such as the restructuring of major canals crossing the city, and the expansion of the BRT system.

There are doubts regarding whether there will be sufficient time to successfully complete and deliver all scheduled projects before COP30 begins, given that most of these projects have yet to be initiated.

Costa offered his last reflections on the implications of COP30 for Belém and the region:

“What will be the lasting impact of COP30 on the city of Belém and its surrounding region, particularly for the most vulnerable communities? These are the communities in greatest need of meaningful change and improvements that will enhance their quality of life and benefit the environment.

“We aim not to repeat the experience of “Rio 92”, but rather to establish a positive legacy for both the region and the world, something we can genuinely take pride in.”

Below are some of the statements issued by the spokesperson representing the cabinet office of Helder Barbalho, the governor of Pará:

“The government of Pará is carrying out several macro-drainages works to prevent floods and flooding, both in the COP polygon and in peripheral areas. Between completed and ongoing works, we have around 10 neighbourhoods and one million people benefiting. The projects include canals and roads in the capital with asphalt paving, rainwater drainage, sewage, landscaping, sports courts, squares, playgrounds, and an outdoor gym. Regarding the disposal of waste, this is a matter for the city of Belém, which the state government has been monitoring.”

“The Institute for Forestry and Biodiversity Development (Ideflor-Bio) informs that the company has authorization from the National Mining Agency (ANM) to carry out the activity. The legislation and the Paru State Forest Management Plan (Flota) allow experimental gold mining activities. Therefore, there is no legal impediment for the company Mineração Carará Ltda to request the necessary environmental license for the project, since the legislation allows mineral developments in Conservation Units (UCs) for Sustainable Use, as in the case of Flota Paru. However, there is no environmental license for experimental gold mining granted in Flota do Paru.”

“Regarding illegal mining and landing strips, the government of Pará informs that it works in an integrated manner with the public ministry, civil, military, federal and army police, to dismantle illegal mining in state UCs. In 2023, Semas (State Secretariat for Environment and Sustainability) teams closed 42 illegal mining sites in Pará.”

“It is the commitment of the federal and state governments that the capital of Pará hosts the conference and has adequate infrastructure and logistics to host the largest climate discussion event in the world.”

The BR-319 Highway: A Scientist’s Call to Action for the Amazon and Beyond

Monica Piccinini

March 6, 2024

Lucas Ferrante, researcher with a PhD in ecology from Brazil’s National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA), has conducted multiple scientific studies uncovering the negative impacts of the BR-319 highway project on the Amazon rainforest.

The Amazon’s BR-319 highway, a stretch of 885.9 km, connects the central Amazonian capital, Manaus, to Porto Velho, on the southern edge of the forest. It passes through one of the most preserved blocks of the forest, where it contains an enormous stock of carbon. Ferrante’s research findings highlight the danger this project poses to 63 indigenous territories and 18,000 indigenous people, as well as to the environment, biodiversity, and the world climate.

Ferrante has consistently raised alarms about the irreversible repercussions that could result from paving the Amazon’s BR-319 highway, emphasising its potential for widespread deforestation, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, impact on indigenous communities, and increase of illegal mining, logging, and organised crime.

Moreover, Ferrante highlights the risk of spreading infectious diseases and the potential emergence of a new pandemic and pushing the forest past a tipping point. Despite encountering numerous intimidations and threats, Ferrante remains firm in his commitment, refusing to be silenced.

In a recent conversation with Ferrante, he shared his main concerns regarding the BR-319 highway project in the Amazon region.

Given the severe drought observed last year in the Amazon due to climate change, the El Niño phenomenon, deforestation, and environmental degradation, what are the expected climate consequences of paving the BR-319 highway in the Amazon, in Brazil and globally?

The Amazon rainforest is of vital importance in maintaining hydrological cycles that regulate global climate and influence precipitation patterns in the southern and south-eastern regions of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Paving the BR-319 highway could lead to deforestation shifting towards the untouched and conserved central Amazon, triggering a climate collapse within the biome and an unparalleled biodiversity crisis.

Carbon emissions resulting from deforestation and the subsequent deterioration of forest ecosystems would cause significant and irreversible consequences for the planet. This project poses a critical risk of pushing the Earth beyond the brink of climate collapse, particularly by facilitating access to oil exploration sites in the Amazon, thereby exacerbating global emissions. The result of this damage will be reverberated across the planet.

What are the potential risks and impacts on the Amazon rainforest, Brazil, and the world if the BR-319 highway is paved?

Besides deforestation, there’s an unprecedented decline in biodiversity and significant effects on both local and global climates due to the highway. Moreover, it directly affects 18,000 indigenous people, leading to violations of their civil rights. This represents the most extensive occurrence of indigenous rights violations globally, happening in the 21st century amidst the internet age, without proper reporting.

Invaders of indigenous territories have weaponised the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in a devastating impact on populations. This has led to indigenous mortality rates being three times higher than those of non-indigenous people.

A hidden genocide is underway, previously overlooked by the government of former president, Jair Bolsonaro, and now President Lula’s administration. This lack of acknowledgment persists as the current government aims to facilitate oil exploration in the region.

Furthermore, the Amazon rainforest is the largest reservoir of beta coronavirus and zoonoses in the world. Forest degradation, the human presence, and greater mobility in this region can lead to zoonotic leaps where diseases stored in the forest can jump to humans, potentially sparking a fresh global pandemic or a series of them. This concern is particularly pronounced due to the proximity of Manaus, a metropolis housing over two million people, where rampant community transmission and the emergence of the highly lethal Gamma variant of Covid-19 took place.

Traces of deforestation along the BR-319 highway near Realidade. Photo credit: Evgeny Makarov.

It is important to highlight that the region lacks capability to issue an epidemiological alert for a pandemic originating within it. An example of this is the Covid-19 Gamma variant, which was identified only after crossing the Brazilian borders and spreading globally, with the first case detected in Japan.

We are at the brink of a potential new pandemic scenario, and the alterations in climate resulting from the construction of the BR-319 highway could still provide favourable conditions for these pathogens. We are on the verge of a new global situation, yet Brazilian authorities are showing negligence in addressing this matter.

The highway is contributing to the strengthening of international organised crime, which has expanded its operations beyond drug trafficking to include activities such as gold mining and land grabbing in the region.

What justifications does the Brazilian government provide for paving the BR-319 highway, and how valid are they?

The highway is not justified from an economic point of view, it lacks an economic feasibility study, known as the EVTA, stipulated by Law 5917/1973. Additionally, the BR-319 highway project failed to conduct the essential consultations with the indigenous communities, required both by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 169 and the Brazilian law 10,088/2019.

The primary transportation route in the area has traditionally been via the Madeira River, offering cost-effectiveness, safety, cleanliness, and efficiency compared to the BR-319 highway. However, the government is motivated to expand mining operations, industrial agriculture, and livestock farming in the region, as well as facilitate access to large areas for oil and gas exploration.

Brazil’s president Lula presented a “green” speech at COP28, but it seems to be pure greenwashing. Our study published in Nature reveals his genuine intentions, which focuses on ramping up fossil fuel exploration. He has given priority to the BR-319 highway project and has already auctioned off 21 oil exploration blocks in the region. Some companies, including those from Russia and China, are targeting the area, and their political alliances have strengthened these initiatives.

Numerous politicians have shown their support behind the initiative to reconstruct the BR-319 highway, desperately seeking to justify its significance for the region. They have resorted to unfounded arguments, such as associating it to the oxygen crisis in Manaus during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. They claim that with the road in operation, oxygen could have been rapidly transported to the region. However, this assertion lacks credibility, as my research had already alerted about the second wave six months earlier.

What’s Lula’s government’s approach to paving the BR-319 highway? Does he support this project?

Lula fully supports the reconstruction of the BR-319 highway, along with the exploration of oil and gas reserves in the area.

On February 1st, Brazil’s vice-president, Geraldo Alckmin, visited Manaus and stated that the government has been actively prioritising the paving of the BR-319 highway. However, his claim that the highway will be a sustainable project and that deforestation will not occur is misleading.

In his speech, he referenced the Atlantic Forest as a model for sustainability to follow. However, only 8% of the original Atlantic Forest biome remains, with more than 97% existing as fragmented forests, each covering less than 50 hectares. Roads and highways play a significant role in the degradation of the region.

Taking the Atlantic Forest scenario serves as a model for the government’s intentions regarding the Amazon. However, if this path persists, it may accelerate the collapse of the biome and the surrounding environment, with far-reaching consequences for global climate patterns.  It’s clear that Lula’s government is not prioritising environmental and climate concerns with the necessary urgency.

What are your impressions regarding the proposal put forth on December 18, 2023, concerning bill PL 4994/2023, which aims to designate the BR-319 highway as a “critical infrastructure essential to national security”, requiring the expedited licensing of the project and immediate allocation of funds?    

At this crucial point, the chamber of deputies has passed a bill designating the BR-319 highway as “critical infrastructure essential to national security.” However, the assertion regarding national security is unfounded, given that the highway has no border connections. A military general has already affirmed that the BR-319 highway does not present any national security risks.

Moreover, our research findings reveals that the BR-319 highway lacks significance as a critical infrastructure project, favouring instead the transport route via the Madeira River. Nevertheless, this legislation disregards environmental licensing procedures and the rights of indigenous communities. Additionally, it’s concerning that the Amazon Fund, designated for environmental preservation, may be allocated to pave the highway, contradicting its purpose, as the highway’s construction promotes deforestation.

As a scientist with multiple studies published in prestigious scientific journals worldwide, what types of retaliation, intimidation, and threats have you been facing due to your research and for expressing concerns about the paving of the BR-319 highway?

Despite facing relentless assaults from politicians and land grabbers, along with death threats and two additional attacks, my firm dedication remains focused on bringing the attention to the impacts of the reconstruction of the BR-319 highway.

This is not merely a road project; it represents a battle against catastrophic and irreversible consequences. Should this road be reconstructed, it will alter our world irreversibly, leading us down a road to ruin.

We can expect an era marked by extreme weather events and pandemics, making it essential for the global population to engage. This project will impact every reader, irrespective of their location, so I sincerely invite everyone to unite in this cause.

What message would you like to convey to the Brazilian and foreign governments, Brazilian and global communities, local and international NGOs, corporations, and agencies?

As outlined in our research, which appeared in the January 30 issue of Nature magazine, safeguarding the environment is a decision based on science and should not be subject to discussion.

This project is a global effort since its ramifications will be felt worldwide. It represents the primary environmental initiative presently, given its capacity to reshape our planet, be it through significant climate repercussions or the global health risks arising from the release of novel diseases stored within forests.

Every scientific investigation indicates the infeasibility of paving the BR-319 highway, given its adverse economic, social, health, and environmental effects, which will impact the global population. We must follow scientific recommendations and not negotiate the future of the planet.

If you’d like to contribute to Lucas Ferrante’s efforts to halt the progress of this project, which includes backing his scientific research, please kindly click here.

The Amazon’s Warning Call: A Potential Epicentre for the Next Pandemic

February 12, 2024

Preserving the Amazon rainforest isn’t just an environmental concern; it’s a matter of survival. It’s the most biodiverse place on the planet, a reservoir of life-saving medicines, and a critical regulator of our planet’s climate. Our health, our survival, and the balance of our world rely on its protection.

The Amazon’s diverse ecosystem is under threat from rampant deforestation, degradation, and climate change, jeopardising its ability to act as a carbon sink. This degradation increases the likelihood of zoonotic diseases emerging and spreading, posing a significant public health risk for Brazil and the world.

