The way expats view their personal finances and the state of the economy, for instance, has worsened quite drastically — the Personal Finance Index dropped from 38th out of 64 countries in the Expat Insider 2015 survey to 59th out of 67 in this year’s survey.

Between 2015 and 2016, the percentage of expats in Brazil who are generally not satisfied with their financial situation increased by ten percentage points to 29% in 2016.

Similarly, the percentage of expats who feel that their disposable household income is not enough to cover everything they need increased by eight percentage points, with more than one in ten (11%) even saying it is not nearly enough to get by.

While the country may be fairly easy to settle into, Brazil is rated poorly in almost all of the indices. Ranking 64th overall, the country performs particularly badly in the Family Life Index.

It is not surprising, then, that close to three in five expats in Brazil (58%) agree to some extent that they are worried about their future finances.

Indeed, the Cost of Living Index has rated consistently badly, coming 54th this year, with 53% saying the cost of living in general is overall bad compared to just 32% worldwide. What is more, 45% agree to some extent that they have suffered a loss in personal income since moving to Brazil.

Politics and Safety

Possibly linked to the uncertain financial situation is the lack of political stability in Brazil. Just 16% of those asked rate this factor positively, compared to 61% globally.

Similarly, just one in five rates their personal safety in Brazil as generally good compared to 77% worldwide. Indeed, personal safety and political stability were two of the top three disadvantages considered prior to moving to Brazil.

Making a Living

The Working Abroad Index shows another drastic change in opinion among expats in Brazil. From 33rd out of 61 in 2014, the country has fallen to 65th out of 67 countries in this year’s Expat Insider survey.

In the Job Security subcategory of the index, Brazil comes 66th, with 85% of respondents giving the state of the economy a negative review, reflecting reports on rising unemployment and falling real wages in 2015 and 2016.

It seems hardly a surprise then, that 11% of expats in Brazil say they are not at all satisfied with their job security, nearly double the global average of 6%. Similarly, expatriates in Brazil are less enthused about their working hours than respondents around the world (48% vs. a global 61%).

Weather Not Enough

Expatriates can at least look forward to a very good climate and weather, which is regarded negatively by just 8% compared to the global average of 22%. This was actually the most common potential benefit considered by expats before they made the move there.

Unfortunately, the country does not seem to have much else to offer to improve the quality of expat life, ranking 62nd in the respective index. The transport infrastructure, for instance, is considered generally bad by 60% in Brazil compared to just a quarter globally.

In addition, the country only comes in 61st in the Health & Well-Being subcategory: not only is the healthcare considered, on average, less affordable by expats in Brazil — 35% agree it is generally affordable compared to 55% globally — but 36% of respondents are also unhappy with its quality.

Not for Families

Despite a more friendly attitude to families with children — 55% of expat parents go so far as to call it very good in Brazil compared to 39% globally — the education and well-being on offer there fall short.

Just 28% of expat parents find the quality of education to be overall good compared to 64% worldwide. Meanwhile, five times the overall average of parents (55% vs. 11%) fear for their children’s safety at least in some regard. Not least of all due to this, Brazil ranks last out of 45 countries in the Family Life Index.

A Welcoming Place

The local people, at least, are a positive in the lives of expats in Brazil — over four in five rate the general friendliness of the population (85%), as well as the local attitude towards foreign residents (81%), positively, bringing the Friendliness subcategory to 11th.

In fact, around five in eight expats in Brazil (63%) overall agree that making local friends is easy compared to 45% globally. All of this despite the fact that seven in ten do agree that without speaking the local language it is very difficult to live there.

Within recent memory, Brazil has emerged as a new and significant global player, both economically and politically. Although Brazil had enjoyed a period of perpetual economic growth, which, combined with its laid-back lifestyle and favorable climate, have caused ever increasing numbers of expat from various fields to consider a move to Brazil, this could be in the process of changing.

In 2014, Brazil experienced an economic contraction for two consecutive quarters, marking the first technical recession in five years. However, despite the third quarter ending the recession with a minuscule growth of 0.1%, both governmental and independent economists have decreased projections for growth in the upcoming years.

