Paraguaçú´s message!

In the beginning of 2011, TVE reported the reduction of 40% on the ozone layer over the Arctic. By the end of the same year, the ‘i’ mentioned that the Arctic is 2 millions km2 smaller than it was by the end of the 20th century – the loss of ice registered since the seventies “is bigger than ever since, at least, 1450 years”.

According to the OMM, 17 countries registered in August 2010 records of highest temperatures. If anyone still questions that humans are creating the global warming, here are some objective data: “The 20^th century was the warmest of the last 1.000 years” (NCuatro, 06.02.11). The 13 warmest years registered on Earth, happened in the last 15 years; Finland had its warmest summer in 200 years (2011); Armenia had its record of the highest temperature in the history of the country: 43,7º; in eastern Kenya, western Somalia and south Ethiopia, rained less 50% to 80% than normal. In the southeast of Asia, the monsoon season (Jun.-Sep.) was wetter than usual (‘i’, 30.11.11).

The Amazon forest absorbs 1,5 million tons of CO2 (the equivalent to the USA pollution?), but the last big drought affected 3 million square km. The big forest was seen as the lung of the world, but now we understand that it is more than that- it fulfils the role of a kidney to the planet and the role of other regulatory organs, like in the human body. The problem now is that from a purifier the Amazon could turn to contribute to the pollution…

For this, the problem of forest devastation is of huge importance. If we heard some years ago that in Malaysia there were only 20% of the original forests, now it’s the illegal exploitation of timber in Serra Leona that is putting in stake the survival of the forests in the country – they could disappear within a decade and members of the government are involved in the business (‘i’, 30.11.11).

It is to make an alert to these facts, and to contribute to the awareness of its consequences, that I intend to take forward the Atlantic crossing on a row boat, in 2012.

Talking about statistics, the maritime transportation is responsible for 3% of global emissions, the equivalent to the German footprint, but this is not the case of the Paraguaçú!

'Immense sea'

Paraguaçú’, is the name of the transocean project: it means ‘immense sea’, in a native language of Amazonia. It was also, the name of a Tupinambá indian girl, or Catarina do Brasil after marrying Diogo Álvares - the first portuguese inhabitant of Brasil, after his shipwreck and rescue near that coast, in 1510. This name wants to pay homage to the umbilical relation Portugal-Brasil, and the ...pioneer spirit of the navigators from the XV and XVI centuries (Pedro Álvares Cabral, in particular), but also to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the first aereal crossing of the south Atlantic, in 1922, by Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral, as well as the grace of the brazilian people... 

Paraguaçú baptized...

Several friends were there. It was on a sunny saturday (26th Nov.) in Belém, at CNL (Clube Naval de Lisboa), a club that supports the 'Paraguaçú 2012' project. João Pedro offered the Quinta da Murta 'champagne'. Little Inês climbed onboard to check the area and get a few photos. Inês and Cristina 'washed' the boat with the nectar.
Reporters from the i newspaper were there sooner for an enterview and photos.

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