HOPE
Letters
|
|
Heal Our Planet Earth HOPE Letters |
|
Amazon to become corn plantation, or savannah, or desert. Your preference? I�ve never met her, but ever since I was a child, I�ve been in love with her. And I�ve vowed to do all I can to protect her from harm, for her own sake, and through her, the world. Her name is Amazon. Now, I see that she is falling apart, and probably dying. How do I feel? How would you feel? Biodiversity-wise, she still comprises a quarter of all Earth�s species today. Considering a minimum of 20 million species in total, the Amazon alone hold 5 million species. I thought the Great Amazon Rainforest becoming the Great Amazon Savannah or the Great Amazon corn/soy/sugar-cane plantation were terrible. 5 million species is what we stand to lose if the Great Amazon Rainforest becomes the Great Amazon Desert � within decades. Everyday we do nothing or keep doing what we've been doing means several thousand more species will be added to the grand total. Developing the Alberta tar sands alone may mean a million species or more. Are we really that anthropocentric and selfish? As in my last article about the melting Arctic, I present to you below a collection of articles pulled from the internet with �global warming Amazon�. I did not pick and choose which to include and which to exclude for a biased view. I�ve included the words of global-warming skeptics and deniers and nay-sayers, as well as CNN, New York Times and Washington Post and even Greenpeace. And I have included articles from Brazil itself. Again, I suggest first and foremost to scan the titles from beginning (1988) to the present (2008), and then choose a few to go in depth. You will notice an alarming development (to skeptics: Go ahead, call me an �alarmist� and make my day.) In 2004, an �alarmist� predicted oncoming drought for the Amazon. In 2005, a sever drought did descend upon the Amazon, which raised further alarms. In 2006, the drought returned, leading scientists to warn that the Amazon could not withstand another round. 1n 2007, the drought returned with a vengeance, and many Amazon subsystems were devastated or have downright collapsed. Will there be Drought 4, Drought 5, Drought 6�? We have only 5 months to see about Drought 4. So stay tuned. Meanwhile, in the latter half of 2007 and early 2008, the rate of direct destruction � by slash-and-burn and chainsaw � accelerates, despite Brazil�s promise to curb deforestation for the Nth year. And let�s not forget fossil fuels exploration and development in the Amazon Basin.. Several plausible scenarios have predicted Amazon turning into a giant corn, soy and sugar-cane plantation for biofuel, or into a giant savannah which would suit cattle barons and McDonalds well, or into a giant desert (for imported camels?). The real picture is probably a combination of all the above, all bad. As always, the solution-coin has two sides � conservation and technology. And the key words are just three - immediately or sooner. And the whole coin is just one � our will. Anthony 1988-08-12 New York Times - Vast Amazon fires, man-made, linked
to global warming 1996 Rainforest Facts 1999-01-09 Agence France-Presse � NASA planes to participate in
Amazon global warming study 1999-04-14 BBC News � Amazon forest loss estimate doubles 2001-03-27 Discovery Channel - Amazon may take some heat off
global warming 2001-06-26 National Geographic - Loss of Amazon rainforest may
come sooner than expected 2001-12-13 National Geographic � Adult Amazon trees gain mass �
due to higher CO2 concentration? 2002-04-11 - Accounting Scandal! Accountant reveals new carbon
source 2002-05-01 from S. America � The Amazon rainforest 2002-11-26 PeopleAndPlanet.net - Amazon forest faces climate
catastrophe 2003-02-16 buzzle.com - Global warming endangers Amazon 2003-02-17 The Guardian, UK � Global warming endangers Amazon 2003-09-09 TheAge.com.au - Global warming may threaten Amazon 2003-11-04 New York Times - Deep in the Amazon � vast question
about the climate 2003-12 InfoBrazil.com � Preserving the Amazon � Step 1 � Defeat
fatalism 2004-03-10 Mongabay.com - CO2 is key suspect in rainforest change 2004-04-06 The Why Files - Drought predicted - bye-bye amazing
Amazonia (excellent - predicts drought ahead - see droughts ahead) 2004-10-22 Global warming: nature�s pressure points 2005 Amazon Prosperity - Amazon botanicals bring health and
wealth 2005-02-08 Climate Ark - Amazon �breathing uneasily� 2005-02-15 Brazil - Global warming might turn the Amazon into
scrubland 2005-03-29 eMagazine.com - Worst Amazon drought in 40 years
linked to global warming 2005-10 US Water News Online - Major drought hits Amazon
rainforest 2005-10-21 Amazon drought � deforestation and climate change to
blame 2005-12-02 Earth Observatory - Tropical Atlantic cooling and
