At its heart, the story of the Brazilian Amazon is about the 21 million people who in some way or another call it home. Everyday from December 7 through 18 - coinciding with the Copenhagen climate change summit – I am introducing you to a new person who lives in the Brazilian Amazon and whom I came across during my most recent reporting trip to the area. This is the eleventh of twelve installments of ‘Faces of the Amazon.’ To read the introductory blog post about this project, click here.
Name: Mauro Cristo
Age: 36
Where from: "A very small community not too far from Itacoatiara, Amazonas,” he said.
Population: “About 300 people, or 25 families,” he says.
“I grew up in a very small village. But I left to study in Manaus. I have never gone back to my community to live, but I have never left the Amazon either. I have lived in Para (state), and now I live in Manaus. But I have lived in other areas as well.”
“I used to work for the Amazonas state secretary of the environment. Then I worked in the Tapajos region for IBAMA (Brazil environmental enforcement) and now I work for the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation helping to manage sustainable forest projects for people.”
“The Amazon is important for three reasons: First, biodiversity. Not only the animals and plants. But also the human beings in this forest. The indigenous people. The other factor, the Amazon is a strategy for controlling climate change in the world. We are the air conditioner of the planet. And third, very important, is the beauty. A different type of beauty that needs to be shown to the world. It’s not only rivers, or forests. It’s about the people. The Amazon for me means life.”
“To all the Presidents in Copenhagen, I would say the following: Don’t think about the world as a little piece that belongs to you. But think about the world as a big house, where each one has a little bit to contribute. And in this contribution sometimes you have to do something that is not the best for you, but best for everyone. When we have a house we don’t organize a room because it’s good for that room, but because we want to make the entire house better. To the Presidents I say, don’t think only about your country, but think about the millions of lives around the world. Reducing carbon emissions is good, but also trying to eliminate the sources of carbon emissions as well. It’s good to keep healthy climate conditions in the world for people that live in planet. Because the planet is our little home.”
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