Home > Press releases > 1998
03 Apr 1998
A preliminary evaluation by Friends of the Earth and the Amazon NGO
Working Group has found that since the start of the year, the fires
released at least 125 million tons of carbon dioxide - the main greenhouse
gas [1]. Although heavy rain has now doused most of the fires, the 'burning
season' is still some months away.
The calculation is based on the most conservative estimates of the
affected area issued by the Brazilian Federal Government - that only
2,000 square kilometres of forest and 30,000 square kilometres of open
area have been burnt [2]. The state of Roraima has estimated devastation
of up to 40,000 square km of open areas and 10,000 square km of forest.
The real level of carbon emissions could therefore be much higher.
G8 Environment Ministers are meeting at Leeds Castle in Kent this weekend
to discuss climate change and implementing the Kyoto Protocol. The extent
of the Brazilian fires' contribution to the greenhouse effect can be
seen by comparing emissions to the annual carbon dioxide emissions of
each of the G8 nations [3].
|
Canada |
26% |
|
Japan |
11% |
|
UK |
22% |
|
US |
2.5% |
|
Russia |
5% |
|
Italy |
29% |
|
France |
34% |
|
Germany |
14% |
The inadequate reduction targets agreed at Kyoto will be more than cancelled
out if the
world's forests are allowed to burn on this scale.
Tony Juniper, Campaigns Director for Friends of the Earth, commented;
"Massive pollution has been released from the Amazon fires and the
ongoing fires in Indonesia and the Philippines. This must add urgency
to discussions by the G8 Environment Ministers this weekend on implementing
the Kyoto Climate Protocol. It also shows that we cannot rely on the
world's forests to absorb carbon dioxide to slow down climate change.
The first priority must be policies that cut fossil fuel use and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions at source."
The coordinator of the Amaznia Program of Friends of the Earth, Roberto
Smeraldi,commented;
"We are still waiting for complete and reliable figures about these
affected areas, to give a more definitive estimate, but what we already
have shows the severity of the problem. Now, our main concern is with
the rest of the Amazon region where,once the dry season starts at the
end of May, we will face enormous risks."
NOTES TO EDITORS
[1] Most recent data on the total biomass of each different type of
vegetation in Roraima were used, which vary from 35 to 439 tons per
hectare. It uses a burning efficiency factor of 56.5% for Roraima and,
for "reburnings",the indexes from the Colnia de Apia region (20.1%),
one of the areas from which burnings originated this year. "Roraima
and global warming: annual balance of greenhouse gases originated by
changes in land use",by Philip Martin Fearnside, Manaus, 1997, published
by INPA and edited by Reinaldo I. Barbosa, Efrem J. G.Ferreira and Eloy
Castelln.
[2] Areas affected by fire include open areas such as agricultural land,
pasture land and savannahs and 13 different types of forest cover -
four types of dense primary rainforest totalling 117,927 km2, and nine
types of non-dense forests and intermediate areas, totalling 69,594
km2. The total forested area in the state is equivalent to 187,521 km2.
[3] Emissions figures are for 1994, except for Russia, which is 1990.
Contacts in Brazil:
Friends of the Earth - Amaznia Program
Grupo de Trabalho Amaznico
Contact details:
Friends of the Earth
26-28 Underwood St.
LONDON
N1 7JQ
Tel: 020 7490 1555
Fax: 020 7490 0881
Web: www.foe.co.uk/feedback.html
Media team
