Unite1.docx

Unite1.docx

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Unite1

PART1

1.

TheAmazonforestsaredisappearingbecauseofincreasedburningandtreeremoval.InSeptember,satellitepicturesshowedmorethan20000firesburningintheAmazon.Expertssaymostofthesefiresweresetbyfarmers.Thefarmerswereattemptingtoclearlandtogrowcrops.TheWorldWildlifeFundsaysanotherseriousproblemisthattoomanytreesintheAmazonrainforestarebeingcutdown.TheWorldWildlifeFundsaysthefiresshowtheneedforurgentinternationalactiontoprotecttheworld'srainforests.Thegroupwarnsthatwithoutsuchactionsomeforestscouldbelostforever.

2.EnvironmentalissuesswelltothefullinBerlinthisweek,fortheUNspongsoredconferenceonglobalwarmingandclimatechangeisthefirstsuchmeetingsincetheRiosummitthreeyearsago.WithscientistsandgovernmentsnowgenerallyreadytoacceptthattheearthclimateisbeingaffectedbyemissionsofCO2andothergreenhousegases,overahundredcountriesaresendingdelegations.ButhowmuchprogresshasbeenmadeimplementingthegreenhousegasreductiontargetagreedonatRio?

SimonDaryreports

Pare2

A

IBrianCowlesistheproducerofanewseriesofdocumentariescalled"TheEarthatRisk"whichcanbeseenonChannel4laterthismonth.Eachprogramdealswithadifferentcontinent,doesn'tit,Brian?

BThat'sright.WewenttoAmerica,bothNorthandSouthandthenwewentovertoAfricaandSouth-EastAsia.

I:

Andwhatdidyoufindineachofthesecontinents

B:

StartingwithAfrica,ourfilmshowstheimpactofthepopulationontheenvironment.Generallyspeaking,thishascausedtheSaharaDeserttoexpand.It'sabitofaviciouscirclewefind.Peoplecutdowntreesforfirewoodandtheirdomesticanimalseatalltheavailableplants—andsoconsequentlytheyhavetomovesouthastheSaharaDesertexpandsfurthersouth.Imean,soonthewholeofMaliwillbecomeadesert.AndinEastAfrica:

herethegrasslandsaresupportingtoomanyanimalsandtheresultis,ofcourse,there'snograss—nothingfortheanimalstoeat.

I:

Isee.AndthenextfilmdealswithNorthAmerica?

B:

That'sright.IntheUSA,asyouknow,intensiveagriculturerequiresaplentifulsupplyofrainforthesecropstogrow,Imeanifthereisn'tenoughrainthecropsdon'tgrow.Andgrowingcropsstabilizesoil,withoutthemthetopsoiljustblowsaway.Thisisalsotrueforanyregionthatisintenselyfarmed—mostofEurope,forexample.

I:

AndwhatdidyoufindinSouthAmerica?

B:

InSouthAmerica（asinCentralAfricaandSouthernAsia）tropicalforestsarebeingcutdownatanalarmingrate.ThisisdonesothatpeoplecansupportthemselvesbygrowingfoodortocreaterancheswherecattlecanberaisedtobeexportedtoEuropeorAmericaastinnedmeat.Theproblemisthatthesoilissopoorthatonlyacoupleofharvestsarepossiblebeforethisverythinsoilbecomesexhausted.Anditcan'tbefedwithfertilizerslikeagriculturallandinEurope.

Forexample,inBrazilin1982anareaofjunglethesizeofBritainandFrancecombinedwasdestroyedtomakewayforanironoremine.HugenumbersoftreesarebeingcutdownforexportsashardwoodtoJapan,Europe,USAtomakethingslikeluxuryfurniture.Theseforestscan'tbereplaced—theforestsoilisthinandunproductiveandinjustafewyears,ajunglehasbecomeawasteland.Tropicalforestscontainrareplants（whichwecanuseformedicines,forexample）andanimals—oneanimalorplantspeciesbecomesextincteveryhalfhour.Theseforesttreesalsohaveworldwideeffects.Youknow,theyconvertcarbondioxideintooxygen.Theconsequenceofdestroyingforestsisnotonlythattheclimateofthatregionchanges（becausethereislessrainfall）butthischangeaffectsthewholeworld.Imean,overhalftheworld'srainforesthasbeencutdownthiscentury.

I-InterviewerB-BrianCowles

I:

BrianCowlesistheproducerofanewseriesofdocumentariescalled"TheEarthatRisk"whichcanbeseenonChannel4laterthismonth.Eachprogramdealswithadifferentcontinent,doesn'tit,Brian?

B:

That'sright,yes,wewentto...er...wewenttoAmerica,bothNorthandSouthandthenwewentovertoAfricaandSouth-EastAsia.

I:

Andwhatdidyoufindineachofthesecontinents?

B:

Well...er...startingwith...er...Africa,ourfilmshowstheimpactofthepopulationontheenvironment.Generallyspeaking,thishascausedtheSaharaDeserttoexpand.It'sabitofaviciouscircle...er...wefind,peoplecutdowntreesforfirewoodandtheirdomesticanimalseatalltheavailableplants—andsoconsequentlytheyhavetomovesouthastheSaharaDesertexpandsfurthersouth.Imean,soonthewholeofMaliwillbecomeadesert.And...er...inEastAfrica:

herethegrasslandsaresupportingtoomanyanimalsandtheresultis,ofcourse,there'snograss—nothingfortheanimalstoeat.

