G8 news

Choking the world

More than 10,000 square miles, an area the size of Belgium, of the Brazilian rainforest was cut down last year to feed the demands for soya bean from Europe and China. 'The lungs of the world' are being destroyed for cattle feed and to enrich the millionaire farmer and governor of Mato Grosso, Blairo Maggi, and giant US grains business, Cargill.

The Brazilian president, Luis Inacio "Lula" da Silva, was elected in 2002 as a champion of the environment but now he is in power he has failed to challenge big business, the multi-nationals and the neo-liberal policies of the imperialist institutions, the IMF and the World Bank.