❑ TRADUÇÃO DO TEXTO:
Britain, Norway and the United States join
forces with businesses to protect
tropical forests.
(O Reino Unido, a Noruega e os Estados Unidos unem esforços com as empresas para proteger as florestas tropicais.)
Britain, Norway and the United States
said Thursday they would join forces with some
of the world’s biggest companies in an effort to
rally more than $1 billion for countries that can
show they are lowering emissions by protecting
tropical forests. The goal is to make intact
forests more economically valuable than they
would be if the land were cleared for timber and
agriculture.
(A Grã-Bretanha, a Noruega e os Estados Unidos disseram na quinta-feira que iriam unir forças com algumas das maiores empresas do mundo num esforço para angariar mais de mil milhões de dólares para os países que consigam demonstrar que estão a reduzir as emissões através da proteção das florestas tropicais. O objetivo é tornar as florestas intactas mais valiosas do ponto de vista económico do que seriam se a terra fosse desbravada para a exploração da madeira e da agricultura.)
The initiative comes as the world loses
acre after acre of forests to feed global demand
for soy, palm oil, timber and cattle. Those
forests, from Brazil to Indonesia, are essential
to limiting the linked crises of climate change
and a global biodiversity collapse. They are also
home to Indigenous and other forest
communities. Amazon, Nestlé, Unilever,
GlaxoSmithKline and Salesforce are among the
companies promising money for the new
initiative, known as the LEAF Coalition.
(A iniciativa surge numa altura em que o mundo perde hectare após hectare de florestas para alimentar a procura global de soja, óleo de palma, madeira e gado. Estas florestas, do Brasil à Indonésia, são essenciais para limitar as crises associadas às alterações climáticas e ao colapso da biodiversidade global. Nelas vivem também comunidades indígenas e outras comunidades florestais. A Amazon, a Nestlé, a Unilever, a GlaxoSmithKline e a Salesforce estão entre as empresas que prometeram dinheiro para a nova iniciativa, conhecida como LEAF Coalition.)
Last year, despite the global downturn
triggered by the pandemic, tropical
deforestation was up 12 percent from 2019,
collectively wiping out an area about the size of
Switzerland. That destruction released about
twice as much carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere as cars in the United States emit
annually.
(No ano passado, apesar da recessão global desencadeada pela pandemia, a desflorestação tropical aumentou 12% em relação a 2019, destruindo coletivamente uma área do tamanho da Suíça. Essa destruição libertou na atmosfera cerca de duas vezes mais dióxido de carbono do que os carros nos Estados Unidos emitem anualmente.)
“The LEAF Coalition is a
groundbreaking example of the scale and type
of collaboration that is needed to fight the
climate crisis and achieve net-zero emissions
globally by 2050,” John Kerry, President Biden’s
senior climate envoy, said in a statement.
“Bringing together government and privatesector resources is a necessary step in
supporting the large-scale efforts that must be
mobilized to halt deforestation and begin to
restore tropical and subtropical forests.”
("A Coalizão LEAF é um exemplo inovador da escala e do tipo de colaboração necessários para combater a crise climática e atingir emissões líquidas zero globalmente até 2050", disse John Kerry, enviado sênior do presidente Biden para o clima, em um comunicado. "Reunir recursos governamentais e do sector privado é um passo necessário para apoiar os esforços em grande escala que devem ser mobilizados para travar a desflorestação e começar a restaurar as florestas tropicais e subtropicais.")
An existing global effort called REDD+
has struggled to attract sufficient investment
and gotten mired in bureaucratic slowdowns.
This initiative builds on it, bringing private
capital to the table at the country or state level.
Until now, companies have invested in forests
more informally, sometimes supporting
questionable projects that prompted accusations
of corruption and “greenwashing,” when a
company or brand portrays itself as an
environmental steward but its true actions don’t
support the claim.
(Um esforço global existente, denominado REDD+, tem tido dificuldade em atrair investimentos suficientes e ficou atolado em atrasos burocráticos. Esta iniciativa baseia-se nela, trazendo o capital privado para a mesa de negociações a nível nacional ou estatal. Até agora, as empresas investiram nas florestas de forma mais informal, por vezes apoiando projetos questionáveis que suscitaram acusações de corrupção e de "lavagem verde", quando uma empresa ou marca se apresenta como uma protetora do ambiente, mas as suas acções reais não apoiam essa afirmação.)
The new initiative will use satellite
imagery to verify results across wide areas to
guard against those problems. Monitoring entire
jurisdictions would, in theory, prevent
governments from saving forestland in one
place only to let it be cut down elsewhere.
(A nova iniciativa utilizará imagens de satélite para verificar os resultados em amplas áreas para se proteger contra esses problemas. O controlo de jurisdições inteiras impediria, em teoria, que os governos salvassem as terras florestais num só lugar para permitir que fossem cortadas noutro local.)
