The more we go green, the worse it gets....

The OH · The more we go green, the worse it gets....

I watched "The Tribe" last night with interest as it was about the forest people of Borneo, the "Penan". As i was brought up on Borneo and spent many a happy time in the jungle with the penans, Ibans and on the coast with the Dayaks I was wanting to see how things had changed in the last 20 years.

I was horrified!!!

The Sarawak jungle is being destroyed, 70% of it has been licensed to loggers for the hard woods..and it is this primary jungle the Penan need to survive. the loggers are removing the timber, clearing the forest and then growing oil palms to supply the demand for "green fuel". In doing so they are wiping out not only animals and forest, but people! They are trading tropical rain forest for oil plantations.

With this comes landslides, silt laden rivers, errosion and decimation.

I was truely moved by it all, i never knew just what was going on out there..all in the name of "being green". It is truely disgusting the way the Malaysian government has exploited the wests need for green energy by destroying its own people...however..we have to remember sarawak is not part of mainland malaysia and the indiginous people are "scum" in the eyes of the average Malay....so what does it matter if the people are wiped out?

I thought I would post this to see peoples reactions...

wildgarlic

I didn't see the programme but what you've described is terrible. That's not being green... that's more like "being green as long as it doesn't affect me and where I live".

I've just been reading this link which has some information if anyone is keen to read more. There are some photos here

Ina

Yes, I've heard of these things going on, although not of this specific case. It's terrible; I always thought "green fuel" was OK as long as it means using old chip fat, or even growing oil seed rape on otherwise unused fields (set aside) in Europe - but this is terrible. Some stupid politician has gone over the top again and brought in "targets" (of certain percentage renewable fuel etc etc), and now these targets must be met, no matter who or what gets killed along the line.

flingdizz

When I was out in Malaysia in July I was reading the papers and the government are rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of all the green fuel contracts they are going to have to supply. I got quite upset that travelling back from Taman Negara (the national park full of virgin rainforest) the palm plantations reached up to every border and then as far as the eye can see.

We are so good at banging on about greener fuel that not a lot of people have stopped to look at where all this 'green' fuel is going to come from. It makes me sad.

Jessica

The equivalent happens in Brazil producing sugar cane and making land available for beef production.

In south east asia deforestation is even worse as it has one of the largest areas of peat lands of the world. Therefore, in its pristine conditions one of the largest carbon stocks!

This has certainly be looked at by the IPCC and also Greenpeace are interested in looking at the impact of large scale agricultural production on the (environment) and thus climate. There is certainly nothing green about bioethanol from Brazil or biodiesel from south east asia.

I think that stagecoach or national express were considering using biodiesel but dumped their plans as current sources are unsustainable! Hopefully, sustainability gets more and more into peoples minds.

PurpleDragon

I had no idea!

wildgarlic

baldowrie

as long is there is a buck involved someone some where will exploit a situation. So as those who strive to be 100% green source out everything in shops that is reportedly green the middle man will still take his extra large cut at the expense of the grower/tribe/land owner. Unless you buy direct from known source, this is inevitable. Not right but inevitable when money is involved.

As for rape seed, apart from it causing me personally havoc with my asthma, it is grown at the expensive of other food crops and there is huge profit in it for the grower and growing on set aside is just not profitable. So that begs the question is everything reported to be 'green' actually that green? My opinion, no! I also heard that the making it into biofuel is not cost effective.

There is a school of thought going round regarding banning the battery hen. Banning, and only having free range hens, them will not feed the masses and now rather than ban it completely people are calling for slightly better conditions. i.e being slightly green but still not causing hardship to many.

These are the reason why I don't always buy organic, free trade etc goods. I Prefer to buy British or local when ever possible and according to my budget.