Climate change, deforestation, alterations in land use, agricultural expansion, livestock farming, mining activities, biodiversity loss, urbanisation, oil and gas extraction, and large-scale infrastructure developments, such as road and dam construction in the Amazon rainforest, have all been associated with the rise and spread of infectious diseases. These include dengue, yellow fever, malaria, Zika virus, Chikungunya fever, Candida auris, leishmaniasis, Oropouche virus, hantavirus, and numerous others, with the possibility of also introducing novel pathogens.

Dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever mosquito aedes aegypti on human skin
Photo 93069829 © Tacio Philip Sansonovski | Dreamstime.com

In 2023, Brazil recorded 1,079 deaths from dengue fever, a 20.9% increase compared to the previous year. According to the Ministry of Health, between January 1 and January 30, the country reported over 217,000 cases, marking a significant 233% increase from the same period in 2023, when there were just over 65,000 cases.

In 2024, Brazil recorded approximately 408,351 potential cases of dengue, as per data from the Ministry of Health’s Arbovirus Monitoring Panel.

According to a report published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2023, the country experienced around 2.9 million suspected cases of dengue. This significant rise in dengue cases may be attributed to factors such as the El Niño phenomenon, deforestation, and the impact of climate change, which can lead to more frequent and severe weather events.

The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the vector for transmitting diseases such as the dengue virus, yellow fever, Zika, and chikungunya viruses.

Brazil’s Health Surveillance Foundation (FVS) has recently reported that a new strain of the Oropouche virus has been responsible for outbreaks in the Brazilian Amazon region over the past two years. In the state of Amazonas alone, there were 1,066 recorded cases of the virus between 2023 and 2024.

Oropouche fever is caused by an arbovirus transmitted through the bite of a mosquito called Culicoides paraense, commonly known as maruim.

The Largest Biodiversity Reservoir on the Planet

The Amazon rainforest is recognised as one of the largest reservoirs for zoonotic diseases, which can be transmitted from animals to humans. Numerous scientists have consistently warned about the environmental imbalances linked to the escalating prevalence of infectious diseases and have drawn attention to the imminent risk of a deadly pathogen emerging from the Amazon rainforest.

The interaction between humans and wild species, along with their pathogens, creates opportunities for the emergence of zoonotic diseases, facilitating the transmission of new pathogens across various host species, a phenomenon known as “spillover“, leading to the introduction of novel infections into the human population.

For spillover events to happen, there must be interaction among different species and favourable conditions for pathogens to spread among humans. One example is the transmission of bat-borne diseases, such as rabies, in the Amazon rainforest. This is often associated with factors like deforestation, agricultural expansion, and the presence of livestock, which increase contact between these animals and humans and facilitate the transmission of infections.

Various types of animals, including monkeys, bats, and mosquitoes, can serve as carriers or vectors of infectious diseases to humans, as they carry pathogens like viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, and prions. Transmission of these pathogens to humans can occur through direct contact with these animals or via water, food, or the surrounding environment.

Sars, Ebola, Hendra, and Nipah are examples of pathogens from bats that have triggered outbreaks in the human population.

Climate Change

Joel Henrique Ellwanger, biologist and researcher at the department of genetics at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), mentioned:

“Climate change will trigger important ecological changes in the Amazon, many of them with the potential to reduce its biodiversity, facilitating the spread of known disease vectors and increasing the chances of new diseases emerging.”

The impact of climate change and deforestation is causing a surge in extreme weather events and rising temperatures. These conditions are impacting the quantity of vectors, transmission patterns and interspecies interactions, driving the spread of infectious diseases across the Amazon region and throughout Brazil.

Parintins, Brazil. 08th Nov, 2023. Boats stand side by side in a narrow riverbed outside the community. The drought causes difficulties for the river dwellers in terms of fishing, but also traffic. Villages in the region are linked by rivers. The green lung of the planet, the Amazon basin in South America, is experiencing an unprecedented crisis. The world’s largest rainforest area is suffering from the worst drought in over a century. Credit: Aguilar Abecassis/dpa/Alamy Live News

Severe droughts in the Amazon rainforest can create conditions to the spread of various diseases, such as dengue. During periods of limited rainfall, residents often resort to storing water in tanks, consequently creating breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

“For instance, as temperatures rise, mosquitoes become more active and reproduce at a higher rate. Furthermore, changes in climate may cause animals carrying pathogens to migrate to areas where humans reside,” said Ellwanger.

The increase in cases of Candida auris, a fungus resistant to multiple drugs associated with hospital-acquired infections, may be caused by higher temperatures resulting from climate change. This pathogen affects severely ill patients, including both adults and children, who are receiving intensive care in hospitals across the globe.

Ellwanger explained how climate change may have played a role in the surge of Candida auris:

“Climate change can influence the evolution of pathogens. Certain microorganisms, once unable to infect humans because they were accustomed to lower temperatures, are now adapting to warmer conditions that mimic the human body’s warmth. This adaptation creates the potential for these microorganisms, typically present in soil and similar settings, to infect humans and cause illnesses. This phenomenon is believed to have happened with Candida auris.”

Deforestation and Urbanisation

Deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. Patch of forest land cleared of vegetation for agricultural purposes.
Credit: ID248036003 © J Brarymi | Dreamstime.com

Studies suggest that deforestation, biodiversity loss and habitat degradation create pathways for disease agents to transition from the diverse reservoir of various coronaviruses and pathogens in the region into the human population. The Amazon’s vulnerable healthcare system additionally complicates the detection and containment of any emerging pandemic from this area.

When exploring the emergence of epidemics, urbanisation becomes another critical factor to consider. It contributes to the depletion of forested areas, consequently increasing the risk of infectious diseases in regions like the Amazon rainforest. The outbreak of Zika virus infection in Brazil has been associated with urbanization and the loss of forested lands.

Infrastructure Projects

The construction of roads in the Amazon rainforest contributes to deforestation, forest fires, biodiversity decline, increased hunting activities, and human migration, directly impacting the dynamics of infectious diseases.

Between 1970 and 1973, the building of the Trans-Amazonian highway, known as BR-230, led to the influx of around 22,000 individuals to the area. These individuals encountered disease vectors, exposing them to various illnesses such as malaria, leptospirosis, leishmaniasis, Chagas disease, Mayaro fever, yellow fever, and numerous others.

A study published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities warns that the reconstruction of the Amazon’s BR-319 highway could result in devastating environmental effects, including an increased risk of zoonotic spillovers, potentially leading to new pandemics.

The Amazon’s BR-319 highway, extends 885.9 km and connects the central Amazonian capital Manaus to the southern boundary of the forest in Porto Velho, crossing through one of the most preserved sections of the forest. Deforestation along the central portion of the BR-319 has already resulted in a 400% increase in malaria cases.

A recent study published in Nature alerts that the initiatives of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration to construct roads and pursue oil exploration in the Amazon area may potentially trigger a new worldwide pandemic.

The construction of hydroelectric dams in the Amazon rainforest also raises significant concern. One example is the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam complex in Brazil, located in the northern region of the Xingu River within the state of Pará. This project has significantly changed the landscape of the Brazilian Amazon, inundating an area of approximately 516 km2.

Flooding dry regions within the rainforest leads to loss of biodiversity and creates habitats suitable for disease vectors like mosquitoes, thereby intensifying the proliferation of viral and parasitic illnesses.

Dams can lead to the displacement of communities and the migration of populations drawn to forested regions, potentially increasing human-wildlife interactions, and the transmission of infectious diseases.

The implementation of proposed projects in the Amazon rainforest, including the reconstruction of BR-319 highway and the exploration of oil, could result in catastrophic and irreversible consequences, including an increase and spread of infectious diseases, due to environmental degradation in the region.

Agriculture and Livestock

A group of cattle in confinement in Brazil
Credit: ID196817068 © Alf Ribeiro | Dreamstime.com

“Meat connects different points involving the degradation of the Amazon and emerging diseases. Cattle farming is one of the main factors in the degradation of the Amazon biome, thus facilitating the spread of pathogens in the region. Hunting and the consumption of wild animal meat is a problem both for the conservation of species and for public health, as it reduces animal biodiversity and increases the chances of spillover events. Regrettably, this issue remains largely overlooked and is often deemed taboo in Brazil,” explained Ellwanger.

Studies suggest that intensified agriculture and forest conversion for farming and pasture for cattle, increase human-pathogen interaction, promoting the emergence of viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections.

Professionals in the meat industry regularly interact with livestock animals and may lack adequate working conditions to reduce the risk of zoonotic pathogen transmission. Additionally, they may have limited knowledge about the health risks associated with their work activities.

Slaughterhouses within the Amazon region are implicated in the processing of animals sourced from deforested areas and may be operating without any form of health inspection.

Another concern is the excessive use of antimicrobial drugs in veterinary practice. The main drivers of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) include the overuse of antibiotics in livestock for growth promotion and prevent diseases, particularly in intensified livestock farming.

Antimicrobial resistance AMR concept. Desk in the hospital.
Credit: ID117616099 © Designer491 | Dreamstime.com

The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes AMR as the overlooked pandemic. Some of the latest figures suggest that AMR will cause 10 million deaths by the year 2050, more than from cancer, diabetes and pneumococcal diseases combined.

According to Cóilín Nunan, scientific adviser to the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics, certain types of antibiotics used in animal farming have led to the rise and spread of livestock associated strains of MRSA and Clostidrium difficile.

Oxford University scientists published a study revealing Escherichia coli bacteria that have developed resistance to colistin in animal agriculture. Nunan highlights this as a significant concern, suggesting it might pose a greater threat than antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by potentially increasing the likelihood of infections in humans.

Bushmeat

The hunting and consumption of bushmeat from wild animals can also lead to spillover events, as humans come into close contact with fresh meat, blood, and organs from infected animals.

Approximately 473 tons of wild animal meat are sold annually in the Amazon rainforest, across Colombia, Peru, and Brazil.

It’s essential to recognise that a complete ban on bushmeat consumption in certain regions could impact the livelihoods of thousands who depend on this activity.

Essential Measures

In a conversation with Ellwanger regarding the essential measures required to prevent the emergence and spread of infectious diseases in the Amazon rainforest and avert the onset of a new pandemic in the region, he explained:

“Certain crucial measures must be undertaken, including improving livestock sanitary measures, increasing pathogen surveillance, upgrading environmental sanitation systems, discouraging human settlement in forested regions, boosting investments in human training and specialised labs for pathogen identification, creating new vaccines, and examining biological and social factors affecting infection susceptibility.

“The loss of biodiversity in the Amazon is mainly caused by livestock farming, mining activities and monoculture cultivation, especially soy. Combating these activities is the responsibility of the Brazilian Government by strengthening environmental protection bodies, preserving, and expanding indigenous territories, and committing to a serious environmental agenda,” added Ellwanger.

Furthermore, urgent action is needed to prioritise reducing greenhouse gas emissions globally, alongside combating deforestation and protecting indigenous territories. It’s crucial to reassess infrastructure projects and manage human activities in the region carefully. Suspending oil and gas exploration in the Amazon is essential, as is regulating the expansion of intensive agriculture, cattle farming, and mining projects.

Ellwanger explained that preserving the Amazon rainforest should be in everyone’s interest:

“The preservation of the Amazon isn’t just about protecting nature – it’s about safeguarding our own health. Let’s commit to conserving this vital ecosystem to ensure that the threats of potential pathogens stay confined to the wild, far from endangering human lives. After all, the health of the Amazon means the health of us all.”

Pantanal Blaze: Nature’s Silent Scream

Monica Piccinini

28 November 2023

Throughout this month, rampant fires engulfed the Pantanal in Brazil, one of the world’s largest tropical wetlands and home to endangered species and indigenous communities.

According to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) and the Alarmes System by LASA and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), 1,272.050 hectares have already suffered devastation from fires this year, a figure three times higher than the recorded incidents in 2022.

