Capitalist Reality

Save the Amazonian Forest has been a campaign that is decades old and that has gained the support of governments.

The Brazilian government has announced a record rate of deforestation in the Amazon, months after celebrating its success in achieving a reduction. In the last five months of 2007, 3,000 sq km (1,250 sq miles) were lost. The state of Mato Grosso was the worst affected, contributing more than half the total area of forest stripped, or 1,786 sq km (700 sq miles). The situation may also be worse than reported, with the environment ministry saying the preliminary assessment of the amount of forest cleared could double as more detailed satellite images are analysed.

Gilberto Camara, whose National Institute of Space Research provides satellite imaging of the Amazon, said the figure was unprecedented. "We've never before detected such a high deforestation rate at this time of year," he said.

The rise in the price of commodities such as soya could have influenced the rate of forest clearing, as more and more farmers saw the Amazon as a source of cheap land.
"The economic reality of these states indicate that these activities impact, without a shadow of a doubt, on the forest," said the Environment Minister Marina Silva.

Within capitalism , the drive to accummulate profits and the needs of the market outweigh the needs of the enviroment and no amount of palliatives can effectively control this exploitation of our natural wealth .