Silver Linings.
Congratulations to a good politician, although with some reservations, Brazil’s Minister of Environment Carlos Minc. Illegal logging is the bane of the Amazon forests. To make things worse, the government had allowed the paving of an Amazon Road. If this materializes a mere muddy track would be paved and broadened into a two lane highway, connecting the jungle cities Porto Velho and Manas. The road in itself will be useful to farmers to get their goods to the markets at a low cost. But environmentalists decry the whole idea. The highway will soon be used by illegal logging companies to decimate the priceless forests. More farmers will move in, more development will take place with what result? More and yet more the decimation of the jungles! Migration will continue in waves to the extreme detriment of virgin forest areas.
The minister has stated that no construction contracts will be awarded for at least for two months. Senor Minc! You will receive kudos from all over the world if you are wise and foreseeing and cancel the contracts for all time. You’ll be the darling of Posterity.
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Development at the cost of deforestation has been the bane of our generation.We have already started paying the price for this myopic view of development in different parts of the world.Let us not be guided by narrow political interests and immediate economic gains when natural resources are concerned.
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