The Amazon Utopia in the heart of a climate change dispute

I’m very conscious I haven’t blogged for a few days.

Partly a consequence of the gigantic scale of Brazil – every night is spent flying and manoeuvring to get somewhere deep into the issues on climate change ahead of Copenhagen.

I’m sitting in the early morning sun on the far side of the Amazon (ten miles wide at this point) south of the city of Manaus. City it is – 1.5 million souls.

Enriched by rubber in the 1900s it sports the improbable and glorious Opera House with its chandeliers Roco gold trim and plush red velvet 700 seats.

But in other ways it’s a sad and jumbly place.

Fish and chainsaws seem to be the market staples. A whole street of chainsaw stalls – heaven preserve us and the Amazon tree! The drought has killed trees and reduced carbon absorption.

Steam is rising from the waters; monkeys, tiny ones, dash about; parrots squawk; alligators glide, just their eye balls peeping above the waters.

Why should Utopia sit in the heart of global dispute about the future of our plant? Come back Graham Greene all is forgiven!

This is his kind of a place. There’s a pantile roofed cathedral and the priests etched dark against grimy stucco walls.

Oh well, soon to the pristine cleanliness of Copenhagen.

Can’t say it feels very optimistic.

Got to dash there’s a fisherman with a bow and arrow waiting to take me to observe his way of life, untouched by time.