Paying Brazilian Farmers to Let the Trees Stand
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
Mato Grosso means thick forests, and the name was once apt. But today, this Brazilian state is a global epicenter of deforestation. Small islands of forest dot the landscape of farms and ranches, fulfilling regulations to maintain percentages of native forest on agricultural properties. Driven by profits derived from fertile soil, the region’s dense forests have been aggressively cleared over the past decade, and Mato Grosso is now Brazil’s leading producer of soy, corn and cattle, exported across the globe by multinational companies.
Photo: Damon Winter/The New York Times
Querência, Mato Grosso, Brazil — José Marcolini, 53, a local farmer, has a permit from the Brazilian government to clear 12,500 acres of rain forest this year to create highly profitable new soy fields.
But he says he is struggling with his conscience. A Brazilian environmental group is offering him a yearly cash payment to leave his forest standing to help combat climate change. Mr. Marcolini says he cares about the environment. But he also has a family to feed, and he doubts that the group’s initial offer in the negotiation — $12 per acre, per year — is enough for him to accept.
“For me to resist the pressure, surrounded by soybeans, I’ll have to be paid — a lot,” said the farmer, noting that cleared farmland in the state of Mato Grosso sells for up to $1,300 an acre.
However, until now, there has been no financial help for keeping forest standing. This is why a growing number of scientists, politicians and environmentalists argue that cash payments — like that offered to Mr. Marcolini — are the only way to end tropical forest destruction and provide a game-changing strategy in efforts to limit global warming.
Adapted from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/22/science/earth/22degrees.html?pagewanted=all
Glossário
dot – pontilham
fulfilling – cumprindo
profits - lucros
struggling – lutando
argue - defendem
In the next four question, choose the correct alternative according to the text:
Querência, Mato Grosso, Brazil — José Marcolini, 53, a local farmer, has a permit from the Brazilian government to clear 12,500 acres of rain forest this year to create highly profitable new soy fields.
But he says he is struggling with his conscience. A Brazilian environmental group is offering him a yearly cash payment to leave his forest standing to help combat climate change. Mr. Marcolini says he cares about the environment. But he also has a family to feed, and he doubts that the group’s initial offer in the negotiation — $12 per acre, per year — is enough for him to accept.
“For me to resist the pressure, surrounded by soybeans, I’ll have to be paid — a lot,” said the farmer, noting that cleared farmland in the state of Mato Grosso sells for up to $1,300 an acre.
However, until now, there has been no financial help for keeping forest standing. This is why a growing number of scientists, politicians and environmentalists argue that cash payments — like that offered to Mr. Marcolini — are the only way to end tropical forest destruction and provide a game-changing strategy in efforts to limit global warming.
Adapted from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/22/science/earth/22degrees.html?pagewanted=all
Glossário
dot – pontilham
fulfilling – cumprindo
profits - lucros
struggling – lutando
argue - defendem
In the next four question, choose the correct alternative according to the text:
Glossário
dot – pontilham
fulfilling – cumprindo
profits - lucros
struggling – lutando
argue - defendem
In the next four question, choose the correct alternative according to the text:
The expression “…surrounded by soybeans…” (4th paragraph), considering the context, indicates that ____ .
