Warm Up

1
Warm Up

• Discuss a time in your life when you were
  treated differently because of what you look
  like, how much money you have or the kind of job
  your parents have. How did it make you feel?

2
Ch. 11Todays Issues in Latin America
3
Natural Resources vs. Land and Timber

• The Amazon provides vegetation to help clean the
  earths atmosphere, regulate the climate, and is
  home to many plants, animals and insects.
• People are clearing the Amazon for its resources
  such as timber and land.
• As of 2000, every year 50 million acres of
  rainforest is being destroyed

4

• Native people, living in poverty, travel into the
  Amazon in search for land on which they can grow
  crops- even though the Amazon does not provide
  very fertile soil.
• Farmers/ Ranchers use the cleared land to graze
  there cattle so they can provide a steady supply
  of beef for export

5

• Population is increasing in Brazil putting
  pressure on the government to clear more land in
  the Amazon to develop homes
• What the people of Latin America dont realize is
  the long term effects of what they are doing to
  the world . . .

6

• Rainforests regulate the earths climate by
  absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen.
  The carbon dioxide that is not absorbed builds up
  in the atmosphere, this build up prevents heat
  from escaping into space. The temperature of the
  atmosphere begins to rise thus changing weather
  patterns. To scientists this is known as global
  warming.

7

• Debt-for-nature-swap is an agreement made between
  environmental organizations and the government.
  In Latin American many of the countries are in
  debt, so environmental groups have agreed to pay
  off some of the governments debt in return for
  preservation of parts of the rainforest. Bolivia
  has proven t o be very successful with this
  approach.

8
Giving Citizens a Voice

• 16th century citizens were ruled by King of Spain
• 1800s won their independence but were still
  ruled by small groups of Spanish colonists
  (Oligarchy)
• If the government felt threatened the military
  would step in, seize power, and form a new
  harsher government known as a junta, which was
  run by the generals

9

• From 1900-2000, many L.A. countries were ruled by
  caudillo, a military dictator or political boss
• Many countries are now adopting a democracy and
  citizens are now electing their presidents
• Many reforms have had to be engaged in order to
  successfully run their governments.
• Women are now allowed to run for office, and have
  found some success

10

• Land reforms have been set up due to the unequal
  land distribution, governments are breaking up
  large landholdings and giving portions of the
  land to poor peasant farmers.
• Role Playing