SOS Pantanal executive director, Leonardo Gomes, described the situation:

“The theme of fire persists in the Pantanal. Since 2019, a combination of droughts and the repercussions of climate change have led to a significant number of hot spots emerging right in the middle of November, a month that typically experiences rainfall.”

Stretching across Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia, the Pantanal covers an estimated 16 million hectares in total. Within Brazil, the Pantanal occupies portions of the states of Mato Grosso (35%) and Mato Grosso do Sul (65%).

The Pantanal is home to a diverse range of wildlife, featuring more than 2,000 plant species, 174 mammals, 580 birds, 271 fish, 131 reptiles, and 57 amphibians. Among its inhabitants are numerous vulnerable and endangered species, including the giant otter, giant anteater, giant armadillo, lowland tapir, and the world’s largest parrot, the hyacinth macaw. Additionally, the Pantanal hosts the highest density of jaguars globally.

Luciana Leite, biologist and climate campaigner, mentioned that the Pantanal is an important carbon sink, playing a fundamental role in regulating the climate of South America. Leite explained:

“This year, we confronted an atypical drought with rising temperatures and heat waves, and as a result, the fires returned. The shortage of firefighters, aircraft, machinery and expertise, posed challenges in addressing the fires, ranging from crown fires in forested areas of the biome, to peat fires that can persist and reignite without adequate post-event management and monitoring.”

In the summers of 2019 and 2020, the Pantanal experienced a shortage of rainfall, as indicated by climatologist José Marengo’s study. This was attributed to a decrease in the transport of warm and humid summer air from Amazonia to the Pantanal. Instead, there was a dominance of warmer and drier air masses from subtropical latitudes, leading to a scarcity of summer rainfall during the peak of the monsoon season. Consequently, the region endured prolonged periods of severe drought conditions.

Marengo described the 2019-2020 Pantanal fires:

“Fires caused on one hand by warmer air and lack of rain in the Pantanal, and on the other by the burning of areas to clear the vegetation for cattle to graze, resulted in environmental disaster.”

Steve Trent, Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) founder and CEO, mentioned:

“While so much of the wildlife and ecosystems in the Pantanal have been irrevocably destroyed, there is still time to rescue what remains. We’ve been campaigning for the EU to widen the scope of the regulation on deforestation-free products to include precious ecosystems beyond forests, to protect wetlands like the Pantanal.

“Already, land clearance in the Pantanal is accelerating, with 83% of a category known as “Other Natural Ecosystems” disappearing in 2020 to 2021 compared to the year before. Stronger regulations from the EU and Brazil are crucial to preserve what is left of the Pantanal.”

Total Devastation

Photo: Gustavo Figueroa – SOS Pantanal

“How much of the biome do we need to lose for the world to see what is happening? In 2020, almost 30% of the Pantanal biome burned. Scenes of jaguars with their paws raw went viral, as did the mockery and denialism of then-president Jair Bolsonaro,” mentioned Leite.

“Organised civil society was essential in fighting the fires, rescuing the victimised fauna, establishing watering and feeding points for animals that survived the flames and faced the so-called ‘silent hunger’, crossing decimated landscapes,” she added.

In 2020, fires claimed the lives of over 17 million vertebrates and released 115.6 million tonnes of CO2, exceeding the carbon emissions of Belgium for that year.

“One of the contributing factors to the rapid spread of the fire is the loss of surface water. Since 1985, the Pantanal has lost 74% of its surface water,” said Leite.

Rodrigo Agostinho, the president of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), told me about one of the issues affecting the region:

“The Pantanal faces a set of challenges, with its lands experiencing increasing dryness. The installation of more than 500 small hydroelectric power plants (PCHs) in the Upper Paraguay river basin, a crucial water source for the region, has altered the natural rhythm of the waters, complicating the filling of the floodplain.”

“In the Pantanal, specific remote areas undergo rapid transitions from flooding to quick drying, in a time frame of approximately two months, leading to fires that make access to these locations impossible. The challenging conditions in these hard-to-reach regions further complicate effective management,” mentioned Gomes about his experience.

Some meteorologists attribute the surge in fires to the El Niño phenomenon, intensified by climate change. However, cattle farmers seeking to expand grazing land, a crucial economic activity in the Pantanal, may have initiated a substantial number of these fires.

According to a report by the Environmental Justice Foundation, EJF, a total area of 751,249.6 hectares of forest, savanna, grassland and wetland formations in the Pantanal were converted into pasture between 2010 and 2021. The estimated total cattle population in the Brazilian Pantanal stands at 3.8 million animals.

Between 2019 and 2022, an area equivalent to the size of Barcelona was deforested in the Pantanal. Unfortunately, this situation appears to be worsening, exacerbated by El Niño, climate change and the expansion of agribusiness.

Approximately 12% of the Pantanal’s native vegetation has vanished due to the growth of cattle farming and agricultural practices.

Agostinho mentioned:

“Although the Pantanal remains the most conserved biome in Brazil, deforestation rates have risen. The reduced humidity has led landowners to shift their investments towards agriculture.

“Land in the Pantanal is being sold at lower prices compared to those in other parts of Mato Grosso do Sul and Mato Grosso. In more humid areas, landowners are directing investments towards drainage efforts to convert land into cultivated areas,” he added.

Trent asks for international cooperation:

“The beef we eat, from the UK to Italy, could be supplied by ranchers responsible for setting these destructive fires. This means the international community has a responsibility – but also an ability – to stop the Pantanal burning. It’s time for more regulation, including on mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence, and enhancing and meeting international climate commitments.”

The local and indigenous communities are also suffering, as their land has been completely destroyed by the fires. At least 90% of the Guató indigenous land, located in the western state of Mato Grosso do Sul, was burned by the 2020 fires.

This year, the fires reached the backyards of inns in the region and very close to riverside communities.

Dead monkey – Photo: Gustavo Figueroa – SOS Pantanal

“In April, we carried out extensive planning to prevent and combat fires in the Pantanal, significantly increasing the number of firefighters. The combination of El Niño and escalating climate warming formed an explosive mix. Without our proactive preparations, the magnitude of the disaster would have been far more significant,” mentioned Agostinho.

Political Strife

“The Pantanal, with less than 5% of its area under protection, stands out as one of the biomes requiring urgent Conservation Units (UCs). During a conciliation hearing in March, a mandate was issued for the State Environmental Education Police (PEEA) to develop a management plan within 90 days.

“The Mato Grosso government’s failure to enact a plan containing directives for fire prevention and control constitutes a non-compliance with a court order,” explained Leite.

The majority of the Pantanal remains without protection, designated as private lands, and lacks targeted policies to tackle deforestation associated with cattle farming and soy production. In 2015, a decree was enacted in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, legalising cattle ranching within Permanent Protected Areas (PPAs).

In August 2022, a comparable bill was sanctioned by the state of Mato Grosso, endorsing the utilisation of Permanent Protected Areas (PPAs) and Legal Reserves (LRs) for cattle farming in the Pantanal biome.

“We are also witnessing a serious political issue centered on a jurisdictional dispute. The firefighters in Mato Grosso formally communicated with the federal government, expressing that their efforts were unwelcome. Consequently, 40% of Encontro das Aguas State Park ended up in flames and destroyed,” mentioned Leite.

Gomes highlighted his concerns:

“There is an immediate need for more robust planning and increased collaboration between the federal and state governments. The coordination and cooperation among agencies, including Ibama, the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), and the Fire Department, must be further strengthened.

“Additionally, there is a necessity for improvements in field inspections, expertise to identify the root cause of fires, and the implementation of comprehensive management policies.

“Another point of frustration is the failure of Conservation Units (UCs) to set a positive example. Some state parks, despite having significant potential for finance revenue, lack the necessary investment. As a result, tackling fires within these parks becomes a nearly impossible task,” added Gomes.

A notable and disconcerting viewpoint articulated and defended by many local figures revolves around the idea that some local authorities deliberately procrastinate in controlling forest fires.

The hypothesis suggests that such delays serve a tactical purpose, enabling authorities to declare a state of emergency. This strategic move allows them to allocate resources without being constrained by the usual bureaucratic and bidding processes required during ‘normal times.’ This phenomenon is known as ‘the industry of fire.’

Fire Prevention Initiative

Photo: Gustavo Figueroa – SOS Pantanal

Liana O. Anderson, biologist and researcher at the National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters (Cemaden), shared with me some information about a couple of interesting projects focused on fire prevention.

The first project is the Climate Science for Service Partnership (CSSP) Brazil, in collaboration with the MetOffice , which some of the results are available at the VIEWpoint website.  As one of this project’s components, they developed a likelihood of fires up to three months ahead, which indicates priority areas. It serves as a valuable information source for guiding planning efforts to proactively prevent fire disasters.

“This product helps and shows when conditions tend to worsen, triggering the necessary mobilisations,” mentioned Liana.

Another interesting project associated with fire prevention involves the launch of the educational book titled “É Fogo!”, designed for education practitioners and is adapted to schools, associations and organisations interested in developing activities related to fire risk and impacts understanding and prevention. Liana explained:

“The primary goal is to convert local institutions into miniature “Cemadens,” serving as small research units equipped with tailored scientific methodologies for the general public. These units are specifically geared towards children and young individuals, empowering them to generate data and information. Through this process, the aim is to create awareness, self-protection skills, and reflective capacities.

“I am confident that these preventive tools can gradually reverse the widespread fire scenarios in the country. These efforts are dedicated to educating and informing individuals and institutions while also generating scientific information to support informed decision-making,” added Liana.

Marengo, the general coordinator for research at Cemaden, shared his insights through the findings of his studies. He mentioned that the expansion of agriculture, cattle farming, fishing and tourism should follow sustainable practices to ensure the preservation of the Pantanal. If the current trajectory of climate and land-management practices continues, the Pantanal would be at risk of disappearing.

He suggested that embracing anti-environmental policies could exacerbate this situation. The profound impacts of climate change are mostly felt in fragile ecosystems and the world’s most impoverished communities. To avert catastrophic consequences, urgent global action is imperative in the coming decades, requiring drastic changes by 2050 in alignment with the goals outlined in the Paris Agreement.

Trent delivers a message to both Brazil and the global community:

“Collective action should have been taken years ago to protect this one-of-a-kind wetland, but it isn’t too late. Now is the moment for global leaders to step up and do what is needed to meet their climate commitments, ending the climate crisis before crucial ecosystems like the Pantanal disappear forever.”

The BR-319 Highway: Amazon’s Trojan Horse

Monica Piccinini

08 November 2023

The Amazon drought in Brazil is unleashing a wave of environmental, health, economic, and social disruptions in the region, becoming a controversial and convenient tool manipulated by a group of politicians and business leaders to promote an ambitious infrastructure project – the reconstruction of the BR-319 highway, a stretch of 885.9 km, connecting the capital Manaus in central Amazonia to the southern edge of the forest, Porto Velho.

Pink river dolphins and fish are dying, as the Madeira, Negro and Solimões rivers reach record low water levels. This dire situation in the state of Amazonas, marked by scorching heat waves, smoke, insufficient rainfall, and severe drought, is a direct consequence of climate change, the El Niño phenomenon, deforestation, and ecosystem degradation.

The drought in the Amazon is obstructing the delivery of raw materials to the region, given that transportation primarily relies on river routes. Certain areas are facing shortages of food, medicine, drinking water, and even energy, leading to rationing measures.

Grain exporters are experiencing disruptions in their planned shipments to northern Brazilian ports because of the Amazon River drought and its limited navigational capabilities. Consequently, they’re forced to reroute their shipments to terminals in the southern and southeastern areas.

