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"We know there will be problems in environmental terms, many
serious problems, but it is a matter of economics. There won't be any
complete disaster, and what we cannot solve, well, that's the price we have
There is a constant war that is being fought in the rainforests of
South America. The death toll is one that far surpasses any other war in
history. Vietnam and World War II had minimal loss of life compared to this
never ending battle. It is predicted that by the year 2020, the casualties will
reach 150 per day. This total does not even include the loss of human life
due to the lack of oxygen and the unsuitable living conditions. This
horrible scenario would be the result of mankind's failure to cooperate and
live in harmony with the environment, especially the rainforest of South
America. In the end, the destruction of the rainforests will mean the
The devastation of the rainforest may be compared to playing a
game of Russian Roulette. One-forth of existing medicines are derived
from tropical plants whose homes are in the rainforests of South America.
For every acre that is lost in the burning season, there is one acre less that
we have for possible life saving medicines. About 70 percent of plants
used in anti-cancer drugs come from the rain forest. We are slowly
destroying ourselves and the environment. Whether we realize it or not,
the world could quickly come to an ecological halt. Every day 144,000
acres of the rainforests are cut down, slashed and/or put up in flames.
In 1974, Brazil started a forest fire of 20.6 million square feet (3,900 square
miles). The fire ragged out of control and was later marked the largest
forest fire in Brazilian history. This 1974 fire is now considered small to
others in the past recent years. On average the burning season lasts up to
four months out of the whole...