Ecological Internet has very much appreciated the opportunity to participate in a recent string of rainforest and climate victories. Given our deep attachment to Papua New Guinea, perhaps none has been as satisfying as mobilizing international pressure that helped protect precious Woodlark Island from near total rainforest clearance for oil palm [search]. This madness is the epitome of ecological evil, and together local peoples and the world expressed outrage, and for now have cancelled the plans.

We have carried out similar campaigns for over fifteen years, with many, many victories. Mongabay — the fantastic alternative rainforest media source — has for the first time carried out a post-conservation analysis of how local and international Internet-based protest stopped Woodlark’s rich biodiversity from becoming a toxic oil palm monoculture [ark]. It makes for a good read, demonstrating conservation campaign methods that could be widely replicated. Humanity’s eco-future depends upon collaborative north-south protest of ecologically destructive activities wherever found.

TAKE ACTION! Only soy products that do not directly or indirectly destroy ancient rainforests, or intensify climate change and other problems inherent with large-scale industrial monocultures, will be tolerated in international markets.

The greatest emerging threat to Amazon rainforests and communities is industrial soy plantations. Huge mechanized, soy monocultures destroy tropical ecosystems, accelerate climate change and cause human rights abuses primarily to produce agrofuel and livestock feed. The soya industry wipes out biodiversity, destroys soil fertility, pollutes freshwater and displaces communities. Soybean production expands the agricultural frontier not only through fire and deforestation to clear ancient rainforests, but more importantly by pushing cattle ranches and displacing forest peoples further into natural rainforest ecosystems.

With rising soy and other agricultural commodity prices, there has been a marked increase in fires and Amazonian deforestation to clear new agricultural lands from primary rainforests. In reaction Brazil has again announced increased agricultural deforestation enforcement. Amazon rainforest sustainability critically depends upon new soybean production being kept out of ancient primary rainforest ecosystems. Let’s continue the commitment of Ecological Internet’s Earth Action Network to strongly speak ecological truth to intransigent power. TAKE ACTION!

Follows science showing right on biofuels and natural ecosytems, and recent news of three preliminary victories

Press Release by Ecological Internet
Contact: Dr. Glen Barry, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org, +1 920 776 1075

(Earth) - Ecological Internet’s Earth Action Network reports two stunning victories in campaigns to promote global ecological sustainability. Colombia’s Constitutional Court has declared their Forestry Bill unenforceable [original alert] because it treats forests only as wood, and indigenous and black peoples that have protected forests for decades were not consulted [1]. And French President Sarkozy has announced gold mining activity by a Canadian company in French Guiana’s rainforests [original alert] been permanently cancelled [2]. We had earlier reported progress on these measures.

These decisive victories come as Ecological Internet (EI) has recently reported important initial success in helping to freeze oil palm development in Woodlark, Papua New Guinea; ending rainforest timber use for park benches in NYC; and keeping ancient timbers out of Ocean City, New Jersey’s boardwalks and in rainforest canopies [3]. Efforts continue to finalize and expand these recent initial strategic victories. Ecological Internet’s ecological science based environmental advocacy continues to prove itself time and time again.

Plant based biofuels are no climate change solution [ark | moreark] because as farmers clear natural ecosystems huge amounts of carbon dioxide are released. A study in the journal Science takes a comprehensive look [ark] at emissions from land clearance to grow biofuels. The study finds that the production of most biofuels globally results in land clearing [ark], directly or indirectly, intentionally or not; and the cost/benefit in terms of carbon emissions saved is not subtle.

Clearing grassland for corn ethanol [search] releases 93 times the greenhouse gas (its carbon debt) that would be saved by the fuel made annually on that land. Clearing rainforest habitats for biofuel production [search] generally has a carbon debt of 86 years, but peatland of the sort cleared for oil palm in SE Asia [search] has a whopping carbon debt of 423 years, and soybeans in the Amazon [search] 319 years. Some biofuels such as sugar cane in Brazil [search] are efficient and only have a carbon debt of 17 years. Only biofuels that do not destroy natural habitats should be allowed.

A major new study warns that continued rise of global average temperatures from emissions of man-made greenhouse gases is likely to result in sudden, dramatic, out of control changes to major geophysical elements of the Earth. The journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences identifies nine manners in which climate change could cross “tipping point” thresholds [ark | search] and lead to abrupt, non-linear ecosystem change.

