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How much would you pay for rainfall and carbon sinks?
Posted by tracy on 9 September 2008.
After this summer I would be willing to empty my account for some sunshine, but rainforest are rarely seen has having value beyond the commodities they produce. Last night Panorama looked at the important issue of the value of our rainforests to the planet. Known as ecosystem services, forests "influence weather systems on a vast scale, produce rainfall and capture CO2 from the atmosphere, reducing global warming".
Read more »Amazon deforestation gets the Panorama treatment
Posted by jamie on 5 September 2008.
If you haven't had your fill of news from the Amazon lately (we've recently had live webcasts and slideshows from regions where fires have swept through), Monday's edition of Panorama is dedicated to the largest rainforest on Earth, and Greenpeace will featured.
Called Can Money Grow On Trees?, it will examine how the rising cost of food is threatening the Amazon as more forest is converted into farmland for cattle ranching - the current dry season provides an excellent opportunity for a bit of fire-based forest clearance. Also included will be the question of whether financial mechanisms (like our own proposal) can be brought in to make forests more valuable if they're left standing.
We haven't seen the final programme, but it's on BBC1 at 8.30pm, with a repeat on Friday 12 September at 12.45am. Of course, you can watch it at anytime on the wondrous iPlayer after transmission (although only if you're in the UK).


