Victoria Fox's Blog, page 171
December 5, 2023
Indian volleyball aims for its high point at Club World Championships
For decades, it has been one step forward two steps back for Indian volleyball. On 6 December, the sport hopes to step into the spotlight once again as it debuts at the Men’s Club World Championships as hosts. Ahmedabad Defenders, champions of the 2023 Prime Volleyball League, will represent India at the premier club world event, which will take place at Bengaluru’s Koramangala Indoor Stadium from 6-10 December.
Launched in 1989, the men’s club world championships in volleyball pre-dates the more popular Fifa Club World Cup that follows a similar format. Top teams from different confederations compete for the title. Sir Safety Susa Perugia (Italy), Sada Cruzeiro Volei and Minas Tênis Clube (Brazil), Suntory Sunbirds Club (Japan), Halkbank Spor Kulübü (Turkey) and India’s Ahmedabad Defenders will participate in the 2023 Men’s Club World Championships.
Also read: Meet Başak Koç, the Turkish voice of volleyball
A golden opportunityItaly (ranked No 3 in the world) Brazil (4), Japan (5) and Turkey (14) are all volleyball powerhouses. India, meanwhile, doesn’t have a national federation and has slumped to 73 in the men’s rankings, below sub-continent teams like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
“This is the greatest opportunity for us, for players as well as Indian volleyball,” says Dakshinamoorthy Sundaresan, former player and coach of the Ahmedabad Defenders. “Our players have a lot of talent, finally they will get a world platform to display it.”
It is a rare period of optimism for Indian volleyball. The participation in the club world tournament comes on the back of a defiant performance at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. India defeated 2018 silver medalists Korea 25-27, 29-27, 25-22, 20-25, 17-15 in a thriller before scoring a 25-22, 25-22, 25-21 win over the Chinese Taipei, ranked 30 places ahead of India at the time, to finish at the top of Pool C and enter the quarterfinals. Though they lost to Japan in the last eight and later to Pakistan, the team finished a creditable sixth at the continental event.
Especially considering that the team was starved of competition. India played just one international tournament – the Asian Men’s Volleyball Championship in Iran – in 2023 before the Asian Games.
“In 2018, we didn’t do very well in the Asian Games,” says Mohan Ukkrapandian, a veteran India player and setter for the Ahmedabad Defenders. “We had finished twelfth. This time, a few of us, who were in the team in 2018 as well, were keen on doing better. We were very focussed while training. We had to something to prove; we knew only if we do well, we can bring volleyball back into the limelight.”
With no federation to fall back on, it’s the players that have taken it upon themselves to revive volleyball in India. The men’s team was a force to reckon with in Asia from the 1960s through to the 1980s. India has won three medals in men’s volleyball at the Asian Games – a bronze in 1958 (Tokyo, Japan), silver in 1962 (Jakarta, Indonesia) and another bronze in 1986 (Seoul, South Korea).
But the sport’s footprint has steadily faded over the decades, mainly due to the power struggle between the warring factions in the federation. The Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) has been under suspension since December 2019 due to the internal feud, and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) finally set up an ad-hoc committee in May 2023 to look after the daily operations of the federation.
In the run up to the Asian Games, the Indian team suffered another setback as they were withdrawn from the 2023 Asian Men’s Volleyball Challenge Cup, in Taiwan, mid-way through the tournament. India had won their opening match 25–22, 25–18, 25–17 against Hong Kong, but the Indian ad-hoc committee disallowed India’s participation in the tournament hence the result did not count.
No national championshipsDue to the VFI suspension, there have been no national championships for the past four years. Despite India’s encouraging show at the Hangzhou Asian Games, volleyball did not feature in this year’s National Games, held in Goa in October-November, since the ad-hoc committee decided they did not have enough time, or money, to select eight teams.
“There is no federation in India, there are no national championships at any age group,” Dakshinamoorthy adds. “All the volleyball players in India depend on public sector jobs for their income. But since there are no national tournaments anymore, younger players coming through satisfy the formal norms required for them to get a job. For the last four years, the players are suffering. We have a year-long programme for all players in the League. But we cannot motivate players because they have nothing else to play. They are questioning, ‘What is the purpose of playing volleyball?’ Parents are also not willing to send their children to the sport.”
