ABOUT
Smart discussion of the latest science and news on toxins in your food, water, and air, and what government agencies should be doing to protect public health. Written by EWG staff.
DONATE TO EWG!
Help us protect your health and environment! Please donate $5 to EWG today.
GET EWG'S TIPS & ACTION ALERTS
Sign Up here to receive email updates and tips from EWG and stay informed on the issues that matter most to you.
ENVIROBLOG VIA EMAIL
Join EWG's live chat with Chef Ann Cooper
School lunch: More fruits & veggies, please!
Texas Schools are Drilling for Dollars
Why do blowouts take so long to fix?
SEARCH ENVIROBLOG
FEATURED
Support the 2010 Safe Cosmetics Act. It's Urgent.
Why, oh why is there plastic in my aluminum water bottle?
Cell phone radiation series - Part 2: 8 Ways to reduce your exposure
Test Your Knowledge of Cosmetics Safety: 8 Myths Debunked
EWG's Tips for Parents: The Series
EWG's Tips to avoid BPA exposure
EWG on TV
Cutting the Pork from U.S. Farm Bill
Sunscreen safety & DC drinking water
Perchlorate in people, kids' personal care products & plastics, and sunscreen
BPA in baby formula & safe cosmetics
What can I do about fluoride in my water?
What is new carpet treated with? What can I do?
Are stainless steel water bottles safe?
Is mineral-based makeup safer?
PEOPLE TALKING TOXICS
TALK TO US
Did we miss something? Email Enviroblog.
« Graver danger from a common herbicide | Main | EPA takes baby steps on lead emissions »
Eating the rainforest
With global problems like hunger, wars and environmental destruction it is hard to prioritize. All those things are important and a priority. But what if one leads to another?
Recently, the governor of a Brazilian farming province was quoted saying that more of the Amazon rain forest should be cut down to provide farmland for food production. Brazil's largest producer of soy, Blairo Maggi, went even further by saying there is no way to produce more food without taking down more trees.
In recent years, Brazil became a major food supplier, especially of foods like soybean and beef. However, the demand for food that Brazil has been trying to fill has lead to the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest. The rainforest represents over half of the planet's remaining rainforests and is the largest and most species-rich region of tropical rainforest in the world.
Maybe I am an old-fashioned environmentalist, but I do believe in alternatives. While technology is not always good for the planet we live on, this is one of the cases where technology can play a positive role. It can help recover the degraded part of the forest, instead of cutting down more trees. Technology can also help farmers around the world to farm sustainably in the areas that don't have forests in them and have not been used for farming in the past.
The destruction of Amazon rainforest will result in the loss of biodiversity, as well as accelerate global warming. Its presence is beneficial for the whole world, not just Brazil and in this globalized world all must work together.
Heart breaking