Amazonia

Environmental impacts of gold mining:

​Many significant impacts are related to water resources. The release of mercury,
oils and greases into watercourses; the removal of river banks and slopes; the
removal of layers from the river beds causes chemical pollution of the amalgam,
triggering the dispersion of mercury into the atmosphere are the ​most worrying
problems​. Absorption of mercury, ​either through ingestion of contaminated fish or
through inhalation, causes ​a lot of serious damage to the human nervous system.
The removal of layers from the soil to dig cavas and to the installation of other
activities that subsidize the mining process implies the ​fastly deforestation of ciliary
forest, considered permanent preservation vegetation by the government. The
government has not yet taken ​enough​ ​satisfactory​ measures against the situation.

Biopiracy:

Among the 17 countries that shelter ​most​ of the species on the planet, called by
the United Nations (UN) of megadiverse countries, Brazil is at the top of the list.
There are animals, plants, algae, fungi, protozoa and bacteria that make up this
treasure coveted by ​many​ countries. Because of its environmental and cultural
diversity, lack of ​adequate​ legislative instruments and low investment in
biotechnology research and development, the country is now an easy target for
so-called biopiracy. biopiracy consists ​basically​ of the exploration, manipulation,
export and commercialization of biological resources of a country.

There are a ​few projects that combat biopiracy, the ​most important is the Drake
project that forms police officers to get acquainted with the ins and outs of biopiracy.

Deforestation:

The Amazon Rainforest is ​essential​ to maintain the water cycle in the region. The
density of the rainforest influences the amount of rain recycled and the amount of
water retained in the soil. Reducing the forest reduces its density, which in turn
facilitates the growth of short plants, ​such​ as grass, making the forest ​vulnerable​ to
forest fires. ​Grass has the ability to burn easier than trees​. Once the forest begins to
burn, the place changes, creating a vegetation of cerrado, and ​consequently
changing ​drastically​ the habitat of the animals.

The Amazon rainforest is also ​essential​ for storing ​much​ of the CO2 present on
the planet. Without the forest, ​more gas is emitted into the ozone layer than with it​,
and so the ozone layer becomes impaired.

How can we contribute against it: you ​should not​ buy furniture made in
ecologically protected areas, you ​should​ fight for the rights of Indians to maintain their
land, you ​should​ ask for the FSC seal when buying paper or wood products, because
the seal is given to companies that cut trees ​conscientiously​, and you ​should​ opt for
recycled paper.

Water crisis
Water and energy crises led to the activation of thermoelectric plants. These
plants release ​a lot of amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which
contributes to worsening global warming.

Global warming
According to the UN, the temperature of the planet as a whole has already risen
graduall​y due to global warming - a figure that may be even higher depending on the
location. record temperatures in Brazil recently, as the 36.4ºC recorded in October in
Brasília, is the ​highes​t in 54 years. The global warming affects ​everywhere ​and it’s
one of the ​most worrying​ global problems.
According to NASA analysis, global temperature has increased from four to
seven degrees in a period of five thousand years. However, only over the last century
the increase in thermometers has been ten times faster than these old records​. And
the tendency is to get even worse than nowadays​.
It is estimated that the rate at which temperatures will rise in the next 100 years
should be up to 20 times faster than the historical average​.