Gabriela Sá Pessoa is a journalist passionate concerning the intersection of human rights and local weather change. She got here to MIT from The Washington Put up, the place she labored from her dwelling nation of Brazil as a information researcher reporting on the Amazon, human rights violations, and environmental crimes. Earlier than that, she held roles at two of essentially the most influential media retailers in Brazil: Folha de S.Paulo, overlaying native and nationwide politics, and UOL, the place she was assigned to coronavirus protection and later joined the investigative desk.
Sá Pessoa was awarded the 2023 Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship by the Worldwide Girls’s Media Basis, which helps its recipient with analysis alternatives at MIT and additional coaching at The Boston Globe and The New York Instances. She is presently based mostly on the MIT Heart for Worldwide Research. Lately, she sat down to speak about her work on the Amazon, current modifications in Brazilian politics, and her expertise at MIT.
Q: One focus of your reporting is human rights and environmental points within the Amazon. As a part of your fellowship, you contributed to a current editorial in The Boston Globe on combating deforestation within the area. Why is reporting on this matter necessary?
A: For a lot of Brazilians, the Amazon is a distant and distant territory, and folks dwelling in different elements of the nation aren’t totally conscious of all of its issues and all of its potential. That is just like the USA — like many individuals right here, they do not see how they might be associated to the human rights violations and the destruction of the rainforest which are occurring.
However, we’re all complicit within the destruction in some methods as a result of the financial forces driving the deforestation of the rainforest all have a market, and these markets are in all places, in Brazil and right here within the U.S. I feel it’s a part of journalism to indicate individuals within the U.S., Brazil, and elsewhere that we’re a part of the issue, and as a part of the issue, we must be a part of the answer by being conscious of it, caring about it, and taking actions which are inside our energy.
Within the U.S., for instance, voters can affect coverage like the present negotiations for monetary assist for combating deforestation within the Amazon. And as shoppers, we will be extra conscious — is the meat we’re consuming associated to deforestation? Is the timber on our development websites coming from the Amazon?
Reality is, in Brazil, we’ve turned our backs to the Amazon for thus lengthy. It’s our responsibility to guard it for the sake of local weather change. If we do not handle it, there will likely be severe penalties to our native local weather, our native communities, and for the entire world. It is an enormous matter of human rights as a result of our dwelling relies on that, each domestically and globally.
Q: Earlier than coming to MIT, you had been at The Washington Put up in São Paulo, the place you contributed to reporting on the current presidential election. What modifications do you anticipate to see with the brand new Lula administration?
A: To local weather and setting, the primary indicators had been optimistic. However the optimism didn’t final a semester, as politics is imposing itself. Lula is going through rising issue constructing a majority in a conservative Congress, over which agribusiness holds great energy and affect. As we converse, environmental coverage is underneath Congress’s assault. A committee within the Home has simply handed a ruling drowning energy from the environmental minister, Marina Silva, and from the just lately created Nationwide Indigenous Folks Ministry, led by Sonia Guajajara. Each Marina and Sonia are world ecological and human rights champions, and I’m wondering what the impression could be if Congress ratifies these modifications. It’s nonetheless unclear how it will impression the efforts to combat deforestation.
As well as, there may be an inside dispute within the authorities between environmentalists and people in favor of mining and large infrastructure initiatives. Petrobras, the state-run oil firm, is making an attempt to get authorization to analysis and drill offshore oil reserves within the mouth of the Amazon River. The federal environmental safety company did a conclusive report suspending the operation, saying it’s crucial and threatens the area’s delicate setting and indigenous communities. And, in fact, it will be one other supply of greenhouse fuel emissions.
That mentioned, it isn’t a denialist authorities. I ought to point out the short response from the administration to the Yanomami genocide earlier this 12 months. In January, an impartial media group named Sumaúma reported on the deaths of over 5 hundred indigenous youngsters from the Yanomami neighborhood within the Amazon over the previous 4 years. This was an enormous shock in Brazil, and the administration responded instantly. They despatched process forces to the area and are actually expelling the unlawful miners that had been bringing illnesses and had been finally chargeable for these humanitarian tragedies. To be clear: It’s nonetheless an issue. It is not solved. However that is already a very good instance of optimistic motion.
