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Lemann Lecture Series | Fábio Feldmann | Brazil in the face of Climate Change: the challenge of COP 30 in the Amazon

Event Type
Lecture
Sponsor
The Lemann Center for Brazilian Studies
Location
Coble Hall 306
Date
Oct 31, 2024   12:00 - 1:00 pm  
Speaker
Fábio Feldmann is one of Brazil's main references on environmental issues, with extensive participation in civil society and in major international debates on climate change, biodiversity and human rights. He was a parliamentarian for three terms and as a member of the National Constituent Assembly he was one of the main people responsible for the environmental chapter of the 1988 Brazilian Constitution. Feldmann also contributed to the writing of Brazilian legislation on water resources, solid waste management, environmental education, protection of the Atlantic Forest. As a lawyer he has been influential in legislation that protects Brazilian constitutional rights. Feldmann served as São Paulo's state secretary for the environment, implementing innovative projects to control air pollution. He is currently a Visiting Tinker Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and was recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Science.
Contact
Lemann Center
E-Mail
lemann@illinois.edu
Views
66
Originating Calendar
Lemann Center Events

Brazil gained recognition for its global leadership in the international community with the successful hosting of the major UN conference in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Since then, the impact of extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts, and extreme heat, have brought the issue of global warming into people's daily lives around the world. Brazil is currently facing an extraordinary period of drought, which affects everything from power generation at hydroelectric dams to riverside populations in the Amazon. Forest fires are dangerously affecting the Pantanal, the largest wetland on the planet, and smoke is compromising air quality in important Brazilian cities. Ongoing deforestation in the Amazon and Cerrado make Brazil one of the main emitters of greenhouse gases on the planet. As we know, the success of a COP depends on the host country's ability to articulate itself in the diplomatic field and clarity regarding the objectives of the event. Despite all of this, there is a clear mobilization of certain business sectors, climate deniers, and extreme right-wing politicians to organize parallel events at COP 30 in opposition to progress on international commitments and against initiatives in the field of the so-called “ESG”. This unprecedented mobilization could have serious geopolitical consequences if it proves capable of bringing together countries governed by “far-right populism”. In the run-up to COP 30, we have the opportunity to anticipate and neutralize these efforts so that we can focus on the crucial issues for tackling our biggest challenge: climate change!

A special treat, empanadas, will be provided!

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