Alex Bruno
Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla and SpaceX, met with Jair Bolsonaro, president of Brazil, on Friday to explore connections in the Amazon jungle as well as other initiatives. Communications Minister Fábio Faria organized the meeting, which took place in a luxurious resort in the state of Sao Paulo. Minister Faria has stated that he is looking for partnerships with the world’s richest man in order to bring or improve internet access in schools and health facilities located in rural areas using technology developed by SpaceX and Starlink, as well as to preserve the rainforest.
The meeting was held in Sao Paulo state. Musk tweeted early in the morning on Friday that he was “very happy to be in Brazil for the launch of Starlink for 19,000 disconnected schools in rural regions and environmental monitoring of the Amazon.” Several government agencies, including the National Space Agency, the Federal Police, and the Environmental Regulator Ibama, keep an eye out for illegal operations taking place in the immense Amazon Rainforest.
But under Bolsonaro, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has skyrocketed, hitting its highest yearly rate in more than a decade, according to official statistics from the national space agency. Bolsonaro is responsible for this rise in deforestation. Bolsonaro’s detractors believe that he has a significant amount of responsibility for the situation since his ardent support for the expansion of the region’s infrastructure projects has given loggers and land speculators more confidence.
During the course of the event, Bolsonaro said that Brazil placed a “very high” priority on the area. “We count on Elon Musk so that the Amazon is known by everyone in Brazil and around the world,” he said. “We want to show the exuberance of this region, how we are preserving it, and how much harm those who spread lies about this region are doing to us.” “We count on Elon Musk so that the Amazon is known by everyone in Brazil and around the world.”
Both Bolsonaro and Musk made an appearance in a video that was live-streamed on the president’s Facebook page. In the video, they can be seen standing on a stage together and responding to questions posed by a group of kids. Musk informed the gathering that there is a lot that can be done to enhance the quality of life via the use of technology.
Bolsonaro referred to Musk’s possible acquisition of Twitter as a “breath of hope” despite the fact that none of the students questioned him about the possibility of Musk purchasing Twitter. He referred to the billionaire as a “legend of freedom” and added that freedom is the foundation upon which the future is built.
Musk has made an offer to purchase Twitter for $44 billion, but he said this week that the transaction can’t go ahead unless the firm reveals details regarding the number of accounts on the network that are spam or bots. As Musk has done, Bolsonaro has attempted to portray himself as a defender of free speech and has spoken out against the de-platforming of people, including his ally, former President of the United States Donald Trump. The meeting with Bolsonaro takes place barely five months before the election that is being closely watched, in which the far-right leader will run for a second term in office.
Source: APNEWS
