| The Katrina hurricane, the Central America tropical | | | | rainwater... |
| storms and their lethal effects, the intense drought in | | | | More: in future terms, present drought in the Amazon |
| the Amazon basin with abnormal and not entirely | | | | can reduce substantially the growth of trees, which |
| known consequences... The gods of nature seem | | | | may prevent the forest's ability to soak up the carbon |
| angry with the Americans. America is under pressure. | | | | dioxide that our cars and industry send to the |
| Perhaps we should remember some radical words | | | | atmosphere. Something that can intensify climate |
| expressed by an eminent climatologist, some years | | | | change; Amazon can become part of the problem of |
| ago: «Climate is an unpredictable wild beast, and | | | | climate change, instead of part of the solution. |
| we are poking at it with sticks» (W. Broecker). | | | | Unfortunately, the international press and political |
| I am not trying to suggest that all those natural | | | | powers are not picking up and reporting the problem in |
| catastrophes are just a direct consequence of man's | | | | its true dimension. The ways these issues are |
| action. But who dares to say that there is no | | | | presented, are clearly sketchy. |
| connection? Who dares to say that the infuriated El | | | | The International press reproduced the words of |
| Nino and all these disasters have nothing to do with | | | | President Lula of Brazil, about the calamitous Amazon |
| modern civilization and their impact on natural | | | | drought. But... what about the regular destruction of the |
| eco-systems? | | | | forest? And the causes of the waters warming in the |
| Who dares to say that the destruction of the Amazon | | | | north Atlantic? |
| forest has nothing to do with what is happening? | | | | In the case of the Amazon, we tend to forget that |
| Paul Lefebvre, a researcher running a monitoring | | | | there are daily fires in the big forest. That Amazon |
| station in the Amazon, says that the ocean waters in | | | | continues to be deforested at a steady pace. Every |
| the North Atlantic are warmer than usual, which tends | | | | day, even outside the burning season, fire envelops the |
| to encourage evaporation, creating storm conditions | | | | jungle. Everyday, a piece of the Amazon disappears. |
| towards the south of the United States and Central | | | | And that isn't sufficiently contested or publicized. And, |
| America. And that this warming also sets up high | | | | still less, its impact in other natural disasters is normally |
| pressure systems further south, in regions such as the | | | | omitted. |
| Amazon, causing less clouds and providing less | | | | |