The Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth has launched a campaign to stop illegal logging driving the ‘world’s most threatened tribe’ to extinction. In this video the King’s Speech star encourages the viewers to put pressure on Brazil’s minister of justice, José Eduardo Cardozo to prioritise this issue and demand the loggers be driven out by law enforcement authorities.
Latest Entries
Construction of the Belo Monte dam – in pictures
The Belo Monte hydropower plant in the Brazilian Amazon has attracted significant criticism, and these new photographs reveal the extent to which dam construction and deforestation have already started in the area.
The public perception is that hydro-electric projects are a good thing for the planet: renewable, fossil fuel-free and so on. The reality is that the non-renewable resources and emissions that go into the construction take years to amortize; and more dangerous still, when you flood rainforest, submerging huge quantities of vegetation and organic matter beneath the rising waters, the gradual decay over years and years releases huge amounts of greenhouse gases, particularly the dreaded methane – roughly 25 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas. So the climate change benefit of rainforest hydro-electric projects is highly debatable, and that is before you take into account the infrastructure impact on biodiversity and on the people who call the rainforest home.
More success for UBoC sponsors
Apologies for bragging about the achievements of our sponsors, but we couldn’t let these latest successes go unnoticed. Continue reading
Illegal logging trade generates $10-15bn worldwide
New analysis by the World Bank suggests that the illegal logging trade generates some $10-15bn (£7.5-11bn) worldwide.
The report recommends that aid donors should fund programmes that build the capacity of law enforcement and legal authorities to tackle the illegal timber trade.
Read more at BBC News
Another Accolade for Jonathan
Our chairman, Jonathan Wild, has received yet another accolade. This week, he was recognised in the Ackrill Media Group Business Awards as the Winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award. Continue reading
The Famous Frog
Congratulations to another of our project sponsors, professional services provider Deloitte, which was ranked 16th in the 2012 Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For List with a little help from the firm’s small,‘green’ friend.
Philippine National Police to Plant 10 Million Trees
President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines has ordered the Philippine National Police to plant 10 million trees in just one year, in light of the devastating effects of deforestation and climate change in the country.
Deloitte Plants One Million Trees
Congratulations to another of our sponsors, Deloitte, whose rainforest project in Tanzania last year succeeded in planting over a million trees!
How much carbon?
New technology is helping scientists to calculate the amount of carbon stored in the world’s remaining tropical forests. This is vital to our understanding of how disturbing these forests might impact the climate, but also to ensure that efforts to protect forests are credited correctly. Continue reading
What would happen if we planted more trees in Europe or North America?
A recent study from scientists at Harvard University suggests that planting trees in temperate regions such as Europe and North America could have unanticipated affects on the world’s climate. Continue reading
