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Saving The Rainforest
is Vital To
Saving The Climate
What Is A Carbon Sink?
A carbon sink is anything that absorbs more CO2 than it can release back into the atmosphere.
Nature has its own mechanisms to keep the planet's temperature stable over long periods of time and it has been doing this successfully since the planet was formed, through the activity of forests, oceans and soil.
Forests absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during daylight hours and release the unwanted Oxygen back into the atmosphere, through a process called photosynthesis. Excess CO2 is stored in the ground, and at night is released back into the atmosphere during a process called respiration. The Congo Rainforest for example, because of its density, stores more carbon in its peat than the Amazon and Asian forests combined, and is also reported to be nearly 11,000 years old.
Oceans are an enormous carbon sink, and use a chemical process that absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere. This CO2 then reacts with the salty water to form carbonic acid. Carbonates then form that react with hydrogen in the water to reduce the acidity levels within the ocean.
Soil on land or on the seabed is the Earths greatest store of carbon or carbon sink.
THIS DOES NOT JUST IMPACT AFRICA
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You may ask yourself, 'Why does somebody in the UK care about a Rainforest hundreds of miles away in Africa. Why do people in Australia, the USA, Canada, Turkey, Pakistan, and other parts of the World care, when all these countries are suffering their own extreme weather anomalies.'
Did you even know there was a rainforest in the heart of Africa?
The Congo Rainforest is the second largest Rainforest in the World, which makes this important on a global scale. This does not just impact Africa. This is a serious global issue, and is why we help to raise awareness to its destruction. The Sahel Region of Africa is already showing signs of desertification due to deforestation and other factors. Weather is becoming more extreme and unpredictable, globally.
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THE CONGO GETS NO MEDIA ATTENTION
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The Congo Rainforest is a Primary, Equatorial Rainforest and is around 11,000 yrs old. Yet man is managing to destroy it in just a few decades. From a carbon sequester, to a carbon emitter, in such a short space of time. The same is happening in The Amazon, and other Rainforests, but the difference here is The Congo gets no media attention.
Tropical Rainforests help to cool the Planet, acting like an air conditioner, pulling out impurities, and releasing life giving oxygen. Forming clouds that keep the Earth and Oceans cool. By the time a tree reaches around 20yrs old, they can recycle around 20,000 gallons of water per year. So by cutting Rainforests down, combined with the continuous burning of fossil fuels are the main causes of Global Warming.
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Due to continued use of fossil fuels and the deforestation of rainforests, these forests will soon become carbon emitters. This means they will lose the ability to store carbon.
As well as this, acidification of the oceans will kill significant amounts of algae and coral, that marine life depend on.
Continued deforestation and the disturbance of peat bogs through mining are causing these natural processes to become unstable, releasing vast amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.
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Fossil Fuels
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These are, Crude Oil, Coal and Natural Gas.
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These hydrocarbons contain varying amounts of carbon, depending on how they were formed millions of years ago.
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Unfortunately, the Congo Basin is rich in all three, so is therefore heavily mined throughout the region. Please checkout this website that explains in detail where these hydrocarbons are mined in Africa, and future potential areas up for consideration.
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Crude Oil, (also known as petroleum), is a hydrocarbon formed from the remains of animals and plants that lived in a marine environment millions of years ago. Over time covered by sand and rock, these remains have decomposed to form crude oil. Petroleum literally means 'rock oil'.
Everyday uses for petroleum are for fuel, to cook food, heat homes, asphalt for roads, to generate electricity, and did you know that wax products like candles, are a raw petroleum product!
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Coal is a sedimentary rock made mostly of carbon. Formed by dead plant matter that has converted into peat, and then through heat and pressure and millions of years has morphed into coal.
Burning coal releases the stored carbon back into the atmosphere, and is therefore a major contribution to climate change, and causes around 25% of global emissions. Since the Industrial Revolution, coal has been used to power steam engines, as well as to manufacture iron and steel.
Steel is made from Iron Ore, and Carbon. The carbon is extracted by heating, (not burning), coal at very high temperatures, with the absence of oxygen. The byproduct of this is 'Coke', that contains around 90% carbon.
Unfortunately steel is used in the production of many household items, such as cutlery, kettles, microwave ovens, washing machines, cookers, fridges, freezers, nuts, bolts, screws, nails. Also railway lines, components on trains, cars, the framework to some buildings, strengthening concrete, tools, and much, much more. Including Wind Turbines, that require around 230 tonnes of steel.
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Natural Gas lies in open pockets, between rocks deep below the Earths surface. It is formed from the remains of animal and plant matter that have decomposed over millions of years after being compressed by rock and heat.
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Plastics are made by extracting all three of these fossil fuels, that are then refined to eventually produce polymers, which are the building blocks of plastic.
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We are already witnessing the effects of climate change. Every day we watch the news and see reports of unusual and extreme weather events that many countries are experiencing. From floods, fires and droughts all the way to melting polar ice caps. Sea levels are rising and over time major cities will be underwater.
Remember Venice 2020!!!
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This is why we must protect the world's forests and oceans, and keep fossil fuels in the ground!!
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Cobalt and Coltan
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Did you know that the device you are viewing this website on contains cobalt and coltan, which are both heavily mined in the Congo?
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Cobalt is a naturally magnetic metal and so is perfect for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries, used in mobile phones, cameras and electric vehicles.
Coltan (short for Columbite–Tantalite) is a metallic element from which tantalum is extracted to manufacture capacitors for use in electrical equipment such as mobile phones, tablets, computers, televisions, and the parts used by the automotive industry. In fact, the manufacture of any device that requires circuit boards requires coltan.