For Ashwal Rai, one of the mainstays of the Indian team, the pro volleyball League, re-launched as the Prime Volleyball League in 2022, without any VFI support or interference, has given the sport a new lease of life in India.
“For a long time, we did not get any international tournaments, international exposure,” says Rai, who will play as a middle blocker for the Defenders at the Club World Championships.
“But we get to play with some of the best international players in the Prime Volleyball League. The League has helped unearth some great talent. Those players who earlier didn’t get an opportunity are getting one now. We saw the results at Asian Games. This is what we want,” adds Rai.
The Prime Volleyball League is not as cash-rich as some of the other franchise-based leagues in the country: at the PVL 2023 auction, Rohit Kumar was the most expensive buy at ₹17.5 lakhs ahead of the second season. Meanwhile in Pro Kabaddi, which is seen as a benchmark for non-cricket sports in India, players breached the ₹1-crore mark in 2018 (season 6) and Pawan Kumar Sehrawat became the most expensive player in league’s history when he was snapped up for ₹2.6 crore by the Telugu Titans for season 10 in 2023-24. Though at a much smaller scale, PVL has provided players with some financial security.
And a wealth of experience.
“We have learnt a lot from the international players, how they stay calm but aggressive. They are technically superior, we have learnt how to manoeuvre the ball better,” Rai says.
He continues: “Playing the League for the first time was a strange experience. A game would last 15 points and the ace would be worth two points. We needed some time to adapt to those because 15 points fly by. But once we started playing, we realised the importance of each point in a game, how to fight for each point. Implementing that attitude in a 25-point game has seen our performance improve, I think it was one of the reasons why we did well at the Asian Games as well. We had problems till now, being in this volleyball set up. But now we are seeing the way ahead.”
The way ahead is still long and arduous for Indian volleyball, but the pieces of the puzzles are slowly falling into place. While the PVL pushed volleyball to prime time on Indian television, the Club World Championships could be the players’ gateway to international stardom. Having trudged through the trenches for so long, Indian spikers are ready to leap into the spotlight.
Deepti Patwardhan is a Mumbai-based sportswriter.
Write to us at businessoflife@livemint.com
Also read: How a volleyball league is attracting young players from rural Assam
‘Karachi banana chahte ho?’ Rajasthan BJP MLA’s crackdown on non-veg shops goes viral | Watch
A video of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA has gone viral in which he is cracking down on non-vegetarian shops in Jaipur.
BJP MLA Balmukund Acharya from Hawa Mahal constituency in Jaipur district was taking action on meat-selling shops that did not have licenses or were selling non-vegetarian foods near temples.
Rajasthan Bandh today: Markets shut, protests erupt over Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi’s murder
In the video, Acharya told police officials to shut all non-veg stalls on the streets. Speaking to an officer, Acharya on a phone call said, “All the non-veg stalls on the streets should vanish with immediate effect. I will take a report from you in the evening. Will you hand it to me or will I have to come to your office?”
Further, Acharya asked cops, “Can non-veg be sold openly on the streets? Say yes or no, you are live. You’re supporting them? With immediate effect, non-veg shops should be shut. I will take the report from you, I don’t know who is the officer”.
In another video, Acharya started probing the licenses of other meat shop owners. “Not even a single person has a license here. How will a tourist come here? You have spread dirt all around. Karachi banana chahte ho? Yeh Apra Kashi hai,” the BJP MLA was heard saying in an unverified video.
BJP winning elections in Gaumutra states: DMK MP’s comments spark controversy
Yesterday, Acharya released a statement about his action against the meat shops. “Have been speaking to officers for a few years now that in our whole area, all constituencies in the old city, openly on the streets near temples in nooks and corners many meat shops are operating. There is a rule regarding meat shops that whatever meat you sell — raw or cooked — you have to cover it, you need to have a license and this has to be kept in mind”.
How INDIA bloc’s power dynamics is likely to shift after Congress’s loss
Calling “illegal” meat shops a matter of concern, the Hawa Mahal MLA added, “These shops are working on naalas in dirty conditions. This is spreading diseases. This is why we said that they should work according to the rules”.
The lotus in bloom: BJP is the odds-on favourite for 2024
Further, he said that cooking meat in the open causes problems for vegetarians and added, “As a citizen, I only requested officers to look into the matter”.
“If I offended anyone, then I seek your apology,” he added.
