Post by Andrei Tchentchik on Feb 27, 2020 17:50:44 GMT 2
(.#A.032).- What you need to know about the Amazon rainforest, August 22, 2019.
What you need to know about the Amazon rainforest.
MONEY COVER "ON SPEECH MONEY!"
Thursday, August 22, 2019
The images of the Amazonian forest consumed by the flames have moved more than one and this is normal. When the lungs of the Earth go up in smoke, we all smother. Here are some facts to understand the different economic and ecological issues that take place in the Amazon.
LUNG OF THE PLANET
The Amazon rainforest is aptly named. It absorbs more CO2 than it releases, or about 14% of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Thanks to its nearly 390 billion trees spread over an area of more than five million square kilometers, the Amazon can achieve this feat.
However, deforestation is progressively deteriorating the forest's ability to absorb our CO2, at the same time that our economic activities are creating more and more carbon emissions. In thirty years, the absorptive capacity of the largest forest in the world has decreased by 30%.
EARTH OF TRIBES AND BIODIVERSITY
The Amazon, alone, is a world under the trees where live about sixty isolated tribes, speaking their languages and dialects.
In addition, nearly a quarter of the animal and plant species found on Earth live on the branches, wet soils and waters of the Amazon. This represents nearly 2.5 million species of insects, 30,000 plants, 2,500 fish, 1,500 birds, 500 mammals and 550 reptiles, including the famous anaconda.
DEFORESTATION AND ECONOMY
In recent years, the Amazon rainforest has hit the headlines because of the deforestation it undergoes. The latter is largely motivated by economic ambitions, especially in agriculture.
In 2017, 71% of Brazilian CO2 emissions were caused by the agrarian sector. These were mainly due to the transformation of large parts of the Amazon rainforest into agricultural land, first for grazing cattle, then for growing soybeans.
Brazil is one of the largest exporters of soybean and beef, and this is largely due to (or because of) the sacrifice of the Amazon rainforest.
A WELL OF RESOURCES
In addition to its living species, the Amazon rainforest also contains important soil resources such as gold, copper, nickel and manganese.
President Bolsonaro, elected in 2018, promised to facilitate mining for mining companies, at the expense of environmental laws. This would represent gains for foreign players, such as some Canadian mining companies, and for the Brazilian economy.
But only in the short term.
$ 8.2 BILLION IN VALUE
Indeed, a study published in 2018 by economists from the World Bank and environmentalists has shown that the economic benefits of the Amazon rainforest could return to $ 8.2 billion annually.
For that, we should do one thing: preserve it as it is.
These revenues are mainly based on the eco-responsible and sustainable industries that abound in the Amazon, as well as on the environmental influence of the forest and the benefits it generates.
And then, between us, the Amazon, it is also a very different wealth ...
Sources: TVA, Science Press, Université de Sherbrooke, CBC, IRD, The Guardian, AFP,
F I N .
What you need to know about the Amazon rainforest.
MONEY COVER "ON SPEECH MONEY!"
Thursday, August 22, 2019
The images of the Amazonian forest consumed by the flames have moved more than one and this is normal. When the lungs of the Earth go up in smoke, we all smother. Here are some facts to understand the different economic and ecological issues that take place in the Amazon.
LUNG OF THE PLANET
The Amazon rainforest is aptly named. It absorbs more CO2 than it releases, or about 14% of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Thanks to its nearly 390 billion trees spread over an area of more than five million square kilometers, the Amazon can achieve this feat.
However, deforestation is progressively deteriorating the forest's ability to absorb our CO2, at the same time that our economic activities are creating more and more carbon emissions. In thirty years, the absorptive capacity of the largest forest in the world has decreased by 30%.
EARTH OF TRIBES AND BIODIVERSITY
The Amazon, alone, is a world under the trees where live about sixty isolated tribes, speaking their languages and dialects.
In addition, nearly a quarter of the animal and plant species found on Earth live on the branches, wet soils and waters of the Amazon. This represents nearly 2.5 million species of insects, 30,000 plants, 2,500 fish, 1,500 birds, 500 mammals and 550 reptiles, including the famous anaconda.
DEFORESTATION AND ECONOMY
In recent years, the Amazon rainforest has hit the headlines because of the deforestation it undergoes. The latter is largely motivated by economic ambitions, especially in agriculture.
In 2017, 71% of Brazilian CO2 emissions were caused by the agrarian sector. These were mainly due to the transformation of large parts of the Amazon rainforest into agricultural land, first for grazing cattle, then for growing soybeans.
Brazil is one of the largest exporters of soybean and beef, and this is largely due to (or because of) the sacrifice of the Amazon rainforest.
A WELL OF RESOURCES
In addition to its living species, the Amazon rainforest also contains important soil resources such as gold, copper, nickel and manganese.
President Bolsonaro, elected in 2018, promised to facilitate mining for mining companies, at the expense of environmental laws. This would represent gains for foreign players, such as some Canadian mining companies, and for the Brazilian economy.
But only in the short term.
$ 8.2 BILLION IN VALUE
Indeed, a study published in 2018 by economists from the World Bank and environmentalists has shown that the economic benefits of the Amazon rainforest could return to $ 8.2 billion annually.
For that, we should do one thing: preserve it as it is.
These revenues are mainly based on the eco-responsible and sustainable industries that abound in the Amazon, as well as on the environmental influence of the forest and the benefits it generates.
And then, between us, the Amazon, it is also a very different wealth ...
Sources: TVA, Science Press, Université de Sherbrooke, CBC, IRD, The Guardian, AFP,
F I N .