Although this turbulence in the economy shouldn’t worry expats too much, it is important to realize that settling down in Brazil and finding a job there has always required a considerable amount of dedication and perseverance, not to mention a bit of good luck.

Nevertheless, many who now enjoy their lives in a bustling metropolis or a scenic coastal city say that getting a visa and moving to Brazil was well worth the effort.

Economic Situation

Brazil boasts the dynamic business climate of one of the world’s fastest growing economies. Despite recent contraction, Brazil remains the 7th largest economy on the globe, becoming such in early 2012. Although economists believed the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016 would provide further stimulus to the booming economy, this expectation has since come under review.

The former is thought to have had a negative impact on the economy, as municipal holidays during local games and staff truancy from work to watch the competition decreased production rates and played a role in the aforementioned technical recession.

Nevertheless, Brazil’s reputation as a growing economy continues to be a magnet for both foreign investment and skilled workers from abroad temporarily moving to Brazil. For foreign experts, the country’s pioneering fields of ethanol production – recently flagging, but still firmly supported by the government – and deep water oil research offer attractive career opportunities.

Political Situation

One of the other reasons why moving to Brazil is popular among expats is its reliable political situation. After the abolishment of military rule in 1985, the state has gradually established a stable democratic system. As those moving to Brazil may know, the Brazilians elected their first ever female president in January 2011: Dilma Rousseff, former chief of staff of retiring ex-president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

After facing intense criticism and eruptions of protest concerning accusations of corruption and poor public services in the face of the FIFA World Cup, Rousseff narrowly won reelection in 2015, with just 51.6% of the vote. She has now been impeached and replaced by her vice-president Michel Temer.

You will soon notice the highly unequal distribution of income. While over the past few decades there has been significant upwards social mobility, creating a new middle class, poverty remains one of the country’s major sociopolitical problems.

The crime rate, feared by many who consider a move to Brazil, is relatively high. Although, according to reports, crime has been decreasing in urban areas like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, expatriates should still be careful.

Some expats moving to Brazil, however, report that it is less noticeable in their daily life, provided they adhere to some basic safety rules, e.g. be vigilant at night, rent accommodation in safe compounds, and never try to resist any thief, mugger, or robber.

Furthermore, corruption, despite efforts of the government to tackle it, is still considered one of the country’s biggest issues, both by locals and expats moving to Brazil.

Main Cities

São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, is by far the most popular expat destination in the state. Apart from its sheer size – São Paulo’s metropolitan area is home to nearly 20 million people – it is also Brazil’s economic and financial center, housing the São Paulo Stock Exchange.

In 2011, it was estimated to have generated over 17% of the country’s GDP. Plenty of multinational headquarters are located there, and expatriates moving to Brazil will find that São Paulo has more to offer than any other place in the country.

Brazil’s most famous and notorious metropolis of Rio de Janeiro is lagging slightly behind São Paulo in terms of expat popularity. However, this is definitely not due to a lack of attractiveness – Rio holds the title for the most visited city in the Southern Hemisphere – but rather the lower number of employment opportunities for foreigners.

Most commonly, expats moving to Brazil to work in Rio are employed as specialists in Brazil’s petrochemical sector and other important industries, or they scrape a living by teaching English.

The ministry has warned the population of the danger of diseases, such as leptospirosis and rotavirus, and emphasized the need to purify water carefully before drinking it.

Meanwhile, Petrobras is studying alternative means of getting fuel to the state, many parts of which are completely isolated. A complicating factor is that Roraima depends on thermoelectric power plants that burn diesel fuel for its electricity.

In Brazilian capital Brasilia, the minister of National Integration, Fernando Bezerra Coelho, announced that the state of Roraima will receive 15 million reais (US$ 9.45 million) to assist the population and begin repairs of the damage caused by the heavy rains.

Coelho said most of the funds, 10 million reais (US$ 6.3 million), will go to recovering roads so isolated areas can be reached as soon as possible. The minister admitted that the amount allocated could increase depending on needs.

