Guest guest Posted May 20, 2005 Report Share Posted May 20, 2005 Amazon Deforestation Up Six Percent in 2004 Source > http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20050518232409990001 & cid=911 BRASILIA, Brazil (May 18) - Deforestation in the Amazon rain forest in 2004 was the second worst ever, figures released by the Brazilian government showed Wednesday. Satellite photos and data showed that ranchers, soybean farmers and loggers burned and cut down a near-record area of 10,088 square miles of rain forest in the 12 months ending in August 2004, the Brazilian Environmental Ministry said. The destruction was nearly 6 percent higher than in the same period the year before, when 9,500 square miles were destroyed. The deforestation hit record numbers in 1995, when the Amazon shrank a record 11,200 square miles, an area roughly the size of Belgium or the American state of Massachusetts. The Amazon forest - which sprawls over 1.6 million square miles and covers more than half the country - is a key component of the global environment. The jungle is sometimes called the world's " lung " because its billions of trees produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Environmentalists were shocked with the new figures, which were announced nearly a year after the Brazilian government announced a $140 million package to curtail destruction. " It's a tragedy, a demonstration that more needs to be done by the government, " said Paulo Adario, the head of Greenpeace's Amazon program. " Clearly, Amazon deforestation is not one of the government's priority right now. " Government officials were expecting an increase in destruction of only about 2 percent. " We will intensify our actions to fight illegal deforestation in the most critical areas, " Environment Minister Marina Silva said in a statement. She noted that deforestation in several Amazon states decreased compared to the previous period thanks to the government's efforts to implement " more lasting and effective " measures. Brazil's rain forest is as big as western Europe and covers 60 percent of the country's territory. Experts say as much as 20 percent of its 1.6 million square miles has already been destroyed by development, logging and farming. Last year, the government announced that 9,170 square miles of rain forest had vanished in 2003, but on Wednesday it corrected the figure to 9,500 square miles. 05/18/05 23:22 EDT Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 20, 2005 Report Share Posted May 20, 2005 Isn't Coke (Minute Maid) still one of the worst offenders? We stopped buying anything owned by Coke years ago because of the devastation wrought by their practices. Lynda - Rick Stevens <ecology1st2004 <ecology1st2004 Thursday, May 19, 2005 8:34 PM Amazon Deforestation Up Six Percent in 2004 > Amazon Deforestation Up Six Percent in 2004 > > Source > > http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20050518232409990001 & cid=911 > > BRASILIA, Brazil (May 18) - Deforestation in the > Amazon rain forest in 2004 was the second worst ever, > figures released by the Brazilian government showed > Wednesday. Satellite photos and data showed that > ranchers, soybean farmers and loggers burned and cut > down a near-record area of 10,088 square miles of rain > forest in the 12 months ending in August 2004, the > Brazilian Environmental Ministry said. > > The destruction was nearly 6 percent higher than in > the same period the year before, when 9,500 square > miles were destroyed. > > The deforestation hit record numbers in 1995, when the > Amazon shrank a record 11,200 square miles, an area > roughly the size of Belgium or the American state of > Massachusetts. > > The Amazon forest - which sprawls over 1.6 million > square miles and covers more than half the country - > is a key component of the global environment. The > jungle is sometimes called the world's " lung " because > its billions of trees produce oxygen and absorb carbon > dioxide from the atmosphere. > > Environmentalists were shocked with the new figures, > which were announced nearly a year after the Brazilian > government announced a $140 million package to curtail > destruction. > > " It's a tragedy, a demonstration that more needs to be > done by the government, " said Paulo Adario, the head > of Greenpeace's Amazon program. " Clearly, Amazon > deforestation is not one of the government's priority > right now. " > > Government officials were expecting an increase in > destruction of only about 2 percent. > > " We will intensify our actions to fight illegal > deforestation in the most critical areas, " Environment > Minister Marina Silva said in a statement. > > She noted that deforestation in several Amazon states > decreased compared to the previous period thanks to > the government's efforts to implement " more lasting > and effective " measures. > > Brazil's rain forest is as big as western Europe and > covers 60 percent of the country's territory. Experts > say as much as 20 percent of its 1.6 million square > miles has already been destroyed by development, > logging and farming. > > Last year, the government announced that 9,170 square > miles of rain forest had vanished in 2003, but on > Wednesday it corrected the figure to 9,500 square > miles. > > 05/18/05 23:22 EDT > > > > > > > > > > > > > To send an email to - > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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