"Without science and technology none of the changes that are needed and that have to be discussed at Rio + 20 are possible," says Brazil’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Marco Antonio Raupp, who on Tuesday, June 5, attended a ceremony and meetings about the event.

At the Presidential Palace, Raupp attended the World Environment Day ceremony, with the launch of a series of measures to celebrate the date and begin the activities for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held between June 13 and 22, in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil’s Environment Minister, Izabella Teixeira, reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to the environment and sustainable development. Among the progress made by the country, she quoted the lowest rate of deforestation in the Amazon in the last 23 years, according to data released by Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais – INPE (the National Institute for Space Research), an institution that comes under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI).

In the survey of 213 satellite images, INPE counted 6,418 km square meters of deforested area between August 2010 and July 2011. This is the lowest recorded rate of deforestation in the Amazon since INPE began monitoring it in 1988.

Teixeira added that deforestation in the region fell by 76% between 2004 and 2011, and over 80% of the original vegetation in the Amazon remains intact. Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff underscored the prominent role played by Brazil in the international arena as a reference in economic growth, inclusion, and environmental conservation.

"This reduction is impressive. It is the result of changes in society, but also of the political decision to monitor it and, at the same time, the punitive action taken by the government," she said. "Not only are we a country with the largest expanse of tropical forest in the world, but we have also prepared ourselves to be able to conserve it," President Rousseff added.

The contribution made by science

The director of INPE, Leonel Perondi, who attended the ceremony, commented on INPE’s role in providing information to aid interpretations and action taken by public bodies. "It's very clear that science and technology can make a major contribution to government policy. Their importance has been growing over the years, "he said.

Raupp identified INPE's work - through the use of knowledge, technologies and methodologies – among examples of significant progress made towards sustainable development in Brazil, which will be an issue to be discussed at Rio + 20: growth, inclusion, and environmental protection. “We have to get the data to see how to coordinate these three pillars and this is what we are doing. Science has a key role to play in this process," said the Minister.

Raupp added that the Ministry has worked with international organizations and one of the main highlights of the conference will be the Science, Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development Forum, between June 11 and 15, at the Pontifical Catholic University (PUC), in Rio.

Raupp is giving a speech at the opening and will take part in the closing of the event, organized by the International Council For Science (ICSU) in partnership with the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, and other institutions.

Text: Denise Coelho – communications officer at the MCTI