Here’s an interesting idea: instead of American corporations working to cut pollution levels in this country, what if they paid developing nations to offset the pollution for them? A new report says that it would be cheaper to do just that.

The Commission on Climate and Tropical Forests has stated that as far as cost is concerned, instead of curbing pollution here, U.S. companies would be better off just paying other countries to not clear cut forests. The Los Angeles Times tells us the report comes to the conclusion that “U.S. companies could save tens of billions of dollars by investing in efforts to combat deforestation in developing nations instead of cleaning up their own domestic carbon dioxide emissions.”

These “forest offsets” would be used to pay countries to not turn forests into grazing areas for cattle or soy crops. Some environmental groups are already all over this idea, but in this scheme, it would be companies paying in order to keep polluting in the United States. But the cost savings are pretty immense. Read the rest of this entry >>

Here’s a fact you may not know: 14 percent of all fish caught in the world are caught illegally. Illegal fishing is bad both for the legal seafood economy (not to be confused with the Legal Seafoods economy, based mainly on chowder), and for fish stocks (not the Wall Street kind) that are depleted by those that shouldn’t be fishing. But, good news is afoot (afin?) for fish, as the first global treaty against illegal fishing has been agreed upon.

91 countries are signing onto this United Nations treaty, including every one in the European Union, Brazil, the United States, Japan, and Russia. The AFP (via Seed Daily) reports that the treaty “will block ships involved in illegal fishing from entering signatory ports and thus help prevent the fish going to market, the UN said on Tuesday.” Read the rest of this entry >>

Pretend, for a moment, that you’re a farmer in Brazil who has been given a license by the government to raze rain forest lands in order to plant soy beans. On one hand, you’re not particularly thrilled about the idea of destroying thousands of acres of the rain forest. On the other hand…there is a lot of money to be made with these soy beans. If only there were some way to get money to not chop down the forests.

That’s exactly what some environmental groups are doing. Well aware that deforestation is leading factor in increased global warming, groups are now offering farmers money for every acre of rain forest they don’t cut down. At the moment, the New York Times reports that the money offered by these groups may not be enough to convince profit-minded farmers to leave trees standing. One farmer noted that he was being offered $12 an acre by an environmental group, but cleared land can fetch up to $1,300 an acre.

As noted above, deforestation is a leading factor in global warming–the pollution from clear-cutting combined with the decreased amount of trees taking in carbon and releasing oxygen means that deforestation accounts for twenty percent of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. Read the rest of this entry >>

belgianchocolate's photostream (CC)

Fishermen have been attacking and killing freshwater dolphins in Brazil’s Amazon River Basin, seriously threatening conservation efforts of two species.  Having just seen the documentary The Cove, the disturbing images of viciously slaughtered dolphins is burned into my brain, and I really hope steps can be taken to end these unnecessary killings as well.  Apparently the fishermen are concerned that the dolphins are stealing their fish and damaging their gear, and have taken to stabbing them with machetes and harpoons.

There are also powerful cultural taboos in the region that suggest the animals bring bad luck, which may be part of the fishermen’s motivation.  Researchers from the Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development in Tefe, Brazil, recovered 18 dead dolphins, 6 of the boto species and 12 belonging to the tucuxi species, during a recent survey of mortality rates.  Read the rest of this entry >>

photo: markg6 (creative commons)

Climate change is threatening the existence of indigenous tribes around the world, as the natural cycles they depend upon for survival are increasingly disrupted, and their ability to relocate is limited by space and money.  As we head toward major national and international decisions on climate change, the fate of these groups must be taken under great consideration as they are likely the first to suffer the consequences, yet lack the means to influence the global discussion.  Tribes like the Kamayurá of Brazil are already forced to cope with decimated fish stocks and disrupted agricultural patterns as the region has grown drier and hotter.  In the past many tribes could relocate to adapt to dramatic changes, but as the New York Times points out: Read the rest of this entry >>

This may not come exactly as a shock, but the Energy Information Agency has predicted that global energy demand will rise 44 percent by 2030, with 75 percent of that rise coming from developing nations such as China, Russia, Brazil, and India. So, how will this soaring demand manifest itself? Well, Reuters (via Planet Ark) will tell us!

U.S. oil prices are forecast to rise from an average $61 barrel this year to $110 in 2015 and $130 in 2030…Global oil demand is expected to rise to 107 million barrels per day over the next two decades from nearly 84 million bpd this year. Oil will account for 32 percent of the world’s energy supply by 2030 from about 36 percent in 2006.

So, yeah. Oil. However, even though the barrels per day and the price will rise over the next two decades, notice that the percentage oil accounts for in the world energy supply drops. But how can that be? Read the rest of this entry >>

Last month Disneynature planted a tree for every Earth pre-sale ticket sold as part of the Plant A Billion Trees Project. Well, the efforts don’t stop there. Plant A Billion Trees is still working hard towards it’s goal to plant 1 billion trees over the next 7 years and they need your help. For one dollar, The Nature Conservancy plants one tree in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, which helps fight global warming and helps protect and restore this natural treasure. So far 5,170,265 trees have been planted — help raise that number to 5,170,266 or higher!

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is blaming climate change for contributing to excessively severe floods in Brazil, which have claimed 39 lives and have left 267,000 people homeless.  While pinpointing exactly how much climate change influenced the devastating impact, climate scientists have cautioned that increased flooding is to be expected as the planet warms.  The area that has been flooded stretches from the Amazon river to normally dry sections of northeastern Brazil, which is roughly the size of three Alaskas.  As we know from other disasters, the threat of flooding often increases after the water begins to slowly recede, as people struggle to regain access to food, clean water, and medical attention.

And while this is the worst flooding in over twenty years, southern portions of the country continue to suffer through a drought, another indication that climate change is already taking it’s toll.  Read the rest of this entry >>

World Economic Forum's Flickr Photostream/Creative Commons

Brazilian President Luis Inacio “Lula” da Silva made a discomforting comment during a visit by British PM Gordon Brown yesterday.  While speaking to the press while standing along side Brown in the Brazilian capital, Brasilia, Lula (as he’s affectionately known) said, “This crisis was caused by no black man or woman or by no indigenous person or by no poor person.”. He continued, “This crisis was fostered and boosted by irrational behavior of some people that are white, blue-eyed. Before the crisis they looked like they knew everything about economics, and they have demonstrated they know nothing about economics.”

I have, from what I do know of Brazil, generally been an admirer of President Da Silva during his time in office, and certainly don’t wish to smear him with one single comment.  But talk like this is dangerous.  For starters, this is not the 1950’s.  The financial industries in New York and London responsible for the credit crisis are amongst some of the most diverse white collar businesses in the world, drawing from a vast pool of talent all over the globe.  But secondly, equating the world’s financial problems with one ethnic group of people is inappropriate and wrong.  I don’t know what divisive political games the Brazilian President wishes to play by speaking this way, but I would hope he would be more thoughtful in the future.  Read the rest of this entry >>