🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <40f2d8$5iu@manuel.anu.edu.au>, Christopher Dean <cdean> wrote:
@#$%>Dear Readers,
@#$%>
@#$%>Despite the protests and current negotiations oldgrowth in at least 
Tasmania
@#$%>and SE NSW is still being clearfelled for woodchips to be made into 
paper.
@#$%>
@#$%>The oldgrowth contains many animals and many type of habitat (unique to
@#$%>oldgrowth). These animals either die directly or later due to 
displacement.
@#$%>The logged area can no longer support them. 
@#$%>
@#$%>Supporters of the clearing put forward many arguments including "the 
forest is
@#$%>regenerated", jobs, "it's saw mill waste", "it's saw log driven", 
national
@#$%>debt,
@#$%>"enough parks already", "it's the publics' choice", "plantations not 
ready
@#$%>yet",
@#$%>"it's sustainable", "it's already been logged over".
@#$%>
@#$%>I propose that:
@#$%>1. Their arguments are far too flimsy (often false) and that such
@#$%>environmental destruction cease immediately and with government 
assistance.
@#$%>2. That virgin (unrecycled) paper is not an important enough reason to
@#$%>kill animals (prematurely) nor to remove the benefit of such tall and 
dense
@#$%>vegetation. 
@#$%>3. That fauna surveys be made compulsory before
@#$%>any oldgrowth areas are logged.
@#$%>4. That false or misleading advertising promoting woodchipping requires a
@#$%>second advert exlpaining how the first was misleading and that such 
policy
@#$%>be backdated to at least 10 years.
@#$%>5. That the general public be made aware of the life forms and their
@#$%>distribution in Australia's old growth forests.
@#$%>
@#$%>
@#$%>If you agree in general with these propositions then I think it would be 
a good
@#$%>idea to create a register of ideas on how to cease the clearing (by the 
big
@#$%>companies and nations involved).
@#$%>
@#$%>Thank you.
@#$%>Chris.
@#$%>

Yep, I have some ideas-start growing hemp again.  Hemp was THE major 
agricultural crop of the world until the US withdrew prohibition on alcohol 
and had to make something illegal to keep the DEA busy.  If we grew hemp for 
fibre, we could reduce the need for timber for paper, reduce the need for 
cotton-which needs far more water (ie irrigation) and pesticides than hemp, 
and create agricultural industries instead of just assuming that the trees 
will grow back in a wasteland with no help from us.  We could also put more 
money into recycling-maybe the newspapers could be charged a levy to go 
towards paper recycling research.  And don't tell me they can't afford it-look 
at the amount of money Murdoch and Packer are throwing around trying to own as 
much sport as possible.  Just 10% of what has been spent on Rupertleague being 
spent on research would make an enormous difference.


Peter Butler