Lobbying and Misleading Pretexts

Lobbying world cloud sphere concept – Photo 124523602 | Lobbying © Spettacolare | Dreamstime.com

A strong lobbying effort led by a coalition of nearly 200 politicians, with the backing of certain media outlets, is escalating. They are using the Amazon drought as a justification to push for the reconstruction of BR-319, a road connecting Manaus, the capital of the Amazon, to Porto Velho. This action disregards the multitude of studies and scientific evidence that highlight the potential social, economic, health and environmental consequences this project may impose on the region.

A coalition consisting of state and federal representatives, senators, and governors from the Amazonian regions created the ‘Parliamentary Front for the Revival of BR-319.’ This group, led by Deputy Fausto Santos Junior, is advocating for the revival of the BR-319 highway.

Pressure is mounting from various directions as business representatives from the states of Rondônia, Roraima, and Amazonas participated in a virtual meeting with Santos Junior on October 25th. During this meeting, they urged the federal government to initiate the reconstruction of the BR-319 highway.

Santos Junior explained the delay in the approval of the BR-319 highway project when questioned by Debate Politico,

“The real reason is an environmentalist militancy in an institutional form, I will translate this word, these are people who follow the interests of international NGOs that are interested in harming Brazil’s development, that is the truth… These NGOs are financed with foreign capital… This is a form of commercial warfare that is carried out through these NGOs. This is already being investigated in the Senate through the CPI (parliamentary commission of inquiry) of NGOs, which is chaired by Senator Plínio Valério.”

Is the scrutiny of NGOs in Brazil being utilised as a strategy to reduce their influence on environmental protocols, possibly paving the way for large-scale projects in the Amazon without adhering to essential assessments, as well as reshaping partnerships away from Western partners to alternative stakeholders?

Deputy Fausto Santos Junior did not respond to my request for an interview.

Luiz Gastaldi Junior, owner of Nova Era supermarket chain and partner at Floresta Logistica, a logistics company, also expressed his concerns,

“In reality, it is a denial of citizenship, to all these people who are living and taking care of the Amazon, because in reality the integration of the Amazon, it is part of the national project to defend the Amazon, so the moment you deny access, you are also denying that there can be normal activity here.”

Gastaldi Junior is presently under investigation in Manaus for suspected involvement in the unlawful transportation of mining products, including gold.

Adelio Barofaldi, president of the Board of Directors of Pan Amazonia, president of the Association of Rural Landowners of Rondônia (ARPRO) and CEO of Rovema Group, expressed his full support for the BR-319 highway project. Barofaldi owns the largest network of car and truck dealers in the state and invests in energy and livestock.

Jonathan Benchimol, a prominent entrepreneur and managing partner at Fogás, a gas distribution company, is actively advocating for the restoration of the BR-319 highway,

“I’d like to remind people that during the oxygen crisis that occurred here in the city of Manaus and in the state of Amazonas during the Covid-19 scenario, the number of fatalities would have been much lower if BR-319 had been paved, oxygen could have flowed from Rondônia and other states of the federation through BR-319.”

In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, Manaus was recognized as one of the global Covid-19 epicenters, where the Gamma variant originated and accounted for two-thirds of Covid-19 deaths in Brazil. In 2021, during the second wave of the pandemic, oxygen supplies were allowed to run out with catastrophic consequences.

Politicians and business leaders are exploiting the catastrophic pandemic oxygen crisis in the Amazon as a pretext to push for the BR-319 highway project.

Studies carried out by renowned scientists Lucas Ferrante and Philip Fearnside, revealed that the devastating oxygen crisis in Manaus during the second wave of Covid-19, was the result of the Bolsonaro’s administration’s lack of logistical strategy. They chose to distribute oxygen in the region based on an impassable BR-319 highway, instead of using the most appropriate and safest transportation method, the Madeira River.

This tragic incident, resulting in hundreds of avoidable deaths, continues to be exploited for political purposes, advocating for infrastructure projects in the region, such as the BR-319 highway project.

The lobbying groups supporting the BR-319 highway project seem to be primarily interested in capitalising on the economic potential of the Amazon, with little concern on environmental, health and social issues.

Opponents Face Abuse and Intimidation

Marina Silva, Brazil minister of environment and climate change, has been the subject of numerous assaults and harassment from a group of legislators who endorse the BR-319 highway project. They have labeled her as guilty, an enemy, and accused her of practicing cross-eyed politics.

“The people of the North are not second-rate people. We want respect, investments and infrastructure. Marina Silva is an enemy of BR-319,” said federal deputy Captain Alberto Neto on Instagram on September 27. Neto is a supporter of former president Jair Bolsonaro. He called Silva “the enemy of the North.”

Source: Capitao Alberto Neto’s Instagram

In September, senator Omar Aziz declared, “if any Amazonian goes hungry, it’s Marina Silva’s fault”, as Silva is against the reconstruction of BR-319 highway without a solid basis in technical assessments. She is deeply concerned about the potential social and environmental consequences of this project.

Scientists who voice their concerns regarding the social and environmental implications of the BR-319 project also face intimidation, verbal attacks and even death threats.

The Intercept Brasil conducted an interview with Ferrante at a point when he could share his distressing experience. During this time, he had become the focal point of persecution, intimidation, and death threats due to his revelation, through his research, of the erosion of the Bolsonaro government’s environmental policies. He also predicted and warned the government about the second wave of Covid-19 in Manaus.

In September 2021, Fearnside became the victim of a xenophobic assault during a public hearing regarding the approval of the BR-319 highway project in Amazonas. This incident occurred after Fearnside had voiced criticism of the BR-319 highway project’s execution.

Fearnside responded to the verbal attack,

“At the time I was giving this speech, I also received attacks from other people who were in the audience. It’s important not to be intimidated by this, and it’s also good to remember the Constitution that prohibits any type of discrimination, based on national origin. The most important thing is not the episode itself, but the subject of BR-319.”

Health, Social & Environmental Impact

Lucas Ferrante, an environmental scientist, and Philip Fearnside, a biologist at Brazil’s National Institute of Amazonian Research (INPA) and, who, together with other scientists in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, have jointly published multiple scientific studies that reveal the negative impacts of the BR-319 highway project on the Amazon rainforest.

“The reconstruction of BR-319 highway would provide agribusiness access to additional land, engage in more intensive livestock farming, and implement monoculture practices for large-scale biofuel production. Scientific studies published in both Land Use Policy and Nature suggest that this project could serve as an incentive for the expansion of cattle ranching, fossil fuel exploration and mining projects,” noted Ferrante.

Given the absence of governance in the vicinity of the BR-319 highway and the consistent pattern of deforestation along most Amazonian roads, the choice to reconstruct the BR-319 highway will bring catastrophic consequences. This decision will not only impact indigenous and riverside communities, it will also escalate deforestation rates, potentially leading to the collapse of the rainforest and the country’s rain cycle, as pointed out by a study published in Die Erde.

“Brazil must reassess infrastructure projects that increase deforestation in the region, and this includes examining the BR-319 highway project, which currently has 6,000 km of illicit extensions, a length six times greater than that of the BR-319 highway,” mentioned Ferrante.

The highway’s reconstruction is missing an essential economic feasibility study, as mandated by Law 5917/1973, and it has failed to undergo the necessary consultations with indigenous communities, as required by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 169 and Brazilian law 10,088/2019.

Fearnside revealed,

“Since 2015, the “maintenance” initiative for segments of the BR-319 highway has notably improved its trafficability. This initiative serves as a means to bypass the regulatory licensing process.

“Furthermore, the delay in the highway’s complete reconstruction can be attributed not only to its questionable economic viability, but also to the absence of an IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) license. Had a license been secured, it is likely that politicians would have allocated funds for the reconstruction, despite being aware of its economic impracticality.”

The BR-319 highway is not the only project we should be concerned about, explained Fearnside,

“Generally, there is a tendency to avoid any discussion of controversial infrastructure projects that are linked to the one that has a pending license. In this case, virtually all discussion is limited to the roadside of the BR-319 itself, ignoring the far-reaching effects of the side roads that a planned to link to this highway.  

Most important is the planned AM-366 highway, which would allow deforesters to enter the vast area of the rainforest in the “Trans-Purus” region to the west of BR-319. Those evaluating the license application for the BR-319 highway project need to understand that approval would surely lead to subsequent building of the AM-366 highway, with enormous impacts for Brazil.

AM-366, classified as a state road, offers a relatively simpler licensing process. Plans in the area around this road include the oil and gas drilling blocks granted to the Russian oil company Rosneft in the planned “Solimões Sedimentary Area” project. AM-366 would also give access to a large area of “undesignated public land”, which is the most attractive for land grabbers, squatters, loggers and others. This situation could result in extensive deforestation, posing a catastrophic threat not only to Brazil but also to the global environment.”

A study conducted by Ferrante and Fearnside reveals the Amazon rainforest as a potential origin of the next pandemic. The study highlights how deforestation creates opportunities for disease agents to transition from the vast reservoir of various types of coronaviruses and other pathogens in the region into the human population. The Amazon’s precarious healthcare system further complicates the identification and containment of a new pandemic that might emerge from this area.

“Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest and other tropical regions increases the risk of emergence of new human diseases by increasing contact between rainforest wildlife (such as bats) and the human population and its domestic animals. It also contributes to climate change, which can create conditions favoring the emergence of parasitic, fungal, viral and bacterial infections,” explained Fearnside.

Politicians in the state of Amazonas are avid to have the BR-319 highway project approved, as its value in attracting votes is, as Ferrante and Fearnside’s publications show, the real motivation for the project. There are also backers of the project who stand to make substantial profits from the road. Meanwhile, traditional communities and the Amazon rainforest are left in a struggle for survival, gasping for breath, as they endure the adverse consequences.

Brazil’s Yanomami and the Rise of Ultra-Processed Foods

Monica Piccinini

11 October 2023

The Yanomami live in the rainforests of northern Brazil and southern Venezuela and are considered the largest isolated tribe in South America. The Brazilian state, corporations and illegal activities have for decades violated their rights and caused the deaths of countless Yanomami. However, they now face a growing new threat – from ultra-processed foods.

In the far northern region of Brazil, the Yanomami population consists of approximately 27,000 individuals, spread across more than 300 villages within the Yanomami indigenous territory, in an area of 9,664,975 hectares.

The health conditions afflicting the Yanonami community, including malnutrition and chronic diseases, are a result of the violation of their rights, unstable socio-economic conditions, and ongoing invasions of their territory. These circumstances have led to a social-environmental vulnerability within their population, placing their families, particularly children, at risk of consuming ultra-processed foods.

A study conducted by Brazil’s Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Fiocruz, offers groundbreaking insights into the dietary patterns of Yanomami indigenous youth. It reveals that more than 90% of Yanomami aged 6 to 59 months exhibit short stature (linear growth stunting).

“Without a doubt, the Yanomami increased consumption of carbohydrates, sugar, salt, fat, food additives, and low-nutrient highly processed foods, contributes to nutritional and metabolic health concerns, specifically among their children,” explained Jesem Douglas Yamall Orellana, Fiocruz researcher of public health and epidemiologist at Fiocruz, and one of the authors of the study.

According to Orellana, the heightened consumption of ultra-processed foods among the Yanomami children not only significantly exacerbates their pre-existing health issues, but also gives rise to new ones.

Numerous research findings have established associations between ultra-processed foods and various health concerns, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cancer, depression, multiple sclerosis (MS), cardiovascular disease, and even mortality.

Last month, Brazil’s national health council president, Fernando Zasso Pigatto, issued a recommendation with following note:

“Considering that, in the scenario of poverty and hunger, the Yanomami people are hostage to the supply of processed and ultra-processed products, in many cases expired, satisfying external interests, which worsens the scenario of infectious disease, malnutrition, deficiencies, nutritional and chronic diseases, such as the onset of diabetes, hypertension and obesity.”

