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[anguyener21]

The Price of Deforestation

Lately there has been a huge push to invest in more plantation expansion in the rainforests, especially for palm oil. Organizations such as the Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) along with Golden Veroleum Liberia (GVL) have been accused of subjecting communities that are forest dependent to a life where the natives are experiencing poverty and food insecurity.  This example is not an isolated case, however, because the amount of money offered supporting palm oil expansion has been increasing and very tempting to many companies.  This situation has been tough for many due to the economic, social, and environmental aspects that are in effect and possibly at risk with the increased temptation to continue deforestation.

To learn more about this story, check out:http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2015/apr/30/deforestation-land-grabs-banks-pension-funds-palm-oil-credit-suisse-mitsubishi

[anguyener21]

Another Great Wall in China

According to the latest Nature Climate Change study, there has been a huge increase in vegetation that has been planted since 2003, a large contribution to this effort has been from China.  The amount that has been grown can consume up to 4 billion tons of carbon, which is progress but not enough since there is still about 60 billion tons of carbon that is present on the Earth that is doing more harm than good.  It is satellite surveillance that has been monitoring this significant biomass growth. Although planting more is a step in the right direction, it is still strongly believed that eliminating the dependence on fossil fuels remains the best way to resist climate change.

To find out more about this story, check out this link: http://gizmodo.com/chinas-great-wall-of-trees-is-helping-reverse-deforesta-1700429787

[anguyener21]

“Zero deforestation” has a Couple of Problems....

Another conference took place in Washington DC this past weekend, this time with a focus on how businesses can help end deforestation.  So far many large name companies have agreed to partake in the “zero deforestation” plan, such as  Asia Pulp and Paper,  Colgate-Palmolive, and Golden-Agri Resources, along with many others. Although these pledges that have been made are admirable, several groups have pointed out that “zero deforestation” might not be the ideal solution as one might think.  The Rainforest Alliance has pointed out that although many companies have already agreed to work towards this goal, not all businesses will which means they will continue their deforestation for the gain of their own benefit, also by having such a large focus on deforestation, it takes away from other areas in the supply chain that need immediate attention as well.  In addition to the questionable results that may come from “zero deforestation”, there has also been a lot of confusion in regards to the name itself.  Overall though, many environmentalists see the shift that is happening in the world in regards to environmental matters and encourages that it stays present in discussions and continues in the path it is going.

To learn more about this story, check out: http://news.mongabay.com/2015/0427-shibao-zero-deforestation.html

[anguyener21]

A Walk Through the Forest...

This article is rather disheartening, but essential to know nevertheless.  According to a recent Mother Jones article, more than 70% of the worlds's forests are within 1 kilometer of a forest edge”.  This means a majority of many forests extend to usually around a walk for one person.  Also Science Advances show that forest fragmentation breaks up biodiversity by 75%.  Once again, immediate action needs to be taken to stop this depressing trend from happening. 

To learn more about this story, check out the link: http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2015/04/stat-about-forests-will-make-you-sad

[anguyener21]

Tripled Deforestation Rates in Brazil

According to scientists from Imazon, a non-profit research institution in Brazil, the amount of deforestation that has happened in the Amazon since last March has about tripled.  Unfortunately, this might only be part of the amount of deforestation that has happened since part of the satellite reading was unable to detect changes in parts of the rainforest due to cloud cover.  Greenpeace, another nonprofit has also stated that a large contribution to the drought that happened in São Paulo could be due to the high deforestation rate that has occurred in the past year.  A new detector program, Deter B, is planned to be implemented soon as it creates higher resolution images to track deforestation.   Volney Zanardi, president of the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources, hopes and believes that this new system will be adequate enough to catch acts of possible illegal logging and prevent other sources of deforestation from happening.

To find out more about this story, check out the link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/brazil/11556420/Deforestation-tripled-in-the-Amazon-say-researchers-as-experts-warn-more-extreme-events.html

[anguyener21]

I Spy with my Satellite Eye....Deforestation!

Orbital Insight, a company that conducts data analysis via satellite, has recently launched a program which will use satellite imagery to track tropical forests as a way to detect deforestation, specifically illegal logging.  This idea was created based off of past issues in which the human eye could not notice any difference in forest density until it was too late.  Although this plan is still in its early stages, processes similar to this has been done before, like comparing which stores had more customers and where the most oil reserves are, which makes the company confident that this idea will work as well.  Even though this method may be able to detect and anticipate where deforestation will occur, it is still up to the country’s government and people to stop the damaging act from happening.

To learn more about this story, check out this link:

http://www.wired.com/2015/04/using-smart-satellites-to-monitor-deforestation-from-space/

[anguyener21]

A Big Mac-over for McDonalds: The Pledge to Help  End Deforestation

Attention world! One of the world’s largest fast food restaurants has agreed to help end deforestation! This place is McDonalds.  As of Tuesday April 21st, 2015, this fast food franchise has promised to end any action of deforestation that happens throughout its supply chain as a way to prevent any more carbon emissions from going into the atmosphere.  Throughout the article the company is praised multiple times for taking an action to help protect the Earth from further environmental damage while at the same time respecting human rights; however, concerns have also came up on how successful this plan will be. One critique has been how they will be sure to monitor that no part of their production processes will in fact support deforestation on any level through business.  Other problems addressed were even if they do completely switch over to alternative sources such as sustainable palm oil (rather than regular palm oil) there are limited supply of these alternatives, which could leading to more problems in both possibly the short and long term future. The company also stated this plan will be taken into effect immediately, but apparently this may not be put into action for another 5 to 15 years.  Hopefully this process will happen instantly, but even if it takes some time, just attempting to take such an action could strongly influence the rest of the world, especially other businesses, to consider going more eco-friendly as well. Good job McDonalds, this announcement, bahbahbahbahbah...I’m lovin’ it! ;)

