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I remember in the early seventies talking to my friends about starting a movement to set aside a preserve of some sort in the Amazon River valley to save some of the unique rainforest found in that area. This was out of concern created by the recent completion of the trans-Amazonian highway. With the opening up of the remote rain forest, we were certain that there would be massive inroads upon this unique biological jewel, and perhaps something could be done to preserve some of it. Never in my worst nightmares could I have conceived of the rape that followed. I could not have imagined that because of the settling, clearing and burning of the forest due to many misguided policies, that about 20% of the rain forest would be cut down from 1970 to 2006.

This incredibly precious treasure of biodiversity, home to thousands of unique plants and animals, many found no other place in the world, an incalculable wealth of irreplaceable species…is disappearing and perhaps can not be saved.

The reasons have always been complex, but at the heart of all the factors lies economics…and the earth’s burgeoning population. However recently a new twist has been added—biofuels.

The new rush for eco-chic alternative fuels may result in the rain forests of the world to disappear at even more alarming rates. An recent article in Time magazine (April 7, 2008), entitled The Clean Energy Scam (by Michael Grunwald), discusses this ongoing catastrophe.

Many people, including me, thought it was a great idea when they heard of alternative fuels such as ethanol produced from plant material which could supplement our fossil fuels. Many scientists extolled the possibility of producing this fuel from corn, sugar cane, soy beans, and other crops. They calculated that growing plants for fuel sucks carbon out of the atmosphere. Of course this would be released back into the atmosphere when it was burned, but it would still result in reducing carbon dioxide output over time.

However, nobody seem to realize that the great demand for these fuels would cause an economic boom resulting in major crop shifts with unimagined effects.  Also it created a huge demand for land which is causing the destruction of forests, grasslands and wetlands which in themselves store a tremendous amount of carbon.

So these lands, covered in rain forests, grasslands, etc. are having their original vegetation removed (along with all the animals) and usually burned…and guess what? All that carbon is released into the atmosphere exacerbating the whole problem of global warming. In fact deforestation accounts for 20% of all carbon emissions!

Malaysia is rapidly cutting their rain forests down and planting palm oil farms. A more subtle chain of occurrences is happening in Brazil. A very little of the rain forest is being destroyed to produce sugar cane, whereas most of the new rain forest destruction is caused by the following chain reaction:

1. U.S. farmers are shifting to growing corn for biofuels (one-fifth of total production of corn) and away from the less pricey soybeans.

2. This decrease in soybean production is causing the rise of soybean prices.

3. The rise in soybean prices is causing farmers in Brazil to use cattle pasture lands to grow soybeans.

4. The cattle ranchers then clear the rain forest for more pasture lands.

5. And the burning of the rain forests is of course releasing tremendous quantities of carbon.

6. This huge release of carbon dioxide is contributing to global warming.  Not to mention accelerating the mass extinctions of unique organisms.

7.  Anybody notice the huge increase in food prices worldwide?

Seems odd that nobody thought of all this…not even the scientists who advocated the alternate use of biofuels.

April 29, 2008, 11:55 pm.

I just came across this extremely informative site on the plight of the rainforests.  If you are concerned about the fate of the rainforests, then please read it.