Sunday, January 11, 2009

Holocausto in le Amazon


(Languages of this post: Interlingua, English)


Quasi 20 per cento del accrescimento de anhydrido carbonic--le gas que es le causa principal del effecto del calefaction global--pote esser attribuite al incendio del forestes tropic. Le practicas del Brasil es le causa principal de iste tragedia ambiental. Lo que occurre ibi, secundo un del plus prominente ambientalistas brasilian, es un "holocausto biologic".

Herbert Giradet, qui ha viagiate trans le foreste pluvial, describe le amplitude del devastation: "Io sapeva ben que mi viage al region del Amazon coincideva al culmine del saison del conflagrationes, ma io habeva nulle idea del amplitude incredibile de iste incendios forestal."

Brasilia, le citate capital del Brasil, esseva coperite per un nebula de fumo que io supponeva primo esser le resultato del grande circulation de vehiculos que curre constantemente in omne partes de iste citate. Ma quando nostre avion partiva pro volar a Conçeição pro le parte final del volo, al est verso Redenção, le fumo deveniva tanto spisse que le pilota se perdeva. Le oculos de omne le passageros esseva plen de lacrimas. Le fumo acre e le sensation de impotentia e de ultrage in fronte a tante destruction quasi stoppava nostre respiration.

Finalmente le pilota succedeva a trovar le pista de atterage a Redenção. Quando nos arrivava in iste urbe de frontiera habitate de minatores de auro e elevatores de bestial--que ante 50 (cinquanta) annos solmente esseva un village indigene--le fumo era tanto dense que a un latere de un strata il esseva impossibile vider le altere.

Le die sequente, nos viagiava per minibus sur le via non asphaltate a Gorotire, le village del indigenas Kayapo que era nostre destination. Nos habeva un nove companion, Beptopup, un shaman qui iva a explicar nos su uso de plantas medicinal.

Le humor de Beptopup era melancholic. Le paisage ardente que nos transviagiava habeva essite le terra de su ancestres. In le locos ubi illes habeva habitate, on ora conflagrava le foreste pro "meliorar" le possibilitates de pastura pro le bestial.

Nos nos stationava plure vices pro reguardar le conflagrationes que consumeva arbores como mahagoni e diverse species de palma in un orgia de destruction horribile de ligno e de ressources genetic unic. In le paisage nigrate, nos videva animales bestial ossose que masticava le pauco abundante restos sic de herba que antea habeva plenate iste terrenos. Alicuno nos diceva que circa 400 ex iste animales habeva perite de un conflagration cuje objecto esseva crear ancora plus de pastura.

In le anno 1987, secundo le governamento brasilian, 20 (vinti) milliones de hectares de foreste e pastura era destruite per incendios. Iste terra includeva octo hectares de foreste virgine. In 1988 al minus 40 (quaranta) milliones de hectares era consumite--un territorio plus grande que Grande Britannia--del qual le proportion de foreste virgine era multo plus alte.

Beptopup se succeteva le capite. "Proque sempre conflagra le blancos omne cosa? Proque non planta illes arbores como nos? Que mangiara nostre infantes? Que cosa mangiara le infantes del blancos?"

Le politica del Brasil de provider terra gratis a su population qui vole cultivar iste terras es le major contributor al problema. Secundo leges brasilian, solmente 50 (cinquanta) per cento del terra pote esser deforestate, ma le agricultores qui exploita iste terras quasi nunquam observa le lege.

Al village indigene de Garotire, le chefes del tribo Kayapo exprimeva su indignation contra le destruction del foreste. Non sapeva le rancheros que le terra disnudate restarea fertile solmente pro pauc annos? Non comprendeva illes que le calor del sol facerea fissuras in le solo e que le tempestates de pluvia lo consumerea per erosion? Non sapeva le rancheros que le anno sequente, il esserea necesse conflagrar mesmo plus del foreste simplemente pro reimplaciar le pastura que habeva devenite infertile?