[anguyener21]

Stop this Madness!: Growing Deforestation Problem in Madagascar

Madagascar provides a home to a great amount of the world’s biodiversity, including rare species that are not found anywhere else on Earth, however with the rate of deforestation going on in Madagascar there is an unfortunate chance that these species will soon not be found anywhere at all on this Earth.  The country used to be filled with forests, but now more than 80% of them are gone.  Deforestation,specifically illegal logging, is one of Madagascar’s largest environmental problems and there seems to be to attempt to stop it through government authority.  To see the drastic changes of the country’s forestland check out this link: http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20madagascar.htm

[anguyener21]

Deforestation:”Officially” allowed in Vietnam

So a few weeks ago, I did a report on the mangrove destruction happening in Vietnam, well apparently even the locals in the country can now tell that the government official are either allowing this deforestation to happen or turning a blind eye to this activity whenever it occurs.  Because deforestation has a strong support system from the government, Dak Nong’s forest resources are “seriously declining”, according to Nguyen Duc Luyen, vice chairman of Dak Nong Province.  The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development from 2011 has said that 60% of the deforestation is going towards projects that government officials have approved of, such as industrial zones and irrigation projects.

To learn more about this story, check out this link: http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/deforestation-in-vietnam-is-condoned-by-authorities-official-40984.html

[anguyener21]

Star Wars: A New Hope- Environment Style

In a galaxy, not really far away, a UK company called BioCarbon Engineering may have just found a new way to fight the forces of deforestation:  seed bombing drones. However, these are not the drones you are looking for...like with any new invention they still contain their flaws but CEO Lauren Fletcher believes that the company will be able to eventually work out these kinks and have these drones able to plant 36,000 a day, faster than anything human is able to.  Although this technique has not been used on a large scale area yet, the Force is strong with this one....

To learn more about this project (without the Star Wars puns), check out this link:

http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/seed-bombing-drones-fight-deforestation/ 

[anguyener21]

A Step in the Right Direction

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), one of the world’s largest suppliers has recently stated that they will from now on try to conserve and protect forests that are at high risk of destruction for sales. This company has been working with the nonprofit group Forest Trust, which targets companies and persuades them to see the impact their work has on the environment and offers alternatives to past methods.  Like other supply chain companies that have already made this commitment, ADM sees that this change could in fact reduce business costs as well as their reputation in peoples’ good graces as more people are becoming concerned for the environment. The company’s plan is to expand their work on degraded land instead of cutting down more forest trees.  Hopefully with a big company making a significant change like this, other companies will follow suit soon as well.

To learn more about this story, check out this link:  http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/01/business/adm-announces-plan-to-fight-deforestation.html?_r=0  

[anguyener21]

“Deforestation is a Rich Country Problem”

The Prime Minster of Indonesia, Prabianto Mukti Wibowo, has stated that the currently business Indonesia has been doing to sell palm oil might not be the best trade option, but for their country it is essential business option to helping them survive.  The profit the country makes off of this growingly scarce resource helps them afford the costs like infrastructure and schools as well as provide jobs to its large population.  The rate of deforestation in Indonesia is even faster than the one in Brazil, which is why this situation is very alarming and concerning to the World Trade Organization, who plan to discuss this issue in July.  

To learn more about this story, check it out at: http://www.eco-business.com/news/indonesia-defends-deforestation-for-palm-oil-on-economic-grounds/ 

[anguyener21]

The Unforeseen Situation in Minnesota

The State of 10,000 lakes is experiencing trouble on its land: deforestation. However, this relates to a bigger situation which is the water pollution occurring in central Minnesota.  In the recent years, locals around this area have noticed the nitrogen level in their water have risen at an alarming rate. The state’s Pollution Control Agency has contributed that three-quarters of the nitrogen that have seeped into these Northern waters are due to agriculture and fertilizers.  This problem has not reached everyone yet but those who have not been affected yet are started to feel the pressure of having to make a difficult decision after seeing the problems people have after they accept the proposal of having their land be irrigated or the cost to continue having a pristine water source. The question to taxpayers becomes which problem takes priority: try to restore somewhere that has been damaged or protect the areas that haven’t been affected?  

[anguyener21]

Mangrove Destruction in Vietnam

In the recent past years, Vietnam has been experiencing a mass degradation of mangroves.  These plants have been known to help control erosion, create barriers for storms from reaching the coast at heavy impacts, and offer a natural environment for aquatic life.  However, the destruction of these underrated water trees are speculated to be heavily driven by shrimp farmers in Vietnam who want to expand the boundaries of their fields in hopes to raise more shrimp to generate more profit.  Although this plan may work for a year or two, there is no way this method will be sustainable in the long term.  This action has been brought to the Vietnamese government’s attention, but as a country that has had a lax view in terms of the environment in the past, not much has changed as they remain easily susceptible to any chance of economic gain.  If this trend continues, there will be literally no mangroves left and that will only create more problems for Vietnam.  To read more about this situation, check out this link:http://www.theguardian.com/society/2012/apr/24/vietnam-mangrove-deforestation-climate-change 

Source:theguardian.com