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Spring Into Action ‘24

Txai Suruí

Presented by: Olivia Turner

ENVS 4120

© Mboakara Uru-eu-wau-wau

LELA BELTRÃO

Biography

• Born of the Suruí people in Rondônia, Brazil
• Founder and coordinator of Movement of Indigenous Youth of Rondônia.
• Has been an activist her whole life – both parents are renowned for their activism of defending the Amazon and indigenous rights.

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Wikipedia

Paralaxis via iStock

Kunal Shinde/Unsplash

Mission

• Protecting Amazon rainforest from deforestation
• Studied law, works with legal team to preserve the rights and land of indigenous tribes
• One of six activists suing Brazil for changing 2005 carbon baseline from Paris agreement
• Brazil is one of the most dangerous countries to be an activist
• Had a speech at COP26 in Glasgow

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“Vulnerable populations are those who suffer the most from the consequences of climate change despite being the least responsible for pollution. We are seeing this not only in indigenous lands but also in the cities, where the people living in poverty are the ones who suffer the most” (3).

COP26 Speech

“I believe it will not be easy to build a better world, but I fight for a world where women can walk freely, where our territories are not invaded, for a world with gender equality, anti-capitalism, anti-racism, a world that is not so unequal” (3).

Gabi Di Bella

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Sources

1. Schueman, Lindsey J. Conservation Hero: Txai Suruí, One Earth, 5 Sept. 2023, www.oneearth.org/conservation-hero-txai-surui/.

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• Capuzzi, Lucia. Txai Suruí, L'Osservatore Romano, 3 Sept. 2022, www.osservatoreromano.va/en/news/2022-09/dcm-008/txai-surui.html.

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• Ushirobira, Lays. Txai Suruí: “When are we going to integrate the process that has been deciding our lives?”, IPAM – Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia, 7 June 2022, ipam.org.br/txai-surui/.

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• The Amazon Rainforest, World Wildlife Fund - WWF, www.wwf.org.uk/where-we-work/amazon#:~:text=The%20Amazon%20is%20of%20vital,stored%20in%20the%20Amazon%20rainforest.

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• Kaminski, Isabella. Brazilian court world’s first to recognise Paris Agreement as human rights treaty, Climate Home News, 7 July 2022, www.climatechangenews.com/2022/07/07/brazilian-court-worlds-first-to-recognise-paris-agreement-as-human-rights-treaty/.

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