A single bullet

[EternalOptimist]

Not many people know this.

A couple of decades ago, the dicator of Borneo, Suhato, decided to clear the rain forest then drain the peat bogs in order to plant rice. If it had worked, Borneo would have produced enough grain to feed half the world.
It didn't work.
The trees were chopped down but the land was found to be unsuited for rice. The canals that were to bring the water into the paddy fields instead drained the water from the bogs, some of them 100's meters thick.
The peat dried out.
The peat caught fire.
It burns 20 - 30 m underground and it releases CO2.
The burning peat of Borneo produces one quarter of global CO2 emissions.
For the cost of a single bullet we might have saved ourselves a lot of angst and a really nice rain forest.


http://news.mongabay.com/2005/0421-tina_butler.html

[NotAllThere]

In an alternate world, Suhato was assassinated. His replacement decided to implement the same program. The world moves on, the timelines merged.

[BrilloPad]

That was 4 years ago. The peat must have burnt out by now?

[EternalOptimist]

That was 4 years ago. The peat must have burnt out by now?

It has been burning since 2002 at least, it still burns AFAIAA

[Peoplesoft bloke]

Not many people know this.

......
For the cost of a single bullet we might have saved ourselves a lot of angst and a really nice rain forest.


http://news.mongabay.com/2005/0421-tina_butler.html

This news comes to you from a site called Mongabay which appears to be run by a geezer called Rhett Butler.

[Cyberman]

It just goes to show that raising taxes has absolutely no effect on worldwide CO2 levels. What a surprise !!

[EternalOptimist]

This news comes to you from a site called Mongabay which appears to be run by a geezer called Rhett Butler.

and your point is ?

[Gordon Brown]

It just goes to show that taxes on CO2 are way too low.

[Ruprect]

Burning brazillian rainforest accounts for about 10% of the world's CO2, but this has the double whammy effect of reducing the capability of the forest to process the carbon (as there is less of it).

Basically, we need the rainforest, not more cows. But tell that to Rodrigez who has to feed his family and doesn't give a flying fexk about the planet.

[NickNick]

Not many people know this.

A couple of decades ago, the dicator of Borneo, Suhato, decided to clear the rain forest then drain the peat bogs in order to plant rice.

Sorry to be a pain here, but Borneo is just an island that has three countries on it. Brunei is there as is Malaysia and Indonesia. Suharto was the President of Indonesia till 98 and not Dictator of Borneo.

Also the last fire (The 02-03 one) emitted 1 billion tonnes of CO2, which is a lot, but not a third of world emissions and nowhere near the USA's annual 6.1 billion tonnes.

So the point of the sotry was....?