brazil: awareness-raising tools show how coal fuels climate change
Although the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions in Brazil are deforestation and forest burning, emissions from burning coal present a growing threat. Brazil has significant coal reserves and it is likely these will be used for power generation, unless there are new public measures to prevent this.
The goal of this project is to raise awareness about new coal-fired power plants, and their connection to the fast-rising concentrations of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere which lead to climate change.
what happened: Friends of the Earth Brazil’s goal to publish a booklet about coal and climate change was fulfilled. This visually appealing booklet will quickly and efficiently inform the public about coal and the greenhouse effect. They hope that decision makers will be convinced to take a stand against the installation of new coal-fired power plants.
Furthermore, the team work required at FoE Brazil to create the booklet fostered better understanding amongst staff about coal and climate change. They hope that Friends of the Earth member groups, along with Brazilian NGOs and citizens, will be able to learn about the problem through the booklet.
what we learned: The biggest challenges were implementing the project in just two months, within an extremely limited budget. However, efforts made on behalf of FoE Brazil staff to overcome these obstacles made the booklet possible. Research was also important, to ensure we had consistent data from reliable sources. Another challenge was presentation; “... despite the seriousness of the topic, it was necessary to have a layout which would capture the readers´ interest,” said Kathia Vasconcellos Monteiro of FoE Brazil.
what next: FoE Brazil will distribute the booklet to decision makers and opinion leaders including congressmen, journalists, professors and professionals.
with thanks to our funders: the sigrid rausing trust
