Brasília, April 15th, 2010 – Dressed as wind tubines, barrels of oil, trees, solar panels and chimneys, Greenpeace activists staged a protest, during the meeting of the Bric countries in the Brazilian capital, against the lack of a clear commitment on the part of their governments with a plan for a clean development. The activists opened a banner that said “No forests, no climate, no future”.

Security moved quickly and arrested for activists. They were taken to a police station and then released.

The acitivity served to point out that the meeting of the Bric countries in Brasília, centered on economic and financial questions, left outside the debate the climate crisis. “This meeting could have been an opportunity for the leaders of the Bric countries which, according to the IMF, were responsible for 46, 3% of world growth in the last two years, to discuss ways of generating development while, at the same time, avoiding, climate catastrophe”, said João Talocchi, Greenpeace climate campaigner in Brazil.

“The commitment of these countries with a green economy that takes into account the protection of trees and the building of a clean matrix of energy generation, is crucial to keep the rise in temperatures below the 2º degree centigrades over the nest decades”, continued Talocchi. Unfortunately, the behaviour of the Bric countries and South Africa, which came to Brasília to hold parallel discussions with the leaders of Brazil and India, has been erratic at best. The Brazilian case is a good example.

The destruction of forests, primarily in the Amazon, is the main source o Brazil’s CO2 emissions. Lula says he wants to reduce deforestation. His government, however, does not take any action to stop the blitzkrieg rural interests are leading in Congress,  against Brazilian laws of environmental protection. Lula also insists upon building the Belo Monte dam, which will cause one of the largest forest clearings in the Amazon – 50. 00 hectars – this year. “The protection of forests is vital for biodiversity and for the creation of a sustainable development model”, said Rafael Cruz, from Greenpeace’s Amazon Campaign.

The Brazilian government also seems to be uncapable of solving its dilemas in energy generation. It supports the new Renewables Bill that is moving in Congress, but at the same time invests in dirty energy generation and markets the notion that the future of the country lies in its newly found oil reserves. The growing dependency of the emerging economies on oil and coal to generate energy will create a sort of ephemeral development because of its lack of sustainability.

“Given the global weight of their economies today, which gives them the ability to lead and influence the rest of the world, their commitment to clean energy sources such as solar and wind, could provoke a virtuous revolution worldwide”, insists Talocchi. “More than reducing emissions, these technologies will stimulate the creation of jobs and energy distribution, contributing to improve the quality of life around the planet”.