Study Data

The study group reported that the minimally processed ‘regional’ foods consumed by the Yanomami consisted primarily of fruits (69%), followed by corn, roots, or tubers (45%), peach palm or palm heart (33%), fish or crab (33%), and couscous (32%), according to the most frequently mentioned items.

The ultra-processed foods most commonly mentioned were cakes or cookies (25%) and chocolate or chocolate powder (6%). Some also consume soft drinks, soda, candy, artificial juice and yogurt, canned foods, instant noodles, among other items.

The Fiocruz study was designed as a comprehensive survey for children residing in villages within three remote regions of the Brazilian Amazon, offering valuable data for this particularly under represented group.

The research group consisted of Yanomami children ranging from six months to five years old, and the investigation took place within three Yanomami communities located in the Brazilian Amazon: Maturaca, Ariabu, and Auaris.

Map of the Yanomami Indigenous Territory, Brazilian Amazon. Image provided by Jesem Orellana.

The residents of Maturaca and Ariabu villages usually have more regular interactions with non-indigenous communities, which include military personnel, healthcare workers, illegal miners, loggers and criminal groups.

In contrast, the Ariabu population is relatively isolated, having limited contact with urban communities. Consequently, they enjoy greater territorial mobility, affording them the freedom to practice their traditional way of life.

The research findings indicated that the consumption of ultra-processed foods was significantly more prevalent in children from Maturaca (11.6 times higher) and Ariabu (9.2 times higher) in comparison to the children from Auaris.

This observation emphasises the importance of social contact with non-indigenous communities as a critical factor influencing the consumption of ultra-processed foods.

Another intriguing finding from the study was a 31% reduction in ultra-processed food consumption among children whose mothers had shorter stature when compared to those whose mothers had a proper height.

Orellana explained, “Typically, the most economically disadvantaged mothers in the community can be identified as those with higher short stature rates, limited or no income, a background of enduring poverty, and a history of hardships that have stunted their growth into ‘short adults.’ These mothers lack the means to purchase and access ultra-processed foods, which, in turn, works to their advantage.”

The general occurrence of ultra-processed foods stood at 32%, and this was linked to both the location of residence and the height of the mothers.

The Culprits

The Yanomami are traditionally categorised as hunter-gatherers, but the frequent invasions of illegal miners, loggers, and criminal organisations into their territory have a direct influence on the areas from which they gather their food, consequently affecting their dietary patterns.

Their families are compelled to interact with non-indigenous communities, resulting in their exposure to urban centers and the consumption of ultra-processed foods with poor nutritional content, high energy density, low fibre and micronutrient content, and an abundance of preservatives and industrial additives.

According to Orellana, what caught the interest of the group of scientists was the correlation between the increased consumption of ultra-processed foods by the Yanomami and a higher likelihood of them abandoning their agricultural practices.

“The Yanomami were historically known for their semi-nomadic lyfestyle, moving to new areas every two years to allow their previously occupied lands to regenerate. Nowadays, they are reluctant to leave their territory due to the invasion of illegal miners, loggers and drug traffickers, which has instilled fear in them about the possibility of violent attacks,” explained Orellana.

Orellana added, “The Yanomami traditionally relied on their understanding of sun and lunar cycles, as well as rain and drought patterns, to observe and manage soil and land dynamics. However, recent shifts in weather patterns, including extreme climate conditions, have disrupted their ability to accurately determine the optimal planting times for crops like corn and cassava.

“Furthermore, they now face concerns about fishing due to the contamination of their rivers by illegal mining activities, particularly the presence of mercury. These environmental challenges have led the Yanomami to increasingly rely on ultra-processed foods, as they find themselves struggling to maintain their traditional practices.”

The developments observed among the Yanomami over the past two decades is similar to the experiences of nearly all indigenous populations in Brazil that have been in direct contact with non-indigenous communities for over 50 years.

“In the last nine months, we’ve observed specific actions undertaken by the federal government to address issues in areas previously identified as housing various invaders, and these actions have received considerable media coverage,” mentioned Orellana.

He detailed how certain national issues are manipulated and exploited by both the government and the media to further their interests:

“Extensive operations were conducted in these areas (Yanonami territory), featuring visits by the president and ministers. Once these matters were no longer the focal point, attention shifted to a different region. These undertakings are often referred to as ‘political spectacles’ rather than genuinely impactful operations.”

Climate change and frequent invasions into the Yanomami land by illegal miners, loggers, and criminal groups are the primary factors that impact their diet, well-being, and traditional lifestyle, making them crucial determinants of their survival.

Orellana pointed out several potential measures that could effectively address some of the problems impacting the Yanonami community:

“Immediate action is essential to establish control over the territory and impose severe and efficient penalties on intruders. Without these measures in place, the issues affecting the Yanomami, such as increased consumption of high-processed foods due to the disruptions in their traditional agricultural practices, which is detrimental to their well-being and cultural heritage, will persist without resolution.”


Article published in The Ecologist: https://theecologist.org/2023/oct/12/indigenous-tribes-made-ill-processed-foods

Article published in The Canary: https://www.thecanary.co/global/2023/10/10/yanomami-people-brazil-ultra-processed-food/

Article published in Portuguese in A Escola Legal: https://aescolalegal.com.br/blog/2023/10/11/yanomami-envenenados/

BR-319: Amazon’s Route to Deforestation

Monica Piccinini

27 September 2023

The reconstruction of Amazon’s BR-319 highway in Brazil, connecting the capital Manaus in central Amazonia to the southern edge of the forest, Porto Velho, is an ambitious and controversial infrastructure project, supported by many politicians and organisations, and a possible catalyst to further social and environmental degradation in the region.

The BR-319 highway project could result in increased illegal logging, violence, violations of indigenous rights, and catastrophic consequences to local communities and the environment, including irreversible deforestation, warn scientists.

Officially inaugurated in March 1976 during the era of the military dictatorship led by General Ernesto Geisel, BR-319 fell into a state of disrepair by 1980. In 2015, during Dilma Roussef’s administration, a proposal to revitalize BR-319 was put forth.

BR-319 highway, linking Manaus, Amazonas, to Porto Velho, Rondônia. Image: Google Maps

BR-319 highway, a stretch of 885.9 km, serves as an unguarded gateway to illicit side roads in areas with a high density of indigenous territories, legally designated reserves, and protected conservation areas. This accessibility grants illegal miners, loggers, settlers, and land invaders entry into untouched forest.

According to a study by scientists, Lucas Ferrante and Philip Fearnside, the reconstruction of BR-319 and the building of planned connecting roads would act as spearheads for deforestation and forest degradation in the western portion of the Brazilian Amazon.

“BR-319 highway cuts through one of the most preserved blocks of the forest, where it contains an enormous stock of carbon. This project is a threat to 63 indigenous lands and 18,000 indigenous people, not to mention the environment and biodiversity”, mentioned Ferrante.

(A) Deforestation along BR-319 highway from 1988 to 2020 (PRODES data). Deforestation in red represents cumulative deforestation from 1988 to 2014 before the highway “maintenance” program began. Deforestation in purple represents cumulative deforestation from 2015 to 2020 (i.e., during the “maintenance” program). (B) Points with land grabbing, illegal logging, illegal mineral prospecting and illegal land sales observed on BR-319 highway. The inset map of South America shows Brazil’s “Amazon Biome” region in green, Highway BR319 as a black line, and the area of the larger map as a red rectangle. Image provided by researcher Lucas Ferrante.

In the Brazilian Amazon, a staggering 94% of deforestation happened in the vicinity of both official and native roads, vividly illustrating how highways are significant catalysts of deforestation.

A study by Ferrante and Fearnside suggests that BR-319 and its proposed planned side-roads will lead to a deforestation surge of over 1,200% in the region spanning from the highway to Brazil’s border with Peru, primarily in the central Amazon.

The Amazon rainforest plays a vital role in the regional and global climate system, acting as a carbon reservoir, aids in the dispersion of trace gases and aerosols, and is a crucial part of the water cycle. Its contribution of moisture to other regions is instrumental for maintaining hydrological stability on both regional and global scales.

Justifications

The primary justifications presented by the current government for repaving BR-319 highway involve improving access to healthcare and education in the region, in addition to addressing national security concerns.

“The highway actually increases disparities in public health, which also demystifies the justification for bringing healthcare to municipalities,” explained Ferrante.

According to Ferrante and Fearnside, the road is not a priority for “national security” because it is far from Brazil’s borders. This information was announced in 2012 by the Brazilian Army’s commander for Amazonia and not mentioned anywhere in the Brazilian military’s 2008 National Strategy for Defense.

While scientists have issued warnings about the potential adverse outcomes this project could have on the region, Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, continues to view it as a top priority.

In June 2022, prior to his presidential election, Lula emphasised the significance of the highway for the economies of both Amazonas and Rondônia.

Last month, Brazil’s transport minister, Renan Filho, went as far as proposing the utilisation of the ‘Fundo Amazonia’ to finance the reconstruction of BR-319, which he dubbed as “the most environmentally friendly roadway on the planet.”

Scientists Expose Negative Impact

Unpaved illegal side road branching off BR-319. Photograph: The Mura Indigenous People

The potential consequences of reconstructing the BR-319 highway, including the risk of deforestation, could affect an area exceeding 300,000 square km within the Amazon, surpassing the size of São Paulo state, according to the result of a study conducted jointly by the CPI (Climate Policy Initiative)/PUC-Rio and the Amazônia 2030 project.

The researchers concluded that BR-319 highway’s impact is anticipated to affect a population of approximately 320,000 individuals in nine municipalities. Within the area of influence of BR-319 are also 49 indigenous territories, 49 conservation zones, and 140,000 square kilometers of publicly owned forests without designated purposes.

In his latest study, Fearnside revealed that by 2100, the reconstruction of BR-319 highway would increase deforestation not only around the highway, but also in the regions with roads directly connected to BR-319, by a staggering 60% in relation to deforestation in the projected scenario without reconstruction.

Amazonas road network connecting to BR-319 includes federal highways BR-174, BR-230, BR-174 and state highways AM-254 and AM-354.

There are additional planned projects to build highways connecting to BR-319, including AM-366, AM-360, AM-343 and AM-356. Some of these highways will reach one the most preserved areas in the Amazon, known as the “Trans-Purus” region.

The BR-319 highway reconstruction project is deficient in two essential aspects mandated by the law: firstly, it lacks an economic feasibility study, known as the EVTEA, as stipulated by Law 5917/1973. Secondly, it has failed to conduct the necessary consultations with indigenous communities, as required both by International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 169 and Brazilian law 10,088/2019.

Based on Ferrante’s assertion, supported by his research highlighted in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities,

“The deforestation occurring along the central stretch of the BR-319 highway has resulted in a rise in malaria cases by 400%. This serves as an indicator, underscoring the potential for environmental degradation driven by the BR-319 highway to contribute to the emergence of a new pandemic.”

The reopening of this highway would also enable agribusiness expansion into new territories, including activities such as cattle farming, soybean and palm oil cultivation, the expansion of monoculture for large-scale biofuel production, as well as meeting the needs of fossil fuel companies, hydroelectric dams, mining operations, and other industries.

Unpaved illegal side road and improvised bridge, branching off BR-319. Photograph: The Mura Indigenous People

Ferrante calls attention to the latest attempt in dismantling Brazil’s environmental agenda and how it may affect the area surrounding BR-319 highway:

“The recent changes made by the National Congress during Lula’s administration, which involved the reduction of environmental protection laws and the relocation of CAR (Brazil’s National Environmental Registry of Rural Properties) from the environment ministry, could lead to a further surge in deforestation within the BR-319 highway area. This initiative lacks the essential governance and environmental and economic viability required for the project.”

