Floriano Filho

Just months after Floriano Filho completed his fellowship at Metcalf Institute’s Annual Science Immersion Workshop for Journalists in June of 2011, an environmental disaster struck his homeland. Hundreds of gallons of oil leaked into the Atlantic Ocean from Chevron’s drilling operation 75 miles off the Brazilian coast.

Filho says lessons learned during his Metcalf fellowship helped him when, a short time later, he served as a moderator at a conference on oil and gas and gave a presentation on “Brazil and the Geopolitics of Global Oil.”

“The information I learned during the Metcalf fellowship helped me, not only in terms of understanding the environmental impact of the oil spill and related environmental issues, but also in discussions with experts in the field.”

Today, Filho is an anchor for TV Senado, the Brazilian equivalent of C-SPAN 2 in the United States. He conducts interviews on politics and economics of energy and the environment, focusing on oil, gas, biofuels and environmental impacts in the Amazon Basin. Filho, who has been honored for his documentary filmmaking, has also taken on another self-appointed role in the past two years. He’s become a strong advocate for Metcalf Institute’s Science Immersion Workshop, encouraging young journalists in Brazil to apply for the program every chance he gets.

“It is very advantageous to journalists’ careers, particularly journalists from Brazil. We have so many environmental challenges, and nearly 5,000 miles of coastline with very diverse ecosystems,” said Filho. “Metcalf Institute will help journalists to better appreciate the value that science can add to our coverage of critical ecosystems found in oceans or forests. It reinforces the importance we should give to sustainability, by preserving fresh water streams or fisheries, for example. It is a unique fellowship that enhances our understanding and awareness of biodiversity.”

Filho is currently researching Chinese investments and trade with Latin America in the oil and gas sectors in Brazil.