Global warming crossing tipping points [ark] could trigger a runaway thaw of Greenland’s ice sheet [search], dieback of Amazon rainforests [search], and failures of the Indian and West African Monsoons [search]. The report rejects complacency based upon smooth projections of global change, calling upon governments to note potential for small change to be amplified into massive, abrupt and potentially irreversible ecosystem failure. Though surrounded with uncertainty inherent in complex systems, the authors indicate some of these tipping points may be closer than thought.

Ecological Internet, the leading provider of environmental portal and action opportunities on the Internet, is seeking to hire a part-time fund-raiser. The position will be responsible for working with the Director to write grant proposals to foundations, and manage the application process.

Applicants must have experience working in non-profits; and researching, writing, applying and successfully securing environmental grants from foundations and other sources. Must be dedicated, organized and a self-motivated, and ideally have a strong commitment to environmental sustainability. This initial hourly position has the potential to grow into a part or full time salaried position. You will work from your home.

TAKE ACTION! Oil shale deposits across 17,000 square miles of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming hold an estimated 800 billion barrels of oil, more than three times Saudi Arabia’s stated reserves. Both mining and processing of oil shale involve a variety of environmental impacts. The process produces four times the amount of greenhouse gas emissions compared to normal oil production. Vast amounts of water are required in the mining process, up to 4 barrels of water for every barrel of oil.

It would be a reckless and short-sighted to allow full-scale commercial production of synthetic crude oils from oil shale and other non-conventional sources. Wide scale use of such oil will result in decades of further carbon emissions from dependence upon fossil fuels, making it impossible to stop climate change. Please send a message today to the U.S. Department of Energy noting that a sustainable energy future does not include oil shale. TAKE ACTION!  

Despite 80% growth in carbon trading [ark] in the past year, including windfall profits [ark] for some, carbon markets have yet to lead to actual emission reductions. Indeed, carbon and other emissions continue to soar [ark | search].
As I have written previously, while profiting from efforts to reduce emissions may be useful to some degree, the cap and trade approach is by no means sufficient [ark]. At some point emissions need to be reduced at a cost to society because it is necessary and the right thing to do.

A much more suitable and less complex market based approach to reducing emissions quickly is a global carbon tax [search]. Such an approach need not be onerous, as Climate Ark’s Lincoln Plan demonstrates. If is far preferable in terms of rapidly and clearly setting a price on carbon [search] to tax energy sources according to their carbon content than to expect carbon markets to do so. While carbon markets may have a role, we simply do not have time for them to develop to bring about necessary major emission reductions. We know a carbon tax will reduce emissions.

Victory for those working to end ancient rainforest logging, and a defeat for supporters of forest certification greenwashing, as an important precedent is set

January 18, 2008
By Ecological Internet, Contact: Dr. Glen Barry, +1 (920) 776-1075, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

(Ocean City, New Jersey) — The city council of Ocean City voted last night 6-0 to cancel a $1.1 million purchase of ipê timber originating in ancient rainforests. The timber was to be used to patch a one block stretch of Atlantic boardwalk. The purchase provoked outrage as it went against a ten-year old pledge by the council to not use rainforest timbers.

The mayor and others argued Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification ensured sustainability. Estimates are over 60% of FSC timber comes from first time logging of ancient forests, with claims only it is “well-managed”. Such misleading statements setup a showdown with local group “Friends of the Rain Forest” and led them to a year of protest with support from Ecological Internet (EI) and others.

Ecological Internet’s international protest supporting local Papua New Guinea resistance blows the project out of the water

January 16, 2008
By Ecological Internet, Contact: Dr. Glen Barry, +1 (920) 776-1075, glenbarry@ecologicalinternet.org

(Woodlark, Papua New Guinea) — Ecological Internet welcomes reports that Vitroplant, shady developer of a proposed oil palm project on Woodlark Island in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea (PNG), has withdrawn. PNG’s Minister for Agriculture and Livestock says no oil palm development will take place on Woodlark Island. Vitroplant’s withdrawal was due to local and international pressure to conserve Woodlark Island’s natural habitat.

The ill-conceived project was to have cleared 70% of the rainforests on biodiversity rich Woodlark Island, some 60,000 hectares, in order to establish a massive oil palm plantation. Following the direction of local peoples, Ecological Internet’s Earth action network was able to generate nearly 50,000 protest emails from 3,000 people in 72 countries.