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Climate Crisis    As Al Gore pointed out in the movie earning worldwide acclaim, 'An Inconvenient Truth', it has now become a “moral obligation” for each of us to address the problem of species extinction and global warming and do something about it. What is global warming?    Carbon dioxide and other gases warm the surface of the planet naturally by trapping solar heat in the atmosphere. This is a good thing because it keeps our planet habitable. However, by burning fossil fuels such as coal, gas and oil and clearing forests we have dramatically increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere and temperatures are rising. Continued at http://www.climatecrisis.net    Global warming is one of the world’s greatest problems today. Means of combating global warming is often denied or swept aside, even though the problem is present and accelerating daily. Global warming threatens the world as we know it and can wreak havoc with erratic weather patterns, coastal flooding and eventual rise in sea levels that cannot be remedied after the fact.    Hopefully, we will all strive harder to decrease our dependency on fossil fuels like gasoline and electricity. But the fact remains that we all have a long way to go. Living like a caveman with no electricity or car is not exactly a viable alternative for most people. Given that the large companies have conspired for generations to withhold ground-breaking, pollution fighting technology like affordable solar power systems and hybrid cars, many of us are left feeling hypocritical when it comes to being environmentally conscious. Nevertheless, you can still do your part to combat global warming and species loss, not to mention protection of the water supply without swearing an oath of poverty. See ten rhings you can do at http://www.climatecrisis.net/10things    Yes, it is TRUE. Global warming is happening. There are no scientists who deny it anymore.    Many of us want to live the life of a monk and emit zero house gases, but this is a gargantuan task in today’s world where virtually everything we do or rely upon is a by-product of emissions of carbon dioxide. Always tempted to partake of modern luxuries like airplane trips, a car, a computer made with plastics, a bicycle even, we do not have to look far to see that carbon emissions are everywhere. Like germs, we really will have a hard time getting rid of them entirely. So, we query ourselves and beat ourselves up over how to take care of the planet and fix the true problem facing us. Reducing the carbon menace… we can and we must! We are able to by offsetting them, or in other words, pay for them! It’s an idea that can help many of us rid ourselves of the guilt that comes with our human compulsions to plug into the network of life in the 21st century. Do you have any idea of the amount of CO2 produced from common activities?    Take a look at these staggering figures: Gasoline    Each gallon of gasoline spews out approximately 19 pounds of CO2. Add this up and you pump out up to five tons per year for every car you (or your family or business) operate. Electricity    And what about the electricity supplied by public utilities? You may be shocked to learn that every kilowatt/hour adds 1.7 pounds of CO2 to the air. On average, each home in the US consumes 840 kWh per month (EPA, Region 1 North East), which adds up to 5.5 tons of yearly CO2 production. Just imagine how much carbon dioxide a typical small business emits, almost two million pounds per year, or 1,000 tons. You probably do not even want to think about how much CO2 a large factory spills into the air, with no present day repercussions. Lifestyle    Are you wondering what your own lifestyle is spewing into the air? Well, as an approximation, if you are an adult living alone in an urban area, with one car, your CO2 emissions almost certainly total far more than the national per capita average: at least 40 tons per year. In addition, if you have a motorboat, which you use often, and/or you fly frequently on commercial airlines, your CO2 “responsibility quotient” would likely rise to between 45-60 tons annually. Carbon emissions and sources Fuel Coonversion to Co2 • Electricity 1.7 lbs/kWh (CN; variable)* • Fuel oil #2 20 lbs/gal • Fuel oil #5 and #6 26.033 lbs/gal • Propane 12.669 lbs/gal • Natural gas 12.06 lbs/ccf • Gasoline 19.594 lbs/gal • Diesel and #4 fuel 22.384 lbs/gal • Gasoline, aviation 18.355 lbs/gal • Jet fuel 21.095 lbs/gal • Kerosene 21.537 lbs/gal • Liquefied Petrol. gas 12.805 lbs/gal • Methane 116.376 lbs/M ft3 • Coal, anthracite 3852 lbs/ton • Bituminous 4922 lbs/ton • Lignite 2734 lbs/ton • Wood and wood waste 3814 lbs/ton • Munic. solid waste 1999 lbs/ton * Data provided by P J Horgan, Energy Systems Mgr., Connecticut College, 12/10/97 Source for the above list: US Dpt. of Energy, Form EIA-1605 (1998) Did you know that the United States is the highest average producer of carbon dioxide in the world?    