Congressional Recess is hitting its peak. We can't let this opportunity slip by. Regional. C4.

Congressional Recess is hitting its peak. We can't let this opportunity slip by. Regional. C4.

Congressional Recess is hitting its peak. We can't let this opportunity slip by. Regional. C4.

By Guest Author

Guest authors: Juliana Splendore, EDF climate change and indigenous issues consultant in Brazil, and Joelson Felix, Communications Officer of COIAB – a Brazilian indigenous organization representing indigenous peoples in the Brazilian Amazon

An aerial view of the Brazilian Amazon under a pouring rain | Photo by Juliana Splendore

One year into his presidency, Brazilian President Temer is leading a dismantling of crucial protections for Brazil’s indigenous territories and the environment.

New policies the president recently approved put at risk indigenous peoples’ rights to their lands, and could open the flood gates for Amazon deforestation, which has been rising dramatically in the past few years.

The president’s actions, aimed at winning the favor of the powerful agriculture lobby in Congress, threaten the livelihoods of the indigenous peoples who live in the forests, as well as Brazil’s international climate leadership and the world’s ability to meet the greenhouse gas emissions targets agreed to in the Paris Agreement.

One of the world’s largest tropical forest areas, the Brazilian Amazon is home to more than 200 groups of indigenous peoples. Nearly half of the Brazilian Amazon, an area about five times the size of California, is designated as indigenous lands or protected natural areas, and as such is protected from development. These indigenous and protected areas and their indigenous populations were key to Brazil’s decreasing its deforestation by 70% from 2005 to 2014, which has made it the world leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

However, these gains are now at risk. Over the last two years, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon nearly doubled from 4,500 km2 in the period of 2011-2012 to 8,000 km2 in the period of 2015-2016, according to the National Institute of Space Research (INPE).

The significant rise in deforestation caused the Norwegian government this year to cut its forest protection payments to the Amazon Fund to about $35 million, $65 million less than in 2016. This cut directly affects the indigenous populations in the Amazon, who are among the main beneficiaries of the Fund.

Rollbacks in indigenous lands and environmental protections

Since he took office August 31, 2016, scandal-plagued Brazilian President Temer approved new measures and federal rules aimed at helping him gain critical support from the advocates of agribusiness and large rural landowners, known as the ruralistas, who make up one of the most powerful caucuses in the National Congress with over 200 seats.

Temer has created a new federal rule to be implemented by Brazilian Administration that can be used to deny many indigenous peoples the right to their lands. It stipulates that indigenous peoples do not have the right to their lands if they were not occupying them in October 1988, when the current constitution came into effect. Essentially, it denies the right of the indigenous peoples who lack sufficient documentation to prove that they were expelled from their lands during that time. As a result, many pending requests by indigenous groups for titles to their traditional territories could be denied because of their earlier expulsions. Another part of the new rule also prohibits the expansion of existing indigenous territories. Finally, the new rule also allows certain types of infrastructure projects to be permitted on their titled territories without any consultation.

A new short-term measure signed by President Temer (MP759) – which can be easily turned into a law – is expected to substantially intensify deforestation in the Amazon region. The new measure facilitates the legalization of public lands that were illegally occupied in the period of 2004 – 2011 and increases the size of land parcels that can be claimed. This measure could result in the loss of millions of hectares in the Amazon to land speculators.

Indigenous peoples in a training organized by ISA (Instituto Socioambiental) | Photo by Juliana Splendore

Need for more international attention and support

Taken together, these developments in Brazil endanger not only the livelihoods of indigenous populations, but also the significant amount of forest carbon stored in indigenous territories in the Brazilian Amazon, threatening the world’s ability to stabilize global climate.

The silver lining here is that the advocacy efforts led by the indigenous movement, environmentalists, Norway, and some international organizations are playing a key role in  mitigating the effects of the policies and guidance approved by Temer.

Now, indigenous peoples need even more support from international actors, in particular from EU governments and international companies committed to reduce deforestation in their supply chains. The governments and business leaders need to tell President Temer to roll back the new rules and measures.

New policies the Brazilian president recently approved put at risk indigenous peoples’ rights to their lands, and could open the flood gates for Amazon deforestation, which has been rising dramatically in the past few years.