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Published: 06 Dec 2023, 12:05 PM IST
Topics You May Be Interested InRajasthan Bandh today: Markets shut, protests erupt over Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi’s murder. 10 Updates
In response to the alleged killing of Karni Sena Chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, the Rajput community has declared a statewide bandh on Wednesday.
Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, the leader of Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena, was fatally shot by unidentified individuals on motorcycles in Jaipur on Tuesday. Here are the top ten updates on the Rajasthan Bandh.
1. Bhawani Singh Kalvi, the son of Karni Sena founder Lokendra Singh Kalvi, has called for prompt action in the case, emphasizing that public discontent will escalate without a positive outcome in apprehending the culprits, ANI reported. Urging unity among all party leaders, Kalvi emphasized that the incident transcends political affiliations, and the public anticipates swift government intervention in the matter.
Also Read: Jaipur: Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi shot dead, two injured
2. Slamming the Rajasthan government over the incident, protester Kalyan Singh Jadhav said “The incident is very unfortunate and it is a tight slap on the government of Rajasthan. We will continue the protest unless we get justice and the culprits are punished”.
Also Read: ‘Rajasthan bandh’ called over Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi’s murder. Details here
3. A large number of people protested at Agra Road Highway in Bassi in protest against the murder of Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi. Traffic movement was affected, and Police personnel were present at the spot.
4. Meanwhile, BJP leader Balmukund Acharya slammed the Congress government in the state and alleged that Ashok Gehlot was responsible for this incident. As reported by ANI, Acharya said, “Ashok Gehlot is responsible for this incident. Mafia flourished in the state under this government.”
Mumbai declares Mahaparinirvan Diwas as public holiday on Dr BR Ambedkar’s 67th death anniversary
Mahaparinirvan Diwas pays tribute to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar on his death anniversary. This day has been declared as a public holiday in Mumbai and its suburbs as per official notification which states that government and non-government institutions will remain closed on account of Mahaparinirvan Diwas.
Mumbai traffic police made elaborate arrangements to ensure the smooth movement of vehicles during ‘Mahaparinirvan Din’ that is 67th death anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar.
Visitors in large numbers visited Chaitya Bhoomi in Dadar from Monday to Thursday to pay homage to Dr Ambedkar. of Mahaparinirvan Diwas. Traffic restrictions were imposed from 6 am on Tuesday and will be in place till 12 am today.
The Swatantryaveer Savarkar Road will remain closed from Siddhivinayak Temple junction to Hinduja Hospital. Moreover, the northbound of S K Bole Road will function as a one-way road from Siddhivinayak Temple junction to Portuguese Church junction, reported PTI. Other roads including Ranade Road, will be closed for vehicles. Restrictions on the movement of heavy vehicles on the SV Road-Mahim junction to Hardikar junction are also in place, as informed by officials.
President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid their respects to Dr BR Ambedkar today. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and other parliamentarians also paid homage to the architect of the Constitution at his statue in the Parliament premises today.
Also read: The legacy of Ambedkar is our quest for harmony
PM Modi in a social media post on X said , “Pujya Baba Saheb, along with being the architect of the Indian Constitution, was an immortal champion of social harmony, who dedicated his life to the welfare of the exploited and the deprived. My respectful obeisances to him today on his Mahaparinirvana day.”
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla also paid tribute to Baba Saheb Ambedkar and in a post on X stated, “Baba Saheb Dr BR Amdebkar had dedicated his entire life to towards the establishment of an equal and just society, the progress of the nation , human rights and social justice for all. On his death anniversary, I pay sincere homage to him.”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in a post on X said. “On ‘Mahaparinirvan Diwas’, I bow to Babasaheb Ambedkar and his remarkable contributions to our nation. His thoughts inspired millions, and our coming generations will never forget his role in creating India’s Constitution.”
Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh in a post on X said. “ Today, we remember Babasaheb Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar on Mahaparinirvan Diwas. The chief architect of our Constitution,Babasaheb worked tirelessly throughout his life to create an equitable and strong India.”
(With agency inputs)
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Published: 06 Dec 2023, 10:57 AM IST
Topics You May Be Interested InOver 100 websites, which facilitated organised illegal investments, task-based part-time job frauds, blocked: MHA
The I4C division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, through its vertical National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit (NCTAU), had last week identified and recommended banning more than 100 websites involved in organised investment and task-based – part-time job frauds, as per an ANI report.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), invoking its power under the Information Technology Act of 2000, has thus blocked these websites.
