大象传媒

The impact of the conflict in Ukraine has reached many parts of the world. Russia and Ukraine export a lot of vital commodities, such as wheat, metals and potash for fertilisers. That is being disrupted by the war, and prices are going up. Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro is trying to fast track new legislation that would allow mining in protected areas, which indigenous communities, particularly in the Amazon, are opposed to.

The 大象传媒's Latin America editor Leonardo Rocha explains that perhaps surprisingly, some of the big mining companies that operate in Brazil such as Rio Tinto have issued statements saying they oppose the proposal to mine in indigenous lands, possibly because they anticipate a backlash if they went ahead, and could run into problems politically given the time the mining operation would take to implement. However, he does have the support of the agri-business legislators so the legislation is likely to go ahead.

Photo: President Jair Bolsonaro, March 31, 2021 Credit: Reuters