The Rape of the Rainforest and the Man Behind It

[chlamor]

The rape of the rainforest... and the man behind it
By Michael McCarthy and Andrew Buncombe

20 May 2005

It is stark. It is scarcely believable. But the ruthless obliteration of the Amazon rainforest continues at a headlong rate new figures reveal - and today we reveal the man who more than any other represents the forces making it happen.

He is Blairo Maggi, the millionaire farmer and uncompromising politician presiding over the Brazilian boom in soya bean production. He is known in Brazil as O Rei da Soja - the King of Soy.

In an interview last year he said: "To me, a 40 per cent increase in deforestation doesn't mean anything at all, and I don't feel the slightest guilt over what we are doing here. We are talking about an area larger than Europe that has barely been touched, so there is nothing at all to get worried about."

Many people violently disagree. The survival of the Amazon forest, which sprawls over 4.1 million sq km (1.6 million sq miles) and covers more than half of Brazil's land area, may be the key to the survival of the planet. The jungle is sometimes called the world's "lung" because its trees produce much of the world's oxygen. It is thought nearly 20 per cent of it has already been destroyed by legal and illegal logging, and clearance for cattle ranching. But the soya boom has dramatically stepped up the pace of destruction.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/environment/story.jsp?story=639814

[PartyPooper]

1. This idiot must be from the same gene pool as Junior.

Otherwise, there is no explanation for his wanton disregard for the world environment and its ecosystem.

[Robbien]

2. And this is the man which the court decided to protect?

He gets to wipe out civilizations thousands of years old along with our planet's green safety net. The courts decide in this guy's favor because his company would be hurt if logging was stopped?

[sam sarrha]

3. wont matter when Jesus shows up and their all Teleported into heaven

it is their Christian duty to provide hell on earth for us befor they go.. but look on the bright side .. there will be a lot of jobs avaible..

Bu$h's employment program.the Fuck'n Rapture..president Coocoobananas

[Gregorian]

4. A special place- earth

I now live in the heart of "loggin' country". And not unlike the difference between democrats and republicans, those who care and those who don't care are getting more vocal. Or maybe I'm just hearing it. But one thing is for sure- the planet is changing. It is, if you care to do the research. Otherwise, it's doing just fine. Democrat or republican; Someone who thinks it's a special planet, or one who doesn't know, or care. Today I told someone I think republicans don't care about anything that is alive. And so they must make a show, out of guilt, by masquerading around in the name of "life". Tonight is Thursday. I won't be sleeping, because the loggers do their thing on Thursday night. Namely, loading the logs that they cut down during the week.

Let me tell you about two people I met this week. I sold a motorcycle. They came by to pick it up. Both loggers. They had a twisted and convoluted spin on how logging is actually good for the planet. And not unlike most of the people who come onto my property, they "knew where to go hunting". We happened to see the pathetic herd of a dozen elk that day. And I told them there weren't many of them. And they had yet more convoluted logic to explain that there were actually many many more elk, but we just couldn't see them. I've logged. I just haven't raped. And in our discussion, one of them mentioned that the biggest tree he ever cut was ten feed in diameter. And I realized that nothing was special to these goons. These are the people who voted for Bush. These are the people who don't care about anything but their hundred dollars every day. I would rather go poor than cut down the forests. Period.

Here is a reply I got from a scientist who is studying global changes, last week. I wanted to mention something I had observed. And he replied with something that was a shock to me. Aside from the things I had mentioned, he had another observation. And this is what the effect of removing trees has on our planet.

Yes I agree forests are of importance to climate and can modify it in varoius ways. There is also an issue that forests can evapoorate more effectively than
their surroundings, as they have deep roots to get to the ground water and a large leave surface to evaporate water. Evaporation is a process that takes up
energy and results in a cooling. This also helps to keep the temperature in forests more convenient than outside. And as you say they store carbon which is released
when they are cut off, providing additional heating (20% of the additional human induced CO2 release is due to deforestation).
On the other hand forests are rather dark sseen from space, cutting those would make the planet brighter and more reflective, hiovever this is
a minor effect compared to the evaporation effect.
It's an important point which you make and which climate models are now also trying to simulate. In Switzerland we have a law that the forest area has to keep
constant over time - this law is more than 100 years old, and worked quite well so far.

[Delphinus]

14. Yes, Gregorian.

Earth is a very special place. One part of life doesn't care about the earth; the other part of life does.

When I look around at what's truly going on, I am not only saddened and angered, I am quite hopeless.

[Zorra]

5. With any luck there's a cannibalistic tribe in the Amazon that will have

the King of Soy over for dinner soon.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Should be quite a meal. He's a real porker.

[lonestarnot]

10. "And God will destroy those who destroy the earth"

[Nihil]

15. Why wait?

Shame how there are no EarthFirst! snipers when you want one.

[lonestarnot]

19. Is a shame.

[doubleplusgood]

6. what a monster !

to destroy the incredible biological diversity of Amazonia & turn it into a monocultural feeding trough for humanity and call that progress ? It sickens me to know that there are so many people who think in such narrow, utilitarian terms.

[unhappycamper]

8. Each square kilometer of rain forest holds up to 20,000 metric tons of CO2

If you look at the demise of past civilizations, deforestation is at the heart of the problem.

"Collapse" by Jared Diamond is a pretty good read about the subject.

[viva la resistance]

9. Bush will stop him when he hears about this!

He cares! He's an honest user of church goers. I mean honest church goin man.

[Octafish]

12. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!

You said Smirko cares.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!

BTW: A hearty welcome to DU, viva la resistance!

[viva la resistance]

13. Thank you kindly.

What do they call their supposed environmental program again?
I just love it when curious George and his administration give
those programs names that sound so good and the news doesn't
just rip him a new one for it when this stuff comes out.

Respect 

[leftchick]

11. And they are not just any soybeans...

haven't they been planting Monsanto's "Round-up Ready" GM soybeans? AAAArrrrggghhh!

[chlamor]

16. Kick

[Gregorian]

17. I'm reposting this- effects of cutting trees

This is an email I got back from a scientist, last week. Note the part about evaporation. I think this is of grave significance. No, I don't have a Cray supercomputer in the back room. But I have intuition. And I think that the effects of cutting trees is much greater than people are aware.


Hi Gregg,
Yes I agree forests are of importance to climate and can modify it in varoius ways. There is also an issue that forests can evapoorate more effectively than
their surroundings, as they have deep roots to get to the ground water and a large leave surface to evaporate water. Evaporation is a process that takes up
energy and results in a cooling. This also helps to keep the temperature in forests more convenient than outside. And as you say they store carbon which is released
when they are cut off, providing additional heating (20% of the additional human induced CO2 release is due to deforestation).
On the other hand forests are rather dark sseen from space, cutting those would make the planet brighter and more reflective, hiovever this is
a minor effect compared to the evaporation effect.
It's an important point which you make and which climate models are now also trying to simulate. In Switzerland we have a law that the forest area has to keep
constant over time - this law is more than 100 years old, and worked quite well so far.

[struggle4progress]

18. kick