Corporations Become the Main Drivers of Deforestation, Creating an Opportunity for Environmentalists. Posted by Jeremy Hance, Mongabay.com, August 5, 2008. "The major drivers of tropical deforestation have changed in recent decades. According to a recent article, deforestation has shifted from poverty-driven subsistence farming to major corporations razing forests for large-scale projects in mining, logging, oil and gas development, and agriculture. While this change makes many scientists and conservationists uneasy… [authors] Rhett A. Butler of Mongabay.com… and William F. Laurance of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama believe that the shift… gives environmentalists and concerned governments a clear, identifiable target that may prove more responsive to environmental concerns… 'It is easier for pressure groups to target corporations and enterprises rather than tens of millions of poor farmers who are simply trying to put food on the table for their families,' [says Butler]… 'We're already seeing the global soy, palm oil, and timber industries beginning to change their approach. They're realizing they can't run roughshod over the environment -- it's just too risky… In addition, some massive financial firms, including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, and Bank of America, have altered their lending practices after coming under fire from environmentalists,' [Butler] added."
2008-08-13
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