00:00Brazil, in our fourth chapter of the Brazil's Decides Expedition,
00:03residents of a semi-arid community in the state of Rio Grande do Norte
00:07tells us about the impacts of mining as we dove deep into the interest of the United States in Brazil's
00:12mineral wealth.
00:13Let's see.
00:20It is an explosion in the middle of the Brazilian semi-arid region.
00:26Mining blast.
00:28It's absurd. Our houses are all full of cracks.
00:32We visited the home of Daniele's family in the Cerro de Ogeo Park in Rio Grande do Norte in northeastern
00:38Brazil.
00:39Little by little, cracks are appearing in her house.
00:42But the situation is even worse in the house next door.
00:47Her parents had to leave the home where they were raised,
00:50and now live in rented accommodation in the urban area.
00:53Daniele claims that the house is at risk of collapse due to structural issues caused by explosions carried out by
01:01the Canadian mining company, ORA,
01:04whose mine is located a few kilometers away.
01:08These large cracks were not there before.
01:11They were not here before.
01:14We know that every old house cracks, but never in this way.
01:19How long ago did these large cracks appear?
01:23These cracks are, on average, one to one and a half years old.
01:28Look at the state of the bathroom.
01:31Yes, I did.
01:32This bathroom is new.
01:33Not long ago, my father remodeled it.
01:41At the entrance to the city, a statue of a miner symbolizes the importance of mining to the area's identity.
01:51During World War II, the area experienced a boom in Shilite mining, which was used to manufacture war equipment.
02:00More than eight decades later, in a region where water is scarce, vegetation is being destroyed by explosions to extract
02:11the most famous and expensive mineral.
02:15In terms of mining, we currently have a gold mine with a very aggressive extraction model that is deforesting a
02:25large area of our Cayatinga, very close to communities.
02:29There are daily explosions from Monday to Friday.
02:33This is also causing tremors.
02:36This model of mining and extraction has had a major impact on nearby communities and the city.
02:42People in nearby communities are getting very sick with respiratory problems due to the dust, and houses are cracking due
02:50to the constant explosions.
02:52In addition to mineral extraction, the region has also been impacted by the construction of large wind farms, which span
03:02the state of Rio Grande do Norte from end to end.
03:07After they installed several generators, the noise is what bothers us most.
03:14There are also people up there who suffer from the dust due to passing vehicles.
03:18We do not oppose development policies.
03:22However, we need to know who these policies are for and who they will be implemented with.
03:29Will we solve our problems and generate wealth in Rio Grande do Norte, simply by satisfying the greed of a
03:37mining company, or an economic group working with wind or solar energy?
03:47Amid the electoral dispute, the United States government has its eyes set on Brazil, not only to consolidate the advance
03:56of the far right in Latin America and the Caribbean, but also for other reasons.
04:01The South American giant holds one of the world's largest mineral reserves and is the second largest producer of rare
04:07earths on the planet.
04:10This is set to be the debate of the century.
04:16We know that the dispute over our natural wealth taking place at an international level is very significant.
04:26When we also consider the prospect of an energy transition, it is clear that minerals will be needed for this
04:32to occur and more will be extracted, not only for the transition, but also for war.
04:40The more technology advances, the more these so-called strategic minerals and rare earths are needed.
04:46We know that large reserves are located here in Brazil, for example.
04:52The October general election will determine the future direction of the country.
04:57Will it maintain its sovereignty over its natural wealth, or will it hand it over to major powers?
05:05Andre Vieira and Sebastião Souto, Telesur, Brazil.