Get CITE!!!! On average, 60% of the worldwide carbon emissions are contributed by the American economy, just fewer than 5% of world’s population. It is easy to see how Americans have lost their equilibrium, running faster and faster toward the destruction of the planet and most in denial that they are doing just this. Why would anyone want to ignore this problem? Ask yourself. Do you want to keep your head stuck in the sand? Or do you want to personally do something about it and convince others around you to do the same? It really can be so easy if we all make little sacrifices and work together. And if you are someone with a lot of money and power, you can do even more contribution to the fight to stop global warming.    What Does Global Warming Have To Do With My Moral Obligation To Properly Steward My Land In Costa Rica?    It’s quite simple; in Costa Rica one can plant trees in large quantities where they offset enormous amounts of carbon dioxide. This effect is much greater than trees planted in non-tropical areas. Reforestation buffers existing jungles for preservation of species and precious water supplies at the same time. Planting trees in Costa Rica, where they are able to grow 365 days a year due to our unique location within 10 degrees of the Equator, can markedly help the world in combat the green house gas effect or global warming caused by emissions emanating from burning fossil fuels.    The benefits of reforestation are felt here on the Southern and Central Pacific coast of Costa Rica like no other place on earth. If you have ever planted a tree in Costa Rica you were probably amazed by how fast it grew compared to trees planted elsewhere. This is one reason why the opportunity to help the global environment is so attractive and unique in this bio-region. Growing trees in Costa Rica sequesters a tremendous amount of carbon dioxide while simultaneously protecting the water supplies, as well as, providing food and shelter for an inter-connected web of life in which we humans and animals live in harmony with our Earth. How Many Trees Should I Plant To Offset My CO2 Emissions?    By planting 1,100 hardwood saplings in Costa Rica, you would “capture and sequester” approximately 44 tons (assumes very good management on very good sites) of CO2 per year. At the end of a 25-year projected cycle, you can feel good about locking in 1,100 tons of CO2. The dream is that this tree-planted forest remains protected and continues capturing CO2 perpetually.    Alternatively, one could calculate that for every 25 trees planted and well managed, you could sequester one ton of CO2 for every stand annually. Where Did You Get This Information?    The foregoing information is based in part on tropical hardwood plantation growth rates using a model called the Klinki Matrix Forest. A consultant, Buford Briscoe, Ph.D., Agroforestry, who now lives in Costa Rica, developed this model for another project in Costa Rica. Dr. Briscoe’s model assumes the planting of 1,111 klinki trees (Araucaria hunsteinii; family: Araucariaceae) and other hardwood trees per hectare on suitable land in Costa Rica. Dr. Briscoe has recognized that the Klinki Matrix is an accurate model for predicting average local growth rates for other tropical hardwood species besides the klinki tree.    Carbon sequestration models have also been created by Reforest the Tropics, Inc., which is a non-profit organization founded by Dr. Herster Barres, with Dr. Briscoe also serving as chief local consultant. Reforest the Tropics is currently implementing a farm forestry venture here in Costa Rica called the Klinki Forestry Project. This model plans to employ tax-deductible donations from foreign investors to fund reforestation ventures for the benefit of the local people, thereby sequestering CO2 while also allowing small farmers to make a sustainable living as stewards of the environment.    Using the Klinki Matrix to predict growth rates, Reforest the Tropics, has quantified the average CO2 sequestration ratios, which could reasonably be expected from its hardwood plantations in Costa Rica. The calculation is straightforward: total tree weight is determined by multiplying volume projections by the specific gravity of the wood, with CO2 making up 48% of the corresponding dry weight.    If one takes pains to plant a fully bio-diverse reforestation project with more than 15 species of trees, also including leguminous species among tree planting which further capture carbon dioxide, the projections of Reforest the Tropics can probably be surpassed. For more information on Klinki Forest Matrix and its methodologies or information on how to contribute to similar reforestation projects in cooperation with local communities, contact Jennifer Smith at the ASANA office. How Can I Get In On This Conservation Thing And Still Have My Dream Home In The Tropics And Make Some Money While I’m At It?    One of the important steps to conservation in Costa Rica is to balance the development coming to the Central and South Pacific coast with the unique needs of preserving the jungles, rivers and oceans while at the same time combating global warming. If each person minimizes his/her impact in his/her own area by only building on previously deforested spaces, keeping roads to a minimum, preserving all intact spaces without interruption and better yet, reforesting pastures and fragmented sections and allowing secondary forests to regenerate naturally, we are making a difference in the battle facing the Earth and all of the human race.    