I:

Mm,yes,Isee.Um...andthe...thenextfilmdealswithNorthAmerica?

B:

That'sright.Inthe...er...USA,asyouknow,intensiveagriculturerequiresaplentifulsupplyofrainforthesecropstogrow,Imeanifthereisn'tenoughrainthecropsdon'tgrow.Andgrowingcropsstabilizesoil,withoutthemthetopsoiljust...itjustblowsaway.Imean,thisisalsotrueforanyregionthatisintenselyfarmed—mostofEurope,forexample.

I:

AndwhatdidyoufindinSouthAmerica?

B:

InSouthAmerica（a...asinCentralAfricaandSouthernAsia）tropicalforestsarebeingcutdownatanalarmingrate.Th...thisisdonesothatpeoplecansupportthemselvesbygrowingfoodortocreaterancheswherecattlecanberaisedtoexp...tobeexportedtoEuropeorAmericaastinnedmeat.Theproblemisthatthes...thesoilissopoorthat...um...thatonlyacoupleofharvestsarepossiblebeforethisverythinsoilbecomesexhausted.Anditcan'tbefedwithfertilizerslikeagriculturallandinEurope.

Um...forexample,inBrazilin1982anareaofjunglethesizeofBritainandFrancecombinedwasdestroyedtomakewayforanironoremine.Imean,hugenumbersoftreesarebeingcutdownforexportashardwoodtoJapan,Europe,USA...Imean...tomakethingslikeluxuryfurniture.Theseforestscan't...er...theycan'tbereplaced—theforestsoilisthinandunproductiveandinjustafewyears,a...ajunglehasbecomeawasteland.Tropicalforestscontainrareplants（which...er...wecanuseformedicines,forexample）andanimals—oneanimalorplantspeciesbecomesextincteveryhalfhour.These...er...foresttrees...Imean...alsohaveworldwideeffects.Youknow,theyconvertcarbondioxideintooxygen.Theconsequenceofdestroyingforestsisnotonlythattheclimateofthatregionchanges（becausethereislessrainfall）butthischangeaffectsthewholeworld.Imean,overhalftheworld'srainforesthasbeencutdownthiscentury.

PART3

AI-InterviewerB-BrianCowles

I:

So,Brian,wouldyouagreethatwhatwegenerallythinkofasnaturaldisastersareinfactman-made?

B:

Yes,byandlarge.Imean,obviouslynothurricanesorearthquakes,buttakeflooding,forexample.Practicallyeveryyear,thewholeofBangladeshisfloodedandthisisgettingworse.Youknow,thecauseisthatforestshavebeencutdownupinNepalandIndia,Imeanhigherup-riverintheHimalayas.Treeswouldholdrainfallintheirroots,butifthey'vebeencutdownalltherainthatfallsinthemonsoonseasonflowssraightintotheriverGangesandfloodsthewholecountry.ThereasonforfloodinginSudanisthesame—theforestshigheruptheBlueNileinEthiopiahavebeendestroyedtoo.

I:

Well,thisallsoundsterriblydepressing.Um...Whatistobedone?

Imean,cananythingbedone,infact?

B:

Yes,ofcourseitcan.First,thenationalgovernmentshavetobeforward-lookingandconsidertheresultsoftheirpoliciesintenortwentyyears,notjustthinkasfaraheadasthenextelection.Somehow,allthecountriesintheworldhavetoworktogetheronaninternationalbasis.Secondly,thepopulationhastobecontrolledinsomeway:

therearetoomanypeopletryingtoliveofftoolittleland.Thirdly,wedon'tneedtropicalhardwoodtomakeourfurniture—it'saluxurypeopleintheWestmustdowithout.Softwoodsarejustasgood,lessexpensiveandcanbeproducedonenvironment-friendly"treefarms",wheretreesarereplacedatthesameratethattheyarecutdown.

I:

And,presumably,educationisimportantaswell.Peoplemustbeeducatedtorealizetheconsequencesoftheiractions?

B:

Yes,ofcourse.

I:

Well,thankyou,Brian.

B

I-InterviewerB-BrianCowles

I:

So,Brian,wouldyouagreethatwhatwegenerallythinkofas...er...aser...naturaldisastersareinfactman-made?

B:

Yes,byandlarge...er...Imean,obviouslynothurricanesorearthquakes,buttakeflooding,forexample.Imean,practicallyeveryyear,thewholeofBangladeshisfloodedandthisisgettingworse.Youknow,thecauseisthatforestshavebeencutdownupinNepalandIndia...Imean...higherup-riverintheHimalayas.Trees...er...wouldholdrainfallintheirroots,butifthey'vebeencutdownalltherainthatfallsinthemonsoonseasonflowsstraightintotheriverGangesandfloodsthewholecountry.ThereasonforfloodinginSudanisthesame—theforestshigheruptheBlueNileinEthiopiahavebeendestroyedtoo.

I:

Well,thisallsoundsterriblydepressing.Um...whatistobedone?

Imean,cananythingbedone,infact?

B:

Yes,ofcourseitcan...er...first,thenationalgovernmentshavetobeforward-lookingandconsidertheresultsoftheirpoliciesintenortwentyyears,notjustthinkasfaraheadasthenextelection.Somehow,allthecountriesintheworldhavetoworktogetheronaninternational