INSIGHTS
Brazilian Activist Aline Sousa Calls for More than Words: Action
October 5, 2023, Brazilian Activist and a leader in the Latin American Recycling World presented her ideas for actions at the U.N.’s event in Geneva:
DECLARATION ON DIVERSITY COMPLEMENT THE DDPA?
The side event will ask this pertinent question. It is over twenty years since the Durban Declaration and Plan of Action was passed with great hopes in South Africa in 2001. Some changes have taken place but racism and related discriminations continue.
The hopes placed in the DDPA are alive. States and NGOs are committed to the spirit of DDPA. It needs some further encouragement.
Discrimination occurs for many reasons including people being uncomfortable with diversity. We wonder whether positive actions by States to encourage inclusion and to make diversity a norm will compliment the principles that inform the DDPA.
Speakers
- Jan Lonn, The DDPA and where it stands today.
- Jasdev Rai What a Declaration on Diversity proposes
- Aline Sousa from Brazil. How Brazil has make Diversity inclusive
- Biro Working with Diversity
Aline Sousa Calls for More than words: Action
It is a most exciting time to be alive right now. Think about it for a moment: there’s so much we can do together with all these great nations here if we want to.
With all the crises we must overcome, solving them while preventing new ones requires a different way of thinking:
We must be cooperative, not proprietary, in our thinking and actions.
There has been too much talking and minimal action. To improve the quality of life on this beautiful planet, we must
COOPERATE!
In 2018, brazil, the country with the most prominent black population outside of the continent of Africa AND the most indigenous that survived colonial genocide, elected a white supremacist president. That hadn’t happened since Hitler’s Germany!….
Imagine–a once brutally colonized country that kidnapped and enslaved the most Africans to this new world.
We lived four years of hate, fear, and genocide. Black and brown people displayed the swastica, and some even marched to the nazi goose step.
When the resistance defeated fascism through the next elections, the regime did not want to give up its power.
Brazil was under threat of a violent coup. Our new democratically elected president, who always respected diversity, decided that people’s power would be the only way to establish a peaceful transition. Seven representatives, each leader of their class and position in Civil society, were chosen out of 220 million Brazilians.
Our famous indigenous chief, the disabled, a great teacher and educational advocate, leading woman activists, lgbt, domestic workers, and my category, recyclers.
I, as my mother and father, as their mother and father before them, was born homeless. We grew up in landfills separating trash, some of which we would build shacks, cloth, and sometimes even used to nourish ourselves.
This went on for three generations! One day after another, of the many times that the police would arrive with bulldozers and trucks to destroy the little we had, I decided that one day we could break that cycle of poverty and violence of what was nothing more than ethnic cleansing. Like the untouchables of Índia, we were an eyesore that the then-ruling elite was uncomfortable with.
We began to organize, and today, I’ve been honored with the task of leading one of Latin America’s largest waste cooperatives. My people have real homes and work and are part of what our planet needs for all, including that ruling elite, to survive.
Now, they award us; they depend on our advice for social public inclusion policies. Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined that I would be chosen to represent the seven leaders who helped transform a country infested with hatred and on the verge of civil war into the even stronger democracy we are today.
However, political democracy can not survive without economic democracy. We can not eliminate racism without identifying classism. Also, many talk about diversity today, but what good is diversity when we are dangerously close to decimating our biodiversity?
Many today will talk about cultural racism, but what about environmental racism? Ecological racism or ecological apartheid is a form of institutional racism leading to landfills, incinerators, and hazardous waste disposal disproportionately placed in communities of color.
This I’ve earned the right to claim some expertise with. I lived and studied it, and my life’s mission has been to abolish it.
Now, Even that powerful elite that discriminated against us by demolishing our homes, destroyed our livelihoods, and, in my case, took what I most treasured as a child, the books I would read to dream about myself, my family, and all the many living in extreme and humiliating poverty to escape from.
Today, that same elite is starting to understand that we, once untouchables and invisible people marginalized by society, are vital to the survival of all, not just human society but all species of life on our planet. Now they understand that interconnectedness, Love, and tolerant coexistênce are natural laws.