Written by Diane MacEachern

Air pollution is probably the last thing on your mind when you’re getting your kids ready for school. But how kids get to school can have a major impact on the air they breathe. Between idling buses and cars and the sheer volume of vehicles ferrying students back and forth, exhaust fumes can really mount. Kids and parents both get stuck parking lots with no recourse but to breathe dirty air.

Here are four healthier ways to get your kids to school that will keep the air cleaner and save you time and stress to boot:

Carpool

If you put three additional kids in your car, and each of their parents drives one day a week, it reduces the number of cars driving to school by three every day. That means less congestion, less waiting time, and a lot less carbon dioxide getting pumped into the atmosphere, since every gallon of gas burned generates about a pound of climate changing CO2.

There are social benefits, too, because carpooling makes sure your kids don’t arrive or leave by themselves.

Carpooling will also save you money on gas, since you’ll be driving as much as 75% less. And it will save you time. You could gain 8 hours a week by carpooling with three other families.

Try the GoKid mobile app.

Stefanie Lemcke, a mother of two tweens, hated getting trapped in traffic jams with her neighbors as they all drove to the same place at the same time to drop off and pick up their kids. She created GoKid, a mobile app that makes it easy to set up and manage carpools for all kinds of school-related activities.

It includes GPS-based tracking of cars, live mapping functionality, in-app texting, and automatic alerts.

Take the Bus

School buses are actually the largest form of mass transit in the United States, reports the American School Bus Council.

There are lots of benefits to this arrangement.

Every school bus on the road eliminates approximately 36 cars.

In 2010, school buses saved the United States 2.3 billion gallons of gasoline, representing $6 billion in savings at 2010 fuel prices.

School buses save parents time, too. Even if you walk your child to the bus stop and wait until she gets on, you’ll probably spend less time than if you were driving to school, waiting in the drop off line, and driving home.

Some kids may not take the bus that’s available in their school district because they’re too disorganized in the morning and miss it.

Wake your kids up early enough so they have enough time to get ready. The night before, have them pack their lunches, figure out what they’re going to wear, and put their backpacks, musical instruments, sports gear and anything else they need near the door and ready to go. Give them a 5-minute warning before they absolutely must leave the house and head to the bus stop.

Bike to School

Plenty of parents in my neighborhood have adapted bicycles built for two so they can safely pedal smaller kids to school in the morning. Whether your kids are biking solo, with their friends, or with you, they should all wear a properly fitting bike helmet, maybe one they pick out themselves, which they’ll be more likely to wear. Arrange a ride pool so kids won’t ride alone. Map out the safest route to school they can take. Also make sure they’ve got front and rear lights so they’ll be more visible to motorists. An easy-to-reach bell will alert pedestrians and other cyclists that your child is coming along. And of course, make sure your child can use her brakes on a moment’s notice.

Walk to School

In many communities, kids who live within a mile radius are expected to walk to school. If that’s the case in your neighborhood, set up walking groups rather than drive your child individually. We had our kids walking to school in all kinds of weather so they wouldn’t be afraid of the elements. Of course, their safety is of preeminent concern, and I personally didn’t send my own little kids out the door to walk the four blocks to school if they were alone. I walked with them as long as they’d let me, appreciating the chance to get a little exercise in the morning as well as deliver them safely to their destination.

NOTE: Stop school bus idling.

As good as buses are for moving a lot of kids at one time, they can really foul the air if they idle. The idling problem is particularly bad when buses are waiting to pick kids up at the end of the day.

That’s why EPA has set up a website to promote “idle free schools.” Says EPA, “When they are exposed to elevated levels of these (engine) pollutants, children have an increased risk of developing asthma, respiratory problems and other adverse health effects. Limiting a vehicle’s idling time can dramatically reduce these pollutants and children’s exposure to them.”

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It was a sunny, cool morning – a typical September day in Colorado. I pulled up to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge and walked towards a stage where the state flags for Colorado, Nevada, Montana and Wyoming waved in the wind alongside the American flag. It was a good morning. Then-Secretary of the […]

The post A bird has united thousands. It will not divide us. first appeared on Growing Returns.

