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The article discusses challenges to the environmental policies of the administration of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Topics explored include the relationship of Lula with the Brazilian Congress which tend to affect his environmental plans, the political influence maintained by the agribusiness lobby, and the failure of state-owned petroleum company Petrobras to obtain an offshore oil exploration.

The article examines efforts in Brazil to prevent the deforestation of rain forests in the Amazon River region of the country. Environmental policies and laws enacted by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva following his election in 2003 are discussed. The use of information generated from artificial satellites to measure deforestation is discussed. Improved ranching methods reducing the need for deforestation are examined.

Describes how on March 21, ten weeks before Rio de Janeiro plays host to a huge United Nations conference on the environment, and with crucial negotiations on its preparation under way in New York, President Fernando Collor of Brazil sacked his environment secretary, Jose Lutzenberger. Collor decided that the damage to Brazil in the United Nations conference would be worse if the erratic minister stayed on.

Examines legislation pending in Brazil that would curb environmental abuse. The fragility of the Amazon rainforest; Profit sources of logging, mining, and large-scale agriculture in Brazil; Efforts at environmental protection by President Fernando Henrique Cardoso; Legislation as of January 1998; Figures for deforestation and other statistics; Ibama, the government's environmental agency; Forecasts concerning enforcement of legislation.

Argues that to those environmentalists who yearn to see renewable energy replace fossil fuels like coal and oil, Brazil should be a paragon. How half of its cars run on ethanol; Why most of its electricity is generated by hydro power; Cost of building hydroelectric plants; More.

Discusses the problem of air pollution in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Percentage of workers that drive to work in their own cars; Amount spent by the state government to clear up urban pollution; Problems concerning water quality; Spreading of a specially-developed gelatin over denuded hills to fix and nourish tree seeds; United Nations Environmental Program's citing of Cubatao as an example to industrial polluters; Industries' installation of filters and reduction of their output of dust and gas.