In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal Brazilian journalist Leandro Narloch proposes reforms that will be counter-intuitive to many to preserve Brazil’s rainforest including:
- Support the legalization of sustainable mining.
- Favor new hydroelectric power plants.
- Support intensive agriculture and livestock.
While not unprecedented fires, mischaracterized as “wildfires” since most have actually been set deliberately, are worse than last year. I present that list uncritically. I am far from an expert on Brazilian politics or policy. The key point is that Brazil’s great problem is poverty.
I will admit that I suspect that Brazil’s agricultural policies are partially to blame but what are really needed to preserve the Amazon rainforests are better alternatives than farming for Brazil’s poor and fewer, more efficient farmers.
“are worse than last year.”
Something about forests and trees, blah, blah. Herewith a record of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon over the last 30 years.
http://coyoteblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/amazon-forest.png
The most effective weapon against deforestation is to build more coal fired power plants.
“From a quarter to half of Earth’s vegetated lands has shown significant greening over the last 35 years largely due to rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change on April 25.”
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/carbon-dioxide-fertilization-greening-earth
And you’se guys get all het up about Trump “lying” about crowd size. I’ve been reading newspapers and listening to the media since before TV. Around about the turn of the century the media turned to the dark side. You, me, and your uncle Harry are being lied to 24/7/365 and it ain’t Donald Trump what’s doing it.
Tragedy of the commons.
I think it’s more likely that what’s workable with a population of a few hundred or thousand isn’t nearly as workable with a population of hundreds of thousands or millions.
The blame then lies at the feet of the Bill and Melinda gates foundation, inoculating most of the children of the third world against childhood disease has had predictable consequences thirty years down the road.
If all of that erodible rain forest soil gets washed down the Amazon, all of those hundreds of millions will need to clear our national parks as well. And if no human being is illegal, who are we to stop them?
What happens to plants with increased CO2 increasing.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ask-the-experts-does-rising-co2-benefit-plants1/
Wonder how long before some one decides paying Brazil’s leadership to preserve the rain forest is the way to go. Not a bribe, surely any funds will be used keep tourists safe.
You better send a subscription of Scientific American to the Chinese and Indians, Steve. Pronto.
Piggott found a graph from the Brazilian Space Agency showing the number of fires in the Amazon basis during the fire season that goes back to 1999:
https://pushingrubberdownhill.com/2019/08/27/the-amazon-fires-morons-gotta-moron/
There is a modest uptick for 2019, but it is in the usual range, and it is well below maximum in the 20 year record.
That’s what I was pointing out.