Our planet will not survive through continued resource extraction. Recycling has now leaped from the dark shadows towards a light for solution. Hence, I must end this speech with an important warning. The world is in the process of transformation from a unipolar to a multipolar one. This is a good thing, but I made the following alert.
We are on the right path, but some suffer as all shifts in world order. And history has taught us that people experiencing poverty are the most vulnerable.
Today, Recycling has become an essential part of a successful transition to a better world. Still, the instrumental changes needed for a revolution, as in de-dollarization, make Recycling impossible. The recent fall of the dólar has animated my people’s wages. For example, within the last few months, we must collect 8 tons of discarded boxes and paper to earn 270 dollars a month!
In these same months, I’ve been invited to speak at events like this the world over; I’ve been awarded many awards, including the environmental and social justice award from the US ambassador to the UN, the very body I’m speaking to today, yet another event, another talk.
With all due respect, I say enough awards, enough talk!
IF recyclers are critical to a sustainable world, I call on the UN to take emergency action to help recyclers survive because, at this moment, this is a category that is about to become extinct. After many years of struggle, the irony is that one of the critical solutions to climate change, meeting sustainable development goals and species survival, is in danger…in this war to save our planet, we need fewer awards and recognitions. We need more comprehension because I must apologize for the repetition, but again, the human diversity we defend here will not even exist without biodiversity.
After decades of plodding and painful progress, Recyclers worldwide need immediate, urgent assistance. I am very sad to say that again, just in the last few months, this critical activity has quickly degenerated back to my grandmother’s generation, an endangered species……thank you for your attention and consideration, and much gratitude to this noble family of nations, may God help us all……
COP must evolve with the times, or go down the abyss of irrelevancy.
COP 30 lands in Belém, a vulnerable Amazon city, Nov 10–21, 2025. The host nation hopes to spotlight deforestation, Indigenous rights, and climate inequity. Brazil plans to launch the Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF)—a proposed $125 billion blended‑finance fund to reward forest conservation.
What’s at risk
- Affordability crisis: Belém has ~18,000 hotel beds for ~45,000 expected attendees. Room rates surged to $700–$2,000/night. Developing nations may be shut out.) Brazil has deployed cruise ships and capped rates for poorer countries—but gaps remain.
- Credibility gap: A new highway cutting through protected rainforest (Avenida Liberdade) contradicts the summit’s conservation message—even though officials deny federal involvement.
- Fossil fuel influence: COP media deal awarded to PR firm Edelman, which also represents Shell—sparking conflict concerns.
Why it may just “kick the can”
- Progress stalled in Bonn: Critical texts—like the Just Transition Work Programme and the Gender Action Plan—are underpowered, with weakening language on Indigenous and gender justice. Negotiations postponed to Belém.
- Ambitious goals, low political will: The annual climate finance scale-up roadmap to $1.3 trillion by 2035 lacks binding commitments. Most countries’ updated NDCs remain underwhelming.
- Logistical chaos: Thousands of civil society, women groups, and youth may be excluded by cost and infrastructure constraints, undermining representation.
Why it still matters
- Location is symbolic: Holding COP in the Amazon aims to humanize climate action, not sanitize it in luxury venues.
- TFFF could deliver: If fully funded by COP or 2026, the forest conservation fund could redefine climate finance.
- Health in focus: A WHO-led Climate & Health conference in Brasília is shaping a Health Action Plan for COP, embedding public health in climate policy.
Bottom line
COP 30 has the potential for impact—but so far, optics risk overshadowing outcomes. High costs, diluted ambition, fossil-fuel influence, and delayed mechanisms could make Belém another kickoff, not a game changer. Unless financial pledges and rights-centered action materialize, COP 30 may merely defer real climate solutions to the next summit.
As people in America–and worldwide–are rethinking their residencies, Brazil offers a unique opportunity.
Why it matters
Brazil’s investor visa (VIPER), launched in 2018 and expanded in 2025, offers straight to permanent residency, family inclusion, and a path to citizenship in ~4 years. Designed to attract foreign capital, it’s one of Latin America’s most competitive options.
✅ Pros
- Low investment threshold: BRL 700K (~USD 140K) in the North/Northeast; BRL 1 M (~USD 200K) in other regions.