At the same time, Brasilia said it is prepared to distribute 10,000 food baskets to the state.

Roraima has had heavy rain for most of the last 30 days. The state governor, José de Anchieta Junior, points out that the rainy season in the region will last until August.

After reaching record levels, the Rio Branco, the river that runs through the capital of the state of Roraima, Boa Vista, has begun to drop but there are still locations that are isolated and run the risk of running out of supplies. The Rio Branco rose 10.2 meters (33.5 feet) above its normal level.

The Armed Forces have put 430 men on alert to help if needed after local authorities declared a public calamity. Many of the soldiers are from so-called border platoons that are specially trained for local conditions in the Amazon.

One thing the soldiers have is boats and they will be needed as transportation has become a serious problem not only because of the flooding. Local inhabitants face exorbitant prices for any travel as local boat owners take advantage of the situation.

Army helicopters have already delivered essential food and medicine items to isolated towns.

Meanwhile, the Navy is sending in two ships, one of them a hospital ship and the other for contact with isolated riverside communities. The Air Force has sent a cargo plane with 10 tons of food supplies (all of these have their base of operations in Manaus).

The Roraima Fire Department says its immediate priority is to assist those left homeless or forced to leave their homes (around 1,500 people are in that situation at the moment).

Firemen are making a special effort to get electricity flowing again. The main source of electricity in Roraima is from thermoelectric power plants that run on diesel. The problem is getting diesel fuel in on roads that have been flooded and severely damaged.

The weather forecast in Roraima for the next few days is partly cloudy with some sunshine and scattered rain showers. The good news is that the weather is not expected to make things worse.

With the arrival of a boat carrying 1.1 million liters of fuel in Caracaraí on Sunday (June 12), the supply situation in the state of Roraima has begun to improve. According to the president of the union of state gas stations in Roraima, Abel Mesquita, most of the June 12 shipment was sent on to the state capital, Boa Vista, and as another shipment is expected soon (with the fuel staying in Caracaraí, the state’s fourth largest city), the situation will soon be normalized.

A state of public calamity was declared in Roraima on June 5 due to rains that have caused severe flooding. The Rio Branco (river) reached record levels and is only now beginning to drop.

Roraima is Brazil’s northernmost state (although it straddles the equator, like two other Brazilian states (Pará and Amapá), the capital of Roraima, Boa Vista, is the only capital city in Brazil that is in the Northern Hemisphere; the capital of the state of Amapa, Macapa, lies on the equator).

Roraima has a population of 450,000 in an area of 224,000 square kilometers (slightly smaller than Minnesota), for a population density of 2 per square kilometer (population density in Minnesota is 25 per square kilometer).

Still in the North of Brazil, although in a different field, there are news that the recent executions of environmental activists will be investigated and the perpetrators punished, according to declarations by minister of Agrarian Development, Afonso Florence.

“The fact that in the past such crimes may have gone unpunished does not mean that will be the case now. We will not accept impunity,” said minister Florence.

As part of the government’s effort to avoid other similar crimes that are caused by land disputes, the minister announced the creation of two land deed offices in the state of Amazonas.

One, located in Humaitá, on the border with the state of Rondônia, and the other at Boca do Acre, near the state of Acre. According to the minister, the offices will speed up the process of land deed registration.

Minister Florence also pointed out that a total of 530 million reais (US$ 334 million) earmarked for land reform expropriations is still available. The money was not part of budget cuts that totaled 50 billion reais (US$ 31,5 billion) and will be used by the government as part of its action plans to alleviate tensions in areas of land conflicts.

The minister also discussed the question of foreigners buying large areas of farmland in Brazil. The matter, he said, was under investigation by the Office of Federal Prosecutors (Advocacia-Geral da União – AGU) and that he expected the AGU to issue a legal brief on the subject soon.

Florence also discussed the changing concept of land reform over the last few years, saying that the Dilma Rousseff administration is perfecting the process begun during the Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva government.

ABr

And for many, Easter Sunday is time to drive back home and get ready to go back to work Monday. That was not so easy.