African deforestation correlate to drought, report scientists 2005-12-05 Earth Observatory � Why the Amazon is so rich in
species 2005-12-08 Earth Observatory - ORNL-led study shows forests
thrive with increased carbon dioxide levels 2005-12-08 Terra Daily - Global warming to hit rivers in
Mediterranean, Amazon, Midwest 2005-12-11 StopGlobalWarming.org � �Unprecedented� drought
cripples life along Amazon 2005-12-13 Earth Observatory - Amazon tree much older than
assumed, raising questions on global climate impact of region 2005-12-13 Science Daily - Changes to land cover may enhance
global warming in Amazon 2005-12-22 Earth Observatory - Storing carbon to combat global
warming may cause other environmental problems, study suggests 2006-03-22 WWF � Climate change a threat to Amazon rainforests 2006-03-23 Planet Ark � Greater efforts needed to save Amazon
rainforest 2006-04-27 McDonald�s eating up the Amazon 2006-07-19 BBC News - How climate change and logging are
affecting the Amazon 2006-07-23 The Independent - Amazon rainforest could become a
desert 2006-07-23 Climate Ark - Amazon at climate-caused desertification
tipping point 2006-07-23 The Independent - Dying Forest � One year to save the
Amazon 2006-07-24 NZ Herald World � Disastrous drought second year in a
row � one more year could tip the whole system into destruction 2006-07-24 Green Diary - Amazon rainforest turning to desert,
triggering irreversible global warming 2006-07-24 Terra Nature � A disaster to take everyone�s breath
away 2006-07-25 - The Sietch Blog - Amazon could become desert http://www.terranature.org/AmazonDeforestation.htmld-become-desert/ 2006-07-28 Fundamentalist Christianity � Amazon rainforest �could
become a desert� 2006-07-29 Minding the Planet - Amazon desertification may start
next year - Global warming could increase by 50% 2006-07-29 Science Buzz - The Amazon rainforest needs rain 2006-08-01 BlueGreen Blog - Amazon in 2nd year of drought, cannot
withstand a third 2006-08-06 Woods Hole Research Center � Senior scientist
challenges Independent�s article 2006-08-22 The future of the Amazon � a week in Manaus 2006-10-23 mongabay.com - Amazon conservation efforts must come
soon 2006-11-15 Recuperation of the Amazon forest must be immediate 2006-12-05 Green Clippings - Brazil announces massive rainforest
reserve 2006-12-29 Intl Herald-Tribune � Global warming could transform
Amazon into savannah in 100 years, Brazil researchers say 2006-12-29 Washington Post � Researchers: Warming may change
Amazon 2006-12-30 NowPublic.com - Global warming may destroy Amazon
rainforest 2006-12-30 CTV - Global warming may change Amazon: researchers 2006-12-30 AP � Global warming will likely destroy the Amazon 2006-12-31 The Sydney Morning Herald � Drying Amazon burning �
the Amazon feedback loop 2007 Woods Hole Research Center - Amazon Ecological Program 2007 AOL video � Global Warming � What you need to know � Amazon
tipping 2007-01-02 Softpedia � Amazon rainforest will turn into a
savannah in 100 years due to global warming 2007-02-27 CNN, Anderson Cooper 360 � Hope and despair for Amazon
rainforest�s future 2007-02-07 MWC � Da Silva blame rich for global warming while
defending Brazil x2007-03-20 Center for Global Development - On Global Warming and
Ethanol: Good use of World Bank presidency bully pulpit, Mr.
Wolfowitz! 2007-03-23 BBC News � Amazon �faces more deadly droughts� 2007-03-27 Laramie, WY � Global warming predicted to create novel
climates 2007-04 Planet Earth � Amazon: the beginning of the end? 2007-04-06 Fox News - Global warming is threat to Great Barrier
Reef, Amazon rainforests and Mexican deserts 2007-05-10 SciDev.net - Amazon becoming savannah 2007-05-14 The Independent - Deforestation � a hidden cause of
global warming 2007 05-22 Amazon facts 2007-06-27 Science Line - A dry horizon for the Amazon 2007-07-31 New York Times - Brazil, alarmed, reconsiders policy
on climate change 2007-08-13 Associated Press � Brazil says Amazon deforestation is
down 2007-08-18 Global Warming Watch - Amazon deforestation drops 25%,
Brazil says 2007-09-21 Scientific Blogging - Global warming puzzle: Amazon
rainforest showed better growth during drought x2007-09-22 The Strata-Sphere - more skepticism, denial and
jeering 2007-09-23 Associated Content � Amazon drought and how forest
reacts 2007-09-26 Science Daily - Amazon forest shows unexpected
resiliency during drought 2007-10 Nature Conservancy mag - Soyfields invade Amazon
rainforest 2007-10-06 Privatization of Amazon and IIRSA 2007-10-16 The Global Warming Archive - Amazon burns for biofuels 2007-10-17 How not to solve global warming � NAFTA for the Amazon 2007-10-17 Reuters � Amazon loggers hold Greenpeace activists
captive 2007-10-22 Free Republic - Amazon fires among worst ever x2007-10-24 Uncommon Descent (Intelligent Design) - Global
