El programa sale al aire todos los domingos a las 10 de la mañana. no se lo pierdan!
domingo, 5 de junio de 2011
Grabando mi sección del programa LA TIERRA, AMERICA 24
El programa sale al aire todos los domingos a las 10 de la mañana. no se lo pierdan!
jueves, 5 de mayo de 2011
This blog post is in participation of the blog competition being hosted by UNEP y Treehuger in honour of World Environment Day.
English and Spanish version available.
Nature worth 38 trillion dollars annually, more than all the money in the world combined
Plane ticket to the Patagonia, $1000; hotel stay, $600 per night; contemplate the lake for hours: priceless.
It’s not like a a world renowned credit card paid me to put this comment on my blog (though I wish they had.) It’s that the famous slogan contains a great truth: there are things in life that are
priceless. Among them, love, friendship, health, and of course, nature.
But when it comes to natural resources such as forests, the fact that they are 'priceless' is a problem: since exploiting them is free, it is being done without any control. In fact, from the 80’s until now, more than one third of all natural resources in the world have been devastated.
But what would happen if we put a price on nature based on all the "services " it provides us with, without which we could not survive? For example, capturing CO2 from the atmosphere and generating oxygen, such as trees do? Would it help to protect and moderate the use of natural resources?
This idea began to emerge strongly in recent years. It was possible to make an estimate of how much it would cost to humans to do all the things nature does for free that allows life to be possible. The result was that the annual cost of doing all these "environmental services" would be 35 trillion dollars. To put that number in perspective: every economy in the world together, equals 18 trillion dollars. Conclusion: there is not enough money around the world to pay for what nature does for us for free.
Of course, we must not confuse value and price. The value is the quality that makes something be appreciated; the price is the monetary value of something. Forests are invaluable. But it is also true that we live in a world dominated by a capitalist system where things are valued by their price. And since nature is priceless, it is being destroyed. In this context, the idea of putting a price to environmental services, such as those made by forests, sounds logical. Not necessarily romantic, but it could be an extremely useful tool.
And it turns out that forests provide thousands of services without which the human race could not survive. I will tell you about a few of them:
1. Carbon sinks: standing forests sequester large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. This service eliminates 15% of annual human emissions.
2. Protection against floods: climate change increases the frequency of flooding. Forests protect us from them since trees, grasslands, and roots act like a sponge, absorbing huge amounts of rain, which reduces the amount and speed of water moving over land.
3. Health: Forests are a major source of drugs for both local communities and pharmaceutical companies. Unchanged, tropical forests may also have a moderating effect on infectious diseases.
4. Food: forests provide a sustainable source of fresh food.
5. Water distribution and purification: Forests, especially forest soils, act as filters that purify water. Then the rivers distribute it around the world, providing water to the entire human race.
6. Energy: Forests are essential for the production of hydroelectric power through the regulation of water flow. They are also a source of fuel for cooking and heating our homes because of the wood they provide us.
Este blog participa del concurso organizado por la UNEP y Treehuger.
Versión en español y en inglés disponibles.
English and Spanish version available.
Nature worth 38 trillion dollars annually, more than all the money in the world combinedPlane ticket to the Patagonia, $1000; hotel stay, $600 per night; contemplate the lake for hours: priceless.
It’s not like a a world renowned credit card paid me to put this comment on my blog (though I wish they had.) It’s that the famous slogan contains a great truth: there are things in life that are
priceless. Among them, love, friendship, health, and of course, nature.
But when it comes to natural resources such as forests, the fact that they are 'priceless' is a problem: since exploiting them is free, it is being done without any control. In fact, from the 80’s until now, more than one third of all natural resources in the world have been devastated.
But what would happen if we put a price on nature based on all the "services " it provides us with, without which we could not survive? For example, capturing CO2 from the atmosphere and generating oxygen, such as trees do? Would it help to protect and moderate the use of natural resources?
This idea began to emerge strongly in recent years. It was possible to make an estimate of how much it would cost to humans to do all the things nature does for free that allows life to be possible. The result was that the annual cost of doing all these "environmental services" would be 35 trillion dollars. To put that number in perspective: every economy in the world together, equals 18 trillion dollars. Conclusion: there is not enough money around the world to pay for what nature does for us for free.
Of course, we must not confuse value and price. The value is the quality that makes something be appreciated; the price is the monetary value of something. Forests are invaluable. But it is also true that we live in a world dominated by a capitalist system where things are valued by their price. And since nature is priceless, it is being destroyed. In this context, the idea of putting a price to environmental services, such as those made by forests, sounds logical. Not necessarily romantic, but it could be an extremely useful tool.
And it turns out that forests provide thousands of services without which the human race could not survive. I will tell you about a few of them:
1. Carbon sinks: standing forests sequester large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. This service eliminates 15% of annual human emissions.
