The world’s rainforests - and therefore the world at large - are at risk from catastrophic climate change. In less than 50 years we have seen the destruction of over half of the worlds rainforest environment due to logging and ‘slash and burn’ farming. However the loss of the rainforest continues to progress at an alarming rate - equivalent to an area of two football fields every second!
For those of us who live in economically stable, northern European countries, the problems concerning rainforests seem very far away and definitely out of reach, but the facts are that climate change - and its relationship with the world’s rainforests - is affecting us here and now.
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As an individual, there may not be anything that you can do with regards to the agricultural policy of equatorial nations, but there is something that you can to with regards to wood products such as paper, cardboard and rather obviously wood. If - as 1st World nations - we do not consume as much in the way of wood based products as we have done then there will be no need to continue logging at this break neck speed.
Here are my top ten suggestions
1. Boycott free newspapers and magazines.
2. Instead of paying for news papers, receive your new items from the television – 24 hour Sky News, BBC News 24 etc, or the internet – BBC News, MSN news etc.
3. Instead of going out and buying a book for your reading pleasure, go to the library or invest in an ‘ebook’.
4. If you absolutely need to buy wood then make sure that it is from a sustainable source. Check the labels to see if it is qualified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), Canadian Standards Association (CSA), and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).
5. Recycle all of your waste paper and cardboard.
6. Send emails instead of letters – a rather obvious one, but it still needs to be said.
7. Use recycled printer paper and recycled toilet paper – you know what I mean!
8. Buy products that have less paper or cardboard packaging – or no paper or cardboard packaging.
9. Plant a good diversity of trees. OK, this doesn't solve the problem, but if we planted more trees than are cut down for the products we use then at least we are making a difference.
10. Make a conscious choice to buy products which has the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal of approval. This label is there to make it easy for consumers to know they are buying a product that has been grown or made sustainably.
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Remember that the only way that we can make a difference is by working together. .
For more information on the environment click onto:Are Slug Pellets Poisoning Our Wildlife
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Caring for Insect Eating Birds in Winter
Easter Island - a Lesson in Environmental Exploitation
Edible Crop Pollination and the Decline of Bees
Fall in Bee Populations Linked to Decline in Plant Biodiversity
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How do you get Acid Rain?
How to Attract Bumblebees to the Suburban Garden
How to Attract the Hummingbird Hawk Moth
How to Make a Butterfly Garden
How to Make a Wildlife Pond
How to Make your Own Organic Pyrethrum Insecticide
Jellyfish Swarms - The Latest Man-Made disaster?
Pollution and the Decline in Bat Populations
Light Pollution and the Decline of Native Insects
Light Pollution - The Hidden Threat
Lost Frog Returned from Extinction
Nectar Rich American Wildflowers for Attracting Native Bumble Bees
Nectar Rich Plants for Attracting Long-Tongued Bumble Bees
Non- Native Invasive Species - The Chinese Mitten Crab
Non-Native Invasive Species - The Japanese Knotweed
Non-Native Invasive Species - The Harlequin Ladybird
Non-Native Invasive Species - The American Signal Crayfish
Non-Native Invasive Species - The Ring-Necked Parakeet
Pesticides Toxic to Honey Bees
Plants that Attract the Hummingbird Hawk Moth
Seed Bearing Plants for Attracting Wild Finches
Sustainability Through the Consumption of Things Conserved
The Amazon rainforest
The Causes of Acid Rain
The Effects of Acid Rain
The Decline of Butterfly and Caterpillar Habitat
The Decline of Insect Eating Birds
The Eagle Owl - Friend or Foe?
The Angel of the Amazon - Sister Dorothy Stang
The Importance of Log Piles to Native Wildlife
The Layers of the Rainforest
The 'Native Trees' of England
The Plight of English Woodlands
The Rainforest
What are the Safe Organic Alternative to Slug Pellets
What causes Global Warming?
What is the Difference between Global Warming and the Greenhouse Effect?
What is the Greenhouse Effect?
What is Acid Rain?
What is 'Slash and Burn' Farming and How does it Affect the Rainforests?
What is the Rainforest?
Where is the Rainforest?
Which Plants can Attract Bats into the Garden?
Why are Tropical Rainforests so Important?
Why is the Amazon Rainforest being Destroyed?
Why Shark Fin Soup is Devastating World Shark Populations
Why Should we Protect the Rainforest?
3 comments:
Wow, this is an excellent, informative post. I do all of these things. Another is to stop using aerosol sprays which destroy the ozone. Blessings!
Hello Marion,thank you for your kind words and support for the website.You now have my blessings
Wow!! thank you so much for sharing.. it's an informative blog.. good luck!
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