06.10.

2019 News Essay

Name: Emma Lengel

President Jair Bolsonaro has insisted that the Brazilian areas of the Amazon rainforest are
sovereign territory.

Conservationists blame Mr Bolsonaro and his government for turning a blind eye to farmers and
loggers clearing land in the Amazon, hastening deforestation.

But in an address at the United Nations in New York, he struck a defiant note.

He said it was a "fallacy" to describe the Amazon as the heritage of humanity and a "misconception"
that its forests were the lungs of the world.
Brazil - home to more than half the Amazon rainforest - has seen a significant rise in the number of
fires in 2019, according to US space agency Nasa and others.

Environmentalists say the far-right Mr Bolsonaro's policies have led to an increase in fires this year,
and that he has encouraged cattle farmers and loggers to clear large areas of the rainforest since his
election last October.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Mr Bolsonaro criticised what he described as sensational

"Using and resorting to these fallacies, certain countries, instead of helping ... behaved in a
disrespectful manner and with a colonialist spirit," he said.

"They even called into question that which we hold as a most sacred value, our sovereignty."

Mr Bolsonaro was speaking the day after an impassioned speech from teenage Swedish climate
campaigner Greta Thunberg, who accused world leaders of betraying young people in favour of what
she described as "fairy tales of eternal economic growth".

The Brazilian president defended his government's treatment of indigenous people, saying many
backed his policies.

"Some people both inside and outside Brazil... have insisted on treating and keeping our Indians as
though they were real cave men," he said.

More than 800,000 indigenous people live in 450 demarcated indigenous territories across Brazil,
about 12% of Brazil's total territory. Most are located in the Amazon region and some groups still
live completely isolated and without outside contact.

President Bolsonaro, who took office in January, has repeatedly questioned whether these
demarcated territories - which are enshrined in Brazil's constitution - should continue to exist,
arguing that their size is disproportionate to the number of indigenous people living there.

His plans to open up these territories for mining, logging and agriculture are controversial.

Mr Bolsonaro's visit to New York has sparked several protests by environmentalists.

He has drawn intense domestic and international criticism for failing to protect the Amazon region, a
vital carbon store that slows the pace of global warming.
“Green Political Theory can be seen as an attempt to bring humanity and the study of
human society down to earth”. (Barry, 2014) – Green IR

Green theory offers an ecocentric approach to IR. Ecocentrism criticizes anthropocentric Formatted: Highlight

world views because they view the environment as a resource. Eco centrists stress the
importance of healthy ecosystems and viewing humanity as part of nature rather than
separate from it. Mainstream theories such as realism or liberalism are anthropocentric Formatted: Highlight

theories, as the concepts they give most importance to are centered around human
interaction. Environmental issues are not addressed within concepts such as security,
economy or state. Green theory is a critical theory which criticizes the analyses realists and
liberals have to offer concerning these concepts. Since green theory, in contrast to realism, is
a normative theory it uses human-wellbeing and ecosystem integrity as an ethical and
analytical reference (Dunne, Kurki, & Smith, 2013).
The anthropocentric world view, green theorists argue, leads to a lack of questioning
human progress. As the world we live in today is becoming increasingly interconnected and Formatted: Highlight

globalized, it seems evident that progress and development is humanity’s priority. This
reification of economic growth detaches us humans from our environment, which we heavily
depend on. In contrast to realist theories, green theorists argue that environmental issues
transcend national borders as they are first and foremost a consequence of the globalization
of capitalism rather than the rivalry between nations. They claim that globalized capitalism
also leads to environmental injustice. More developed regions or states do not typically suffer
the consequences of climate change as severely as underdeveloped regions in the world, thus Formatted: Highlight

further perpetuating the wealth inequalities between the global north and south (Dunne,
Kurki, & Smith, 2013).
Green theorists argue that states are not capable of solving environmental issues. This Formatted: Highlight

