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unplug
unplug magazine asks you to unplug from your current modes of thought and look at life in a new way, whether this means unplugging from our toxic consumer culture, mainstream society, the tv, or a limiting mindset. author megan prusynski explores life's alternatives and discusses activism, progressive thinking, and moving towards a "green" & sustainable life.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
The Amazon and Idaho's Wolves: In Crisis
I read a very informative article in National Geographic about the Amazon rainforest that unplug readers may want to check out. The Amazon, one of the most bio-diverse places left on the planet and an important tipping point of global warming, is in peril. According to the article, by Scott Wallace, "During the past 40 years, close to 20% of the Amazon rain forest has been cut down - more than in all the previous 450 years since European colonization began." Greedy land-grabbers, large multi-national corporations, and weak protection enforcement have all contributed to the attacks on this fragile ecosystem. The article looks at the Amazon from many varied viewpoints, from poor and indigenous people living on the land, to the "King of Soy" - the largest producer of soy in the world, who operates in the Amazon. Soy is one of the Amazon region's largest exports (along with timber, which is often cut illegaly). Corn, cotton, and beef are also raised on Amazon land, much of which is exported to the US and Europe.
The destruction of the Amazon should not be news to anyone, but it is still continuing, and still largely ignored. In a recent Adbusters magazine article, I read that the logging of the Amazon has reached a tipping point. The article, by Jerry Toth, mentions that "30% of the Amazon rainforest has been wiped out or partially deforested. Scientists now predict that once the forest loss hits a critical threshold of 40%, the Amazon will slip into an irreversible, self-perpetuating cycle of deforestation and drought... whereupon the world's largest jungle will convert itself into the likeness of a desert." One reason this happens is because the Amazon produces half its own rainfall from the moisture it releases into the atmosphere. As the forest is cut down, less and less moisture is released and less rain falls, creating a dangerous cycle. Depressing news, indeed. Reading about the Amazon has raised many questions in my mind, such as which companies operate in the Amazon, and if the tofu I eat on occasion could have been made from soybeans grown on land that should be rainforest.
Ecosystems are delicate, and as they continue to get more and more polluted, thinned out, and destroyed, we'll continue to see more negative side effects, such as more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, more global warming, and the destruction of more species.
Another issue I've been concerned about lately, and one that's a bit closer to home for me, are the wolves here in Idaho. Idaho is planning to remove wolves from the Endangered Species Act after their controvesial reintroduction into Idaho wilderness and subsequent increase in numbers. There are many ranchers and hunters in this state that are vehemently opposed to wolves being protected. If wolves are de-listed, the state is poised to kill up to 75% of the wolves living in the Lolo district of the Clearwater National Forest (which is one of the areas I enjoy backpacking and wildlife-watching in). As a wildlife proponent and someone who does not believe in raising animals for food or hunting, I've gotta say I disagree with the ranchers and hunters. Maybe I'm a bit biased because my dog Juneau is a close relative of wolves, but I think the wolves deserve to stay in what little wilderness is left, and they need our protection to keep from dying off and upsetting the fragile balance of the area's ecosystems.
Defenders of Wildlife has a campaign on this issue and I have submitted a letter to the US Fish & Wildlife Service asking that wolves continue to be protected. I hope you'll do the same. Friends of the Clearwater is another oranization concerned with protecting wildlife that I support. They are a local organization based here in Moscow, and there is plenty of information, event listings, and even a satellite photo of clearcuts in the Clearwater river area on their site.
The natural world is in crisis, these issues are just two of many examples. It's hard not to feel overwhelmed when I hear such terrible news, but it's important to remember that one person CAN make a difference, and that change has got to start somewhere. Keep on fighting the good fight! :)
Labels: environment/sustainability, news/current events
