"‘Outrage and heartbreak’ after murder of journalist, Indigenous activist in the Amazon" PBS NewsHour 6/16/2022
Excerpt
SUMMARY: The desperate search for an Indigenous rights advocate and renowned journalist in a remote area of the Amazon in Brazil has apparently come to a grim conclusion. Bruno Pereira and Dom Phillips disappeared 10 days ago, and now there are murder suspects in custody. Stephanie Sy reports, and speaks to journalist Andrew Downie to discuss.
SUMMARY: The Amazon is the world’s largest rainforest and a critical line of defense against climate change. But it’s been steadily deforested since the 1970s, with nearly 20 percent of its land area wiped out. This year, pervasive forest fires destroyed vast expanses of rainforest, and Brazil’s growing agribusiness is poised to transform more into farmland. Amna Nawaz reports from Mato Grosso, Brazil.
SUMMARY: The Amazon's raging fires are leaving some Brazilian children unable to breathe. Heavy levels of smoke in the air are harmful to anyone but especially dangerous for babies and those with underlying respiratory issues like asthma. Despite the health risks, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro rejected $22 million in foreign aid to fight the fires. Emma Murphy of Independent Television News reports.
SUMMARY: In the Amazon rainforest, historic levels of deforestation and fire have prompted global outcry. But what’s driving the devastation? Amna Nawaz and producer Mike Fritz traveled to Brazil to better understand both the physical and political dynamics at play. The series' first report focuses on the influence of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, an advocate for logging and developing the Amazon.
SUMMARY: In Brazil's Maranhao State, indigenous groups are battling a powerful logging mafia to protect the region's remaining and fragile Amazon rainforest. After years of decline, deforestation is again on the rise, threatening a terrifying climate change tipping point. Special correspondent Sam Eaton reports with support from the Pulitzer Center, in collaboration with The Nation, and PRI’s The World.
SUMMARY: In our NewsHour Shares moment of the day, feast your eyes on the Ostro Stone, 9,381 carats of glittering topaz. The largest known stone of its kind, the Ostro will be on view to the public for the first time ever, at London’s Natural History Museum. Discovered in 1986 in the Amazon rainforest, the stone has been stowed away for three decades, until now.
