Tropical Rainforests are Planet's Lungs

The resignation of Marina Silva as the environment minister of Brazil is a blow to the very future of the planet. Five years ago, she was appointed guardian of the Amazon but, in that time, she has fought an uphill battle against the loggers and ranchers of Brazilian agribusiness. Indeed, she often seemed a lone voice in the Brazilian government -- outvoted on the introduction of genetically modified grains, on the construction of a new nuclear power plant and on massive infrastructure projects, including two big hydroelectric dams and a major new road in the rainforest. She has finally quit, worn down by ill health and the appointment of a rival minister to speed the approval of energy projects.

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It is easy for rich nations to condemn an emerging economy that succumbs to commercial pressures and abandons the environment. But this is not one country's problem. Climate change is the greatest market failure the world has seen; those who pollute are generally not the ones who pay. The Amazon is a precious resource for the whole world, and one for which we must all take responsibility.

Tropical rainforests are the lungs of the planet. They generate most of the world's rainfall and form a precious cooling band around the equator, which acts as the Earth's thermostat. Photosynthesis makes them a massive absorber of carbon, regulating the global climate. Cutting down these forests causes two problems. It removes that carbon sink. And, because trees are mostly cleared by burning, it sends vast amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere...

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