Brazil

More than a third of all crops worldwide end up in the stomachs of livestock. That includes one billion tonnes a year of soybeans and maize alone. The feed and livestock industries want to increase that even further.

Pesticide applications are on the rise across the globe. Some of the most dangerous substances have been banned in the European Union, but are still being used on a large scale in other parts of the world. Many are intended for the cultivation of soybean and maize, which are destined mainly for use as livestock feed.

Nowhere in Latin America are so many people killed by the police as in Brazil. But not everyone is equally affected by this. Society is divided between those people who “can be killed” and “good citizens”.

The rain forest is going up in smoke – this is the impression given by the images that have been circling the globe for years. But the digital age means that they now travel faster than ever. There are fires in the Arctic, forests burning in Canada, Siberia, South East Asia and now in Amazonia. It is a cause for concern and incomprehension, as most people are now aware of the importance of the largest tropical forest on earth in climate change and protecting biodiversity.  

Amazonia means many things to different people. Below is an overview of what Amazonia is, who lives here and why such large areas of it are being slashed and burned.

In the height of debate on the agreement that the EU negotiated - in theory - with Mercosur, Brazilian activists and professors brought their doubts on this matter all the way to Brussels, particularly regarding the quality of their country’s democracy.