These websites, facilitating task-based and organised illegal investment-related economic crimes, were learned to be operated by overseas actors by using digital advertisement, chat messengers, and a mule or rented accounts.
This is a breaking story, more updates are awaited…
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Published: 06 Dec 2023, 10:44 AM IST
Topics You May Be Interested In‘Mega-deals’ could be inflating overall AI funding figures
It’s safe to say that VCs struck while the iron was hot this year where it concerned generative AI.
While venture capital investments overall fell compared to last year thanks to macroeconomic challenges and other related factors, startups in the generative AI space — and AI more broadly — did quite well.
Funding for AI-related startups surpassed $68.7 billion in 2023, according to PitchBook, with generative AI vendors like OpenAI, Stability AI and Anthropic accounting for a substantial portion of that figure. And it appears that the sector will likely close the year with substantially higher investments than the past couple of years.
But could the top-level numbers be misleading?
A report on AI investment in Q3 by PitchBook, released this morning, found that “mega-deals” (i.e., multi-hundred-million-dollar investments from big-name backers) vastly inflated deal totals this year.
For example, just a few months ago, Amazon pledged to invest up to $4 billion in Anthropic, the company developing the AI-powered chatbot Claude. OpenAI secured a $10 billion investment from Microsoft (albeit not all at once and partly in the form of cloud compute credits). Inflection AI, a firm creating what it describes as more “personal” AI assistants, raised $1.3 billion in a funding round led by Microsoft. The list goes on.
In Q3, VC funding inclusive of mega-deals totaled around $22.1 billion. But after subtracting the tech-giant-led tranches secured by generative AI startups, the total is closer to $15.1 billion for the sector.
Global Investors Summit in Dehradun from December 8-9: All you need to know
Dehradun is gearing up to host the Global Investors Summit on December 8-9, where organisers are anticipating a turnout of 5,000 delegates from India and abroad.
The PlanThe Uttarakhand government plans to highlight over 15 investor-friendly policies, emphasising good governance measures, a supportive regulatory framework, and sustainable practices during the Summit. The agenda also includes Business-to-Business (B2B) and Government-to-Business (G2B) meetings, aimed at aiding investors in making informed decisions, it added.
The Summit aims to foster collaboration between exhibitors, private enterprises, and government organisations by giving them a platform to display advanced technologies, innovations, and upcoming trends. Additionally, the sectoral sessions at the Summit will facilitate in-depth discussions on industry challenges and opportunities, as per the Uttarakhand government release.
Also Read: Uttarakhand govt signs MoUs worth more than ₹20,000 crore ahead of Global Investors Summit in Dehradun
Investment ReadyDuring the Social Media Influencers Meet preceding the Global Investors Summit, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami emphasised the state’s safety regarding law and order, branding it as one of the safest in the nation and a prime destination for investment.
“We’ve received a highly positive response from various locations across the country and abroad for the Investors Summit. Currently, investment proposals worth ₹2 lakh crore have been confirmed,” Dhami said. He also stressed that the government’s primary focus was on creating job opportunities.
Encouraging wider awareness, the CM urged attendees at the Social Media Influencers Meet to promote the event across the country and globally. He expressed the desire for “Destination Uttarakhand, Global Investors Summit” to trend worldwide through their platforms.
Also Read: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami releases logo, website of Global Investors summit in Dehradun
Dhami on December 5 also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will officially open the Summit, at the Forest Research Institute on December 8. He further said that the framework of ‘Destination Uttarakhand’ is fashioned after the Vibrant Gujarat model, drawing inspiration from its structure and objectives.
Extensive PreparationDirector General of Police (DGP) Abhinav Kumar told ANI that extensive preparations have been made for the upcoming event. Speaking on December 6, DGP Kumar highlighted the significance of the summit, stating, “The Chief Minister has orchestrated this Global Investors Summit for the industrial advancement of our state. Months of meticulous preparations have been underway, culminating in the final event scheduled for December 8-9 in Dehradun.”
Anticipating a significant turnout, DGP Kumar noted, “We’re expecting a substantial presence of investors and industrialists from across the country and worldwide. The Prime Minister is set to inaugurate the summit, while the Union Home Minister will be present at the closing ceremony.”
