Rio De Janero
Background info.
Oil Reserves in Brazil
Brazil like most countries of the world today, has ever increasing energy demands which must be met one way or another. For a while, it seemed a possible solution to these demands were the use of bio-fuels such as ethanol sourced from sugarcane, which is abundant in Brazil. 6 years ago however, that changed when huge deposits of oil were discovered off the Brazilian coast. Ever since, oil companies have been predicting huge profits to come. However, the profits have not been quite as predicted.The largest investing oil company on the scene, Petrobas, has been profitable so far, and it is predicted that there is still a lot more oil to come out of the ground.
While there is potential for great profits, there are great overhead costs that are slowing business down. Since most of the oil deposits are located below a good amount of water, as well as a shifting layer of salt, the price of obtaining the oil is higher than anticipated. In the last year, Petrobas began to auction off some of its assets, including one of its oil fields, Libra. They hoped to draw in some of the multinational oil giants such as BP or Exxon, knowing that they would have an easier time getting the ball rolling, but neither were interested. Petrobas recently discovered drill able oil near one of their oil fields already under operation off the coast of Rio. The oil reserves there are claimed to be in shallow waters and above the layer of salt making it more easily obtainable.
Besides the new found oil reserves, Brazil had been developing a handful of other promising energy sources such as hydroelectric, biofuels, and wind power. These power sources were already spurring development throughout Brazil before the promise of large scale oil production. With profits from these new found oil reserves, energy companies with have greater capital in or order to invest in the other alternative energy sources, allowing them to be developed and implemented further.
While there is potential for great profits, there are great overhead costs that are slowing business down. Since most of the oil deposits are located below a good amount of water, as well as a shifting layer of salt, the price of obtaining the oil is higher than anticipated. In the last year, Petrobas began to auction off some of its assets, including one of its oil fields, Libra. They hoped to draw in some of the multinational oil giants such as BP or Exxon, knowing that they would have an easier time getting the ball rolling, but neither were interested. Petrobas recently discovered drill able oil near one of their oil fields already under operation off the coast of Rio. The oil reserves there are claimed to be in shallow waters and above the layer of salt making it more easily obtainable.
Besides the new found oil reserves, Brazil had been developing a handful of other promising energy sources such as hydroelectric, biofuels, and wind power. These power sources were already spurring development throughout Brazil before the promise of large scale oil production. With profits from these new found oil reserves, energy companies with have greater capital in or order to invest in the other alternative energy sources, allowing them to be developed and implemented further.
Favelas
There are many things about Rio De Janero that make it unique. One of which is the favelas. The favelas are a very densely populated area of the city that is home to many of the poorer residents of the city. Due to the mere size, and density of the population within the favelas, there are considerable challenges to be faced by those who reside there. It is estimated that 6% of Brazil's entire population is made up by the residents of the favelas. That equates to roughly 11.25 million people. With that many people living in such a relatively small space, crime is very prevalent. So much so, that local police have implemented a program to essentially increase security within the favelas and crack down on criminal activity.
While it is reported that almost all living within the favelas have both running water, and electricity, it is not necessarily a clean environment. sewage runs through the middle of the houses. The buildings are primarily made up of brick and cement. But while the living conditions sound less than humane, and with drugs and crime running rampant, the people of the favelas overall seem content. While they typically resent the government, and its law enforcement for doing little to improve the living standards of the favelas, they otherwise seem to enjoy the life of the favelas.
While it is reported that almost all living within the favelas have both running water, and electricity, it is not necessarily a clean environment. sewage runs through the middle of the houses. The buildings are primarily made up of brick and cement. But while the living conditions sound less than humane, and with drugs and crime running rampant, the people of the favelas overall seem content. While they typically resent the government, and its law enforcement for doing little to improve the living standards of the favelas, they otherwise seem to enjoy the life of the favelas.
Water Quality
Water quality in the area surrounding Rio de Janero is a huge issue, specifically in the Guanabara bay area. Rio is a major city with a large population. As mentioned above, a huge amount of the population lives in the slums called the favelas of Rio. There is no real sewage treatment standards that are implemented in the favelas. As a result the surrounding waterways are highly polluted. Its been reported that the level of fecal matter alone in the bay is almost 200 times higher than the standard set in the U.S. the rivers, beaches, and bay are also said to be full of garbage and debris. So when Rio de Janero was able to get the bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, promises were made to clean up these areas. It seems that the severity of the situation is not being taken seriously. With about a year and half left to go before the olympics there is still a great deal of progress to be made and only minimal action is being taken. Citizens of the favelas are disappointed with the government's action, or lack there of. The water around Rio remains heavily polluted. The government has implemented "eco-boats" to clean up solid trash in the bays, and "eco-barriors" to block the flow of solid waste from the rivers into the bays. However, nothing is currently being done to address the issues of human waste in the water.
Certain programs, and standards must be implemented, and enforced by the city government, if any real change is to be expected. The solutions that are being attempted currently are merely end-of-pipe solutions, and they do not really address the true underlying issues. Cleaning up garbage at the points where it ends up will only do so much if the sources of trash, human waste, and more are not addressed as well. The people of the favelas do not have much option but to continue on as the always have. The poverty stricken people of the favelas have little they can to to avoid polluting the area when given no other options. The waste will be there one way or another. Until government officials come up with a solution on what to do with it, and how to manage it so that the water does not continually get bombarded with waste, the problems of pollution will continue.
