U.S.–Brazil Biofuels Cooperation: One Year Later
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On March 9, 2007, Brazil and the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to deepen their efforts to develop reliable, clean, and sustainable energy sources. One year later, a group of high-level officials and analysts, convened by the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) in partnership with the Brazil Institute and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (APEX-Brasil), came together on March 4, 2008 for a roundtable discussion at the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) 2008 in order to review progress made under the MOU.
The debate centered on how the U.S. and Brazilian governments, in partnership with the private sector, can work together to continue to move the MOU beyond its initial, ambitious vision and help expand global production of biofuels. Director of the Brazil Institute Paulo Sotero moderated the discussion and opened the debate by noting the political significance of Brazil-U.S. biofuels cooperation. That two presidents from different sides of the political spectrum, such as George W. Bush and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, came together to provide what President Lula described as an "answer to the great energy challenges of the 21st century" is an example of how, in many instances, Brazil and the United States have converging interests.
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Brazil Institute
The Brazil Institute—the only country-specific policy institution focused on Brazil in Washington—aims to deepen understanding of Brazil’s complex landscape and strengthen relations between Brazilian and US institutions across all sectors. Read more
Latin America Program
The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action. Read more