Good morning! A new gold rush threatens the Amazon. With Congress back from vacation, the House is set to hold the second round of votes on the pension reform. Chinese ambassador counters U.S. secretary on the risks of 5G technology.
A new gold rush threatens the Amazon
An illegal gold rush has picked up steam in the Brazilian Amazon. According to reports, between 10,000 and 15,000 gold diggers are operating in the land of the Yanomami tribe, an area close to the Venezuelan border. Meanwhile, there are about 23,000 members of the Yanomami still on the land. While illegal mining in the region today is far from its peak in the 1980s, when around 40,000 miners flocked to the land, it has grown in recent months.
Why it matters. Illegal mining is linked to several social problems in indigenous lands, such as spikes in violence and child prostitution rates. It also relies heavily on the use of mercury, which is tossed in the Amazon rivers after its use—contaminating the waters in the region. A couple of weeks ago, President Jair Bolsonaro said his administration will propose the full legalization of individual mining activities. Without getting into much detail, he said...