This advertisement recently released by the Ohio Corn Growers Association and Avoided Deforestation Partners says it all. View the Adobe Flash version here.
from the Avoided Deforestation Partners
more below the fold...
for those of you who can't view the image or can't read the fine print...
Illegal overseas agriculture and timber operations are tearing down and burning the world's forests to make room for massive logging, cattle, palm oil and soybean operations. This deforestation is a leading cause of climate pollution, but it also hurts U.S. agriculture. Crops grown on this slash-and-burn land undercut American farmers and ranchers producing corn, soy, canola, meat and leather. And paper and wood products from illegal tropical logging undercut responsibly managed U.S. forests. This deforestation reduces commodity prices and hurts competitiveness, putting additional strains on American families trying to hold onto their farms, ranches and timberlands
80% of agricultural expansion since 1980 came at expense of forests. Researcher Holly Gibbs reached this conclusion after viewing over 600 satellite images from the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and other organizations. "What we found was that indeed forests were the primary source for new croplands as they expanded across the tropics during the 1980s and 1990s," Gibbs explained. "Cropland expansion, whether it's for fuel, feed or food, has undoubtedly led to more deforestation, and evidence is mounting that this trend will continue. This is a major concern for the global environment. As we look toward biofuels to help reduce climate change we must consider the rainforests and savannas that may lie in the pathway of expanding biofuel cropland."
Illegal logging is often the partner and instigator of agriculture in causing deforestation. Loggers clear the forest without concern for the sustainability of their operations. There is no replanting and there is no attempt to clear only a section of trees. Instead, entire areas are clearcut leaving land available for farming. As new land is logged that land then becomes available for more farming. Another effect of this logging and planting is the depletion of the rich rainforest soil. Since there will soon be new land to cultivate there is little incentive to renew the soil currently being used.
The two largest sources of rainforest deforestation are Brazil and Indonesia. Lumber and food from these and other countries are sold here in the US which drives prices down. Also, timber, cattle, and soy produced from these places are sold on the global market which further serves to depress prices on that market. For example Brazil accounted for 32% of the global export of soybeans, one of the major drivers of deforestation, in 2007.
THE ROLE OF BIOFUELS
Corn and sugarcane are grown for ethanol and soy and palm oil are grown for biodiesel. Conversion of rainforest ecosystems to agriculture can result in increased greenhouse gas emissions. The best metaphor for the role of the rainforests is the "lungs" of the planet. The trees work to clean carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. When the trees are cleared and machinery is used to grow crops this effect is reversed. Land that once worked to fight greenhouse gases now works to produce them. Production of a single ton of palm oil on land converted from peat forest in Indonesia can result in 25 to 70 tons in carbon dioxide emissions from clearing of vegetation, draining of swampy soils, and burning.
Again from Ms Gibbs, "I think that biofuels may have a critical place in our future energy plan, but the way that we're currently going about producing biofuels could have a lot of unintended consequences. The [Obama] administration should carefully consider the full consequences of any energy plan to make sure we protect the carbon stored in rainforests as well as reduce our fossil fuel emissions."