President sparks controversy with Greenland proposal
By David McMillanStaff Writer
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By David McMillanStaff Writer
By David McMillan Staff Writer According to the Brazilian Ministry of Environment, the deforestation rate in the Amazon is 13.7 percent higher in the previous year. The question is, why? In 2005, the United Nations created an initiative called Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, which set goals for reducing deforestation rates and mitigating climate change through the use of carbon emissions and other practices, according to the redddesk.org. However, Brazil is finding itself in a dire situation in regards to their forestry sector. While deforestation has diversified its economy, the lack of trees puts humanity in danger, according to NPR. According to BBC, current Environment Minister Edson Duarte pointed to organized crime, specifically illegal logging, as the primary cause of the spike in the deforestation rate. Illegal logging groups know that if they remain on the move, then there is a strong likelihood that they can engage in highly lucrative behavior with a low likelihood of prosecution. The environment minister of Brazil is lacking the resources necessary to maintain high levels of surveillance and is deficient in police who can be dispatched to monitor instances of illegal logging, according to Reuters. According to the NPR, a group of Brazilian environmentalists called the guardians of the forest have made it its mission to burn down illegal logging camps. The local police in Brazil turn a blind eye to this band of rubber tappers. In the past 10 years, 16 members of the group were included in some of the 46 Brazilian environmentalists murdered, according to The Guardian, making it one of the most dangerous places to be an environmentalist. The guardians believe is that the Amazon is their only home and should be preserved at all costs. The administration of Brazilian President-Elect Jair Bolsonaro said during its 2018 campaign that it will limit fines for damaging forestry and weaken the influence of the environmental agency, according to BBC. According to NBC News, the result of not halting deforestation in the Amazon will not only dramatically increase carbon emissions, but it will impair the rainfall cycle across the Western Hemisphere. Environmental scientists at George Mason University published a paper this past February in the journal Science Advances that explained that if the rainfall cycle collapses, winter droughts in parts of Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina could devastate agriculture.
By David McMillan Staff Writer In this year alone, 547,000 Venezuelans have entered Ecuador, and more are to come, according to UN News. “‘To return is to die. If we have to die here looking for a better life for our families, then we’ll die, a Venezuelan migrant told Al Jazeera. “‘It’s better than dying in Venezuela (and) not doing anything.’” Since the first week of August, 30,000 Venezuelans have entered the country, according to UN News. Chavismo, the left-wing political ideology of former Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, continues to influence policy decisions of incumbent Nicolás Maduro. Venezuela fell prey to economic policies of price controls for essential goods and an overdependence on oil exports, according to The New York Times. While trying to keep goods affordable for the poor, Venezuela artificially set prices lower than manufacturing costs, which caused producers to halt production of essential goods. The result was scarcity of food, medicine and toilet paper. To compensate for these failed policies, the Venezuelan government has been pressured to print more money, resulting in hyperinflation, according to The New York Times. The foreign ministry of Ecuador stated that it invited Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, México, Peru, Paraguay, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela to a meeting in September in Quito, the nation’s capital. The scheduled discussions will include sharing and implementing policy strategies to avoid further migratory chaos, according to VOA News. As reported by Reuters, Ecuador has declared a state of emergency in three provinces: Carchi, Pichincha and El Oro. Despite these areas being on the northern end of the border, all of Ecuador is experiencing the effects of the influx of migrants. According to The New York Times, 20 percent of migrants are expected to apply for asylum, while the other 80 percent will seek economic opportunities in Chile and Peru. As specified under immigration law within Ecuador, citizens of any country can stay in Ecuador for up to 90 days on a non-resident Visa, according to Reuters. If individuals seek to obtain resident visas, then there are a range of options available for students, workers and tourists. However, a new regulation instituted by Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno mandates that migrants are only permitted in the nation with a valid passport. Additionally, there is a provision that allows entry of adolescents traveling with their parents, according to Reuters. These new bylaws prove to be a complication, as most individuals who have reached the nation or who were in transport prior to Aug. 18 have not been readily admitted within the state because of failure to provide adequate documentation. Migrants are waiting for government action that will allow their passage through Ecuador, according to BBC.