Save the rainforest
I had an idea a couple of weeks ago to do with carbon footprint stuff. There are loads of companies now set up where people can offset their carbon emissions by planting trees. But surely they will take ages to do much. Why not preserve the amazing forests we already have that are busy photosynthesising already? The rainforests are still being cut down at a shocking (and criminal) rate. Why not just buy acres of rainforest to offset your carbon emissions?
Anyway, I was obviously onto a good thing cos Andrew Cave in the Daily Telegraph wrote about it today. Apparently for £12million the British Government could buy enough rainforest to allow us to meet our Kyoto Treaty thingy targets. If airlines bought all the rainforests then they would offset all of their carbon emissions. Plus obviously saving an amazing natural resource and habitat. However, not sure if the countries that contain the rainforests would 'sell' them all?
It's kind of sad though that there's all this money in the world, all these hugely successful businesses and some vast personal fortunes for some people and it's only through Government intervention, setting targets and things that, they do anything about it. Rather than building ridiculous 123-room mansions (Aaron Spelling apparently had two 'present wrapping' rooms in his Beverley Hills mansion) why not live a little more modestly and actually do something properly good with their money. I'd think it was seriously cool to own a rainforest and make that environmental impact, and also save all those species of flora and fauna.
I'm not perfect, so I can't preach, but I do try and do little things as I know that every little helps and if everyone, e.g. didn't leave appliances on standby, didn't leave chargers plugged in, didn't leave taps running, didn't leave lights on when they're out the room, didn't recycle plastics and paper and metals, we would all save quite a lot of energy. I think we need to have recycling bins on the streets, in stations and airports, etc - like they had when I was in Hong Kong. And teach school children the importance of buying locally produced food. And perhaps there should even be lessons on energy efficiency?
I just think it's quite sad. Talking of quite sad and still relating to global warming, I watched the first programme in the new series of Planet Earth last night. That programme is amazing. The photography is amazing. The things we get to witness are amazing. But also quite upsetting. Last night the programme was talking about the Arctic and the Antarctic - Ice Worlds. It talked about global warming and the effect it will have on the polar ice caps. One particularly upsetting story was about a polar bear who swam more than 50-miles in a desperate attempt to find food. Due to ice caps melting earlier their traditional method of finding food - getting seals resting on ice floes - is getting harder. The exhausted polar bear in the programme eventually found land again and a colony of walruses. It was so desperate for food that it tried in vain to kill one of the walruses. It was desperate to watch. One of those don't-want-to-watch but can't-look-away things. It got stabbed by the walrus's tusks so badly that it could hardly walk anymore, certainly couldn't get any food and it just curled itself up to die. God, I was in floods and floods of tears. In fact, it's making me cry again now just thinking about it now!
Anyway, I was obviously onto a good thing cos Andrew Cave in the Daily Telegraph wrote about it today. Apparently for £12million the British Government could buy enough rainforest to allow us to meet our Kyoto Treaty thingy targets. If airlines bought all the rainforests then they would offset all of their carbon emissions. Plus obviously saving an amazing natural resource and habitat. However, not sure if the countries that contain the rainforests would 'sell' them all?
It's kind of sad though that there's all this money in the world, all these hugely successful businesses and some vast personal fortunes for some people and it's only through Government intervention, setting targets and things that, they do anything about it. Rather than building ridiculous 123-room mansions (Aaron Spelling apparently had two 'present wrapping' rooms in his Beverley Hills mansion) why not live a little more modestly and actually do something properly good with their money. I'd think it was seriously cool to own a rainforest and make that environmental impact, and also save all those species of flora and fauna.
I'm not perfect, so I can't preach, but I do try and do little things as I know that every little helps and if everyone, e.g. didn't leave appliances on standby, didn't leave chargers plugged in, didn't leave taps running, didn't leave lights on when they're out the room, didn't recycle plastics and paper and metals, we would all save quite a lot of energy. I think we need to have recycling bins on the streets, in stations and airports, etc - like they had when I was in Hong Kong. And teach school children the importance of buying locally produced food. And perhaps there should even be lessons on energy efficiency?
I just think it's quite sad. Talking of quite sad and still relating to global warming, I watched the first programme in the new series of Planet Earth last night. That programme is amazing. The photography is amazing. The things we get to witness are amazing. But also quite upsetting. Last night the programme was talking about the Arctic and the Antarctic - Ice Worlds. It talked about global warming and the effect it will have on the polar ice caps. One particularly upsetting story was about a polar bear who swam more than 50-miles in a desperate attempt to find food. Due to ice caps melting earlier their traditional method of finding food - getting seals resting on ice floes - is getting harder. The exhausted polar bear in the programme eventually found land again and a colony of walruses. It was so desperate for food that it tried in vain to kill one of the walruses. It was desperate to watch. One of those don't-want-to-watch but can't-look-away things. It got stabbed by the walrus's tusks so badly that it could hardly walk anymore, certainly couldn't get any food and it just curled itself up to die. God, I was in floods and floods of tears. In fact, it's making me cry again now just thinking about it now!
posted by Hostess with the Mostest at 10:43 am
3 Comments:
I saw Planet Earth last night as well and I too was in floods over the poor bears plight. What makes it worse is feeling so powerless. I do what I can to conserve energy but, as became apparent from the Stern Review, anything we do to help here in the UK will be canceled out in as little as two years by the US or China. Looks like the polar bears are in for a rough time.
That's it isn't it - feeling powerless. It's so huge that it's hard to comprehend. But I am still a believer (hoper) in every little helps... Maybe...
Every little does help, you're right and I just hope it's all us little people doing our little bit that'll put pressure on the big-boys of industry & government to do their bit. In the meantime I'm gonna crank up my freezer and see if I can re-home that lovely bear.
Post a Comment
<< Home