(no subject)
... I just had to boast about this one. So please excuse me (or not). I had a letter in The Economist!! Sure beats the.. well.. all the Aust. newspapers. Unforunately it's not online, so you'll just have to trust me on this one... seems to only be in the Asia-Pacific print edition (p22). Oh well...
A smoke-free world
SIR, Indonesia's lack of action to prevent forest fires in Sumatra and Borneo is most disturbing ("Stuck in a haze", October 14th). Not only are people in and beyond Indonesia suffering immensely from the smoke pollution, but worldwide efforts to mitigate climate change are being compromised. Developed-world companies and individuals are paying millions to offset their carbon emissions mainly by sponsoring tree-plantings elsewhere. Yet, at the same time, Indonesia and Brazil are burning their precious forest resources, releasing enormous quantities of carbon into the atmosphere. The irony is breathtaking. The rest of the world needs to wake up and realise that these actions are doing much long-term harm. Legally, forests are a sovereign asset of the country in which they lie, but on a moral level they belong to all life on earth. The developed world must directly challenge Indonesian illegal logging and large-scale farming interests before even more of these big remaining carbon sinks (which are also invaluable ecosystems) are turned into smokestacks.
BRAD RUTING
Castle Hill, Australia
A smoke-free world
SIR, Indonesia's lack of action to prevent forest fires in Sumatra and Borneo is most disturbing ("Stuck in a haze", October 14th). Not only are people in and beyond Indonesia suffering immensely from the smoke pollution, but worldwide efforts to mitigate climate change are being compromised. Developed-world companies and individuals are paying millions to offset their carbon emissions mainly by sponsoring tree-plantings elsewhere. Yet, at the same time, Indonesia and Brazil are burning their precious forest resources, releasing enormous quantities of carbon into the atmosphere. The irony is breathtaking. The rest of the world needs to wake up and realise that these actions are doing much long-term harm. Legally, forests are a sovereign asset of the country in which they lie, but on a moral level they belong to all life on earth. The developed world must directly challenge Indonesian illegal logging and large-scale farming interests before even more of these big remaining carbon sinks (which are also invaluable ecosystems) are turned into smokestacks.
BRAD RUTING
Castle Hill, Australia