Not only are rainforests a vast repository of potential medicines they also play a vital role in producing oxygen and in maintaining global climatic patterns. The Amazon rainforests alone for example are responsible for 28% of the global oxygen turnover.

The role of green house gases like methane and carbon di oxide in global warming and climate change is well documented. Automobiles, ocean liners and aircrafts have been roundly criticized for belching these gases that threaten to bring doomsday to the earth’s doorstep. What is little understood and appreciated is the fact that rainforest destruction releases more than 1.5 billion tones of green house gases (IPCC estimates), a fifth of the total global emissions and more than all the other sources mentioned above put together (Houghton, 2003; BBC report). Destruction of an acre of rainforest releases a thousand tons or more of carbon dioxide (http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/06/16/australia-forest-carbon.html). The importance of conserving rainforests thus becomes obvious.  Detractors have long hidden behind Odum’s view propounded in the 60’s that old rainforests do not help in trapping carbon dioxide. However a 2008 study has shown that these old forests continue to trap close to a billion tons of carbon dioxide every year. (Luyssaert et al., “Old-growth forests as global carbon sink,” Nature, 2008).

Rainforests have been at the receiving end of human greed and short sighted harvesting. Rampant rainforest destruction has shrunk rainforests to 50% of their earlier size, limiting them to a mere 6% of the earth’s surface. Estimates of the extent of rainforests lost vary from 17 million acres (United Nations estimate) to 50 million acres every year.  The WWF puts destruction rates at 25 to 50 acres every minute. To put in perspective, an area of tropical forest large enough to cover North Carolina is deforested each year. Today rainforests are being lost in Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Zaire, Guinea and many other countries. Some projections suggest that the remaining rainforests could be lost within the next 4 decades.

Aspirations of economic growth in third world countries and lifestyle choices in the developed world are the twin driving force behind deforestation in poorer Latin American, Asian and African countries. Livestock grazing to meet the increasing demand for beef is alone responsible for a large part of deforestation. Close to 55 square feet of rainforests are cleared for every pound of beef produced releasing 500 pounds of carbon di oxide in the process (The burger that ate a rain forest – London Times, Feb 26, 1989)! Forest land converted to pasture also contributes to global warming by increased emissions of methane by cattle.

In Brazil alone 24,000 square kilometres of rainforests are cleared every year (Santilli et al., Climatic Change; 2005). Besides pasture, rainforests have been cleared for timber – with concessions sold as cheap as $ 2 per acre, cropland, bio fuel cultivation, to feed iron mills with charcoal and paper factories with wood pulp. A single multinational pulp manufacturing project in Brazil consumes close to 2000 tons of pristine rainforest every day! International debt repayment obligations have also been instrumental in encouraging many nations to hawk their forest resources for hard cash in place of higher returns they could have realized in the longer term by sustainable forest management practices.

Accelerating deforestation is particularly alarming. This is because the destruction of the last few remaining great forests is the result of our own deliberate effort, as opposed to climate change or some other convenient alibi. Setting aside the more obvious consequences of ozone depletion and global warming, rainforest destruction is especially worrying because it irrevocably extinguishes unique sub-biospheres that are unlikely to be rebuilt within the time frame left, according to some more sober global warming predictions.

Every deliberate act of rainforest destruction is a bizarre rehearsal for the global warming that will follow if the custodians of the earth cannot mend their ways. Deforestation destroys not just a piece of forest canopy, but also a portion of our fragile world. This is because the smaller trees and plants that the canopy previously sheltered cannot survive the direct rays of the sun, and so wither and die. By an ironic quirk of nature, young forest giants, too, do not survive without the initial protection of that lesser canopy. As a result an entire ecosystem vanishes forever, as do the human families, the mammals, the birds and the insects that once lived in harmony within it, leaving our planet a shamefully poorer place.

While it has become popular to blame subsistence farmers for rainforest destruction, this is not the whole truth. Almost all the huge logs that were once forest giants, and much of the food that is grown on the new farmlands, end up in the homes and on the tables of the word’s developed nations, who therefore drive the process and must share the bulk of the blame.

While forests still cover about thirty percent of the earth’s surface, deforestation is proceeding at an alarming rate and it is estimated that the lungs that make the oxygen we breathe will vanish forever within a hundred years, unless something is done to reverse the rate of rainforest destruction. Every year a forest the size of Panama disappears. Every month as many trees as grow in Britain are taken down. Every day is a bad day for global warming, as an area of forest as large as one of our cities is destroyed.

When stripped naked of the rhetoric of human greed, responsibility for rainforest destruction lies with the developed nations who – after obliterating their own natural resources – now look elsewhere for stopgap solutions to their own selfish needs. Every act of deforestation accelerates global warming. Every year that passes is one year less before the last great forests begin to wither under a collapsing ozone layer.

Responsibility for change lies with individuals, for only they have the power to change the mood of great corporates, and the governments they feed.

Climate Change – What is it?

In the current day lexicon of scientists, climate modification isn’t really a term of use anymore. The reason for this is that we have come to understand that the effect of the changes we make to our environment will increase the temperature in many locations on the planet, but will also cool a few places. In light of this, the thing you know of as climate modification is actually referred to as global climate change. Over all, however, the world is definitely warming.

We need a straightforward definition for climate transformation in relation to the warming of the planet, one that gets the general picture without excluding the simplicities. The simplest and most accurate definition is that climate change is the effect greenhouse gases have on the earth’s climate. Greenhouse gases include, but are not limited to, carbon dioxide and methane. While this sounds like a simple definition, there are a couple of important things to realise.

