Aceh’s Forests & Climate Change
We do it for you.
Aceh has many forests: tropical rain forests. Tropical Rainforests are in the headlines a lot these days. “Survival of the planet” some may say. You will understand why if you are aware of the role forests play in regulating the world’s climate and temperature. Everyone knows that tropical rainforests are fast disappearing in the Amazon and Congo basins, and in South East Asia.
Environmentalists make much of aviation’s role in carbon emissions. Demonstrations march to prevent new runways. Yet aviation accounts for less than 5% of total CO2 emissions and 12% of total transport emissions. The cutting of forests at present accounts for 18-20%% of global emissions. This is how Indonesia has become the third largest carbon emitter in the world after the USA and China: Not on account of it’s industries or cars on the road but because millions of hectares of tropical forests are being cut annually.
On the other hand the more forests you conserve and plant the more carbon is sequestered and recycled. Nowadays scientists call it “ecological services” and try to place economic figures on the value of these services in the hope that politicians will attribute tropical forests with their rightful status in the global balance of priorities. Other essential services include rainfall regulation, water purification, erosion control, water table retention, climate cooling, oxygenization and other air purification functions. These are just some of the services which affect the planet globally or locally, which the developed world accepts for free but without which our planet would rapidly become unliveable. For this reason we are asking for support from the world in our efforts.
As the “twin towers” of Ecology and Economy collapse around the world, there are many who now see that perhaps the two are interconnected. There are also many that see the collapse of international financial systems as a painful opportunity to devise new development strategies which integrate global economics with environmental issues. The collapse of the financial system and the ecosystems around the world both reflect man’s careless dealings: Greed with little reference to need. More and more people are now saying that never again should the two eco-issues be separated in the affairs of the world (politicians, take note!).
In Aceh we see our tropical forest heritage as of primary importance both for Aceh’s future and the world’s. The forests are our history and our future. The conservation of our remaining forests and the replanting of depleted forests have become frontline issues in Aceh. We resolve to defend them and to repair the damage already done. They are our heritage. To conserve them and repair the damage to them is our contribution to the world’s ecological balance. And that is a global frontline issue as questions of “tipping points” in climate change are discussed by scientists of the International panel on Climate change (IPCC) . Please help us and join with us in our struggle. Help us to replant our depleted forests! We see it as a service to Humanity! How do you see it?
Greenhouse Gases Rise Despite Global Recession
WASHINGTON, DC, April 21, 2009
Atmospheric concentrations of two of the most potent global warming gases rose last year, according to a preliminary analysis for the annual greenhouse gas index compiled by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, which tracks data from 60 sites around the world.
At the end of December 2008, researchers measured an additional 16.2 billion tons of carbon dioxide, CO2, a by-product of fossil fuel burning, and 12.2 million tons of methane in the atmosphere.
These increases occurred despite the global economic downturn, which slowed many activities that depend on burning coal, oil and gas.
Methane levels rose in 2008 for the second consecutive year after a 10-year lull. Atmospheric concentrations increased by 4.4 molecules for every billion molecules of air, bringing the total global concentration up to 1788 parts per billion, according to NOAA data.
Total global concentrations topped 386 ppm, compared to 280 ppm before the Industrial Revolution began in the 1800s.
Suicide of the Planet.
