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TROPICAL RAINFORESTS: Saving What Remains
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About this site
Providing tropical forest news, statistics, photos, and information, rainforests.mongabay.com is the world's most popular rainforest site. [more] |
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The Petroleum Revolution
Coal was the life blood of the Industrial Revolution,
though its use did not come without a high price. Killer fogs swept through London and other cities, laborers toiled
long hours for meager wages in coal mines, and gains in life expectancy were compromised in the interests of
economic growth. For decades coal reigned supreme; seemingly nothing could diminish its importance to industry.
However, after the First World War, a newer product quickly gained market share. The fledgling fuel-petroleum industry
was blossoming despite an uphill battle against the powerful coal lobby. It soon became evident to politicians,
military strategists, and manufacturers that the gains provided by the shift from coal to cleaner-burning oil far outweighed
the political clout of coal.
Today we face a similar opportunity, one that will
offer benefits dwarfing the gains from switching away from coal. We stand on the brink of another energy revolution:
the shift from oil to renewable energy. No more will we have to worry about securing vital fuel from bellicose
foreign nations. Along with our newly regained independence, we can expect unparalleled gains in efficiency without
sacrificing our environment or trading economic growth for quality of life. Sure, the battle against oil interests
will be tough, and inconvenient changes will be necessary, but the effort will be well worth it.
Continued: Saving rainforests
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Recent news
Amazon deforestation rate falls to lowest on record
(8/10/2007) Deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon for the previous year were the lowest on record, according to preliminary figures released by INPE, Brazil's National Institute of Space Research.
Lowland rainforest less diverse than previously thought
(8/9/2007) While rainforests are the world's libraries of biodiversity, species richness may be more evenly distributed in some forests than in others, reports an extensive new study by an international team of entomologists and botanists. The work, published in the current issue of the journal Nature, has important implications for forest management and conservation strategies.
Experts: parks effectively protect rainforest in Peru
(8/9/2007) High-resolution satellite monitoring of the Amazon rainforest in Peru shows that land-use and conservation policies have had a measurable impact on deforestation rates. The research is published in the August 9, 2007, on-line edition of Science Express.
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