Ferrante delivers a final message to Lula’s government:

“Lula’s administration has consistently lacked a positive environmental track record and has more recently indicated its backing for the BR-319 highway reconstruction initiative. It is essential that the government reevaluates this unviable project and takes into consideration the advice of experts and the findings of scientific research.”

Article published in The Ecologist: https://theecologist.org/2023/sep/27/amazons-route-deforestation

Article published in The Canary: https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2023/09/27/br-319-amazon-deforestation/

Surging Hunger Levels Crush Years of Progress

Monica Piccinini

12 July 2023

The world is facing an alarming and deeply distressing reality as food insecurity reaches catastrophically high levels. Across the globe, countless individuals and communities are struggling with the crippling fear of not having enough to eat.

According to the latest findings unveiled in the United Nation’s State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report published today, the data highlights a distressing state of global hunger in 2022, a year tainted by a combination of severe challenges, including a food price crisis, ongoing conflicts, and detrimental economic and climate disturbances.

This is a sobering wake up call, says the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems, IPES-Food.

Jennifer Clapp, food security expert with IPES-Food and professor at the University of Waterloo, Canada, explained:

“The world is facing disturbingly high levels of hunger right now. Years of progress on improving food security and nutrition have been erased. Governments have failed to make food systems shock-resistant, to shield people from food price inflation, or to address the ticking time bomb of debt.

We desperately need a new recipe for addressing hunger – based on the right to food, less reliance on volatile global markets, and on countries producing more food for their own people.”

The SOFI data reveals an alarming picture, where food insecurity has reached unprecedented and catastrophic new levels with no signs of improvement on the horizon – setting the world back 15 years.

In 2022, approximately 735 million people (9.2% of the world population) faced economic undernourishment, while nearly 30% of the world’s population encountered varying degrees of moderate to severe food insecurity.

Photo: ID 21810737 © Udra11 | Dreamstime.com

The report also reveals that the hunger crisis intensified in 2022, with an additional 122 million people facing food insecurity compared to the pre-pandemic period in 2019. The compounding effects of COVID, conflict and climate change have highlighted the fragility and inequalities ingrained within the global food systems.

Moreover, the study warns that if substantial changes are not implemented, we are heading towards a future where 600 million individuals will continue to suffer from chronic undernourishment by 2030. This outcome would have severe consequences for the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), rendering them ineffective.

Olivier De Schutter, co-chair of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems, IPES-Food, and UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, mentioned:

“Low income countries are trapped in debt, unable to invest in combating hunger, and condemned to export cash crops rather than feed their own people.

To have any hope of reaching the sustainable development goals at transformation is needed – with social protection schemes that guarantee the right to food for the world’s poorest, debt cancellation, and investment in diverse, resilient agroecological food production.”

The impact of food insecurity is devastating, with families and vulnerable populations bearing the brunt of its consequences.

Hunger in Africa Continues to Grow

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The relentless increase of hunger in Africa persisted for the tenth consecutive year, affecting a staggering one-fifth of the continent’s population.

According to the SOFI report, in Africa, where the shares of the population that are food insecure and unable to afford a healthy diet, are among the highest in the world.

Million Belay, expert with IPES-Food and coordinator of the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, AFSA, reacted:

“It’s shocking that hunger has risen in African for ten years in a row. But our exploitative global economic system has prioritised servicing debt over feeding people, exporting cash for crops over growing nutritious food for Africans, and burning fossil fuels over adapting to climate change.”

Fresh data from 11 African nations reveals that farmers and rural communities face greater vulnerability to fluctuating food prices and hunger than previously anticipated, while the consumption of processed foods in these regions is on the rise, even in rural areas. In rural areas, a notable 33% of individuals encounter moderate to severe food insecurity, surpassing the corresponding figures observed in urban areas.

The African Development Bank estimated that Africa’s net food imports reached $35 billion in 2015, and expects it to triple by 2025, reaching over $110 billion. Agricultural surpluses from the Global North are dumped on African markets, inundating local markets, driving down farmers’ incomes, weakening communities and local agricultural production.

Africa’s reliance on world food markets is damaging to food security, especially during times of crisis, like we’ve seen during the COVID pandemic.

“African countries have been left critically vulnerable to the blows of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and climate change. Our governments are starved of cash to build the sustainable food systems we need to feed ourselves. The dominant food system is reducing people’s resilience to shocks and leading to perpetual debt and food dumping – this must change”, explained Belay.

Ultra Processed Diet

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The adoption of industrialised farming practices has led to a change in dietary habits, with a rise in the consumption of highly processed foods, which has had negative health consequences, particularly among low-income communities.

Additionally, this form of agriculture heavily depends on the widespread use of chemical inputs, including fertilisers, herbicides, pesticides and antibiotics, with negative consequences for ecosystems and human health.

Based on the SOFI report, the increased accessibility of affordable, ready-to-eat, and fast food options, which are often high in calories, fats, sugars, and salt, can contribute to malnutrition.

Insufficient availability of fruits and vegetables for meeting the daily nutritional needs of the population is also a concern. Moreover, this trend has resulted in the exclusion of small-scale farmers from formal value chains and the loss of land and natural resources due to urban expansion.

The report also highlights the prevalence of child overweight at risk of increasing with the emerging problem of high consumption of highly processed foods and food away from home in urban centres, which is increasingly spreading into peri-urban and rural areas.

“Once again the world is plagued by hunger. A healthy diet is unattainable for nearly half of the world’s population – even while food manufacturers and giant agriculture corporations enjoy bonanza profits”, explained De Schutter.

The predicted cost of treating dietary related diseases is projected to exceed $1 trillion by 2030.

Global hunger can have severe consequences that go beyond the immediate lack of food. Key consequences associated with global famine include migration and displacement, health issues, economic impacts, as well as social and political unrest.

As the grip of food insecurity tightens, urgent action and comprehensive strategies are essential to alleviate this alarming situation, restore hope, and ensure that no one is left behind in the struggle for sustenance.

The time to act is now, as we must collectively confront the specter of hunger and work tirelessly to build a future where food insecurity becomes an unimaginable concept rather than a haunting reality.

Pesticide-Induced Cancer and Nature’s Silent Demise – Latest UK Government Figures Expose Alarming Trends

Monica Piccinini

14 June 2023

Official UK government pesticide usage data reveals that the use of glyphosate in UK farming is increasing, despite a recent government promise to “reduce reliance on the use of conventional chemical pesticides.”

According to analysis by Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK) and the latest figures, the amount of glyphosate used in UK agriculture grew by more than 360 tonnes (16%) between 2016 and 2020, while the area of land sprayed with the pesticide increased by 9%, amounting to 230,000 hectares, three times the size of Greater Manchester.

Nick Mole, PAN UK’s policy officer, mentioned:

These latest figures, while shocking, are actually a huge underestimation of our exposure to glyphosate since they only relate to farming. Meanwhile, glyphosate is also sprayed liberally in most UK towns and cities.

The negative impacts of glyphosate on human health and the environment are well-documented. With cancer rates and biodiversity loss both rising, it’s crazy that we continue to endanger the health of rural residents, farmworkers and wildlife when there are plenty of safer and more sustainable alternatives available.

One of the primary concerns associated with glyphosate is its potential impact on human health. Several studies have suggested a possible link between glyphosate exposure and various health issues, such as an increased risk of cancer, particularly non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a specialised agency of the World Health Organization (WHO), classified glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen. However, other regulatory agencies, including the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have concluded that glyphosate is unlikely to pose a significant risk to human health when used according to approved guidelines.

Environmental concerns are another area of contention surrounding glyphosate use. The herbicide’s widespread application can lead to its presence in soil, water bodies, and food crops, potentially impacting ecosystems and non-target organisms.

Photo: ID 204609809© Ricochet69 | Dreamstime.com

Glyphosate has been linked to adverse effects on aquatic organisms, including fish and amphibians, and there are concerns about its potential impact on pollinators, such as bees, which are crucial for agricultural productivity and biodiversity.

Additionally, the long-term use of glyphosate can lead to the development of herbicide-resistant weeds, commonly known as “super-weeds.” Continuous exposure to glyphosate can exert selection pressure on weed populations, promoting the growth of resistant individuals that are no longer susceptible to the herbicide. This phenomenon necessitates the increased use of glyphosate or other herbicides, leading to potential environmental harm and higher costs for farmers.

PAN UK’s report also reveals that the use of a number of other highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs), a UN concept used to identify particularly harmful pesticides, is also on the rise, including:

  • 2,4D, a herbicide highly toxic to bees and possible carcinogen and suspected endocrine disruptor, which can interfere with hormone systems;
  • Imazalil, a fungicide linked to cancer and classified as a ‘developmental or reproductive toxin’, which can negatively affect sexual function and fertility;
  • Cyantraniliprole and lambda-cyhalothrin, insecticides highly toxic to bees.

With the clock ticking on the biodiversity crisis, and the UK already one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, we must move further and faster. Absolutely key is supporting farmers to transition away from chemical dependence and towards more nature-friendly methods of production, warned Mole.

Whilst conducting their analysis, PAN UK’s noted some major problems with the government’s pesticide usage figures, including numbers being changed retroactively and discrepancies between data sets that are supposed to be identical. 

The organisation is calling on the UK government to urgently improve pesticide usage monitoring and data, increase support for farmers to reduce pesticide use and introduce non-chemical alternatives, establish reduction targets to drive a decrease in both use and toxicity, end use of pesticides that are harmful to bees and other pollinators, and finally publish the long-awaited National Action Plan on Sustainable Use of Pesticides that was promised for 2018.

The debate surrounding glyphosate and HHPs’ health risks, environmental impact, and the need for alternative weed control methods continues to evolve.

It is essential for the government, regulatory agencies, scientists, farmers, and the public to remain vigilant, informed, and engaged to ensure toxic chemicals are urgently replaced with non-chemical alternatives.

We Need to Talk About Our Food Systems

Monica Piccinini

8 June 2023

Our global food systems are highly complex and serve many constituent parts. It’s responsible for making available fresh produce throughout the year in countries and regions that historically have been very limited in their food produce. Viewed in a positive light, the systems serve the needs of many.

However, as the global food systems have evolved over time, it has increasingly been focused on monetary gain for corporate stakeholders and less about serving the needs of the global populous.

The increasing focus on economic gain from the global food systems can be evidenced as a cause of wide scale sickness, hunger, poverty, sickness, homelessness, poisoning of our land, water, air, plants, animals, our bodies and minds.

The food industry is considered as a major drive of climate change, responsible for one third of world GHG emissions (IPCC 2019), land-use change and biodiversity loss (40% of earth’s surface), major user of freshwater resources (70% of global freshwater) and a major polluter of terrestrial aquatic systems through the use of chemicals.

During the Extinction or Regeneration Conference 2023 in London, Philip Lymbery, global CEO of Compassion in World Farming, highlighted the fact that we rely more and more on a small number of countries for the production of major crops on which we depend on. When certain world events occur, such as conflicts and the Covid-19 pandemic, and global supply chains are disrupted, the entire food system is impacted.

Philip Lymbery at the Extinction or Regeneration Conference 2023, London

The countries we rely on, mainly in the global south, are forced to invest in “cash crops” for exports, not producing enough to feed their own population. They produce raw materials that we then process and sell it back to them in the form of finished food products, mainly as a result of their huge debt, explained Lymbery.

Food security is another issue, as we have witnessed in recent years a record high in food prices, global hunger and social inequities that result from the industrial farming systems, not just from conflicts and climate change. We are producing enough food to feed the entire world, but what we’ve seen is a mismatch between supply and demand, a financialisation of agriculture systems and markets, as well as an increase in power concentration.