is due to two assumptions. Firstly, as states are more concerned with relative rather than Commented [BE1]: How is this issue visible in your news
item?
absolute gains, a state is much more inclined to deal with domestic environmental issues than
Formatted: Highlight
with environmental problems occurring in the commons. Secondly, short-term economic
benefits are prioritized, which leads states to willingly destroy their environment by using Formatted: Highlight

natural resources. There are, however, strands of green theory which acknowledge that the
states’ legitimacy, resources and regional control is likely more able to enforce environmental
rules, as is shown by the fact that the state can make environmental agreements (Dyer, 2018).
 As a normative theory, green theory suggests taking action at a domestic level. This Formatted: Highlight

implies getting rid of the economic, social and political pillars of the existing global economy.
Green theory argues that extensive global trade is a main cause of not only the crumbling Formatted: Highlight

independence of nations and economic security but also the ecological problems our earth is
facing because ecology is only viewed as a resource (Dyer,2018).

Amazon Rainforest
The news article I have chosen deals with the forest fires in the Amazon. President Bolsonaro
is being accused of “turning a blind eye to the farmers and loggers clearing the land” (“Amazon
rainforest belongs to Brazil”, 2019). The Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world and is
one of the most important carbon reservoirs, but due to deforestation, which has made the
Amazon vulnerable to forest fires, there are around 76,000 forest fires currently burning
across the Amazon rainforest. In July alone over 7200 square miles (18647,91km2 ) of the
Amazon burned; Spatially that is roughly the equivalent of the entire State of New Jersey
burning (Borunda, 2019). Due to the desire of economic growth, ignorance of humanity’s Formatted: Highlight

dependence on nature, especially the Amazon rainforest, and states’ greed, the environment
is being neglected. This illustrates the need for a different perspective when it comes to
international relations.
After the Brazilian Government set regulations to curb forest fires in the Amazon in
2006, there was a downward trend in fires per year. However, the new administration has
been encouraging deforestation and agricultural development, which has caused an 80%
increase in forest fires since last year. Bolsonaro seems to prioritize economic growth and
disregards the environmental consequences. Bolsonaro argues that humanity’s dependence
on the Amazon rainforest is a misconception (“Amazon rainforest belongs to Brazil”, 2019).
Green theorists, having an ecocentric world view, would argue that we are not only most
definitely dependent on the environment, but we are a part of it, which is why it is so
important to protect the Amazon.
Additionally, the forest fires demonstrate how globalized capitalism leads to Formatted: Highlight

environmental injustice. While international companies depend on the Amazon for the Formatted: Highlight

production of goods and benefit from the consequent economic growth, indigenous tribes, Formatted: Highlight

wild-life and natives to the land are the ones suffering from the negative consequences, in this
case fires and smoke. The newspaper article states that over 800,000 indigenous people live
on about a 12th of Brazilian territory. Bolsonaro opposes the protection of these tribes and the
areas that are constitutionally designated for them to live on, as he believes the territory is
disproportionate to the amount of indigenous people that live there (“Amazon rainforest
belongs to Brazil”, 2019). Removing the demarcations would likely lead to more economic
growth at the expense of further deforestation, causing harm to indigenous tribes and wild-
life. This illustrates the failure of the state to take action against environmental degradation,
which is why green theorists argue for a different approach, for example decentralization Commented [BE2]: Very good essay, Good understanding
of the theory and nice application. Grade: 9,0
and/or the promotion of global political structures that can enforce environmental regulations
transnationally.

Bibliography
Dunne, T., Kurki, M., & Smith, S. (Eds.). (2013). International relations theories. Oxford
University Press.
Dyer, H. (2018, January 7). Introducing Green Theory in International Relations. Retrieved
October 4, 2019, from
https://www.e-ir.info/2018/01/07/green-theory-in-international-relations/.

Articles
Amazon rainforest belongs to Brazil, says Jair Bolsonaro. (2019, September 24). BBC.
Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-49815731
Borunda, A. (2019, August 29). See how much of the Amazon is burning, how it compares to
other years. National Geographic. Retrieved from
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/08/amazon-fires-cause-
deforestation-graphic-map/