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Agriculture is a major driver of tropical deforestation.
Using satellite data from the United Nations researchers at Stanford University in California, USA have found that more than 80% of agricultural land expansion in the tropics between 1980 and 2000 did not come from use of existing land  but instead resulted from deforestation of primarily rainforests.

What has also been documented is that the forests are being cleared to create pastureland for livestock as well as to grow crops such as soya and palm oil products used for animal feed.

Stanford researcher and study author Dr. Holly Gibbs stated, “This has huge implications for global warming, if we continue to expand our farmland into tropical forests at that rate.” An earlier study, “Climate Benefits of Changing Diet,” from the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, found that a global shift to a vegan diet would result in significant reforestation, along with an 80% reduction in climate change mitigation costs.

Thank you, Dr. Gibbs, Stanford colleagues and Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency for highlighting the link between tropical deforestation and livestock raising.

May we all realize the importance of a dietary shift away from animal products to save the tropical rainforests and reverse global warming.  As on many other occasions, Supreme Master Ching Hai reminded of the detrimental tolls of livestock raising and the need to halt it for the sake of our planet during an October 2009 videoconference in Germany.

Supreme Master Ching Hai: Saving the world’s tropical forests, the lungs of the Earth, is one of the very important priorities. The rainforests themselves normally are our protectors, but as the climate gets warmer, instead of absorbing CO2 to protect our planet’s climate, they will be emitting back CO2 as well.

Now, we need to look at the main reason why there is deforestation. There is a whole industry behind it in most of the cases, namely the livestock industry. For example, the number one reason for deforestation of the Amazon, which is the greatest lung of our planet, is to raise cattle.

 Stop the livestock industry - that would be the most effective way to halt global warming and restore our planet. It will save our precious forests, which takes decades to grow, and create more natural forests that we need to reduce global warming.

We must stop the livestock industry. I hope the leaders will do this.

http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0902-tropical_agriculture.html
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2010/september/farmland-cutting-forests-090210.html
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/deforestation-overview.html
http://www.pbl.nl/en/publications/2009/Climate-benefits-of-changing-diet.html
http://www.nature.org/initiatives/climatechange/strategies/art13747.html

Extra News
The world’s smallest electric plane, the French Cri-Cri, or “Cricket,” completes its first successful flight at Le Bourget Airport near Paris, France, with parent company Innovation Works hoping to implement the zero-CO2 emissions in further development of hybrid aviation technologies.
http://inhabitat.com/2010/09/08/cri-cri-the-worlds-smallest-electric-plane-takes-flight/
http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/FirstFlightForFourEngineElectricAirplane_203258-1.html
http://www.aero-composites.com/pages/contact.php

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, USA announces the launch of a new Clean Energy Jobs website, intended to help California residents find employment in green industries by connecting them with comprehensive training as well as job opportunities.
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/4486107
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/09/10/BA7M1FBC5B.DTL&type=green

The threat of hunger from prolonged drought and crop failures in the El Chaco region of southern Bolivia has forced many indigenous maize farmers to leave their lands and move to cities in an attempt to find work.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MCOI-88WGDC?OpenDocument

Kenya’s Meteorological Department warns that over 80% of the nation will be impacted by global warming-related drought and that residents should prepare for the upcoming challenges.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201009030205.html