- Fast processing: Approval typically in 3–6 months.
- Minimal stay requirement: Spend just ~14 days every 2 years in Brazil to maintain residency.(
- Path to citizenship: Apply after 4 years of residency; dual nationality allowed.
- Family included: Spouse and dependents can join under the same investment.
- Access to MERCOSUR: Freedom to live/work across South America and access public services locally.
❌ Cons & caveats
- Capital-intensive: Though cheaper than many EU programs, still requires upfront investment.
- Low liquidity: Must hold qualifying property or business for residency status.
- Complex documentation: Must transfer funds through formal Brazilian banks; property deed must be fully registered.
- Tax implications: Residents become Brazilian tax-liable; must file global income.
- Risk & bureaucracy: Mistakes in property purchase or application can lead to denial.
⚙️ How it works
- Choose investment route:
- Real estate: BRL 1M (~USD 200K), or BRL 700K in North/Northeast.
- Business investment: As low as BRL 150K (~USD 30K) if it creates jobs or invests in tech.
- Acquire property or company with clean title in urban region.
- Transfer funds via central‑bank‑approved channels.
- Apply via MigrantWeb and attend a brief visit (~30 days in-country).
- Receive temp residency (2–4 years), then upgrade to permanent if holding the investment.
- Citizenship after residency plus Portuguese proficiency and clean record.
Real-world impact
- Stimulates foreign investment into Brazilian real estate and startups.
- Helps diversify global mobility: Dual citizens gain visa-free access to ~171 countries.
- Competitive edge: Lower thresholds than Spain, Portugal, and others, with faster timelines and better climate
Who should consider it
- Remote workers or retirees seeking affordable residency in Latin America
- Investors looking for second passports or access to Mercosur markets
- Entrepreneurs or families seeking global mobility and alternate residency options
Bottom line
Brazil’s Golden Visa isn’t just another residency-by-investment program—it’s a strategic gateway to permanent residency, citizenship, and regional access, at competitive cost and with minimal residency obligations.
Whether you’re buying property in Recife or launching a startup in São Paulo, Brazil offers a forward-facing bridge for global citizens—without the EU price tag.
America’s public media system is stuck in a time warp — built for a world that no longer exists.
Back then…
When the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) was founded in 1967, there was:
- ❌ No internet
- ❌ No YouTube
- ❌ No MP3s or MP4s
- ❌ No smartphones
- ❌ No TikTok, file sharing, livestreams, or global DIY distribution
NPR, PBS, and local community stations were born in the age of vinyl and rabbit ears — and many still operate like it’s 1975.
The old model
- Broadcast licenses → transmit radio/TV signals
- Federal subsidies + pledge drives → fund operations
- Audience = passive receivers
All built for one-to-many media when the internet has made everyone a node.
The new reality
Welcome to media in motion:
- Creators self-distribute across platforms
- Real-time news spreads peer-to-peer
- Audiences expect participation, not programming
- Livestreams, podcasts, and video-on-demand rule attention
It’s horse and buggy vs the electric car, and too much of public media is still shoveling hay.
Why it matters
| Then | Now |
|---|---|
| Top-down | Peer-to-peer |
| Static schedules | On-demand, everywhere |
| Centralized stations | Decentralized communities |
| Annual pledge drives | Micro-giving, crowdfunding, subscriptions |
We can’t build the future with our minds in the past. Yet too much of public media clings to legacy systems, dated org charts, and siloed content.
What’s being lost
- Entire generations under 40 have no relationship with public radio or TV
- Community voices, diverse stories, and local impact are drowned out by outdated delivery
- Opportunity for global collaboration, multilingual content, and co-creation is missed
Public media could be a participatory ecosystem — but instead, it’s often a museum exhibit of what media used to be.
What’s next
✅ Shift from broadcast to networked ecosystems
✅ Enable community-owned media nodes
✅ Train creators in digital-first storytelling
✅ Embrace open-source, global collaboration
✅ Reimagine the CPB as a commons infrastructure, not a broadcast subsidy
Bottom line
We don’t do that anymore.
Public media must evolve—or become irrelevant. This is not business as usual. It’s time to flip the script—before the last station fades to static.
