WHesterN Hemisphere
Annette Hester's Blog
There are times when even time stands still
Summary:Last Thursday, while I was driving past the Brazilian embassy in Washington, DC, I noticed that the flag was at half mast. A phone call later and I found out what had happened. My heart sank to hear the news of the passing of Ruth Cardoso, the accomplished anthropologist, scholar extraordinaire, and wife of Brazil’s former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso. She was an amazing person – warm, reserved, dignified, intelligent, and articulate. Someone I much admired , someone who I thought showed the world the other side of Brazilian women.
The news took me back to
the last time I saw her – six years ago – to a time of
beginnings and much hope for me. The event was the World Petroleum
Congress (WPC) that took place in Rio, Brazil in 2002.
Actually, it all started
two years earlier,when in Calgary hosted the WPC in 2000. Given
that Brazil would host the next WPC, the Brazilian contingent came
en masse. My previous contacts with Petrobras and the energy world
in Brazil landed me an “in” with the group and an
informal position of [...]
It’s all a matter of perspective......
Summary:Yesterday I landed in São Paulo, and then in Rio, for ten days of energy talks, food vs. fuel, biofuels, and all that jazz, plus a bit of time with family and friends. Not long after touching the ground and breathing the moist air that immediately got rid of my sinus headache, I realized that our response to the world around us, be it our physical surroundings or emotional and intellectual inputs, is so dependent on our perspective….
The visit to Brazil had come as a pleasant surprise – an invitation by the Brazilian Association of Ethanol Producers (Unica) and APEX, the Brazilian government’s export development agency, for me to participate in a press tour and conference on ethanol and biofuels, including a field visit.
The timing was excellent, as I had just been commissioned by a publication in Canada to produce an article on Brazilian energy. All I needed to do (and I did) was to secure some interviews with people involved with [...]What do Lula and Obama have in Common?
Summary:Last Friday, May 23rd, both Lula and Obama announced new initiatives. It would be great if they were looking at a common future…. But unfortunately, that was not the case. While Obama put out a new vision for the U.S. in the Americas, feet on the ground, Lula showed his customary propensity to engage in fairy tale diplomacy.
On Friday presidents and
representatives of South America’s 12 countries got together
in Brasilia to sign a treaty creating the “União das Nações
Sul Americanas” (Unasul in Portuguese or Unasur in Spansh).
The aim is to deepen regional integration, by political, economic
and social regional coordination. The objectives include specific
actions in the energy, telecommunications, and financial sectors.
Moreover, discussions include the creation of a South American
Defence Council, something [...]
The quiet driver behind the food versus fuel debate
Summary:Think about energy security as a driver...and then the picture is seen from a very different perspective...check it out!
The dramatic rise in food prices of the last few months has made
headlines around the globe. The situation is dire and an easier
equilibrium is not likely to emerge in the short run. It appears
that the best governments can do is manage the crisis to ensure
riots and hoarding don’t became the norm. Meanwhile, the
United Nations World Food Program, the multilateral agency that
delivers a significant portion of the world’s food aid, has
pleaded for an extra $500 million to address this precarious
situation. [...]
A SUSTAINABLE BIOFUELS CONSENSUS
Summary:20 world specialists on biofuels, particularly the issue of trade in biofuels, got together in Bellagio, Italy for a discussion. What came out of it is the following document.
Understanding the many drivers for
sustainable trade, consumption and production of biofuels, and the
comparative advantage of supplying regions combined with demand and
technology from consuming regions.
Hosted by the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center
Bellagio, Italy, 24-28 March 2008
Declaration
Our vision is of a landscape that provides food, fodder, fiber, and energy, that offers opportunities for rural development; that diversifies energy supply restores ecosystems, protects biodiversity, [...]
Hosted by the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center
Bellagio, Italy, 24-28 March 2008
Declaration
Our vision is of a landscape that provides food, fodder, fiber, and energy, that offers opportunities for rural development; that diversifies energy supply restores ecosystems, protects biodiversity, [...]
