Multiple Natural Disasters Strike Indonesia
Mt. Merapi, photographed from Mt. Merbabu (Photo: S. Neil Larsen 2009) There has been some terrible and alarming news out of Indonesia in the past few days. First, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck just south of the Mentawai Islands, a popular surf destination off the west coast of Sumatra, generating a tsunami that has already claimed the lives of at least 113 people. 800 miles away in the central part of Java, Gunung Merapi, one of the most active... Read More
A Jungle Trek in Gunung Leuser National Park, Indonesia
A very, very large tree (Photo: S. Neil Larsen) What I thought a rainforest was “supposed” to be like has been shaped by years of watching nature documentaries and various Hollywood films on the subject (Indiana Jones, Medicine Man, Ferngully, etc.). I expected hoards of insects buzzing about and creepy-crawlies ready to pounce on you at a moments notice. I also expected dense underbrush necessitating a machete to move through. It turns... Read More
Weekly gRound-Up: 2/13/10
China Reveals Extensive Pollution Survey China recently released a comprehensive new pollution survey, which took two years and 570,000 staff to complete, and puts China ahead of other developing countries in having a detailed map of who is polluting and where. Government officials speculated that the detailed census suggests that pollution may peak sooner rather than later. Read the story here. Asian Carp Threatens Lake Michigan Introduced in the... Read More
Rampant Illegal Logging in Indonesia Detrimental for Human Rights, Report Concludes
A tree in the forest in North Sulawesi, Indonesia Indonesia: Illegal logging is not only leading to rainforest destruction, but is also exacerbating poverty, causing human rights to be violated. Unless the Indonesian government can rein-in corruption, future efforts to stop deforestation (such as REDD) are likely to fail. Human Rights Watch has just released a report titled Wild Money that details how rampant corruption in Indonesia’s forestry... Read More
Weekly gRound-Up: 11/28/09
This week the gRound-up is a bit shorter due to the holiday break. We hope everyone had a fun and relaxing Thanksgiving! East Antarctic Ice Sheet Losing Mass Quickly Of all of the major ice sheets, the East Antarctic has been thought to be the most stable – until now. New satellite data from NASA is showing that this sheet has been shedding mass the past three years. The scientists are quick to point out that the cause of this sudden mass loss... Read More
Will REDD be a Cause of Conflict?
Indonesia is welcoming a newly emerging forest carbon mechanism, Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD), as a means to mitigate climate change. Nearly 20% of global CO2 emissions are released into the atmosphere as a result of deforestation, and many see the prevention of these emissions as relatively inexpensive way to combat climate change. Under REDD, industrialized nations will be able to offset their carbon emissions by... Read More
