Where's the Beef?

Paula Alvarado recently posted a study on Treehugger, concluding that Brazillians take global warming more seriously than Americans and many EU countries as well.  Alvarado uses the study to hail South America's progressive views on the environment, as opposed to many Northern countries that are dragging their feet.  However, it is difficult to extract any real conclusions from the study, as Brazil is a major environmental offender, ESPECIALLY regarding climate change.

It is now a well known fact among the environmental-minded that Brazil's enormous growing cattle industry comes at the expense of the extraordinarily biodiverse Amazon rainforest.  In order to create grazing space for cattle, enormous sections of rainforest are being plowed and burned.  This means in addition to the extremely carbon-intense practice of raising cattle (methane), more carbon is being released from the clearing of the forest (plus the future carbon that will no longer be absorbed).  Many companies have pulled their support from Brazillian cattle, including Wal-Mart and Timberland, recognizing the absolute unsustainability of the practice.

So, what does this all mean?  On one hand, the Brazillian people say they care about climate change and are willing to make sacrifices to that end, but their country as a whole is acting quite differently.  It remains to be seen whether there is a disconnect between government and citizens, ignorance, or perhaps it's all just hot air...