Rio and most of southern Brazil had a rainy weekend, all weekend. The weather bureau described it as simply “unfavorable.” Civil Defense authorities put the city of Rio de Janeiro on alert Sunday afternoon as a cold front moved in bringing heavy rainfall and the danger of flooding and landslides.

The main highways into and out of Rio were described as slow Sunday afternoon and evening. The Via Dutra, connecting the city to São Paulo, was being repaired between kilometers 175 and 188, which slowed the heavy traffic down even more.

As for the Rio-Niterói bridge, connecting the city to popular areas in the mountains or to beaches, traffic was very intense, with some 80,000 cars crossing the bridge on Easter Sunday.

At the end of Sunday afternoon, traffic was backed up between 15 to 30 kilometers on many highways while Rio airports were operating normally.

Flu Vaccine

The day after Easter Brazil begins its annual flu vaccine campaign with the goal of vaccinating almost 24 million people. This year, besides seniors and members of indigenous communities, a special effort will be made to vaccinate children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years, women who are pregnant and healthcare providers.

The vaccine offers protection from three viruses that circulate in the Southern Hemisphere, including swine flu (also known as the H1N1 influenza).

Young children will get their vaccine in two doses; half a dose two times, with the first a month before the second. People who are allergic to eggs should not get the vaccine.

The vaccine reduces the incidence of flu in adults over 60 by around 45%.

The Ministry of Health is distributing 30 million doses of the vaccine, a little less than half of them to the Southeast region (the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo).

Although the vaccine is available beginning this Monday, Saturday, April 30, is National Vaccine Day and there will be 65,000 vaccination posts open all day. The vaccination campaign ends on May 13.

ABr

The irony of clichés, of course, is they state the obvious, so people tend to forget them. However, there is something in this cliché – the ability of Brazilians to face schedules and deadlines with a less-than-rigid attitude – worth remembering.

There is a depth and history here that goes beyond cliché. Brazilians have an inherent faith that everything will work out in the end, one way or another, even if it’s not as planned. And if things do not work out in the end, it’s because you haven’t yet reached the end, so just be patient.

The relaxed Brazilian approach to time management is an old and honest story, much deeper than a cliché, more like a myth. As with many myths, there’s an important, hidden message, like Moses parting the Red Sea. (This is in contrast to the unimportant myths, like when your mother tells you to wear a scarf in the winter or you’ll catch a cold.)

The travel guides to Brazil and other developing countries warn Americans to expect delays because life is less organized, less structured. For example, don’t expect too much help from the authorities, whether those authorities are the police or the ushers at the movie theater.

Also, tourists should always be prepared for insurmountable and incomprehensible bureaucracy, and the requisite long lines and frustration that accompany it.

Some Americans view Brazilians as lacking organizational skills because of this fact. Likewise, some Brazilians envy life in the more organized, fast-paced developed world.

So why does life moves more slowly in Brazil than in the US or  Europe? When I pose this question to Brazilians, I get varying responses.

My mother-in-law, who just turned 81 last week, grew up in a small town on the coast of Paraná called Antonina. Now she lives in Curitiba, and she can’t comprehend how life could possibly be any faster than it is already.

She says it’s my imagination when I tell her Brazil is slower than the US, and she blames my distorted perspective on homesickness.

Other people I’ve asked think warmer weather encourages slowness. There are  Brazilians who honestly believe that warm weather is essential to happiness.

I  overheard a Brazilian girl in her twenties, who had been living in Paris and was asked about her life there, reply, “Paris is cold and gray in the winter. Many people commit suicide because of the melancholy caused by the cold weather.”

The theory of warm-weather slowness could apply to the north of Brazil and its equatorial regions, but what about the south, where temperatures reach freezing, or Chile and Argentina, where it snows and people enjoy skiing?

I propose that life moves more slowly in developing countries for another reason, which has nothing to do with the weather. My theory is that all people, from all over the world, prefer to move slowly.

What rational human being welcomes stress, hassle, and frustration, or the anxiety of trying to navigate through rush-hour traffic?