First, climate change is both a natural phenomena and one created by mankind. Put an alternative way, greenhouse gases are a natural part of the biosphere and would exist if man did not. Indeed, they are a crucial component to the existence of life on this planet. If greenhouse gases didn’t exist, the temperature on planet earth would average zero degrees! Naturally occurring gases, however, keep the temperature at a much more liveable 59 degrees.

So, if global warming occurs naturally, what is the big panic about? The problem we are facing is the volume of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These gases act as thermal blankets for the atmosphere. The more gas in the atmosphere, the thicker the blanket and the less heat escapes. Over the last 80 years, we have been pumping massive amounts of greenhouse gases into the sky. At the same time, we have witnessed major deforestation around the planet, the primary plant collection that sucks greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. This double whammy is starting to show damaging results; the increased heating of our world.

The ultimate question with climate alteration is what could come to pass as the Earth heats up. We are already seeing signs with the retreat of the glaciers. Glacier National Park, for instance, will soon have to be renamed since it has already lost 65 percent of all of its glaciers! While the exact end result of these environmental changes is not apparent, we can expect significant climatic changes over the next 80 years.

By supporting Sarah Smith Textiles, you are supporting a good cause. Besides, all the products are made in Britain using 100% Fairtrade materials. So, now you can purchase the Fairtrade cotton apron or re-usable bags you’ve been eyeing, and use them in peace knowing that there is not even a single soul being exploited in the process. The shopping bag comes in very handy if you are constantly going on shopping sprees, or simply just nicking down to the local shops to collect a few last minute groceries. As for the cotton, you get to choose different vibrant colours, such as red and pink.

Grab the Fairtrade re-usable shopping bag and use it every time you go shopping to promote this cause. There are also Fairtrade cotton tea towels and Fairtrade cotton oven mitts available for all your kitchen needs. They are all made from Fairtrade materials, 100% certified, come in many vibrant and cheerful colours and are washing machine friendly. This is why you can use the tea towel and oven mitt again and again as they last for a long time, just like the re-usable bags. Each and every one of the products available from Sarah Smith Textiles is truly unique with its own statement and cause. Buying the items will help the people behind the scene gain sustainable income for their families. And what a great talking point when you have guests – show them your oven mitts and tea towels and spread the word.

You can obtain all the products from aprons to towels in different colours and at reasonable prices. However, the one thing that is really useful in every household is the Made in Britain Ultra cleaning cloths that comes in 3 cloths per pack. They are durable and absorbent so you don’t have to waste money buying more cleaning cloths, when you can have just one pack of these and use them for a long time. Apart from looking nice, they perform well in the kitchen too, giving you more reasons to use products made from Fairtrade materials.

So, if you are thinking about getting good quality products that are made from materials approved by the Fairtrade, remember to check Sarah Smith Textiles for their range of products that come in different colours, sizes and at reasonable prices. What’s more you can shop happy in the knowledge that everyone benefits from the production of these products, and they are indeed the biggest gift in life as they can help many lives.

The Germans are absolutely determined to manufacture a great number of hydrogen powered vehicles. Have you seen a BMW lately? Well perhaps in the coming months, you will see the magnificent creation of BMW.

General Motors declared way back in the year 2000 that they are going to build hydrogen powered cars but most people believed that it would take around 20 years before that goal can be achieved. Hydrogen technology sounds too unbelievable for them. It was only in 2004 that BMW made the same announcement and they promised the public that by 2008, hydrogen powered BMW cars will be on the streets.

Recent photographs of BMW cars are gaining so much attention especially in automotive blogs. BMW launched their 7 Series just recently and its alternate fuel is hydrogen. Many people spotted the test run of the vehicle in Germany.

There are still several things to consider before the public accepts hydrogen powered vehicles. Internal combustion engines are still the most popular and hydrogen fuel is still very new in the market.

Among the factors to consider are the following:

1. Cost. Hydrogen fuel is quite costly. At present, fuel cells have prohibitive prices but because of technological advancements, the cost is slowly being lowered. Once the price of fuel cells drop to a certain level that is quite affordable for the public, only then can it be a viable substitute.

2. Production concerns. In order to develop the hydrogen cells, a great amount of fossil fuel is needed. The hydrogen infrastructure is also very expensive to implement. Billions of dollars is not even enough and according to some experts, the infrastructure alone can cost 1 trillion dollars.

3. Storage concerns. This is another possible problem associated with the production of hydrogen cells. The existing gas lines can’t be used to transmit hydrogen fuel because it reacts negatively with steel. Therefore, the government needs to create a distribution system that can be used exclusively for hydrogen fuel.

Despite the three major concerns, automakers like BMW and the government are still focusing in the use of hydrogen cells as an alternative to combustion engines. If ever a hydrogen infrastructure is made, the government and the people can benefit highly. One benefit is that the US and other rich countries will no longer depend on foreign oil. The best benefit that the entire mankind can benefit from is that the emissions of greenhouse gases will considerably drop.

The two possible benefits are enough so that the government and car makers continue with their goal in producing hydrogen powered vehicles and a hydrogen infrastructure. If the government does extend the much needed assistance, hydrogen technology will soon benefit everyone.

The quest for hydrogen fuel cannot be realised if only the automakers like Ford and BMW push for it. They need help from the government and the support of the public. If man wants to save the planet, hydrogen fuel is the best answer rather than depending solely on combustion engines. Check out BMW hydrogen powered vehicles online now.