Under the plan, countries, states or
provinces with tropical forests would commit to
reducing deforestation and degradation. Each
year or two, they would submit their results,
calculating the number of tons of carbon dioxide
reduced by their efforts. An independent
monitor would verify their claims using satellite
images and other measures. Companies and
governments would contribute to a pool of
money that would pay the national or regional
government at least $10 per ton of reduced
carbon dioxide.
(De acordo com o plano, os países, estados ou províncias com florestas tropicais comprometer-se-iam a reduzir a desflorestação e a degradação. A cada um ou dois anos, apresentariam os seus resultados, calculando o número de toneladas de dióxido de carbono reduzidas pelos seus esforços. Um monitor independente verificaria as suas declarações utilizando imagens de satélite e outras medidas. As empresas e os governos contribuiriam para uma reserva de dinheiro que pagaria ao governo nacional ou regional pelo menos 10 dólares por tonelada de dióxido de carbono reduzida.)
Companies will not be allowed to
participate unless they have a scientifically
sound plan to reach net zero emissions,
according to Nigel Purvis, the chief executive of
Climate Advisers, a group affiliated with the
initiative. “Their number one obligation to the
world from a climate standpoint is to reduce
their own emissions across their supply chains,
across their products, everything,” Mr. Purvis
said. He also emphasized that the coalition’s
plans would respect the rights of Indigenous and
forest communities.
(As empresas só serão autorizadas a participar se tiverem um plano cientificamente sólido para atingir emissões líquidas nulas, segundo Nigel Purvis, diretor executivo da Climate Advisers, um grupo associado à iniciativa. "A sua obrigação número um para com o mundo, do ponto de vista climático, é reduzir as suas próprias emissões nas suas cadeias de abastecimento, nos seus produtos, em tudo", afirmou Purvis. Ele também enfatizou que os planos da coligação respeitariam os direitos das comunidades indígenas e florestais.)
From: www.nytimes.com/April 22, 2021
❑ QUESTIONÁRIO:
01 – (UECE-2021/1-VESTIBULAR-1ª FASE-LÍNGUA INGLESA)
According to the text, tropical forests are being
cut down, among other reasons, for
A) soy plantations and all sorts of mining.
B) cattle farms and gold mining.
C) the use of timber and agricultural activities.
D) gold mining and coal production.
02 – (UECE-2021/1-VESTIBULAR-1ª FASE-LÍNGUA INGLESA)
The initiative effort of countries and companies
to protect tropical forests is in line with the attempt to
A) explore the full potential of productive soil.
B) make indigenous people move from such areas.
C) expand the use of forest areas as touristic sites.
D) restrain the global ruin of biodiversity.
03 – (UECE-2021/1-VESTIBULAR-1ª FASE-LÍNGUA INGLESA)
According to John Kerry, the LEAF coalition
constitutes an essential endeavor towards the
A) restoration of tropical and subtropical forests.
B) development of housing projects for indigenous
peoples.
C) funding of organizations claiming to be
sustainable.
D) cleaning of extremely polluted rivers.
04 – (UECE-2021/1-VESTIBULAR-1ª FASE-LÍNGUA INGLESA)
Statistics related to deforestation in tropical
forests show that in 2020 it
A) was reduced in relation to the previous two
years.
B) increased in relation to the previous year.
C) declined significantly because of the pandemic.
D) was exactly the same as 2019.
05 – (UECE-2021/1-VESTIBULAR-1ª FASE-LÍNGUA INGLESA)
The text mentions situations in which
sometimes companies have tried to fund projects in
defense of tropical forests, but were prey to
circumstances related to
A) greenhousing.
B) greenbuilding.
C) greenwashing.
D) greenliving.
06 – (UECE-2021/1-VESTIBULAR-1ª FASE-LÍNGUA INGLESA)
Countries that will benefit from the investments
of the LEAF coalition, will have to
A) submit reports showing the reduction of carbon
dioxide emissions.
B) take part in international conferences related to
environmental issues.
C) approve new laws dealing with the preservation
of nature.
D) criminalize forest fires at all costs.
07 – (UECE-2021/1-VESTIBULAR-1ª FASE-LÍNGUA INGLESA)
Still about the countries which will receive
financial support from the coalition to reduce
emissions and deforestation, the text mentions that
they will
A) be severely punished in case of corruption
schemes.
B) have to sign an agreement in accordance with
international laws.
C) take part in a sort of competition with other
countries involved in the funding.
D) be monitored through satellite imagery of
forestland.
08 – (UECE-2021/1-VESTIBULAR-1ª FASE-LÍNGUA INGLESA)
As for the companies which will be part of the
LEAF coalition, they must have the commitment to
A) get together to issue a statement in case of
forest fires, for example.
B) reduce emissions in their own chains and
products.
C) negotiate only with companies which follow the
same rules.
D) participate in educational programs related to
climate change.