Also Read: Uttarakhand got investments worth over ₹54,000 crore since September
Acknowledging security concerns regarding the dignitaries’ participation, the Uttarakhand DGP assured, “Elaborate security measures have been put in place, considering the safety of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, as well as the overall interest and participation in the event. Approximately 600 police personnel, overseen by a Deputy Inspector General (DIG), will be deployed for security purposes. Collaborative meetings with other agencies have also been held.”
Expressing confidence in the Uttarakhand Police’s commitment, DGP Kumar affirmed, “We are dedicated to ensuring the success of this Summit, in line with the Chief Minister’s vision, and will spare no effort to make it a triumph.”
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Published: 06 Dec 2023, 10:12 AM IST
Topics You May Be Interested InOmniful, a supply chain and e-commerce enablement startup, emerges from stealth with $5.85M
Supply chain and e-commerce enablement startup, Omniful, has today emerged from stealth with $5.85 million seed funding led by VentureSouq, with participation from 500 Global, DASH Ventures, Jahez Group, SEEDRA Ventures, Bunat Ventures, Hala Ventures, RZM Investments and several family offices including Al Rasheed, Siraj Holding, Al Bawardi, Al Nafea.
The UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)-based startup has built systems for ordering, warehouse management, and transport management, enabling merchants to tap hyperlocal and omnichannel commerce, manage their orders efficiently and inventory in real-time. It also equips third-party logistics providers (3PLs) to manage their workflows efficiently.
Omniful co-founder and CEO, Mostafa Abolnasr, told TechCrunch that the pain points for most merchants, including aligning different sales channels, managing inventory flows, stock accuracy, and picking and fulfillment time, inspired him and Alankrit Nishad, both of whom have extensive experience in e-commerce, to get started. Besides, Abolnsar says, market research shows that legacy software failed to meet customer needs, were hard to scale and pricey, and took time to deploy.
“We started out with a vision to rebuild the technologies that are currently used, and will be used in the future for supply chain, hyperlocal omni-channel retail, and e-commerce operations. This required us to rethink basically every feature on a first principle basis, absolutely focused on four pillars: speed, accuracy, scale and efficiency,” said Abolnasr, adding that they were also keen on reaching small merchants.
“We look at it from an impact and pain point release perspective.”
Omniful is equipping merchants and third-party logistics providers with a solution that includes tools for insights. Image Credits: Omniful
Big enterprises and small merchants using its tech gain the capability to leverage different sales channels to reduce their workforce costs per store, and fulfillment time by up to 40% and 70%, respectively.
The earliest customers of Omniful’s globalized product include some of the biggest retailers and third-party logistics providers in several markets including KSA and the UAE.
Abolnasr said their tech can handle up to a minimum of 3 million orders per day per client making it suitable for customers pursuing growth. This also sets stage for its growth plans that includes expanding its customer base in other parts of the world, including Africa and India, where it has a research and development center.
“We see Omniful as having uniquely far-reaching applications, giving it lots of space to run. Here in MENA [Middle East and North Africa], the concept of trading is embedded in our history. This region has an established tradition of great retail franchises, which Omniful can help to enhance, making them more competitive in an increasingly dynamic environment,” said Tammer Qaddumi, general partner at VentureSouq.
“Omniful is universal, adaptable and global, having already found use cases across multiple large markets. We genuinely see Omniful as a borderless solution that can become essential to any domestic business and also play a role in unifying processes for cross-border operations.”
PM Modi flags ‘beware of divisive agenda’ as cracks arise in INDIA bloc
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a jibe at the “anti-BJP forces” on Tuesday saying ‘be prepared for many more meltdowns ahead’ after a landslide victory in three Hindi heartland states – Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It is now in power in 12 states on its own, while the number of states ruled by Congress has come to three, which includes only Himachal Pradesh in the entire north India
Earlier in the day, PM Modi posted on X, May they be happy with their arrogance, lies, pessimism and ignorance. But..
Beware of their divisive agenda. An old habit of 70 years can’t go away so easily. Also, such is the wisdom of the people that they have to be prepared for many more meltdowns ahead, he further adds.
In the clip, the news anchor was seen commenting on the supposed meltdown of “anti-BJP forces” following Congress’s loss in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh in the Assembly Elections 2023.
