Siberia's Massive Forests Ablaze
Russia's massive boreal forests are ablaze as a result of fragmentation caused by illegal logging and climate change caused mostly by affluent over-consumption elsewhere. Russia's forests are the largest contiguous forest wilderness in the World, with vast almost pristine areas. This massive collection of plants and animals together provide a major global ecosystem engine, without which the Earth's life support systems may not work.
Together loss of terrestrial habitats and soaring greenhouse gas emissions threaten to make the Planet uninhabitable by advanced human societies and for most wildlife and plants as well. Simply the Earth's ecosystems, which are a requirement for our existence, are being torn apart. It is critical that humanity designate terrestrial land areas, adequate to maintain planetary global functions, as being free from industrial development. And of course we simply must immediately drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The sooner humanity adopts these goals as paramount, the better our prospects as a species for survival, and the better the quality of living will be for those that remain. Failure on either count dooms humanity to an apocalyptic end ? failure on both hastens our demise.
If forest loss and climate change received half the funding and attention as the one time 911 disaster ? which killed thousands - the threat to billions of the Earth's peoples could be drastically reduced. It is time for the human family to set our priorities and take some risks ? implementing bold policies truly adequate to save the Earth.
Comments
[quote]911 disaster ? which killed thousands[/quote]
Interesting, when put in that context. I don't suppose it will be long before it does attain that degree of attention - at least I hope so. In the meantime, we just have to do all that we can to raise awareness. I have some friends who never used to even recycle, and now they have got the message and do what they can - I think that the "trend" is changing - money always prevails though. :(
Posted by: South East Jez | June 9, 2005 6:07 AM