“The Route of Smoke” from Brazil wins EJA’s Global Public Award in Copenhagen

Winners of the Global Public Award given on December 14th 2009 in Copenhagen: Andreia Fanzeres and Cristiane Prizibisczki for “The Route of Smoke”. Photo courtesy: Earth Journalism Awards web site.

For anyone who’s been following the Earth Journalism Awards, the much-awaited Global Public Award was announced yesterday in Copenhagen. Thousands of people from across the world voted online for this award, helping to pick the best story.

And the winner of the Global Public Award is…"The Route of Smoke," a multimedia report put together by two Brazilian journalists, Andreia Fanzeres and Cristiane Prizibisczki. They tell the story of how customary farming practices—such as setting fire to land before planting—that contribute to the country's emissions are clashing with new methods for responsible agriculture. This entry also won the Latin America regional award. 

Here is a short excerpt (you can read the complete report on the EJA website or check out the original multimedia):

The Route of Smoke, Photo courtesy: Earth  Journalism Awards web site.

"Nelci Queiroz and Augusto do Valle are but some of the land owners in the Amazon that contribute to Brazil being one of the greatest carbon dioxide emitters (CO2) on the planet. Every year, burnings in the Amazon are responsible for throwing about 200 million tons of this pollutant into the air. The transforming of forests and land for usage in the country answers for 75% of gas emissions that raise the Earth temperature and cause the greenhouse effect. Of this total, 59% come from the Amazon, according to the National Inventory of Emissions carried out by the Ministry of Science and Technology."

Another interesting award under the EJA umbrella is the MTV Positive Change Award, which went to “Trash is Cash”, a song performed by Wafalme (a group of 16 young Kenyans), and written by Lilian Tende. The song shows how climate change affects people’s lives in Kenya. “This my solution…trash is cash,” they sing, in a video shot in a grim urban setting.

For a full list of winning entries, visit http://awards.earthjournalism.org.