Almost two years after the environmental disaster in the city of Mariana, in the state of Minas Gerais, Fundação Getulio Vargas is organizing the seminar titled “Environmental Disasters: National and International Experiences”, to be held on September 13, 2017. The event not only resurfaces this important subject among society, addressing the current situation and prospects regarding Rio Doce, but also expands the debate to other cases. The seminar is supported by the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Rio de Janeiro and is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m., at FGV's Cultural Center (Praia de Botafogo, 186. Botafogo).

The guest speakers kicking off the event include Minister of Environment Sarney Filho, Minister of National Integration Helder Zahluth Barbalho, governors of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, Fernando Pimentel and Paulo Hartung, President of the National Water Agency (ANA), Vicente Andreu Guillo, Attorney General of the Federal Prosecution Service, José Adércio Leite Sampaio, representative of the Krenak indigenous people, Geovani Krenak, and the German Consul General in Rio de Janeiro, Klaus Zillikens. The event will also be attended by the mayor of the city of Mariana, Duarte Júnior, the President of Fundação Renova, Roberto Waack, as well as the president of FGV, Carlos Ivan Simonsen Leal, and the director of FGV Projetos, Cesar Cunha Campos, among other authorities and experts. 

The seminar will highlight national and international experiences, such as the creation of Ecovillages and the work performed by the EmscherGenossenschaft Water Management Association in the city of Essen, Germany, which received the title of European Green Capital of 2017. The seminar will also share the Judiciary Branch’s perspective on the subject, as well as the legal aspects related to environmental issues. Other topics such as water governance, public policies and offsetting initiatives are also on the agenda.

A series of masterclasses and a workshop will be respectively held on September 11 and 12, preceding the seminar. The masterclass will gather students, professors and experts from the environmental area. The workshop will be a private event in which a group of experts from Brazil and other countries will analyze specific environmental topics, such as the Mariana case. The main proposals and solutions discussed during the workshop will be presented at the seminar. Both events will be held in English.

Go to the website for more information, available in Portuguese, and to register.