ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Climate Threat

Climate Threat

Rainforest Destruction

The English naturalist Charles Darwin, who went on to devise the theory of evolution, was greatly impressed by his first sight of the Brazilian rainforest in 1832:

'The elegance of the grasses, the novelty of the parasitical plants, the beauty of the flowers, the glossy green of the foliage, but above all the general luxuriance of the vegetation, filled me with admiration… The noise from the insects is so loud, that it may be heard even in a vessel anchored several hundred yards from the shore.'

Today, you can still see what Darwin saw. But it is getting more difficult. We are as likely to agonize about the rainforests as admire them. These richest of all natural habitats are the focus of intense conflicts between developers and conservationists, international agencies and local inhabitants. And their continual erosion concerns people around the world interested in biodiversity and climate change.

Background

Burning fossil fuels, such as coal, wood, and oil, releases carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide, in large amounts, can remain in the upper atmosphere for many decades. Large amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can prevent heat energy, which would normally escape into space, from leaving the Earth. Because the heat is trapped, it means that the temperature on Earth is increased. This is known as global warming, or the enhanced greenhouse effect.

Large areas of trees, such as the rainforests, can remove high levels of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through the process of respiration. Respiration occurs in all plants; in respiration, carbon dioxide is combined with sunlight and water to produce food and oxygen for the plant.

Brazil, 1960s

In the 1960s, the Brazilian government decided to clear some of the Amazon rainforest in order to make way for people to move out of the overpopulated cities. They hoped that new industries would be started in the newly cleared countryside, which would make money for Brazil through the export of products to other countries.

Burning trees

In order to clear the space in the rainforest, thousands of trees were chopped down and burned. By burning this number of trees, there was a surge of carbon dioxide into the air, which in turn contributed to global warming. The lack of trees also meant that not as much carbon dioxide was being removed from the atmosphere, again contributing to the overall effect of global warming.

New industry

The new industries, which now occupy the cleared areas of the rainforest, include mining and oil drilling. Both processes involve some degree of air pollution, through waste gases and further burning of fossil fuels. Not only have vast areas of the rainforest been removed, which once had a positive effect on reducing the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, but the land where the rainforest once was is now the base for industries that have a detrimental effect on global warming.

Effects

In time, global warming may be catastrophic for countries that already suffer all-year-round hot climates. In addition, the ice of the polar regions may begin to slowly melt, causing the sea ...