People who are forced to deal with constant stress, which could possibly blossom into a life-threatening disease, are those who have no choice. They accept anxiety and excessive speed in their lives as an unfortunate and unavoidable consequence of living in a developed country.

Another way to look at it is people in countries like Brazil move more slowly because they, too, have no choice.

There are the long lines at the supermarket and the lottery ticket office. The paperwork involved in getting a driver’s license or opening a business is complicated.

Thus, someone who grows up in Brazil is accustomed to delays and circuitous routes to completion. Patience is learned at an early age, even by children, who must wait an entire year now before they can enjoy their favorite panettone next Christmas.

It’s no surprise, then, that the Portuguese language fits perfectly with the Brazilian relaxed approach to life. It takes longer to say something in Portuguese than it does in English because English is more precise and has more words.

Additionally, it’s rude for a Brazilian to address a subject directly. His words will dance around the topic, so even if his language is precise, he will inevitably take longer to say it.

Does the structure of the Portuguese language reflect a slower culture, or is Brazil a slower culture because the language necessitates it?

Whatever the answer, the myth is still intact. Whether it’s the weather, the language, the lines at the supermarket, or the natural rhythm of humanity, life is slower in Brazil.

However, as far as I’m concerned, the important message behind the myth is that the slow lane is the fast lane to happiness – less speed means less stress, and that means more time for fun and relaxation.

Enjoying one day at a time, with less focus on schedules, is the Brazilian way. I view it as Brazil’s version of Zen, or “being in the moment.” Living each day with patience and sincerity is more than enough for me.

Michael Rubin is an American living in Curitiba. He welcomes comments at rubin.brazil@gmail.com.

The state most affected was Paraná, where only 61.3% of available harvest days were utilized, resulting in about 11.5 days stopped. The utilization rates were also low in Mato Grosso do Sul, which came in at 68.9% during the month. In the top cane producing state, São Paulo, utilization reached 79.5%, similar to the average for the South-Central region, which accounts for 88% of Brazil's total sugarcane harvest.

In the second half of June, the harvest totaled 33.23 million tons of sugarcane, 0.74% less than in the same period a year before. The reduction would have been even greater during that two-week period if not for the entry of 10 mills that began production in the current harvest.

Of these, three are new mills making their very first harvest. In all, four new mills started production in June and another two in the first half of July. Among previously operating mills, twenty have yet to begin their harvest in the 2009/10 crop year.

Total recoverable sugars obtained per ton of sugarcane (known as ATR in Portuguese) reached 133.03 kg per ton of cane crushed in the second half of June, 1.61% lower than in the same period last year.

The total accumulated since the beginning of the crop year is 123.98 kg per ton of cane crushed, 0.01% above accumulated amounts for the same period a year ago. Since the beginning of the harvest, the total sugarcane crush stood at 176.22 million metric tons on June 30, a 24.77% increase compared to the same period in the previous harvest.

Of the total sugarcane harvested in the second half of June, 44.91% was utilized to make sugar, with production reaching 1.89 metric tons in the period, a 6.6% increase compared to the same period in the last crop year.

Since the beginning of the current harvest, the South-Central region has produced 8.67 million metric tons of sugar, 33.67% above last year's total at this time. Up to now, 41.63% of the sugarcane harvest in South-Central Brazil this year went to sugar production.

Ethanol production in that period reached 1.424 billion liters, 8.2% below the same period in the last crop year. Of this total, ethanol production was split into 359 million liters of anhydrous ethanol and 1.065 billion liters of hydrous ethanol.

From the beginning of this harvest to the end of June, anhydrous ethanol production in South-Central Brazil totaled 1.532 billion liters, down 23.84% from the same period a year before. Hydrous ethanol, used to fuel Brazil's rapidly expanding fleet of flex-fuel vehicles reached 5.950 billion liters, up 40.29% from the same period in last year's harvest.

Sugar exports in the entire country during the first three months of the harvest (April through June) reached 5.69 million tons, compared to 4.23 million tons during the same period last year. VHP type sugar accounted for 74% of all sugar exports since the start of the harvest, compared to 68% during the same period last year.

