Interference by Major Brazilian Soybean Producer Holds up Release of Deforestation Numbers. By Michael Astor, AP, May 27, 2008. "[Brazilian] President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva [yesterday] swore in [the country's] new environment minister [Carlos Minc, who is] the former environment secretary for Rio de Janeiro state and a founder of Brazil's Green Party... President Silva... used the swearing-in speech to lash developed nations for alleged hypocrisy on environmental policy. 'They want to discuss the question of global warming but don't talk about cutting down the forests in their countries. They don't want to talk about reducing consumption because they think that we Brazilians have to do what they don't do,' Silva said... Last week, Minc announced that the government would release numbers on Monday showing Amazon deforestation was on the upswing. [But] that release was postponed reportedly over political infighting between Minc and... Blairo Maggi, who is [governor of the country's largest agricultural state, Mato Grosso, and] a major soybean producer. Soybeans, along with cattle and logging, are one of the main forces driving deforestation in the Amazon. Marcelo Furtado... of Greenpeace's Brazil campaign, said the infighting 'reflects the ambiguity in Lula's government,' referring to the president by his nickname."
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