Good morning! Today, we talk about the congressional push for a bill allowing mining ventures on indigenous land — which could hurt the Amazon, a rainforest already losing its resilience. And the failed left-wing federation.
Congress votes to fast-track mining bill
By a 279-180 majority, the House approved a motion to fast-track a bill that allows mining ventures within protected indigenous lands. Now, the bill can skip a number of steps on its path to approval on the House floor.
- The vote was a win for President Jair Bolsonaro, who has always argued that indigenous land should be fair game for miners. He is now using the crisis in Ukraine (and possible shortages of potassium-based fertilizers) to push the measure through Congress.
Potassium. The Mines and Energy Ministry claims to have found new potassium reserves in the Amazon Basin that increase Brazil’s potential for producing potassium — a key input for the fertilizers industry — by 70 percent.
Yes, but … A study by the Federal University of Minas Gerais says only 11 percent of Brazil’s potassium is on Amazonian land. Meanwhile, the states of Minas Gerais and São Paulo would have reserves amounting to over 856 tons. The study...