[Terrapreta] Does the amazon need some smoky Charcoal fires? :)

[lou gold]

Yes, the (in)ability to enforce environmental planning is a HUGE issue.
Brazil has (on the books) some of the most stringent environmental
regulations on earth. But this is not a country with a strong tradition of
'civic culture'. In part due to the incredibly complicated and inefficient
bureaucracies even the eco-sensitive developer is likely to ignore the laws
because it is easier to just pay a fine than to wait years for the official
approvals. Thus, across the spectrum from earth-preserving to earth-raping,
lawlessness has been the standard operating procedure.

In recent times, as a result of the brilliant leadership if Marina Silva
(Environment Minister) and the huge carrot of possible REDD monies, the
central government in Brasilia (or at least elements of it) have been making
a noble effort to end lawless logging including sophisticated satellite
monitoring and establishing Internet connections for Indian Tribes in the
forest so that they can report encroachments. However, the wild ways of the
frontier are not easily changed. Indeed, the stories  are quite similar to
the ones that came out of the US "Wild West" a century ago (and from
elsewhere now).

The question facing all of us is whether the developing world can leap-frog
from pre-industrialism to post-industrialism without passing through the
rapaciousness of the industrial era? And, if it is possible, how exactly can
the developed world help the developing world avoid the the patterns that
produced the "wealth of nations" in the past?



On Fri, May 9, 2008 at 11:10 AM, Richard Haard <richrd at nas.com> wrote:

> Related to this topic was Ben's earlier posting. The interview was nested
> in a report that rainy season deforestation in Amazon rainforest has
> increased dramatically. 76% in relation to previous year and cloud cover may
> be concealing even more.
> Here is a google translated page
>
>
> http://translate.google.com/translate?u=+http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazonia.org.br+&langpair=es%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
>
> This indicated the governments of the region do not have ability to
> regulate land use. A bigger issue than pyrolysis technology.
> On May 9, 2008, at 2:55 AM, Michael Bailes wrote:
>
> Amazon Under Threat From Cleaner Air
>
> ScienceDaily (May 8, 2008) — The Amazon rainforest, so crucial to the
> Earth's climate system, is coming under threat from cleaner air say
> prominent UK and Brazilian climate scientists in the journal Nature.
> . . .
>
> Co-Author Dr Carlos Nobre of the Brazilian Institute for Space Research
> adds: "Global warming, deforestation and increased forest fires are all
> acting in synergy to reduce the resilience of the Amazonian forests."
> Sulphate aerosol particles arising from the burning of coal in power
> stations in the 1970s and 1980s have partially reduced global warming by
> reflecting sunlight and making clouds brighter. This pollution has been
> predominantly in the northern hemisphere and has acted to limit warming in
> the tropical north Atlantic, keeping the Amazon wetter than it would
> otherwise be
> FROM:
> http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080507133259.htm
>
>
>
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