2. Protection against floods: climate change increases the frequency of flooding. Forests protect us from them since trees, grasslands, and roots act like a sponge, absorbing huge amounts of rain, which reduces the amount and speed of water moving over land.
3. Health: Forests are a major source of drugs for both local communities and pharmaceutical companies. Unchanged, tropical forests may also have a moderating effect on infectious diseases.
4. Food: forests provide a sustainable source of fresh food.
5. Water distribution and purification: Forests, especially forest soils, act as filters that purify water. Then the rivers distribute it around the world, providing water to the entire human race.
6. Energy: Forests are essential for the production of hydroelectric power through the regulation of water flow. They are also a source of fuel for cooking and heating our homes because of the wood they provide us.
+ info:
The 11th hour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQvglUAbQP4
Global Canopy Programme: http://www.globalcanopy.org/
Este blog participa del concurso organizado por la UNEP y Treehuger.
Versión en español y en inglés disponibles.
La naturaleza vale 38 trillones de dólares anuales, más que todo el dinero del mundo combinado
Pasaje de avión a la Patagonia argentina, $1000; estadía en hotel, $600 la noche; ver el lago durante horas: no tiene precio.
No es que una tarjeta de crédito mundialmente famosa me haya pagado para incluir este comentario en mi blog (ojalá lo hubieran hecho). Es que el famoso slogan encierra una gran verdad: hay cosas en la vida que no tienen precio. Entre ellas, el amor, la amistad, la salud y por supuesto, la naturaleza.
Pero cuando hablamos de recursos naturales como los bosques, el hecho de que sean ‘invaluables’ es un problema: como es gratis explotarlos, se hace de manera descontrolada. De hecho, desde la década del ‘80 hasta la actualidad se consumieron más de un tercio de los recursos naturales.
Pero, ¿qué pasaría si se pusiera un precio a la naturaleza basado en todos los “servicios” que nos brinda y sin los que no podríamos sobrevivir, como por ejemplo, capturar CO2 de la atmósfera y generar oxígeno como hacen los árboles? ¿Serviría para protegerla y moderar su uso?
Esta idea comenzó a surgir con fuerza hace unos años. Entonces, se hizo un cálculo estimado de cuánto le costaría a los humanos hacer todo lo que la naturaleza hace gratis y que permite que la vida sea posible. El resultado fue que el costo anual para reproducir todos estos “servicios ambientales” sería de 35 trillones de dólares. Para poner ese
número en perspectiva: todas las economías del mundo, juntas, suman 18 trillones de dólares. Conclusión: no alcanza todo el dinero del mundo para pagar lo que la naturaleza hace por nosotros.
Por supuesto, no hay que confundir valor y precio. El valor es la cualidad que hace que algo sea apreciado; el precio es el valor monetario de una cosa. Los bosques son
invaluables. Pero también es cierto que vivimos en un planeta dominado por un sistema capitalista donde las cosas valen en virtud de su precio. Y como la naturaleza no tiene precio, entonces se devasta sin más. En este contexto, esta idea de poner un precio a los servicios ambientales, como los que realizan los bosques, suena lógica. No necesariamente romántica, pero podría ser una herramienta extremadamente útil.
Y resulta ser que los bosques brindan miles de servicios sin los que la raza humana no podría sobrevivir. Te cuento algunos:
1. Sumideros de carbono: los bosques en pie secuestran grandes cantidades de dióxido de carbono (CO2) de la atmósfera. Este servicio elimina el 15% de las emisiones humanas anuales.
2. Protección contra inundaciones: el cambio climático aumenta la frecuencia de las inundaciones. Los bosques nos protegen de ellas ya que los árboles, pastizales, troncos y raíces actúan como una esponja, absorbiendo enormes cantidades de lluvia, lo que disminuye la cantidad y velocidad del agua que se desplaza por la tierra.
3. Salud: los bosques son una fuente esencial de medicamentos tanto para las comunidades locales como para las compañías farmacéuticas. Inalterados, los bosques tropicales también pueden tener un efecto moderador sobre las enfermedades infecciosas.
4. Alimentación: los bosques proporcionan una fuente sostenible de alimentos frescos.
5. Distribución y purificación del agua: Los bosques, especialmente los suelos forestales, actúan como filtros que purifican el agua. Luego, los ríos la distribuyen hacia todo el planeta, proporcionando agua a toda la raza humana.
6. Energía: los bosques son esenciales para la producción de energía hidroeléctrica a través de la regulación del flujo de agua. También son fuente de combustible para cocinar y calentar nuestros hogares gracias a la madera que proporcionan.
Fuentes:
The 11th hour: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQvglUAbQP4
Global Canopy Programme: http://www.globalcanopy.org/
Book: "What is mine is yours", publisher Harper Collins.
viernes, 15 de abril de 2011
Lanzamiento de R21
Viajé a Canadá, a la reunión anual del BID, a lanzar la fundación del baterista de Soda Stereo, R21.
Es un hermoso proyecto. Les dejo el site: www.r21.la
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