Dear Glen,
I find the latest news about the US encouraging China to destroy more forests ironic, as the US are involved in the panda conservation programme with China, paying China millions of dollars to have the pandas in US zoos and to breed them if possible (there have been five cubs born so far) and supporting the factory farming of these bears in China where they are taken from their mothers at 4 to 6 months so that the female may get pregnant again.I already find this unacceptable as I am not sure of the real reasons for doing this. It seems that conservation, a most worthy cause is being used by some people for reasons of their own. Indeed, how can the US really be sincere in saving the pandas when they are helping to destroy forests in China? I think the bears are being exploited by both the US and China.
I am sick of people using conservation and being crafty and then making it look as if the whole environmental issue is a waste of time and theat there is 'no global warming' and that some speices of animals are not really under threat at all. I know that anyone with a brain should be able to see through it, but I am afraid that to many people are suckered in and do not appear to have brains that are working properly. Meanwhile the Earth and it's innocent animals suffer.
Is it true that Al Gore is backtracking on some of his 'earth saving'? I would not be surprised.
I will be protesting to the US and China on the logging issue. I will also try to determine what they are up to with the pandas.
Sincerely,
Janet.

Other than reducing demand for (or even banning?) timber which isn't locally produced in a sustainable way (i.e. grown as close to point of use as possible) another option is to promote wood reuse schemes. We have one here in Edinburgh (Scotland) - see www.woodrecyclers.co.uk/
We have all seen wood being discarded - this is a resource which must be reclaimed and used, which would create jobs too.

While I'm here, if you haven't read Jared Diamond's 'Collapse', you must! If anyone doubts the importance of forests to our survival, I can't believe they wouldn't change their minds after reading this fabulous book.

For the forests,

cheers
Mandy Meikle

Dear Glen, one feels the vomit coming up when reading about the Chinese tactics.Seen from space they are the microbes that will eat Nature.There were the Caucasians became a bit understanding of the web of life the Chinese will set back the clock with at least fifity years.
One feels murderous.But in fact helpless against these ants.
Money is a perfect grease for the machine that will continue to eat the earth and its crust.
I tried to comment on your website , but in vain.It is not registrated or some bull that pops up.

my greetings,

Marcel Sommer

Dear Glen
I am writing this to you as someone organising you might think of a plan to help.

The CBD agreement is ignored again and again. Does Brazil's government not care that their forest is burning down. Maybe they have never seen a fire move through a dry piece of forest but obviously they know about it. I wondered if the CBD, although not ratified, could be used to make a law that governments CANNOT let more forest go. I know this has been tried in individual circumstances but with more climate change happening and the 'ground' section of IPCC's latest report due out, maybe there is enought understanding. I have written letters to government and UN people about an agreement to stop any more forest being handed out and hope to do some more.

Linda Burrows

aloha --- Do you know of "Forest Voice" paper of 'Native Forest Council' here in Eugene OR see their website, they publish the most rad 'save the forest' info anywhere, here where 'Earth First' news was pub for a decade,
now in Tucson, AZ. Its still constant deep
save-the-trees effort here with USFS & Govs. pagans
vs profiteer$.

Glad to send your 'Forst Voice' & my "GAIA RAGE -
RunAway Greenhouse Energetics" zine on climate crisis
causes, effects & solutions naturally.

Rapid & rampid deforestation is major crime & cause of
global heating up climate crisis disasters, maybe must
come to stop industries rape?!?

why are we suprised? corruption is nothing but cronies and enemies. together they work to destroy eachother and the earth is in their wake. the problem is that the cronies don't care and enemies are too blind to see their only hurting themselves.

The sad thing is that we have had industrial hemp varities for at least 20 years, that can only yield 1 percent THC. Hemp can and should be replacing all our wood product needs, and a vast majority of our petroleumn-oil-based needs.

Viva Los Planet

This is slightly off-topic, but I would like to add to Janet's post on China and its disappearing giant pandas.

I agree with you, Janet, about the complete lack of logic in our "management" of disappearing wildlife. It seems that wildlife species only warrant our attention when their numbers fall to downright dangerous levels - only when genetic diversity is seriously threatened. Even then, our concentration seems to center around vigorous captive breeding programs, without much concern for the preservation of the natural habitat of these animals. We consider these breeding endeavors to be very altruistic! But, by using females as breeding machines and transporting their offspring all over the world (again, for breeding) who are we actually benefitting? How many animals bred in zoos have actually been returned to their wild homes? We may save a species from extinction, but, if its members are forced to spend their lives in captivity because we failed to put much energy into natural habitat preservation, we only benefit our own species.