Hippopotamuses and Global Warming

Again, there has been rainforest evidence found at a coalmine. Last time fossil remains of plant life was found, and now there has been fossil evidence of tropical animals found in the Artic. These animals were plant eaters which resembled hippopotamuses and crocodiles.This evidence indicates that the Artic region had tropical, "Florida like", weather at one point in time.
Scientists say that this tropical climate in the Artic existed approximately 55 million years ago.

"According to Sluijs, forests grew in the Arctic when carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, was at about 1000 parts per million in the atmosphere as a result of natural swings in the climate, perhaps linked to volcanic activity and a thaw of frozen methane.
Carbon dioxide levels are now at almost 390 per million in the atmosphere, up from 270 before the west's Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, and rising fast. It could reach 1000 parts per million by 2100 if not held in check, said Sluijs."

This is threatening because the Earth will not be able to support life in all of the regions where life exists today. The areas that are already warm will most likely be too hot to have life, and besides this, the water levels of these areas will probably be too elevated for survival. Global warming allows for the ice caps to melt, creating higher water levels which will result in a new environment for Earth.

Internet for Native Tribes of the Amazon

Free internet access for the native tribes in the Amazon of Rio De Janiero is simply amazing. What a great idea. This allows the of people these tribes to "report on illegal logging and ranching". The minister of environment and communications signed this agreement to give internet access as an attempt to save the rainforests. Not only does this preserve and help stop damage to rainforests, but it also preserves culture. By giving this resource to the natives of the land, it helps to protect there homes, and by protecting their homes the likelihood of their survival becomes strengthened.
While this is benefical, I wonder how effective it is going to be. Yes, these tribes have internet access, but how much will these people really utilize it? Will they even have access to it, meaning, how accessible will the internet be to them? Will the natives be able to get to the internet? It is only effective if the people can actually get to a device that has the internet, since they are not likely to have the internet in their homes. And, When the complaints are put on the internet, is there going to be action to help the people? This plan was signed on March 30, 2007, so we will see the results in due time.

Coffee

Every day, an estimated one third of all adult Americans have a cup of coffee and their decision could impact tropical rainforests, migratory songbirds, rare reptiles and mammals, or even the water supply of people thousands of miles away. By drinking shade-grown, organic coffee, coffee lovers can help stop deforestation, and in turn, help in the fight against global warming.

To begin, that is a lot of coffee that is consumed on a daily basis. The fact that the production of coffee effects the rainforests is bad enough, and knowing that there is so much coffee being produced and used each day adds on. To make this coffee, farmlands are produced, and these farmlands are detrimental to wildlife because these animals cannot survive on there. It is difficult to worry about the wildlife which is at stake when you are worried about the revenue that could be made. Because of this, coffee might be the first priority. Since coffee is so important to the producers, for profit, and consumers, for want, it is a good idea to look into coffeee that will not contribute to deforestation. I do not think that there should be a law banning non shade-grown organic coffee, but there should be something that limits the amount that is made.

Educational Program

There are many groups around the world that focus on the restoration of rainforests; they also deal with protecting these rainforests. This is very positive, and I think that there should definitely be more programs and event done to educate people on how important it is to preserve these areas worldwide. Education is the first step to change. People will only be educated on topics if they allow themselves to listen to what is being said, and although this is true, I would love to have a program that focused on the importance of rainforests and the environment. This article speaks of the Dolphins Youth Club that is currently focusing on trees. I am a part of an organization whose philanthropic focus is children, but I am an very interested in holding an educational program that deals with the environment. This topic somewhat falls into the philanthropic focus of my organization because everyone, including children, are affected by the changes of the world. Although people may not be interested in this topic, I feel like it is worth a try.

Congo Rainforest for Sale

This is not an article, but it did grab my attention:

One Response to
“Congo’s Rainforest for Sale”
April 19th, 2007 at 16:46 pm
stan:
Who the hell cares? Let them cut down the rainforest in Africa. The same is being done to the rainforest in South America, and all for profit. Thank you. Who the hell cares that people depend on the rainforest as the Guardian article pointed out? Who cares if the rainforests are “lungs of the planet”? Global warming is killing off the plankton in the oceans and these microscopic organisms supply most of the oxgen we breathe. Who the hell cares until we start choking for air?

This is basically a response to an article which speaks about American and European nations purchasing rainforests from the Congo. The companies from these nations gain land that is approximately the size of Great Britain and pay less than 20 million dollars for it; this is crazy. How can we even put a price on the environment, especially rainforests? They are vital to survival, yet we are willing to use them for economic gain. If we keep using up the rainforests, we will no longer need to worry about economic again because we will not exist. I know that I am being a little dramatic, but the way land is being used up today is unnecessary. The person who responded to this article "Stan" sarcastically poses the idea that the rainforests are not important because it is not like they help us survive. From what I gather, he says this because people take the rainforests for granted, and I absolutely agree.

The Blue Gum High Forest

After getting complaints from lobbyists, the State Government of Sydney has began to focus more on the Blue Gum High Forest. The mammals and birds of the area are endangered, and, even worse, only five percent of this forest still exists today. There has also been weeds that have been introduced to the land, and this is problematic because this area has an array of floral species; the weeds can be destructive to these species.
Many people want to move to this northern region because of its beauty. What is being forgotten is that this 'beauty' is present because the environment allows for it. Once people come and populate the region, they destroy the natural habitat, therefore causing the beauty to diminish. The people that are lobbying for the protection of the land are trying to restrict the amount of new development done to the land. This is an attempt to reserve the land. I think this is a great idea, and hopefully the development on this land will become restricted.