Total ethanol exports since the beginning of the harvest totaled 985 million liters, compared to 1.1 billion liters in the same period last year. There has been a significant reduction in exports of anhydrous ethanol to the United States, which totaled only 22.3 million liters during the first three months of the harvest, compared with 376.2 million liters of anhydrous ethanol shipped to the U.S. during the same period last year.

Exports to Caribbean countries and to Europe remain at about the same levels as last year. The reduction in direct exports to the United States has been offset by a large increase in exports to India, Japan and South Korea.

In the Brazilian market, demand for anhydrous ethanol has been stable, even with increased sales of flex-fuel cars. As for hydrous ethanol, in the first three months of the harvest (April, May and June) sales have increased 25% compared to the same period a year before, with shipments by producing mills totaling 1.92 billion liters, up 1.5% from the previous month (May).

Despite the slight improvement observed in prices paid to producers, ethanol prices remain below production costs. Three factors explain the increase in ethanol demand in the domestic market:

* The expanding flex-fuel vehicle fleet in Brazil, which now accounts for over one-third of the country's entire light vehicle fleet;
* Competitive ethanol prices at the pump, as compared to the price of gasoline; and,
* On the supply side, a harvest that is surpassing expectations, particularly in June, both from the standpoint of quantity of sugarcane processed as well as the volume of recoverable sugars per ton of cane crushed.

It is important to note that despite better prices paid to ethanol producers, as observed in the wholesale market in the last few weeks, prices for consumers at the pump remain competitive with gasoline.

The Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) represents the top producers of sugar and ethanol in the country's South-Central region, especially the state of São Paulo, which accounts for about 50% of the country's sugarcane harvest and 60% of total ethanol production.

In 2008, Brazil produced an estimated 565 million metric tons of sugarcane, which yielded 31.3 million tons of sugar and 25.7 billion liters (6.8 billion gallons) of ethanol, making it the number-one sugarcane grower and sugar producer in the world, and the second-largest ethanol producer on the planet, behind the United States.

The pieces considered comprised news articles, editorials, features, columns and interviews from 50 publications published between July 1st 2005 and June 30 2007.

The authors found that one article was published on the theme every two days in the last quarter of 2006 onwards, while one article was published every five days at the beginning of the time period.

According to the study, the environmental perspective is the main angle from which the media cover the issue (35.8%), followed by looking at the economic impact (19.7%). Only 2% of texts highlight the specific impacts of climate change on low-income populations.

Newspapers also prioritize reporting the impacts of climate change over understanding what is causing it and ways to address the problem.

Around half of the stories that mention a specific location deal with the international scenario alone or its relation to the Brazilian context; the rest focus on climate change in Brazil.

In general, journalists consulted a variety of sources. The most popular were public authorities, experts, technical and academic institutions, private companies and foreign governments. But only 9.5% of articles presented contrasting opinions, and 28.5% didn't mention the sources of information they used.

The authors of the study write that the results should contribute directly to advances in the strategy used by the media to cover climate change.

"They are, at the same time, relevant for expanding the dialogue between different sources of information and media outlets on this issue," they add.

Claudio Angelo Monteiro, science editor of Brazil's largest national newspaper, Folha de S, Paulo, highlights a limitation of the study. According to him, analyzing large national newspapers in the same bag as small local newspapers means that it is hard to see specific trends in national newspapers such as Folha de S. Paulo and O Estado de S. Paulo, which have impact on the national political agenda.

SciDev.Net

On the sidelines of a climate change conference in Brussels, the World Wildlife Fund for Nature issued a list of 10 regions suffering serious damage from global warming, and where it has projects to limit further damage or help people adapt to new conditions.

"What we are talking about are the faces of the impacts of climate change," said Lara Hansen, WWF's chief scientist on climate issues.

The group said coral reefs around the world, including the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Mesoamerican Reef off Belize, begin to lose their color and die with a rise in ocean waters of just 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit. They are also threatened by the increasing ferocity of tropical storms, another effect of global warming.