Lymbery said, “These companies are taking our food systems hostage for their thirst for profits.”

“Food systems are often shaped by politics, rather than policies”, he added.

Our food systems are also impacting our health and making us sick. According to Marco Springmann, senior researcher in environment and health at the Environmental Change Institute at University of Oxford, the cost of treating diet-related diseases is projected to exceed USD 1 trillion by 2030, also putting a strain on health systems around the world.

“Food that brings you sickness and disease is not food, it’s poison”, said Dr. Vandana Shiva, Indian environmentalist, physicist and author, during one of her speeches at the Extinction or Regeneration Conference 2023 in London.

Extinction or Regeneration Conference 2023, London – Photo Credit: Robbie Blake, IPES-Food

Power Concentration

We are experiencing growing concentration in our food systems, as the number of corporations controlling everything, from inputs up through retail are getting smaller.

According to Jennifer Clapp, Canada research chair & professor, School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability at University of Waterloo, and IPES Food “Who’s Tipping the Scales” report, only top six agrochemical companies control 78% of the global market, the top six animal pharmaceuticals control 72%, the top six farm machinery control 50%, the top six seeds companies control 58% and the top five global grain traders control between 70-90%.

Jennifer Clapp at the Extinction or Regeneration Conference 2023, London – Photo Credit: Robbie Blake, IPES-Food

Four major grain traders control approximately 80% of the trade in cereals worldwide, the ABCD firms, ADM (Archer-Daniels-Midland), Bunge, Cargill and Dreyfus; and four major food processing and packaging companies dominate the global market, Nestle, PepsiCo, Anheuser-Bush InBev and JBS.

Since 2015, we’ve seen mega mergers in the seeds and agrochemicals industry, making these corporations even more dominant and powerful. Some of the mergers include Bayer and Monsanto, ChemChina and Syngenta, Dow and Dupont merged to form Corteva, Agrium and Potash Corp merged to form Nutrien.

Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights and co-chair of IPES-Food, mentioned that giant dominant food corporations acquired the position in decision making to veto any transformative change.

According to him, “it’s not because of corruption of politicians or the finance lobbyists working on their behalf, it’s because they are the champions of economic gain of large scale production that global commodities markets demand.”

“This allows these corporations to say to politicians, “trust us”, we know how to produce food for mass consumption, … if you impose too strong regulations on us, you’ll be faced with higher prices that your voters will have to face. This is what allows them to have a privileged access to politicians”, he added.

He explained that these companies manage to get protection from legislators for intellectual property rights for the new “breeds” that they develop, as well as the new technologies that they promote. Additionally, they can very easily challenge environmental regulations. The State ends up in the hands of these economic actors and ends up working for them.

Olivier De Schutter at the Extinction or Regeneration Conference 2023, London – Photo Credit: Robbie Blake, IPES-Food

These corporations also control the labour conditions of the food system worker, the products that end up in the supermarkets shelves, and have the power to shape government policies. Small-scale producers don’t stand a chance when faced with such powerful competition.  

In order to democratise our food systems, we need to increase transparency and accountability.

It’s necessary to set up a worldwide robust anti-trust and competition legislation and food policy, as well as creating a lobby register, which is already in place in some countries, in order to limit the concentration of power of the big agrifood corporations

We should be listening to farmers and working with them to identify solutions that will not only be beneficial to them, but also to our health and the environment, instead of filling the pockets of greedy corporations.

“We also need more public support for alternative food systems, in particular, research and development money going towards agroecology and organic agriculture”, mentioned Clapp.

She added that it’s now necessary for the State to step back in like they did in the past, when they played a prominent role during the last transition to industrial agriculture with R&D and hybridisation in fertilisers and other sectors.

There’s a need control those actors that have the power to shape our policy spaces, including measures that prevent conflicts of interests, where corporate officials end up as regulators and go back to work in the corporate sector.

Lastly, there’s the need to create an autonomous space for civil society to determine and control the rules and governance they’d like to see happen.

It’s a Profitable & Greedy Business

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According to Planet Tracker, a non-profit think tank, nearly USD 9 trillion of private finance is currently supporting the global food system.

“Financial regulations have become weakened to the extent that they’ve allowed big financial institutions like banks and investment houses to create new financial products for investors to speculate on food commodities”, explained Jennifer Clapp during the Extinction or Regeneration Conference 2023.

The price of commodities can swing much higher or lower than supply and demand would normally indicate and this creates price volatility, consequently generating profit for these institutions.

“There’s another aspect of financial concentration, where asset management firms own huge portions of the global food systems. The ABCD firms, ADM, Bunge, Cargill and Dreyfus, make huge windfall profits when food commodity prices swing. We saw this happening in 2008, and once again, in 2022, when Russian invaded Ukraine”, added Clapp.

Asset management firms, Blackrock, Vanguard, State Street and Capital Group, manage people’s pensions, trillions of assets worth over USD 20 trillion in the global economy. They are buying shares in almost all the companies across the entire agrifood supply chain, which means they have a shared interest in those companies being profitable, therefore creating an incentive for collusion.

Clapp mentioned that economists are concerned about this issue, which is called common ownership, leading to a reduction in competition, as well as leading to higher prices and encouragement of mergers and acquisitions, creating even bigger companies.

The danger of this situation is the fact that it allows them to hold more power to shift food systems in a certain direction, enabling them to shape markets in a way that it can affect prices that consumers pay. Prices are kept low for the agriculture and livestock producers and high for consumers. They also have the power to determine what technologies are going to dominate the market.

Clapp proposed a few solutions to some of these problems, including stronger rules in the financial markets, rules to curb speculation, better reporting, better limits on financial actors in these markets, as well as rules limiting asset managers owning the entire scope of the food systems.

Health Hazards, New Pandemics & Antimicrobial Resistance

Photo: 117616099 / Antimicrobial Resistance © Designer491 | Dreamstime.com

Industrial animal production may be a driver of future pandemics. The confinement of high number of animal in small spaces, leave them much more susceptible to viruses and infections, with the potential to evolve into more infectious types, explained Melissa Leach, social anthropologist and geographer, director of the Institute of Development Studies, IDS, during the Extinction or Rebellion Conference 2023.

All recent infectious diseases outbreaks and pandemics are zoonotic, as they originate in animals. Wildlife domestic and farmed animals and humans all interact in intense interfaces where spillover can occur.

The World Health Organisation, WHO, describes antimicrobial resistance, AMR, as the overlooked pandemic. It contributes to treatment failures, increasing human vulnerability to a wide range of infections.

Some of the latest figures suggest that AMR will cause 10 million deaths by the year 2050, more than from cancer, diabetes and pneumococcal diseases combined.

“Key causes of AMR are the overuse of antibiotics in livestock to promote growth and routinely prevent diseases, especially in intensified livestock farming”, mentioned Leach.

Melissa Leach at the Extinction or Regeneration Conference 2023, London – Photo Credit: Robbie Blake, IPES-Food

A study published by The Lancet, Global Burden of Bacterial Antimicrobial Resistance in 2019, estimates that there were 1.27 million deaths globally due to AMR in 2019, and 4.96 million deaths associated with AMR, compared with 6.9 million deaths globally from Covid-19 since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.

According to Cóilín Nunan, scientific adviser to the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics, certain types of antibiotics used in animal farming have led to the rise and spread of livestock associated strains of MRSA and clostidrium difficile.

There’s also the resistance to colistin, used as a last resort antibiotic in human medicine for treating life-threatening infections on patients who don’t respond well to other antibiotics, added Nunan.

Scientists from Oxford University released a study showing Escherichia coli bacteria that acquired resistance to colistin in animal farming. According to Nunan, this is an issue of concern and may be more dangerous than AMR, as it may be more able to cause infections in humans.

In Europe, over 60% of antibiotics are used in farmed animals, rather than in medicine. Globally, the figure rises to nearly 70%.

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The health impact caused by our food systems is putting a real strain on health systems around the world. There’s been a rise in conditions, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, depression, cardiovascular diseases and certain types of gastro-intestinal cancer, amongst others, all related to our diets.

We can no longer deny the urgent need to embrace more sustainable food systems solutions, support and listen to our farmers, respect and protect Indigenous peoples, our land and the environment, which we are highly dependent on.

The concentration of power within our food systems should be limited and a new model replaced instead, to ensure there’s fairness and equality, access to healthy and nutritious food for everyone, everywhere, and that our health and the health of our planet is protected and respected.

Brazilian Scientists’ Hopes and Expectations for the Future

Monica Piccinini

10 May 2023

The election of Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, ‘Lula’, in October 2022, brought a sense of relief and hope to the Brazilian scientific community.

Just over three months into his administration, Lula’s challenging task to fulfill all the promises he made before he came into power became apparent. The populous of Brazil, along with the rest of the world, is watching what happens next. 

In the past four years, the country has faced considerable challenges, including budget cuts in science and technology, the spread of misinformation leading to the denial of climate change, anti-vaccine movements, and the use of ineffective drugs against COVID-19, amongst many others.

“Brazil is once again reconciling economic growth with social inclusion. Rebuilding what was destroyed and moving forward. Brazil is once again a country without hunger. While preparing the ground for infrastructure work that was abandoned or ignored by the previous government, Brazil is again taking care of health, education, science and technology, culture, housing and public safety”, declared Lula during the meeting at Brasilia’s Planalto Palace in April.

A group of five renowned scientists share their views and expectations about scientific policies in Brazil, published at Nature Human Behaviour this month.

Mercedes Maria da Cunha Bustamante, biologist, Pedro Gabriel Godinho Delgado, doctor and psychiatrist, Lucas Ferrante, ecologist and researcher, Juliana Hipólito, biologist, and Mariana M. Vale, ecologist, highlight key areas of concern to be addressed by the current government.

Public Health & the Environment

Illustration 144851985 / Brazil Public Health © Gunay Aliyevs | Dreamstime.com


According to Lucas Ferrante, the past government was notable for the prominent role of scientific denialism. Ministers were chosen for their ideology, rather than their technical ability, and scientific advice was simply ignored.

The second catastrophic COVID-19 wave in the Amazon, making Brazil one of the global epicentres for the disease, could have been prevented if the past government had listened to scientific advice.

The absence of a technically oriented government under Jair Bolsonaro’s administration also increased deforestation in the Amazon rainforest at an alarming rate, threatening the environment, traditional and indigenous communities, as well as climate change goals, wrote Ferrante.

He also mentioned that despite the change in government, there’s the need to remember past events.

During Lula’s two previous terms as president (2003-2010), he showed worrying denialistic tendencies, ignoring scientific reports and scientists’ advice. An example of this was the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam disaster, which affected the Xingu River and traditional communities, causing a catastrophic socio environmental impact.

Essential plans should include blocking major infrastructure projects in the Amazon rainforest, such as the reconstruction of BR-319 highway linking Manaus to Porto Velho, which will affect traditional and indigenous communities, biodiversity and increase deforestation in the region, as well as agriculture production chains that could give rise to a new pandemic. 

Brazil’s biodiversity is extremely rich, but lacks surveys of viruses circulating in its fauna, therefore a well established surveillance programme is required in order to reduce the risk of new pandemics emerging through viral spillover, declared Mariana M. Vale.

Nísia Trindade, Brazil’s health minister, mentioned during a lower house hearing last month that the country should be gearing up for future pandemics by investing in science, technology and Brazil’s national healthcare system, SUS (Sistema Único de Saúde).

Illustration 98533932 / Brazil Environment © Cienpies Design / Illustrations | Dreamstime.com


Juliana Hipólito highlighted another significant issue of concern, society’s lost value and interest of science in their daily lives. As a consequence, this lead to an increase in deforestation rates, climate change denialism, anti-vaccine movements and the use of ineffective unproven drugs against COVID-19.

