Brazil's youth rebellion against government, unemployment, a world-wide crisis

[caption id="attachment_20647" align="alignleft" width="300"] Gramado, a symbol of the rich, against whom youth rebel in Brazil[/caption]

Carol Forsloff---Youth rebellion is occurring in many places around the world as young people can’t get jobs.  So in Brazil, as in Egypt, young people are taking to the streets to vent their frustrations.  Will the US see the same kind of showdowns in the future?

In Brazil today newscasters hypothesize the problem of student rioting will get even worse, due to the political issues inside the country.  Despite the fact that formal figures depict Brazil’s unemployment low, the fact is that many of the youth are vastly underemployed, or are not in any  kind of job or job training program.

Paulo Sotero, director of the Brazil Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, in Washington, DC., tells us,“The protests led to a complete change in the political landscape in Brazil,” Sotero said. “The youth, which has typically been alienated from the political discussion, is now clearly a new layer of that landscape, and can be mobilized.”

Joblessness in Egypt is also a significant problem, with a record 13.2 percent of the population without jobs, while eight out of every 10 of these people are under age 30 and 25% of them have a university degree or higher.

And even as Congressional leaders in the United States are at loggerheads over the debt ceiling and government shutdown, young people, like those in other countries, are facing unemployment in greater and greater numbers, even as many of them are college educated.

While many in the United States bemoan the unemployment and the growing gap between rich and poor, it seems the problems of getting a job if you are under the age of 30 is a worldwide phenomenon.  The biggest concern, however, is how that overwhelming issue can impact how young people react to government and whether or not they will trust the government to help in any situation.  And the question is asked:  Will they follow the Brazilian and Egyptian models and take to the streets, as an outgrowth from the previous year's Occupy Movement?

 

 

 

Top eco-friendly cities of 2012 present going green as good idea

Sophie Banat — The term ‘environmentally friendly’ is used to describe laws, goods, services, and policies that inflict minimal damage (or no damage at all) on the environment.  Many cities are trying to assume responsibility for going green and being eco-friendly.  Let's examine some of them.

[caption id="attachment_17108" align="alignright" width="300"] Rose Test Garden of Portland, Oregon[/caption]

Companies all over the world label themselves environmentally friendly, or eco-friendly, in order to advertise the way they make their products and dispose of their waste. Many more invest millions of pounds in their workers, installing a renewable mindset and encouraging them to stay eco-friendly outside of the work place.

Eco-friendly living has also been adopted by hundreds of cities, and governments are trying to implement radical changes in order to ensure sustainable living. Eco-friendly cities are designed to benefit the environment as well as reduce the damage of pollutants, and although there is no set definition of an eco-friendly city, many populous areas across the globe claim to be meeting the needs of the present without sacrificing the environment of future generations. Here are some of the most eco-friendly cities of 2012.

Reykjavik, Iceland

Thanks to progress made by Iceland’s capital city over the last ten years, it’s truer than ever that eco-friendly cities can contribute to the environment. Not only has Reykjavik  has hydrogen busses on its roads for quite some time, but the city’s entire heat and electricity supply come from renewable hydropower and geothermal sources. Furthermore, the country aims for Reykavik to become completely fossil-fuel-free by 2050, paving the way for the cleanest city in Europe!

Portland, Oregon

Portland’s approach to urban planning has certainly earned the city a place on the top eco-friendly list. Not only is it the first city in the United States of America to actually go through with a plan to reduce CO₂ pollution, but it has also implemented a number of green building schemes. For example, the city has one of the most advanced bus, rail, and bike systems in the world, helping to keep cars off the streets and thus reducing pollution. Furthermore, Portland has over 74 miles of running, biking, and hiking trails.

Curitiba, Brazil

From municipal parks to flocks of lawn-eating sheep, the city of Curitiba has been hailed as one of the most independent and specialist combined heat and power cities in South America. Not only has it become a model for many other metropolises, but over three quarters of its population rely on public transport! The city also boasts around 600 square feet of green space per inhabitant, and according to a recent survey, over 90 per cent of Curitibans are very happy with their city.

Vancouver, Canada

Situated between beautiful mountains and sea, the city of Vancouver has been a historic home for nature lovers for many years. It’s made dramatic progress since becoming an eco-friendly town, and it now draws 99 per cent of its power from clean, renewable energy sources. Furthermore, Vancouver has also made plans for huge wind farms, wave, and tidal energy systems to boost the city’s renewable power line. Over 200 hundred parks litter the capital, and there’s also a 100-year renewable living plan in place for its habitants.