Environmentalists project the temperature of the Amazon River could rise by 3.6 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit within 50 years, turning between up to 60% of the rain forest into a dry savanna.

In the Bering Sea, warmer winters are leading to the earlier breakup of spring ice and driving salmon stocks closer to the North Pole, disrupting the Arctic ecosystem. Melting ice is also diluting sea water and affecting nutrients for small organisms on which fish feed.

In the Valdivian rain forest in Chile and Argentina, the Alerce tree – which can live for 3,000 years – is threatened by forest fires and declining rainfall. Melting glaciers mean groundwater in the region will also become scarcer.

The Chihuahua Desert straddling the U.S.-Mexican border is suffering from drought and intensive farming and overgrazing. North America's largest desert, the Chihuahua has 3,500 unique plant species, including an array of cactus and yucca, that could be at risk.

Many of the regions at risk were singled out in a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an authoritative body of 2,500 scientists.

The report, which is undergoing governmental review at the five-day conference in Brussels, projects specific consequences for each degree of rising global temperatures, which the IPCC agrees is largely caused by human activity.

Some damage at the 10 areas listed by WWF is irreversible, such as shrinking glaciers, Hansen said. Certain types of coral reefs, however, can recover.

The WWF listing also said:

– Six of seven species of Caribbean turtles are endangered as rising sea levels swamp nesting beaches and feeding grounds.

– Some Himalayan glaciers are receding by 33 to 49 feet per year, causing floods now and threatening summer drought in the future.

– Glaciers in the Tibetan plateau that feed China's Yangtze river are also shrinking, adding to water flows now but threatening shortages of water, food and electricity to 450 million people as they reach a critical point.

– The Bay of Bengal is rising and increasingly violent rainstorms in India could inundate coastal islands, destroy mangrove forests and affect India's , home to the largest wild population of Bengal tigers and to 1 million people.

– Scientists predict East African coastal forests and the offshore ecosystem will also be vulnerable to more frequent and intense storms that will damage agriculture, shoreline mangroves and coral reefs.

Mercopress

Soy now accounts for 30% of all farm production in Brazil, and occupies the largest amount of cropland (21.6 million hectares).

However, the most profitable crop in Brazil in 2004 was cotton. Cotton cropland was up 72.7%, mainly because of good prices on international markets.

The second most profitable crop in Brazil nowadays is sugarcane, mainly because of demand for sugarcane-based ethanol fuel for vehicles.

Cars that can run on both gas and ethanol, known as flex-fuel, have become very popular.

ABr

Brazil’s agricultural harvest in 2004 was 3.7% lower than in 2003. National production of cereals, legumes, and grains amounted to 119,087 million tons, as against 122,632 million tons in 2003.

This result, announced January 27 by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), incorporating the final data for December, is considered good and was directly affected by climatic factors.

For the IBGE’s coordinator of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Alberto Lauria, the drought in southern Brazil, especially in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, had a decisive influence in the decline in soybean production.

Raw herbaceous cotton, on the other hand, was the year’s standout, with a production increase of 62%, followed by unpolished rice (28.51%) and sorghum grains (21.68%).

Beans, corn kernels, and wheat exhibited lower production volumes.

2004/2005

Brazil’s harvest in 2004/2005 should attain 131.9 million tons of grain, according to the National Supply Company (Conab).

This volume represents a 10.7% increase compared with the 2003/2004 harvest, which came to 119.1 tons.

The cultivated area increased from last season’s 47.3 million hectares to 48.3 million hectares.

According to Conab president Carlos Guedes Pinto, the increase was due mainly to the soybean crop, which expanded 1 million hectares in the area under cultivation.

Despite the drop in international market prices of some commodities, Guedes expects that the export volume of the coming harvest will be maintained.

“In general terms, the revenues generated by agricutlure next year will be similar to 2003/2004,” he said.

He recalled that Brazil’s agricultural trade surplus amounts to US$ 30 billion, nearly identical to the country’s trade surplus this year, estimated at US$ 32 billion.

Translation: David Silberstein
Agência Brasil