Green Leaf Report

I enjoyed an article earlier today about the changing political feelings in Brazil over climate change.  In the article, a 2005 drought and 2004 hurricane were noted as two items bringing the threat of climate change home to Brazil. While it was very interesting theory and I’d love to believe it’s true, I’m concerned that money and distrust of the West still trumps environmental concerns.  Until equivalent value can be taken from the forest as from using that land for cattle grazing and farmland, I’m afraid the decimation of the forest will continue.  The Brazilian challenge still has an unresolved economic and political component; America could help with the economics, but the politics won’t allow it.  A dilemma. 

My first thought is we need to treat this like the dustbowl challenge of the American 1930s.  When farmers were stripping so much of the topsoil of the Midwest in a drought trying to plant crops that weren’t growing, great storms of dust began blowing as far east as Washington D.C.  The US government began making payments to farmers to not work the land to prevent the destruction of the land; in school I learned the payments to farmers were to prevent overproduction- the environmental component was always forgotten.  But it’s time to remember this practice and for the world to use this same practice on Brazil.  If payments from the US are not trusted, a greater UN group needs to be involved and save the lungs of the planet by making payments to avoid stripping the rainforest.  Only economics can help resolve an economic environmental crisis.