The state of Sao Paulo is the major industrial powerhouse of the Brazilian economy and has about one-fifth of the country's population. The city of the same name, is not only the largest city in Brazil, it's the most populous in the Southern Hemisphere.
So it was a big deal today when both the governor and the mayor (respectively) joined our call for zero Amazon deforestation within seven years.
[ Photo: Governor José Serra paints the outline of a tree trunk on the floor of our truck. ]
Today's ceremony took place on a truck that was going carry the charred remains of the tree that we took from land that had been illegally cleared and burnt and intented to tour around in Brazil. The idea is to bring the reality of the Amazon to the people using the wood.
Great to see such political heavy weights these two taking a stand for the Amazon. Sao Paulo state is the largest Brazilian consumer of Amazon timber - so the policies these guys are enforcing have a direct impact. Today the governor announced that more than 300 tons of illegal Amazon timber has already been sized.