11.19.2013

Trouble in the Amazon

                   



The Amazon rainforest covers more than 2 million square miles of the Amazon Basin. Connecting nine countries: including Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, the Amazon accounts for more than half of our planet’s rainforests.  Preserving this forest is essential for fighting global warming and protecting many endangered species.

            13% of the rainforest covers more than half of Peru and laws have been established on preserving this crucial natural resource. Today, illegal logging is in full swing and will soon become destructive to the Earth’s environment if nothing is changed. About 80% of Peru’s logging exports to the United States are illegal. Even with these new laws for protecting the land, many officials and industries are incredibly corrupt. Secret lumber farms spring up deep in the jungle and if a government official stumbles upon it, most of the time they are bribed to look the other way. The States and Australia have banned illegal lumber but it is not enough without a stand by the authorities of Peru.
            This is the kind of situation where I’d like to hope humanity would settle in. Though, I can understand how some of these “corrupted” Peruvian officials become “corrupted”. If one man turned in a major illegal industry the judge may still even pass them off as clean and he could lose his job. Instead of that hassle he could lie and earn upwards to $5,000. It’s just the matter that in the long run it affects everyone on this planet. 





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