Conundrum
By Madeline
This conundrum of how to incentivize Brazil to keep one of the largest carbon sinks undeveloped and to take on the cost of minimizing carbon for the rest of the world, is one that I am looking forward to diving into deeply.
Having never traveled to Brazil before, I initially thought I would drive around the country to get a full picture of the different areas. Then, I quickly realized the vast size of the country. Once I began to dig in to the different areas and things the country has to offer, I felt foolish thinking I could see it all in a week. Learning about each of the different cultures of the five regions, and within that the many different states was eye opening. The south region seems to have a strong European influence, while the southeast region is more metropolitan and brings in much of the country’s GDP. The Midwest region is mostly desert and, contrary, the north and northeast regions are tropical and lush.
This lush Amazon region is what interested me in Brazil in the first place. In taking many environmental sustainability and social impact classes, we learn a lot about the effects of carbon on our environment, health, and community. The costs of increased levels of carbon in our atmosphere is one of the most important issues facing the world today. In addition to the cost, who must pay to mitigate these societal costs. We talk a lot about how corporations should pay in the form of a carbon tax or should be responsible for their carbon output. However, something which we studied in one of my classes was the idea that we can also “open the drain” rather than simply “turning off the spout” of carbon. This happens through carbon sinks in our environment. The ocean is one of the largest sinks. Another one of the largest carbon sinks on our planet is the Amazon forest. However, the Amazon also takes up a large amount of land and space in Brazil that could be monetized and developed. This conundrum of how to incentivize Brazil to keep one of the largest carbon sinks undeveloped and to take on the cost of minimizing carbon for the rest of the world, is one that I am looking forward to diving into deeply.
Aside from the environmental aspect, I am thrilled to be learning from and helping a financial firm in Brazil to discover the differences between our business practices. Thus far in the project, there are so many similarities between what is important to clients and the technical aspects of the field. In addition, it is so interesting to see the differences of culture in the workplace, and I very much look forward to going to our client and see it in person.
Finally, I am very excited to see the neighborhoods of Rio and be immersed in the culture and history of the country; to see the bruises as well as the beauty. I am looking forward to exploring the city through an academic lens so that I can get an inside look that I wouldn’t get as a tourist in the country.