Certain programs, and standards must be implemented, and enforced by the city government, if any real change is to be expected. The solutions that are being attempted currently are merely end-of-pipe solutions, and they do not really address the true underlying issues. Cleaning up garbage at the points where it ends up will only do so much if the sources of trash, human waste, and more are not addressed as well. The people of the favelas do not have much option but to continue on as the always have. The poverty stricken people of the favelas have little they can to to avoid polluting the area when given no other options. The waste will be there one way or another. Until government officials come up with a solution on what to do with it, and how to manage it so that the water does not continually get bombarded with waste, the problems of pollution will continue.
Day 4: Arrive in Brazil
This was the first day of the Rio de Janero portion of our trip. Upon arrival we found out that someone in our group misplaced their passport. This put an immediate halt on the activities planned for the day. While Tait worked towards a solution with the student, the rest of us enjoyed the hotel's view from its rooftop pool for the day.
Day 5: Cristo!
Today we visited the world renowned statue Christ the Redeemer, or as the locals call it, Cristo. First we took a van ride to one of the adjacent mountains to Cristo. From there we had a view of the entire city of Rio, including the favelas that climbed up into the hills, and we could even see Cristo across the way. After taking lots of pictures we took another van ride to the base of the Cristo monument. From there we climbed lots and lots of stairs all the way to the base of Cristo. the monument was surrounded by tourists taking pictures. We found out that the monument was 90 feet tall and a 98 foot wingspan. The monument is representative of the major role of Christianity in Brazilian culture.
It was surreal to see the Cristo monument up close. We had been getting views of it since our arrival in Rio and it was always a stand out, so seeing it up close if felt as if the monument was much smaller. It was also crazy seeing so many people packed around the monument taking pictures. The Cristo monument is such an iconic part of Brazilian culture. If felt like we got the full Rio experience between the views from our hotel roof, the surrounding mountain peaks, and at the base of the monument itself.
It was surreal to see the Cristo monument up close. We had been getting views of it since our arrival in Rio and it was always a stand out, so seeing it up close if felt as if the monument was much smaller. It was also crazy seeing so many people packed around the monument taking pictures. The Cristo monument is such an iconic part of Brazilian culture. If felt like we got the full Rio experience between the views from our hotel roof, the surrounding mountain peaks, and at the base of the monument itself.
Day 6: Chevron meeting
Today we got to sit down to a presentation put on by several representatives at Chevron, a major oil company based out of Rio de Janero. Presentations were given on geology, engineering methods employed by Chevron, and ecology of the various biomes of Brazil. We were told that due to recent discoveries of oil reserves in pre-salt oil fields production has increased from about 600 to 2400 barrels in the last 20 years. We learned about the geology of the region. There are little to no natural disasters that occur in Brazil. The only ones that occur regularly are landslides. The geology of the rock formations in combination with the large amounts of rainfall in Brazil are the main factors that lead to frequent landslides.
We were then told at length the entire process of how oil is extracted from the below the ocean in the pre-salt layer. The presenters described the odds of exploration wells coming up with drillable locations, and from there the odds those locations will be profitable if drilled. Next we were given a presentation of the various biomes that exist in Brazil. There are seven different biomes, Pampos, Atlantic Rain Forest, Cerrado, Pantanal, Cantinga, Amazon, and the Marine Biome or mangroves. Each biome has varying landscapes and climate conditions along with varying levels of exploitation, human impact, and conservation efforts associated.
It was very interesting to learn at depth the process by which oil is obtained by companies such as Chevron, something i knew little about previously. I also thought it was interesting to see geologists of the company and the part they play in the whole process. They appeared to be some of the most passionate people working there and their passion was in studying, and then ultimately manipulating the various landscapes of the planet. I also thought it was surprising learning how many biomes there were throughout Brazil. We only got to see a few of them, and there were a handful i would not have even known existed otherwise. It was cool to see how diverse Brazil is which was something that i thought was amazing about Rio itself. Rio was very cool to see because its a thriving city located tucked into a range of lush green mountains, but also right up along the beach at the same time.
We were then told at length the entire process of how oil is extracted from the below the ocean in the pre-salt layer. The presenters described the odds of exploration wells coming up with drillable locations, and from there the odds those locations will be profitable if drilled. Next we were given a presentation of the various biomes that exist in Brazil. There are seven different biomes, Pampos, Atlantic Rain Forest, Cerrado, Pantanal, Cantinga, Amazon, and the Marine Biome or mangroves. Each biome has varying landscapes and climate conditions along with varying levels of exploitation, human impact, and conservation efforts associated.
It was very interesting to learn at depth the process by which oil is obtained by companies such as Chevron, something i knew little about previously. I also thought it was interesting to see geologists of the company and the part they play in the whole process. They appeared to be some of the most passionate people working there and their passion was in studying, and then ultimately manipulating the various landscapes of the planet. I also thought it was surprising learning how many biomes there were throughout Brazil. We only got to see a few of them, and there were a handful i would not have even known existed otherwise. It was cool to see how diverse Brazil is which was something that i thought was amazing about Rio itself. Rio was very cool to see because its a thriving city located tucked into a range of lush green mountains, but also right up along the beach at the same time.