Is INDIA bloc on the verge of breaking up?Meanwhile, it seems the alliance of 26 opposition parties – INDIA – is on the verge of collapse with many questioning whether Congress is the ‘weakest link’ within the bloc and whether the grand old party has the capacity of winning the elections on its own,
Soon after the poll debacle, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge called for INDIA bloc meeting at residence in Delhi on December 6 to chalk out a strategy for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. But reports cites, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav are in no mood to attend the meet.
As reported by India Today, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is expected to be absent from the forthcoming opposition INDIA bloc meeting and in his place JD(U) chief Lalan Singh and Bihar’s Minister of Water Resources, Sanjay Kumar Jha will attend. Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary stated that the party’s leader, Akhilesh Yadav, has ‘no intention’ of participating in the upcoming INDIA bloc meeting.
Earlier on Monday, Banerjee expressed her lack of awareness regarding any such meeting. During a media address on Monday, the West Bengal CM stated that her party was not informed about the INDIA bloc’s intention to convene a session in New Delhi.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Updated: 05 Dec 2023, 01:50 PM IST
Topics You May Be Interested InRainforests provide a public good. The world should pay to conserve them
At last, good news from the Brazilian Amazon. In the first eight months of 2023, the pace of deforestation has fallen by nearly 50% compared with last year. This reflects a change of government. Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s president from 2019 to 2022, was an outspoken chum of the loggers and ranchers who are slicing down and burning the rainforest. Not only did he make no effort to stop them; he went out of his way to hobble the agencies charged with policing environmental crimes.
His ejection by voters last year gave the Amazon a much-needed respite. His successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, actually cares about conservation. As we report this week, gun-toting federal agents are once again making a serious effort to shut down illegal mining operations and blow up their equipment.
But muscle, on its own, is not enough. To establish something resembling the rule of law in the Amazon, Lula is trying to clarify who owns it. This is long overdue. Currently, at least 22 separate Brazilian agencies register land claims there. They barely talk to each other, so vast swathes of the forest are subject to overlapping claims. And a whopping 29% of the Brazilian Amazon is “undesignated”, meaning it is public land but no one has decided whether it should be a nature reserve, an indigenous reserve, or something else.
Deforestation tends to be worst in areas where property rights are hazy. A lack of clarity about who owns a plot of forest makes it harder to assign blame for torching it. And a tradition of local officials tolerating land-grabbing encourages more of it. Ranchers seek to establish facts on the ground by chopping down trees, burning the undergrowth and putting cows on the newly created pasture. Many hope that even if their actions are illegal, they will eventually be recognised as the owners of the land, because this has often happened in the past.
Lula is trying to change these incentives. He is pushing to designate undesignated land as protected, and to integrate all the property registers into one coherent system. It is a huge task, involving clever use of satellite data and digital technology. It is also politically fraught, since many state and local politicians are cosy with the farming and wildcat mining lobbies and will jealously guard their influence over how land is apportioned. But it is an essential step towards imposing order on one of Earth’s most important biomes. The Amazon is a huge carbon store, a treasure vault of biodiversity and an essential regulator of the rainfall that feeds South America. Losing it would be a global catastrophe–and scientists fear it may be near a “tipping point”, when so much forest has disappeared that the water cycle that sustains it breaks down.
Which is why the rest of the world should help pay to preserve it. At the COP on December 1st, Lula asked for money to give local people in developing countries economic alternatives to cutting down rainforests. His environment minister outlined an ambitious plan: a $250bn fund that would pay a fixed sum per hectare of forest to countries that prevent their forests from shrinking more than a very small amount each year. The funding for this, Brazil hopes, would come from sovereign wealth funds. Several African leaders are making similar appeals, some involving debt relief in return for nature conservation.
Lula is unlikely to raise $250bn—it is far more than has been offered before. And not all the governments asking for cash are likely to spend it wisely. But there is a decent chance that Brazil could make good use of external financing, which it sorely needs. No amount of enforcement will stop people from chopping down trees if they see no other way of making a living—illegal miners whose equipment is blown up by the environmental police may simply go to work on beef farms carved out of the rainforest. Also, if Lula’s efforts to save the trees are all stick and no carrot, he is more likely to lose the next election to a more Bolsonaro-like rival. So rich countries should chip in. And Brazil, for its part, should be more open to foreign advice, expertise and help on the ground than it has been in the past. It is not too late to save the Amazon, but the clock hands are whirring like the teeth of a chainsaw.
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