1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,640 The massive city of Sao Paulo is the commercial centre of Brazil and the heart of business 2 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:08,960 is the city's stock exchange. 3 00:00:08,960 --> 00:00:16,480 500 Brazilian companies are listed here and every day 500 million euro is traded. 4 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:21,600 Although there is still poverty in the characteristics of a developing nation, Brazil is no third 5 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:23,760 world country. 6 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:28,600 Today it's one of the world's major economies and is lining up alongside China, India and 7 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:33,160 Russia as one of the economic superpowers of the future. 8 00:00:33,160 --> 00:00:38,320 Dynamic economic growth has established Brazil as an upper middle income country. 9 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:42,840 In terms of trade relations, the European Union is Brazil's biggest trading partner, 10 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:46,360 taking a quarter of Brazil's exports. 11 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:52,640 As Brazilian investment in the EU increases, so too does European investment in Brazil. 12 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:58,000 Whether it's Nokia, Volkswagen, Telefónica or Carrefour, European brands are household 13 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:00,880 names. 14 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:05,680 Brazil's biggest company is Petrobras, an oil and energy corporation that's developing 15 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:10,240 an international market for its innovative biofuel technologies. 16 00:01:10,240 --> 00:01:16,240 These days it's not surprising to find multinational oil companies taking green energy seriously. 17 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:20,840 And this is an area where Brazil has a head start. 18 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:26,080 During the oil crisis in the 1970s, Brazil responded by running engines on ethanol produced 19 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:27,880 from sugar cane. 20 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:34,840 By the middle of the 1980s, a third of the national fleet was using ethanol as fuel. 21 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:40,800 You have been using ethanol as a fuel, as a substitute for gasoline for a long time. 22 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:46,120 So the company, Petrobras, and the country both have a very, very long history, a very 23 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:47,440 good experience. 24 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:49,920 And I would say that you are leaders in terms of biofuels. 25 00:01:50,920 --> 00:01:55,800 Companies like Petrobras and Brazilian car manufacturers have pioneered the use of flex-fuel 26 00:01:55,800 --> 00:02:02,600 cars, vehicles that can run on gasoline, alcohol or any combination of the two. 27 00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:08,120 Rising oil prices and concern about carbon emissions meant that in 2006, three quarters 28 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:12,920 of all cars sold in Brazil were flex-fuel models. 29 00:02:12,920 --> 00:02:16,920 People have been making alcohol from sugar cane for hundreds of years. 30 00:02:16,920 --> 00:02:21,240 These days, scientists are working to find the most efficient way to produce alcohol 31 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:27,280 on an industrial scale, testing the use of pressure, heat and microorganisms to accelerate 32 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:30,040 the process. 33 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:35,240 While the Brazilian biofuel industry was founded on alcohol from sugar cane, biodiesel is the 34 00:02:35,240 --> 00:02:38,360 new focus for developing the sector. 35 00:02:38,360 --> 00:02:43,600 Refined vegetable oil from plants like soya or sunflower are added to conventional diesel 36 00:02:43,680 --> 00:02:47,160 to produce biodiesel. 37 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:51,840 Brazil has impressive plans for this new technology that are valuable for small producers and 38 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:55,280 conscious of environmental issues. 39 00:02:55,280 --> 00:03:00,960 There's no point in producing biofuels from sources that are not sustainable. 40 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:06,960 Our three biodiesel plants that are being built right now, they are close to areas that 41 00:03:06,960 --> 00:03:09,840 are more small farming areas. 42 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:14,080 And they are going to use seeds that are more small farmer friendly. 43 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:22,360 The EU, we have that ambitious agenda of moving to a percentage of about 20% of renewable 44 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:25,080 energies by 2020, which is very ambitious. 45 00:03:25,080 --> 00:03:32,000 We know that we have to import from other parts of the world and Brazil will certainly 46 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,280 have a stake in our energy mix in the future. 47 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:42,600 The old port city of Santos still bears the hallmarks of Brazil's colonial history and 48 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:44,760 links with the coffee trade. 49 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:49,040 Following three centuries under Portuguese rule, Brazil became an independent nation 50 00:03:49,040 --> 00:03:50,360 in 1822. 51 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:55,120 While the links with Portugal are obvious, in truth there was substantial immigration 52 00:03:55,120 --> 00:04:00,260 here from virtually every European country. 53 00:04:00,260 --> 00:04:05,280 The Atlantic coastal strip became the most densely populated region of Brazil. 54 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:11,280 But before the colonial period, this was the Mata Atlantica, a rainforest stretching 4,000 55 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:13,080 kilometres along the coast. 56 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:17,560 Today, less than 10% of the original forest remains. 57 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:21,580 Because of the number and diversity of animals and plants, it's known as one of the five 58 00:04:21,580 --> 00:04:26,800 areas in the world with the highest level of biodiversity. 59 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:31,320 Scientists from a German research institute and the University of Sao Paulo are investigating 60 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:35,440 the minimum viable area for the survival of different species. 61 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:42,820 Their data will allow the identification of species under threat and strategies for conservation. 62 00:04:42,820 --> 00:04:47,200 We are mist-netting, so capturing birds to see which species are still occurring in big 63 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:53,040 fragments and in small fragments, and we are putting traps to see which small mammals are 64 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:57,520 living in the forest, which species, how many species are living there, and putting camera 65 00:04:57,600 --> 00:05:02,000 traps to get also the bigger mammals. 66 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:07,400 And this we are comparing with the availability of food for the mammals, and we measure what 67 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:12,680 quality of habitat we have for these animals. 68 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:15,580 Many species are unique to the Mata Atlantica. 69 00:05:15,580 --> 00:05:19,760 For instance, there are 8,000 plant species here that don't grow anywhere else in the 70 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:21,480 world. 71 00:05:21,480 --> 00:05:28,000 This project is an example of Brazil and Europe cooperating on an issue with global significance. 72 00:05:28,000 --> 00:05:33,840 It's a global issue because of different arguments, like for example for the climate, and it's 73 00:05:33,840 --> 00:05:40,280 also very important for carbon fixation, and it's providing us with a lot of different 74 00:05:40,280 --> 00:05:48,280 species, maybe medicinal plants, and so we have different types of advantages if we can 75 00:05:48,320 --> 00:05:53,320 sustain and live together with the forest. 76 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:57,120 Rio de Janeiro is one of the most spectacular cities in the world. 77 00:05:57,120 --> 00:06:02,280 The location, the culture and the amenities provide for a magnificent lifestyle. 78 00:06:02,280 --> 00:06:06,240 But if you work your way up the hill from Ipanema beach, you'll find yourself in the 79 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:09,240 favela of Rocinha. 80 00:06:09,240 --> 00:06:13,320 About a quarter of Brazil's population live in poverty in the shanty towns or favelas.