The Effects of the Crisis

People in the Rainforest

Rainforest Data

RAINFORESTS

In the last forty years, leaf of the world's rainforests have disappeared. If this continues for the next forty years, millions of species of plants and animals will become extinct. And that's just the beginning...

□ The problem

v Rainforests grow in countries near the equator. They receive 2 metres-10 metres of rain every year.

v There have been rainforests on Earth for over 75 million years.

v That makes them the oldest habitats on the planet.

v Nearly 60% of rainforests are in Central and South America. The rest are in West Africa, Zaire, South East Asia and the Pacific Islands.

v Half of all the species of butterflies, birds, flowers, trees and insects live in rainforests. Fifty species become extinct every day.

Tribes have lived in the rainforests of South America for over 10,000 years. People like these have the oldest cultures on Earth. But now they are in serious danger. When Columbus sailed to the Americas 500 years ago, between six million and nine million people lived in the Amazon rainforest. Today, that number is less than 200,000. Since 1900, 87 tribes have disappeared completely. Why? Because outsiders shot them, poi­soned them and gave them diseases.

Why is the Crisis Happening?

There are two main reasons.

1 Because Third World farmers don't have enough land.

800 million people in the Third World have nowhere to grow food for their families. 250 million of them are destroying the rainforest simply to live.

2 Because rich countries depend on rainforest products.

Modern life in the First World depends on rainforest products. These include:

• Minerals. Experts say that man has discovered only 10% of the minerals in the Amazon area.

• Wood. By the year 2000 America alone will import $2 billion of rainforest wood.

• Medicine. 25% of all medicines contain rainforest products.

• Rubber. For tyres on cars, buses and lorries all over the world.

The world's rainforests are facing a total disaster. Some scientists say it's even worse than the effects of a nuclear war. The rainforest fires in Africa, for example, are so big that they appear in satellite photos. But it's not just a question of disappearing tribes, trees and species. It's a question of climate, too. Our planet needs healthy rainforests to control its temperature. Without them, the Greenhouse Effect will just get worse and worse.

□ The Solution

It's impossible to stop rainforest destruction completely. Too many coun­tries — rich and poor — depend on it. But it is possible to make it less serious. To do this, governments must plan and work together. Here's how.

1 More conservation. At the moment only 5% of rainforests are national parks. Governments need to protect more land and grow more new trees.

2 More Tliird World Aid. Many poor countries are burning and cutting down their rainforests simply for money. More aid will help them to develop different industries. Then they won't have to destroy their environment.

3 More planning. Rainforests are like fossil fuels — we can only use them once. Governments need to plan for the future — not just today. That means using fewer rainforest products.

□ Your opinion

"More education" is considered to be another solution of the prob­lem. How would you interpret the solution?

Дата добавления: 2015-05-24