Your efforts to combat global warming do not have to be purely altruistic either. You can consult an experienced reforestation expert and plant faster growing native trees in strategically chosen places on your farm to make for easy harvest later on and greater profits. Carbon remains sequestered in cut timber as long as it is not burned. Growing responsibly managed poly-cultural trees for later harvest also takes the pressure off the existing jungles to meet the rising world demand for fine hardwoods. Natural biological corridors can be conserved perpetually and you may find it much more rewarding, financially and emotionally, to earn your money from growing trees. Visit a local sawmill and see for yourself that fine hardwoods fetch a high price per board foot if one can wait the required time to first income producing harvest around 10 years, with subsequent harvests yielding even higher returns.    You Mean I Can Really Make Money From Planting Trees And Still Do My Part For Conservation Efforts And Reduction Of Global Warming?    Historically, the price of Teak exported from Indo-China from 1970 to 1986 increased at an annual compounded rate of 17%.United Nations FAO Publication Forest Product Prices. According to the North American Hardwood Association, from 1988 to 1992, Teak has increased in price 625%. Several factors including world population expansion, depletion of existing rainforests and protection of what remains indisputably indicate that the price of all tropical hardwoods, not only teak, will continue to rise in the future by well over conservative inflation rates of around 6%. Current local trends definitely show some native species like manglillo, cristobal, chiricano, pokoro ron ron and others enjoying competitive prices to teak per board foot. For example, the most expensive hardwood available last year on the southern Pacific coast was iguano selling for 450 colones a board foot. Running second was manu at 435 and manglillo at 400. Teak did not check in at these prices unless it was semi- mature growth, averaging 17 years.    World population, currently around 5.9 billion people, is growing at 1.33% per year, or an annual net addition of 78 million people. World population in the mid 21st century is expected to be in the range of 7.3 to 10.7 billion. The medium-fertility projection, which is usually considered as "most likely", indicates that world population will reach 8.9 billion in 2050. (United Nations, Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Revision of the World Population Estimates and Projections). The undeniable world population explosion will bring with it an ever increasing demand and consumption of wood, a resource already scarce. This prediction is supported by a team of agroforesters at CATIE in Costa Rica such as Dr. Luis Ugalde, world renowned teak and rare tropical wood expert, as well as by the United Nations FAO which estimates an increased demand for all types of wood of 50% within less than 15 years.    The XI World Forestry Congress Publication Some Major Trends in Global Forest Products Markets, 1997 predicts that environmental awareness and requirements of customer rights will grow increasingly strong and set specific demands for forest products originating from sustainably managed forests with related eco-laboratory programs. In September 1998, the United States joined nearly 40 other nations that produce or use tropical hardwoods in signing a pact (International Tropical Timber Agreement) to sustain forests around the world. The pact, which went into effect in 1999, states that tropical timber producers in Asia, Africa, and Latin America will try to export wood from only sustainably managed forests by the year 2000. This goal has not been reached but progress has been shown in the United Nations World Forestry and Forest Product Reports. Restricting harvests to sustainable forests will cause US supplies to drop beneath current levels which will in turn continue to raise prices.    It is estimated that more than 40% of the world's tropical rainforests have been cut down since 1940. High resolution satellite photography reveals that nearly 50 million acres of rainforest are leveled each year and more than 19 million trees are cut down every day. At the present rate of destruction, World Forestry Institute scientists opine that 70% of the world's tropical rainforests will be irreversibly destroyed by the year 2020. As the world loses what little rainforest remains and people come to understand the planetary status, the importance of protecting this precious resource will become increasingly clear thus further pressuring the supply of tropical timber. As international demand increases and supply decreases through both protection and depletion, the prices of all tropical hardwoods will certainly increase drastically.