Le indigenas del Amazon apprende rapidemente un lingua que le gente del medios de communication public pote comprender. Ultra facer protestationes al autoritates in Brasilia, revelar al publico le periculo seriose de iste destruction extense es lor melior sperantia contra le devastation.

Interim, le incendios forestal continuava usque le venita del pluvias in octobre. Le major parte del paises del mundo combatterea pro salvar lor forestes, ma le brasilianos pare voler destruer le lores con un maximo de rapiditate.

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Holocaust on the Amazon

Almost twenty percent of the increase in carbon dioxide--the gas that is the principal cause of the greenhouse effect--can be attributed to the incineration of tropical forests. The practices of Brazil are the principal cause of this environmental tragedy. What is happening there, according to one of the most prominent Brazilian environmentalists, is a "biological holocaust."

Herbert Giradet, who has traveled through the rainforest, describes the extent of this devastation: "I knew well that my trip to the Amazon region would coincide with the high point of the burning season, but I had no idea of the incredible extent of these forest fires."

Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, was covered with a cloud of smoke that I supposed at first to be the result of the heavy auto and truck traffic that constantly runs through this city. But when our plane took off to fly to Conceição for the final part of the flight to the east toward Redenção, the smoke became so great that the pilot got lost. The eyes of all the passengers were filled with tears. The acrid smoke and a sense of powerless outrage in the face of so much destruction almost stopped our breathing.

Finally, the pilot was able to find the landing strip at Redenção. When we arrived at this frontier town inhabited by gold miners and cattlemen--which fifty years ago was only an indigenous village-- the smoke was so dense that from one side of a street it was impossible to see the other (one).

(On) the following day, we drove by minibus on the unpaved road to Gorotire, the village of the Kayapo Indians that was our destination. We had a new companion, Beptopup, a shaman who was going to explain to us his use of medicinal plants.

Beptopup's mood was sad. The hot countryside that we were traveling through had been the land of his ancestors. In the places where they had lived the forest was now being burned to "improve" the pasturing possibilities for the cattle.

We parked several times to (take a look at)/(look at) the great fires that consumed trees like mahogany and several species of palms in a horrible orgy of destruction of wood and unique genetic resources. In the blackened countryside, we saw bony cattle what were chewing on the scarce dry remains of grass that once had completely filled these tracts of land. Someone told us that 400 (four hundred) of these animals had died in a fire that was started to create even more pasture.

In the year 1987 (nineteen eighty-seven), according to the Brazilian government, twenty million hectares of forest and pasture were destroyed by fires. This land included eight hectares of virgin forest. In 1988 (nineteen eighty-eight) at least forty million hectares were consumed--a territory larger than Great Britain--of which the proportion of virgin forest was much higher.

Beptopup shook his head. "Why do the white men always burn up everything? Why don't they plant trees like us? What will our children eat? What will the children of the white men eat?"

Brazil's policy of providing land free to their population that wants to cultivate this land is the major contributer to the problem. According to Brazilian law, only fifty percent of the land can be deforested, but the farmers who exploit this land almost never observe the law.

At the indigenous village of Garotire, the chiefs of the Kayapo tribe expressed their indignation against the destruction of the forest. Didn't the ranchers know that the denuded land would remain fertile for only a few years? Didn't they understand that the heat of the sun would carve gullies into the soil and that rainstorms would erode it away? Didn't the ranchers know that the next year it would be necessary to burn even more of the forest simply to replace the pastureland that had become infertile?

The Indians of the Amazon are quickly learning the language that people in the public media of communication are able to understand. Besides protesting to the authorities in Brasilia, communicating with the public about the serious dangers of this widespread destruction is their greatest hope against devastation.

(Meanwhile)/(In the meantime), the forest fires kept on going until the rains came in October. Most of the countries of the world would fight to save their forests, but the Brazilians seem to want to destroy their own as quickly as possible.

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