Combating deforestation within the Amazon and the Cerrado, one other biome crucial to local weather regulation in Brazil, won’t be simple. Rebuilding the environmental coverage will take time, and the companies chargeable for enforcement are understaffed. As well as, environmental crime has develop into extra subtle, connecting with different main legal organizations within the nation. In April, for the primary time, there was a discount in deforestation within the Amazon after two consecutive months of upper numbers. These are nonetheless preliminary information, and it’s nonetheless too early to verify whether or not they sign a turning level and should point out a bent for deforestation to lower. Alternatively, the Cerrado registered report deforestation in April.
There are issues in all places within the financial system and politics that Lula must face. Within the first week of the brand new time period, on Jan. 8, we noticed an rebellion in Brasília, the nation’s capital, from Bolsonaro voters who wouldn’t settle for the election outcomes. The occasions resembled what People noticed within the Capitol assaults in 2021. We additionally appear to have imported issues from the USA, like mass killings in colleges. We by no means used to have them in Brazil, however we’re seeing them now. I am curious to see how the nation will tackle these issues and if the U.S. may encourage options to that. That’s one thing I’m desirous about, being right here: Are there options right here? What are they?
Q: What have you ever realized so removed from MIT and your fellowship?
A: It is onerous to place all the pieces into phrases! I am principally taking programs and attending lectures on urgent points to humanity, like existential threats similar to local weather change, synthetic intelligence, biosecurity, and extra.
I’m studying about all these points, but additionally, as a journalist, I feel that I’m studying extra about how I can incorporate the scientific strategy into my work; for instance, being extra pro-positive. I’m already a rigorous journalist, however I’m desirous about how I will be extra rigorous and extra clear about my strategies. Being within the educational and scientific setting is inspiring that approach.
I’m additionally studying lots about how one can cowl scientific matters and desirous about how know-how can supply us options (and issues). I’m studying a lot that I feel I’ll want a while to digest and totally perceive what this era means for me!
Q: You talked about synthetic intelligence. Would you prefer to weigh in on this topic and what you’ve been studying?
A: It has been a very good semester to be at MIT. Generative synthetic intelligence, which turned extra widespread after ChatGPT, has been a subject of intense dialogue this semester, and I used to be in a position to attend many courses, seminars, and occasions about AI right here, particularly from a coverage perspective.
Algorithms have influenced the financial system, society, and public well being for a few years. It has had nice outcomes, but additionally injustice. Standard programs like ChatGPT have made this know-how extremely widespread and accessible, even for these with no pc information. That is scary and, on the similar time, very thrilling. Right here, I realized that we want guardrails for synthetic intelligence, similar to different applied sciences. Consider the pharmaceutical or vehicle industries, which have to fulfill security standards earlier than placing a brand new product available on the market. However with synthetic intelligence, it’ll be totally different; provide chains are very advanced and typically not very clear, and the pace at which new sources develop is so quick that it challenges the policymaker’s means to reply.
Synthetic intelligence is altering the world radically. It is thrilling to have the privilege of being right here and seeing these discussions happen. In any case, I’ve a future to report on. A minimum of, I hope so!
Q: What are you engaged on going ahead?
A: After MIT, I’m going to New York, the place I will be working with The New York Instances of their internship program. I am actually enthusiastic about that as a result of it will likely be a unique tempo from MIT. I’m additionally doing analysis on carbon credit score markets and hope to proceed that venture, both in a reporting or educational setting.
Actually, I really feel impressed to maintain learning. I might like to spend extra time right here at MIT. I might like to do a grasp’s or be part of any program right here. I’m going to work on coming again to academia as a result of I feel that I have to be taught extra from the educational setting. I hope that it is at MIT as a result of truthfully, it is essentially the most thrilling setting that I’ve ever been in, with all of the individuals right here from totally different fields and totally different backgrounds. I am not a scientist, nevertheless it’s inspiring to be with them, and if there is a approach that I may contribute to their work in a approach that they are contributing to my work, I will be thrilled to spend extra time right here.