warming puzzle � Amazon getting greener 2007-10-30 Malaria no longer eradicated thanks to global warming 2007-11-05 NPR - Amazon fire wars exacerbate global warming 2007-11-06 NPR � Fire begets fire, and the Brush Land Scenario 2007-11-29 Telegraph, UK � Amazon rainforest �could resist
climate change if�� 2007-11-30 Earth Talk Env. News � Climate change and the amazing
Amazon rainforest 2007-11-30 Physorg.com - Options for saving the Amazon in the
face of climate change 2007-12 Biofuels threaten to accelerate global warming 2007-12-06 mongabay.com - Global warming accelerates the
destruction of the Amazon 2007-12-06 Washington Post � WWF: Global warming will destroy 60%
of Amazon by 2030 2007-12-07 China�s People�s Daily Online - Global warming will
destroy Amazon 2007-12-07 Amazon rainforest disappearing faster than previously
believed 2007-12-08 eNews - Tropical forests must be protected, says
Indonesian minister 2007-12-11 999 Today - Climate change speeds up Amazon�s
destruction 2007-12-13 All American Patriot - Scientists fear Amazon
rainforest may face early destruction 2007-12-17 Global Warming Information - Amazon at risk � action
needed now 2008 Forest.org � Amazon rainforest loss 2008 World ecological problems: Amazon rainforest 2008-01 Hydrogen NOW! - Runaway methane global warning � the
greatest threat 2008-01-02 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil - Researchers say that warming
may change Amazon 2008-01-03 USA Today � WWF - Global warming to destroy 60% of
Amazon by 2030 2008-01-10 What country is most responsible for the destruction
of the Amazon rainforest? 2008-01-16 Reuters � Amazon deforestation seen surging 2008-01-17 ENN - Amazon deforestation seen surging in 2008,
partly due to surge in global biofuel demand 2008-01-18 Planet Ark - Amazon deforestation surges again first
time in 4 years 2008-01-18 Orange County Register � Ancient Amazon trees
redefines Amazon as carbon sink 2008-01-20 Destruction of Amazon rainforest accelerates 2008-01-21 NZ Herald � Amazon rainforest destruction quickens 2008-01-24 Mongabay.com - Amazon deforestation jumps in the
second half of 2007 2008-01-24 Brazil says Amazon rainforest destruction soars again 2008-01-25 TIME/CNN - The Amazon gets less and less green 2007-01-25 Mongabay.com - 7000 sq km of Amazon destroyed in late
2007 � Greenpeace 2008-01-26 Eco-Worldly - Amazon rainforest vanishing faster �
Brazil drafts emergency plan 2008-01-27 Mongabay.com - How much would it cost to end Amazon
deforestation? 2008-02 About.com - Amazon - half of the remain forest could soon
disappear 2008-02 Amazon rainforest videos 2008-02 The Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global
Warming � Rising CO2 levels disrupt rainforest growth patterns x2008-02 Michael Crichton on Bjorn Lomborg�s Cool It: The
Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming 2008-02 SAGE - Global warming and global ecosystems 2008-02 The Weather Channel � The Amazon remains a mystery, but
for how long? 2008-02-03 The Hindu - Scientists urgently seek answers for
Amazon puzzle 2008-02-03 USA Today - Scientists puzzle over Amazon's role in
warming world 2008-02-04 MSNBC - Amazon forest still a global warming mystery:
Scientists working to determine if it is a net carbon emitter or
sink 2008-02-04 Reuters � Tipping points seen for Greenland ice and
the Amazon 2008-02-04 The Times of India - Amazon research raises questions 2008-02-05 AP � Forecast Earth � solutions urgently sought (part
2 of 3) http://climate.weather.com/articles/amazon020408.html 2008-02-05 Mongabay.com - New uakari monkey discovered in Amazon 2008-02-05 Mongabay.com - Overfishing may hurt Amazon forest
trees 2008-02-06 Mongabay.com - France blocks controversial rainforest
goldmine in French Guyana 2008-02-06 QJ.net - Climate may experience sudden changes within
years 2008-02-07 Al Jazeera English - Lula blames rich for global
warming while defending Brazil 2008-02-07 Mongabay.com - First rainforest-for-carbon-credits
deal becomes a reality 2008-02-08 Mongabay.com - Biofuels are worsening global warming 2008-02-09 Yahoo! News - Converting land for biofuel worsens
global warming 2008-02-07 YouTube � Ecoagents reversing global warming, saving
Amazon rainforest 2008-02-08 Earth Times - Biofuels may promote, not slow, global
warming 2008-02-08 eNews - Study shows biofuel farms accelerates global
warming x2008-02-11 Gringoes.com � Let Brazilians sort out the problems
of the Amazon (Is this like �Let the fox guard the hen house�?) 2008-02-11 CNN � All About: forests and carbon trading
Anthony Marr, founder Return to Letters |
Preserving Earth's Biodiversity Terminate the Canadian Seal Massacre Compassion for Animals Road Expeditions (CARE) Omniscientific Cosmology and Integrative Transcendence Your Comments and Inquiries are Welcome |
|
Since 