As a Brazilian, it
saddens me to see so much bad press around my country now that the
Olympics Games are happening. Two years ago, during the World Cup, it
was a great conversation starter. People would ask if I was excited
about it, and if I was going to the stadium to watch the teams play.
Now, when someone wants to talk to me about my country, they ask me if I
am glad that I am not there for the Games.
Performance
around climate change during Rio Olympic Games opening ceremony.
Credit: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil/Wikimedia Commons
There is such a complex mix
of political, social and economic issues happening in Brazil right now,
it is hard to know where to start. Should I mention the president’s impeachment?
What about the corruption scandal involving so many Brazilian
politicians right now? And don’t get me started on the Zika virus.
I’ve lost count of how many articles I’ve seen talking about the water pollution in
Rio and concerns for the health of the athletes and tourists. Even
though I knew deep down that Brazil was not going to be able to meet the
world’s expectations — or my own — before the Olympics started, I
really hoped that they would somehow figure it out. Unfortunately, that
did not happen.
Don’t get me wrong, amongst so much bad media, there is still good news. Brazil just celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Soy Moratorium,
an agreement that helps protect the Amazon from deforestation for soy
farming. And I cannot forget to mention the huge news that the license
for building a mega-dam in the heart of the Amazon was cancelled just last week. But there is always more to be done.
Brazil may have missed the
opportunity to have the sustainable event it planned, but the silver
lining is that in this international spotlight, Brazil’s leaders can
make the right choices for the environment. There are still other
hydroelectric dam projects in the Amazon that should be cancelled.
Brazil’s focus needs to be on clean energy options like solar and wind
instead — energy sources that protect Brazil’s biodiverse ecosystems and
the climate.
Maracanã Stadium lit up with fireworks during Rio Olympic Games opening ceremony. Credit: Getty Images/Clive Brunskill
Watching the opening
ceremony, I was glad to see that at least one opportunity was not
missed: bringing climate change front and center. Two powerful messages
were delivered during the event. The first was a video about global
warming. Seeing Amsterdam, Rio, Florida and so many other places around
the world being flooded due to the rise of sea level gave me chills.
These are the real consequences if the whole world does not commit to
fight against climate change. The second message announced that more
than 11,000 trees will be planted in Rio, representing each Olympic
athlete.
This part of the opening
ceremony was just a symbolic act, but I hope that both messages serve as
a wake up call for everyone who watched it — and that the sense of
togetherness it provided can make people feel that it is possible to
make a difference, even through small acts like planting a tree. The
fight against climate change is everyone’s fight. Even some Olympic athletes are recognizing the role they can play.
The whole ceremony was amazingly
beautiful, inclusive and exceeded my expectations. It made me feel proud
of being Brazilian, because it showed the whole world our culture,
history and diversity. And it reminded us all that, if we are capable of
joining forces to celebrate Olympic Games together, we can make the
world a better place as well.
Diego Gonzaga is Americas Communication Hub Intern at Greenpeace USA.
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