The Finnish satellite technology company ICEYE has sold the microsatellite to Brazil, but the deal has received criticism from experts in South America and Finland.
The Brazilian Air Force plans to use a microsatellite to monitor and prevent deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.
However, some Brazilian researchers have argued that the acquisition was just a form of green washing and that the government’s real intention is to hide the real deforestation.
At the end of December, the Brazilian Air Force signed a confidential agreement with the Finnish company ICEYE to acquire a microsatellite worth approximately EUR 30 million.
The Brazilian government sent a notice of the deal to the country’s official website, which referred to "national security" a brief description of the acquisition.
Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of ICEYE Pekka Laurila, confirmed the trade news to Svenska Yle news.
"Naturally, I am very proud of our team and our technology, and also the fact that ICEYE was chosen as the most appropriate of all [available] international options," he said.
The deal has received strong criticism from researchers at the Brazilian National Space Research Institute (INPE).
Researcher: Green washing tactics
Investigator Gilberto Câmara said the Brazilian government ‘s plans to use the satellite are to distort data on how much of the Amazon rainforest has been cleared. He said that the satellite will become an instrument of the so-called To achieve green washing, a method of transmitting misleading information so that situations look better to the environment than they actually are.
"The government intends to keep the information on deforestation confidential and to jeopardize the transparency for which the INPE is responsible," said Câmara, who headed the Brazilian Space Research Institute from 2005-2012.
Câmara said the microsatellite in question was inefficient and unsuitable for its intended use, saying the device works well in Finland to separate ice and ships in the water, but was not the right tool to monitor the Brazilian rainforest.
The Space Research Institute has been monitoring the country’s deforestation since 1988 and publishes daily reports on the subject for research purposes. The program has received high international recognition for its openness.
"Compared to the satellites already used by INPE, the ICEYE satellite would add nothing, its power is limited," Câmara said, adding that because of this, he doubts the Brazilian government is fully aware that the satellite was not suitable for its intended use.
"The military wants to measure deforestation levels in order to ignore INPE data [on the topic]. The government has not appreciated the information provided by INPE on deforestation," Câmara said.
INPE has sent a warning letter about the agreement to the Brazilian government.
Câmara said the deal reflects similar events that have taken place in Brazil for a long time. The country’s right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro has become known without ignoring environmental issues and has promised to open up the country’s rainforests for further use.
Bolsonaro has also criticized INPE statistics, calling them misleading and damaging to the country’s reputation.
Satellite Company: No comments
ICEYE founder Laurila said he did not want to comment on INPE’s criticism of the agreement.
"Unfortunately, I can’t comment very much at this point. We can confirm that the agreement exists, as shown in the public documents. Due to the confidentiality agreement, we cannot make separate statements on our own behalf," Laurila told Svenska Yle by e-mail.
For the sale of a satellite to another country, ICEYE required an export license because such equipment is classified as dual-use because it can also be used for military purposes.
The Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs confirmed that ICEYE received prior approval for the trade, which speeds up the processing time of export permits.
Head of the Ministry’s Export Control Unit, Teemu Sepponen, those export authorization decisions are based on information provided by the companies and an independent study carried out by the service.
"I can’t comment on it further at this point," Sepponen said.
Researcher: Not ethical
Assistant Professor of Global Development at the University of Helsinki, Markus Kröger, said he strongly questioned the sale of the satellite to the Bolsonaro government.
"It is not possible to sell satellite tracking technology to such a government. It’s not ethical," he said.
A scholar studying Brazil in particular said the South American country is inevitably moving towards its current leadership towards dictatorship, adding that he believes the accusations that Bolsonaro would use the technology to his advantage are credible.
"The Brazilian government ignores or dismisses experts who do not support Bolsonaro’s policy," Kröger said, referring to the Brazilian president’s past conflicts with INPE experts
Kröger noted that the key issue in this situation is that the satellite agreement was made specifically with the Brazilian Ministry of Defense and the Air Force.
"The aim seems to be to transfer satellite control from civilian units to the military and for purposes other than the protection of the Amazon," the researcher said.
Finnish companies have not yet realized how risky doing business with Bolsonaro can be for their corporate reputation, according to Kröger. According to him, Finland has intervened in Brazil’s domestic policy by approving a satellite agreement.
Source: The Nordic Page