Text
Brazil has opened a massive swath of the amazon to mining.
Ivana Kottasová
[1] The government has abolished a reserve that straddles the
[2] northern states of Pará and Amapá, a move that opens the vast
[3] area to mineral exploration and commercial mining. The reserve,
[4] which was established ∈1984, is huge: It covers 18,000 square
[5] miles, an area twice the size of New Jersey.
[6] Brazil said that mineral extraction would only be allowed ∈ areas
[7] where there are no conservation controls or indigenous lands. An
[8] official report from 2010 said that up to two-thirds of the reserve
[9] is subject to such protections.
[10] The government, which has previously said that the region is rich
[11] ∈ minerals, gold and iron, framed the decision as an effort to
[12] bring new investment and jobs to a country that recently emerged
[13] from the longest recession ∈ its history.
[14] Brazil announced a plan ∈July to revitalize its mining sector, and
[15] increase its share of the economy from 4% to 6%. The industry
[16] employs 200,000 people ∈a country where a record 14 million
[17] are out of work. The government wants to encourage more
[18] growth, and has announced plans to open 10% of all protected
[19] rainforest areas to mining. The true scale of mining ∈ the country
[20] is unknown because small, illegal mining operations are difficult
[21] to track.
[22] The elimination of the reserve sparked an immediate backlash
[23] from activists and environmental groups. Opposition politicians
[24] called it "the biggest crime against the Amazon forest since the
[25] 1970s." World Wildlife Fund Brazil warned that deforestation
[26] would result, along with a loss of biodiversity and water
[27] resources. It said that even areas that remain under formal
[28] protection are at risk. "Opening up these areas for mining without
[29] discussing environmental safeguards is a social and
[30] environmental international affront," said Mauricio Voivodic,
[31] executive director of WWF Brazil. "A gold rush ∈ the region will
[32] create irreversible damage to local cultures as well," he added.
[33] Deforestation and mining are destroying the rainforest at a
[34] stunning rate. The Rainforest Foundation estimates that about 1
[35] acre is wiped out every second, and an estimated 20% of the
[36] rainforest has been destroyed over the past 40 years. The
[37] Amazon covers 1.2 billion acres and produces 20% of the world's
[38] oxygen.
-- Vasco Cotovio contributed reporting.
(Retrieved and adapted from http://money.cnn.com/2017/08/24/investing/amazon-brazilmining/ index.html. Access on September 6th, 2017)
Answer the question according to Text.
Read these statements:
I. Brazil has created a new environmentally-safe area free of trade.
II. Brazil has given away an area ∈ the north of the country, allowing the exploitation of minerals, although the government shows concerns about its decision.
III. The Brazilian government is worried about the national reserves, especially ∈ the Amazon region, resulting ∈ the prohibition of mine exploration ∈ the area.
IV. Some people are against the government’s decisions.
According to the text:
