As is widely known, there are major environmental and climatic problems that are causing great changes to the way people are living. Causes include the increase of toxic gas discharges by both developed and developing countries, deforestation, and population migration to cities that leads to an increase in energy and fossil fuel use.

However, international organisms like the UN are trying to avert such problems. With recent discussions focussed on reducing emission rates before the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012 coming to little concrete conclusions, it seems that the world will more likely find ways to cope with climate change rather than try and stop it from happening.

It is therefore very important to protect the natural ecosystems that are vulnerable to change, and the encourage the sustainable use of these by future generations. To achieve these goals it is necessary to stop deforestation, this being a primary objective for GREEN HOPE COLOMBIA.

The protection of the Amazonian forest, commonly referred to as the ‘world's lung’, is the purpose of our NGO. Due to the threat posed by indiscriminate clear-cutting, inappropriate land management practices such as adaptation for cattle grazing or fulfilment of quotas for biofuel programs, there is an urgent need to create plans in which the economic activities of the region do not destroy the delicate balance that man has found with nature over many generations. It is hoped this can be achieved so that the forest does not undergo such great deterioration and hopefully be maintained in it’s natural habitat for the enjoyment of future generations.

Enviromental Problem

Environmental problems that affect everybody are generated by social and economic factors. This is a result of people being unaware of the vital role that nature has in their lives, and think that the resources of the Earth are limitless.

The impact upon the environment is greatly exacerbated by the tremendous population increase in the last century. The forest areas that contain such incredible biodiversity, become targets for those that do not have alternative economic resources, and are forced to destroy the forest with no framework or understanding for ecological management or practices, such as reforestation. This leads to great problems for future generations and a reduction in the forests biodiversity and ability to sustain the endemic wildlife that is dependent on the canopy for survival.

The climatic changes in our planet have been accelerated by economic development of the countries that consume, with the majority of natural resource consumption and waste production : "Due to deforestation we lose over 17 million hectares of tropical forest annually, and over 4 million hectares of cultivable land is destroyed by desertification every year." (Professor Guzmán Aldo Branches, environmental lawyer specializing in Geography)

Global Warming

Global Warming is a phenomenon that is strongly linked with the "Conservatory Effect", but what does this mean? The conservatory effect appears "because the solar light penetrates from the sun, enters the earth’s atmosphere, and causes heating by exciting molecules in the troposphere", this is a natural earth effect, without which our planet would be a cold inhospitable place in which no life would exist.

But what happens when people generate and emit great amounts of CO2, via burning of fossil fuels, the indiscriminate cutting of forests, alnd use changes, these factors all contribute to an increase in the amount of gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that increase absorption of the suns energy, not allowing the energy to escape, thereby increasing the temperature in the atmosphere, finally resulting in a warming of the earth.

How to stop Global Warming?

Global Warming has taken garnered attention from most the worlds leading politicians, those that have seen that this phenomenon has scientific proof with great potential for long term consequences that will be hard, if not impossible to reverse.

In response to this problem, the Kyoto Protocol was signed, an agreement in which the 1st world countries (except the United States and Australia) were committed to the levels of carbon-containing gas that they produce. However, since the signing it has proved relatively ineffective, especially as restrictions on various countried like China were relatively lenient and undemanding considering their high emission levels. A compromise is always reached where economic development is favoured over environmental concerns. With the current economic climate, it is also much more difficult for developed nations to stick to their environmental promises as these would impact their bottom line.

Alternatives considered include the use of "renewable sources of energy like the Aeolian, solar and geothermal sources" that do not emit any type of polluting gases. Other approaches involves people using public transport to avoid highly polluting private vehicles. "Designing innovative systems of public transport and urban planning, will help decrease the level of atmospheric contamination but also protect people's health".(Quote of Jorge Cappato: Fight the Global Heating)

On the other hand, the protection of our forests, and other areas of high tree density can also help to prevent global warming, and decrease the levels of toxic gases in the world. As all we know, the trees, during photosynthesis absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen; therefore it is necessary that nations that have great expanses of virgin forest make plans in which they will take care of these territories for the conservation of the planet.