Robert Weiner and George Clingan – Miami Herald, 8/9/2012
As the world watches the 2012 London Olympics, the United States ought to brace for a looming embarrassment at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Unless we act fast, everyone will see Brazilians spending one-third less per gallon and generating significantly cleaner air, while the United States and other nations remain locked in the stronghold of the OPEC oil cartels.
Brazil is getting rich on its energy independence — and buying up depressed Florida real estate with its deep coffers. In June, Brian Williams reported on NBC Rock Center that, “Brazil is minting 20 new millionaires a week,” prompting “waves of wealthy Brazilians landing on South Florida’s shores spending millions.” They now own the majority of new real-estate value in Miami.
Brazil’s newfound wealth, aided by its energy policy, has rocketed the country to Florida’s top trading partner. “Brazil is our China,” said Frank Nero, the head of Miami-Dade County’s economic development agency. Brazil is proving itself a world leader in environmental reform on several fronts, having reduced deforestation to a fifth of its peak in the 1990s.