It was a sunny, cool morning – a typical September day in Colorado. I pulled up to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge and walked towards a stage where the state flags for Colorado, Nevada, Montana and Wyoming waved in the wind alongside the American flag. It was a good morning. Then-Secretary of the […]

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The post A bird has united thousands. It will not divide us. first appeared on Growing Returns.

By Eric Holst

An icon of the sagebrush sea, the greater sage-grouse is a sight to behold. Males often gather in large numbers to woo females and strut with chests puffed and spiky tails fanned. (Photo credit: Tatiana Gettelman)

It was a sunny, cool morning – a typical September day in Colorado. I pulled up to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge and walked towards a stage where the state flags for Colorado, Nevada, Montana and Wyoming waved in the wind alongside the American flag.

It was a good morning. Then-Secretary of the Interior Department, Sally Jewell, had announced earlier that morning that the greater sage-grouse – a bird with habitat spanning parts of 11 western states – was “not warranted” for listing under the Endangered Species Act, thanks to one of the largest collaborative conservation efforts in America’s history.

A success story in the sagebrush sea

Sixteen million sage-grouse once roamed the American West. The Plain Indian tribes lived among the birds, hunting them for food and mimicking the males in their ceremonial dances. Meriwether Lewis spotted them “in great abundance” in 1805 during his expedition with William Clark, providing the first written account of the species.

As of 2010, there were approximately 200,000 to 500,000 birds remaining.

The roughly 90 percent population decline was the result of habitat degradation and fragmentation caused by multiple factors including increased energy and other development. Such a sharp decline for an indicator species of the broader sagebrush ecosystem was worrying. If nothing was done to save the sagebrush sea, we’d lose more than the sage-grouse.

"If nothing was done to save the sagebrush sea, we’d lose more than the sage-grouse."

Recognizing what the bird’s plummeting population meant for the broader landscape and western way of life, multiple stakeholders representing varied interests and sectors stepped up and raised their hands to help.

For many years leading up to the 2015 listing decision, ranchers, conservationists, industry groups, and state and federal wildlife agencies worked together to create a multi-state science-based plan to recover the greater sage-grouse. The plan worked, and the sage-grouse would not be headed to the Endangered Species List. As long as commitments to the multi-state plan remained strong, the bird would remain off the list, and landowners and industries could rest assured there would be no additional restrictions that come with a listing.

Republican and Democratic governors, ranchers and biologists, industry groups and state wildlife agencies all came together to celebrate a truly bipartisan, collaborative effort. It was a day I’ll never forget.

But the story isn’t over, yet

"Reopening the federal sage-grouse plans is a clear continuation of President Trump and Secretary Zinke’s push for energy dominance above all else."

The sage-grouse no-list decision was made two years ago this September. Since then, a lot has changed.

The administration recently re-opened the federal sage-grouse plans, creating the possibility for significant changes that could undercut the sound science used to develop those plans and jeopardize what we know the bird needs to live and thrive. Ignoring the science in favor of unproven sage-grouse recovery methods like captive breeding and population targets only increases the likelihood of a listing in the future – an outcome nobody wants.

Reopening the federal sage-grouse plans is a clear continuation of President Trump and Secretary Zinke’s push for energy dominance above all else. In this case, it comes at the expense of the West’s treasured landscapes and iconic wildlife, not to mention the thousands of people who forged the plans over many years.

In June, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke called compensatory mitigation “un-American” during his keynote speech at the Western Governors’ Association meeting – a sign that the politicization of wildlife management will not end with sage-grouse. (Photo credit: Gage Skidmore)

We can’t allow the administration to put politics over science. We can’t allow decades of proactive, transparent and cooparative conservation efforts to be undone. We can’t set the precedent that collaborative planning and effective implementation of bedrock environmental laws like the Endangered Species Act can be undermined by administrative actions.

We the people must demand that the sage-grouse success story not be rewritten, but rather preserved and held as a model for future conservation efforts.

Related:

Dear Congress, protect the integrity of the ESA >>

Ranchers and conservationists step up to avert listing of sage-grouse >>

Let’s make ESA listings extinct, not wildlife >>

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