The past government’s dismantling of environmental policies increasing deforestation and the approval of a large number of toxic pesticides is also something the science community expects to be reversed, she added.

According to experts, Brazil’s use of pesticides increased exponentially in the last few years, growing 300,000 tonnes since 2010. Approximately 80% of the pesticides authorised for commercialization in Brazil are prohibited in at least three countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) of the European community.

In the field of mental health, Pedro Gabriel Godinho Delgado expects to see development of long-term projects to better understand the interfaces between mental health suffering and the profound social inequality and precariousness of life in Brazil.

According to him, urban violence, racism, stigma, gender prejudice, loss of childhood and adolescence and their relationship with human suffering, should no longer be marginal and must be included amongst the priorities of research. The long-term consequences of COVID-19 on mental and physical health also deserve special attention from researchers.

Investments, Social Justice & Equity

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Divestment is an issue of concern, as Brazil’s previous government cut considerably investment in scientific and educational organisations. There was a huge drop in investments in INPE (National Institute for Space Research), INPA (National Institute of Amazonian Research), CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development), and federal universities.

According to Hipólito, budget cuts skyrocket during the past government. Research funding and the budget of leading science and technology funding agencies were reduced by 60% from 2014 to 2022.

Socio-economic conditions have been sacrificed as a result of the cuts, therefore affecting the country’s capacity for the innovation and economic diversification.

Mercedes Maria da Cunha Bustamante mentioned the urgent need to support vulnerable groups (women, the youth and the poorest – most of them people of colour) in Brazil with the demand for public policies that would put the country back on track towards social justice and equity.

Reducing poverty, combating climate change and biodiversity decline are intrinsically connected.

The current administration also needs to focus on improving education from elementary level, adds Bustamante. A similar scenario is seen at public universities, which were affected by budget reductions under the last government. Brazilian public universities account for most of the national scientific production and are major drivers of social inclusion.

It’s essential to increase diversity, she added, as it’s vital for addressing societal demands through the generation of new knowledge, making Brazil attractive again for young scientists and allowing science to have a more prominent role in policy making.

Vale pointed out that white male individuals still dominate Brazilian academia and highlighted the need to strengthen and improve existing policies on diversity, equity and inclusion in science, especially regarding black and indigenous people.

Brazil has seen a massive exodus of scientists, leaving their jobs to work abroad, where their skills are most valued. The current government should set up a development and retention plan, encouraging and supporting scientists across the country.

Although the scientific community remains confident and positive, it’s crucial that they continue to defend science, and that the general population are not deceived into thinking that a change in governance alone is sufficient to bring about the needed improvements in public health and the environment, mentioned Ferrante.

The voice of scientists who dedicate their entire lives to protecting and bettering our daily lives couldn’t be louder and should be heard. Perhaps it’s time for Brazilian society, politicians, institutions and corporations to fully support this community that has been undervalued for so long.

Who Controls What We Grow and Eat?

Monica Piccinini

9 May 2023

Similar to our current political & economic systems, the food system is no longer serving us; mainly driven by power, profit and greed, resulting in global food insecurity and impacting directly on our health and the environment.

We’ve seen a sharp increase in food insecurity worldwide, driven not only by climate change and multiple conflicts, but also by an unbalanced food system fuelled by corporate power. 

As the world population is projected to reach 9.8 billion in the next 27 years, there’s an urgent need to address issues related to our food system, or we may be facing a worldwide famine sooner than expected. We’ve already seen signs of this in many parts of the world.

“The right to food is the right to have regular, permanent and unrestricted access—either directly or by means of financial purchases— to quantitatively and qualitatively adequate and sufficient food corresponding to the cultural traditions of the people to which the consumer belongs, and which ensure a physical and mental, individual and collective, fulfilling and dignified life free of fear”, according to the United Nations.

Corporate Power

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Giant agribusiness corporations hold the power and control over our food systems, with the ability to influence governments and decision-makers, through lobbying, with the direct intention of shaping policies in many ways.

Their objectives and tactics are questionable, with the tendency to favour their own interests, focusing on profits and maximising shareholder value, rather than addressing hunger and malnutrition.

According to ‘Who’s Tipping the Scales’, a report published by IPES Food, the international panel of experts on sustainable food systems:

“A bold, structural vision to counter the corporate takeover of food-related global governance – one that support central roles for people, governments, and democratic, public-interest-based decision-making, is urgently needed.”

It’s clear that the voices of the most vulnerable communities across the world, and mostly affected by hunger and environmental impact caused by this industry, must be heard.

These giant and dominant agribusiness corporations influence the global organisations we most trust, which should be there to defend our interests. To the surprise of many, agribusiness associations were sitting directly at the UN governance table at the 2021 UNFSS, UN Food Systems Summit.

One must also question the kind of relationship between the private sector and international governance bodies and institutions about potential conflicts of interest.

According to the IPES Food report, in 2020, a private philanthropic foundation, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was the second largest donor to the CGIAR, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research.

Another partnership that raises some eyebrows is the FAO’s, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, partnership with CropLife International, CLI, an agrochemical lobby organisation, whose members include Syngenta, BASF, FMC and Bayer (acquired Monsanto in 2018).

PAN North America, Pesticide Action Network, mentioned that instead of putting the profit of CropLife International members before farmers and consumers worldwide, the FAO must invest in solutions, including agroecology and take stronger action on ending the usage of highly hazardous pesticides, HHPs. 

We’ve also seen increase in consolidation, a large number of mergers and acquisitions, allowing these corporations to dominate the agribusiness sector. This allows these giants to have a profound influence on governance and the structure of our food system, resulting in anti-competitive market practices.

Our Health & the Environment

Illustration 273587833 / Food Food © Altitudevs | Dreamstime.com

These corporations have significant funding at their disposal to influence policies and regulations, such as pesticides, biosafety, patents, intellectual property, as well as trade and investment agreements.

Bayer AG spent over USD 9 million lobbying the US government in 2019, after it acquired Monsanto. At the time, they were reviewing the re-registration of one of the company’s main products, glyphosate (Roundup), which is considered a toxic herbicide. In the US, Bayer has been contesting billion of dollars in settlement claims to end lawsuits over accusations that glyphosate causes cancer.

They are also responsible for shaping science by sponsoring academic research favouring their corporate interests, influencing governance and policies. This was seen in the agrochemical and processed food sectors.

As proof of this, below is an internal email between Monsanto executives obtained by lawyers representing plaintiffs in the Roundup® litigation, where they suggest ‘beating the s**t out of’ a mother’s group expressing concern over the effects of GMOs and Roundup® on their children.

Photograph: Main Street Law Firm PLLC

Monsanto also tried to influence science by sponsoring various ghostwriting academic articles questioning scientific studies that raised concern over its product’s safety, glyphosate.

Another very concerning issue related to the health of our children is the fact that this industry continuously lobbies against mandatory public health measures, including taxes on ultra-processed foods, UPF, sugary drinks and front of package labeling, as well as restrictions on marketing of unhealthy foods to our children. This has a gigantic impact on their health and also creates pressure on our health systems.

A reported example of this was when a children’s cereal manufacturer attempted to sue Mexico after the country tried to amend a food packaging regulation called NOM-5, in order to protect their children from the marketing of unhealthy foods. The regulation established that certain unhealthy products would be prohibited from putting children’s animations and characters on their packages.

The invention of novel foods also raises some red flags. On March, The Defender, a publication defending children’s health, published a piece on Bill Gates’ latest invention, an edible food coating called Apeel, which is an odourless, colourless and tasteless coating for vegetables and fruit, which potentially extends the life span of these products, keeping it fresher for up to two times longer.

Apeel has already received the green light from US regulators, but some questions still remain unanswered surrounding the safety of the product, as the company is relying mainly on existing scientific studies, as no new science has been required to evaluate and test the product.

We seem to be completely exposed and reliant on these corporations to carry out their own safety studies, without the scrutiny of independent regulators and scientific studies.

According to the 2011 UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, companies are expected to develop their own internal procedures to identify, prevent, mitigate, and account for how they address their impacts on human and environmental rights in global supply chains.

It’s clear that the way we grow our food has a massive impact not only on our physical and mental health, but also on our environment, affecting fauna and flora, the health of our soil, water and air.

Recently, we have seen a sharp increase of fungal disease in crops, affecting 168 crops listed as important in human nutrition, according to FAO of the United Nations. Despite spraying fungicides, farmers are losing between 10-23% of their crops to fungal disease every year, including rice, corn, soybeans and potatoes.

According to a study published at Nature journal, this issue is mainly because of the adaptability of fungi to meet modern agricultural practices. Monocultures entail vast areas of genetically uniform crops, an ideal ground for fast-evolving organisms, such as fungi. Another problem is the increasingly widespread use of antifungal treatments, leading to fungicide resistance.

The use of pesticides and toxic chemicals are increasing exponentially across the world, causing havoc to our health, the soil, polluting water sources, the air, animals and plants.

Industrial agriculture, including cattle farming, soybean, palm oil, sugar cane, corn, wheat, GMOs, monoculture production, is responsible for the deforestation of rainforests, the Cerrado, and many other parts of the world, causing destruction and degradation.

In Brazil, 2.8% of landowners own over 56% of all arable land, and 50% of smallholder farms have access to only 2.5% of the land. Overall, the land is in the hands of a small number of industrial farms.

We must rethink the way we grow our food and we all have the right to access nutritious and healthy food and decide what we eat.

Digital Farming

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The agribusiness sector spends vast amounts on research and development, making it extremely hard for smaller companies to compete with them, capitalising on patent protection and intellectual property rights.

Why? Because they can!

Patent protection and intellectual property is another issue that should be catching everyone’s attention.

Giant tech companies, such as Amazon and Microsoft, among others, entered the food sector focusing on power, control and profit. Small farmers and local food systems are struggling, as they can’t afford to use this high tech data gathering technology. They are also located in remote areas where these types of services can’t reach.

We can see an increasing movement of powerful integration and control between the companies that are supplying products to farmers, such as tractors, drones, pesticides, etc., and the tech giants. They feed and control farmers with information, and at the same time have direct access to consumers.

The aim is to integrate millions of farmers into a wide centrally controlled network by encouraging and forcing them to buy their products. This digital infrastructure is run by platforms developed by tech companies that run cloud services.

Fujitsu farm workers, located just outside Hanoi, carry smartphones supplied by the company, which monitors their every single movements, productivity, the amount of hours they work, etc., all stored on the company’s cloud. This is extremely worrying, as this practice could easily lead to labour exploitation.

Similar to Fujitsu, other companies investing heavily on this type of digital farming platforms include Microsoft’s Azure FarmBeats, Bayer’s Fieldview, BASF’s Xarvio, Syngenta’s CropWise, Yara’s Yaralrix and Olam’s OFIS, Olam Farmer Information System.

It’s essential to point out the extent of data gathering these platforms are capable of, including real time data and analysis on the farmers soil condition and water, crops growth, pests and diseases monitoring, weather, humidity, climate change, tractor monitoring, etc.

Some of these corporations are also trying to eliminate the “middlemen” by selling directly to consumers, which may be attractive proposition to many, if the idea is mainly to help farmers and small vendors directly, but somehow they may use digital platforms to increase their pricing power over farmers.

An important question we must ask these companies, regulators and our governments: who controls all this data, what do they do with it and who gives the advice?

The influence a few powerful corporations have in food governance must be scrutinised. Governments should be leading in the field of food security and not leaving it in the hands of those that put profit over longevity of life. It may seem a drastic change to the world as we know it, but it may be the only way to bring back a balance in the global food system and secure our quality of life and ultimately our survival.