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Help conserve the Earth’s natural capital protect an acre today

Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Posted in Environment Wildlife | Tagged Environment, Wildlife

Our economic and ecological health are inextricably linked. According to one major study, the loss of forests, especially in the tropics, costs the global economy between $2 trillion and $5 trillion every year. That’s the value of carbon reduction, fresh water, food, timber and other resources we lose every year as a result of the burning and clearing of forests.

To put that staggering figure into perspective, that’s between two and three times what the American economy has lost during this recent financial crisis. And the forest loss occurs year after year.

Please help conserve the Earth’s natural capital by protecting 10 acres of tropical forest.

Climate change is a powerful illustration of economic and ecological interdependence.

Burning down an acre of tropical forest releases 110 tons of climate-warming carbon into the atmosphere. That’s more global-warming pollution than 40 cars, trucks and SUVs emit in a typical year of driving. And, we lose 33 million acres of forest each year - an area the size of England.

That means by donating $150 to save 10 acres of forest, you’ll be achieving the equivalent of taking 400 gas-guzzling motor vehicles off the road.

Scientists say saving tropical forests could get us a quarter of the way toward all of the greenhouse gas reductions we need to make in the coming years. Saving forests is an immediate and cost-effective solution to help curb climate change while we wait for technology and energy innovations that will take decades to develop.

But there’s more to the story.

All this forest loss has also helped spur the biggest wave of species extinctions since dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

Half of all species thretened are in jeopardy. For monkeys and other primates, the situation is graver still, with nearly half of all species being threatened with global extinction. Nearly one in eight bird species face the same fate, as do one in three amphibians.

All this adds up to a terrifying global experiment — How many threads can we pull from the interdependent fabric of life on earth before the whole thing becomes unraveled? And if that happens, what will become of all of us?

Our wealth, well-being and livelihoods are intricately connected with the natural world. A healthy planet provides the water we drink and the air we breathe. It’s our most important legacy we leave our children.

Conserve the Earth’s natural capital — protect 10 acres of forest today.

At CI, we are more committed than ever to protecting our planet’s natural wealth, both for its own sake and for its incalculable importance to our future. We thank you for your past support and know that, with your continued help and support through this difficult period, we’ll make critical progress in the years ahead.

Sincerely,

Russ Mittermeier
Conservation International