UF Center for Latin American Studies
Dr. Robert Walker was interviewed by NBC News regarding the fires raging in the Amazon.
August 28, 2019
NBC News interviewed Dr. Robert Walker regarding the international aide offered to Brazil to combat the Amazon fires.
An offer from the world's richest nations to help Brazil stamp out the Amazon fires with $20 million in aid is a goodwill gesture, but it will barely make a dent in preventing further destruction of the rainforest's vast and intricate ecosystem, observers who have studied the region say.
"Twenty-million dollars is a drop in the bucket," said Robert T. Walker, a University of Florida professor who has conducted environmental research in the Amazon for 25 years. "It's absurd to imagine logistically what effect it can have."
Read the full interview: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/why-it-will-take-more-20m-help-brazil-put-out-n1046926
The Conversation published The Amazon is burning: 4 essential reads on Brazil’s vanishing rainforest. In the article, they discuss infrastructure development and deforestation, where they quote Dr. Walker's research on attempted dam projects on the Tapajós River and how this affects the Indigenous Munduruku people.
“The Munduruku have until now successfully slowed down and seemingly halted many efforts to profit off the Tapajós,” writes Robert T. Walker, a University of Florida professor who has conducted environmental research in the Amazon for 25 years. But Bolsonaro’s government is less likely than his predecessors to respect indigenous rights.
Reach the full article: https://theconversation.com/the-amazon-is-burning-4-essential-reads-on-brazils-vanishing-rainforest-122288
Dr. Walker was also part of a Reddit AMA, where he discussed the Amazon fires and answered questions from participants. The AMA can be read here: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/cwlw3u/im_an_environmental_scientist_geographer_and/?sort=top
