On Earth Day, environmentalists hold a march in Rio.

Agência Brasil - A group of environmentalists held a symbolic act this morning (22) in Rio de Janeiro to mark Earth Day. They unfurled banners and posters on the sand of Copacabana Beach in protest against the proposed changes to the Brazilian Forest Code and the construction of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Plant.

Organized by the Fluminense Committee for Forests, with support from the Rio de Janeiro Working Group for Mobilization for the People's Summit (GT Rio) and the non-governmental organization (NGO) Greenpeace, the demonstration was planned as a march along Copacabana beach. However, due to the rain affecting the city of Rio de Janeiro this Sunday, the group decided to move the protest to the area in front of the Copacabana Palace Hotel and reschedule the March for the Environment. The date of the march is yet to be determined.

According to one of the movement's organizers, Elzimar Gomes da Silva, although the rain disrupted the group's initial plans, the protest was important to alert citizens to these issues. “We need to continue the fight to mobilize the population and show that we want a better Forest Code, one that respects the countryside. The political maneuvers and the way the environment is being disregarded are relevant issues. As it stands, the code authorizes occupation in mangroves, on hilltops, and various other areas that are harmful to the environment,” she explained.

The coordinator of the Greenpeace volunteer group in Rio, Vânia Stolze, who also participated in the protest, criticized the decision of the rapporteur of the new Forest Code, Deputy Paulo Piau (PMDB-MG), to remove Article 62 from the text approved by the Senate, referring to permanent preservation areas (APPs) on the banks of rivers, which, according to the deputy, is a matter that should be addressed at another time, through a bill or provisional measure.

“It’s scandalous to have riverbanks unprotected. Brazil needs its water; practically all of our energy generation comes from hydroelectric dams. The changes proposed in the report represent a huge step backward,” she opined. Vânia Stolze also said that the construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric dam is “very worrying” because of the “unmeasurable” environmental impact it generates.

"The electricity that will be generated will not benefit the Southeast region, which needs it most in the country, but rather the steel mills located nearby. Furthermore, there are issues such as the diversion of the Xingu River and the removal of a huge volume of earth for its construction, which will lead to deforestation and other consequences that we are not even aware of."

Vânia also lamented that Brazil had not resolved these issues before the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20. "Environmentalists are very discouraged because, with the conference, the whole world will be watching us. The country can develop, but without harming the environment so much," she said.