Both of these elements are mostly mined illegally in the Congo Basin, using artisanal mines run by terrorist groups who fail to implement any kind of safety measures, meaning that many miners, including children, die from collapsing mines or from inhaling this dangerous element.
These mines can and do appear anywhere in the forest, often encroaching on wildlife habitats, while the wildlife, such as endangered gorillas, are often killed for bush meat and to prevent them interfering with the mines.
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Illegal Cobalt Mines
Are No Place For Children!
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The Democratic Republic of the Congo is considered to be one of the most poorest countries in the world, even though it has an estimated.. $24 trillion US Dollars worth of oil and minerals buried beneath its surface.
So why is it not as rich as countries like Saudi Arabia with it's Black Liquid Gold?
In the DRC, and most other African Nations, greed, exploitation and corruption rule, through deforestation, Oil and Mineral Mining. Multinational Corporations are fully aware of this and therefore take full advantage, for their own monetary gain.
Cobalt is considered more valuable than gold here, and is a mined legitimately from the Copper belts, by these corporations, who have the legal concessions to do so, but cause massive disruption to the rainforest and its inhabitants. Then there are many illegal artisanal mines operated by gangs or militia groups, that appear anywhere deep in the forest, away from prying eyes. Destroying ancient forest, harming wildlife and affecting the lives of many indigenous. They exploit the situation by using children to dig out this precious metal with small tools or their bare hands.
Children as young as seven, 'yes seven', work in atrocious conditions, often in the pouring rain, soaked to the skin, and shivering, not just from the cold, but from fear too, for as little as the equivalent of around 8 English pence a day. Some die from the dangerous conditions they work in, or suffer chronic bad health by inhaling this harmful element. Some eat very little or not at all, but they carry on regardless, because they are scared of the consequences if they refuse. This is all they know. It is devastating and conjures up a very harrowing mental image, of a sad, soaking wet young lad being ordered about by grown men who don't care if these kids live or die. Young girls work the ground too, crouching in the mud, using their hands that are covered in dirty water that also contain this dangerous element.
Children don't belong here. They belong in school, achieving an education, or happily playing with their friends. They have aspirations, and should be enjoying their childhood, not ruled by a heavy hand, to carry sacks of rocks or mud on their head, in barbaric conditions, that can only resemble the Dark Ages.
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THIS IS NOT THEIR PLAYGROUND
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Those running these mines say they are providing the community with income. But at what cost? The killing of wildlife for food. The annihilation of a Primary Rainforest, that will never recover! A child's life!!
They make a lot from the sale of cobalt, while the locals still live in poverty. These corporations make so much more, when they sell this element on to battery manufacturers. The parents of these children would love to send their kids to school, just as we do, but they cannot afford to.
With every oil and mineral mine in the forest legal or otherwise comes the infrastructure to support it. This means the felling of more and more of the precious Congo Rainforest so machinery and lorries can gain access. This destruction is harming wildlife, and the Indigenous communities who call the forest their home. Nothing stands in the way of these Corporate giants, who will continue to exploit Africa, where there's money to be made, as demand increases from developed countries.
If developed countries like the UK, want to claim going Green, and not just 'Greener' by whatever date they care to make up by introducing electric vehicles, then a new form of technology for powering them needs to be invented and initiated fast.
Cobalt is a scarce, and expensive element, but will not last forever. Its not sustainable, and as the world's population rises, we will require more and more of this precious metal. There are talks about mining the Oceans now too. This cannot be allowed to go ahead.
Please read this Report by DW.News
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Your Smartphone could contain as much as 10 grammes of cobalt in its battery. Equivalent to 1 teaspoon.
Your Laptop as much as 30 grammes. Equivalent to 3 teaspoons.
An Electric Car's battery a staggering 10,000 grammes. Equivalent to a bucket load. That's a lot of cobalt for just one car.
Lithium-ion batteries are re-chargeable, but the addition of cobalt, only boosts charging performance. So does it even need to be there? Tesla's new factory in Shanghai, for example, will require around 6000 tonnes of cobalt from the DRC. Although Tesla has signed up to the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), who regulate and ensure that the source of cobalt is NOT obtained through child labour. Tesla, along with scientists, have found that Nickel is an almost perfect replacement, as it's much cheaper and only loses minor performance compared to cobalt. Replacing cobalt for nickel is years away yet, so in the meantime these mines will continue to exploit children. And Multinational Corporations will continue to exploit Africa, to feed the hunger of West to have the latest technology, and claim they are doing their bit towards Climate Change. The removal of this forest IS already affecting the Climate, and IS having Worldwide implications, and children WILL continue to suffer as more cobalt reserves are found. Don't get me wrong, rechargeable li-ion batteries are great, but the technology has been around since the 1970's. Development of Sodium-Ion batteries that contain no cobalt, or Hydrogen fuelled batteries will prevent more children from entering that playground from hell, on a daily basis.
Children deserve a better future, through education, and social interaction with other kids, and just by being children. Not scratching the earth with their bare hands, and bullied by men who should really know better.
Are you happy knowing your device or car may be powered by child labour? Problem is we all desire the latest gadgets and technology.
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After all. Isn't this what WE die for!
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Charcoal
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Next time you fire up the BBQ, remember to check the bag the charcoal came from to see if it carries the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification label.
Chances are that it will, as the FSC rigorously monitors the supply chain of charcoal within Europe to make sure it's only sourced from sustainable forests. It is still worth checking first though, before you purchase a bag.
The FSC also monitors other products such as wood and paper to make sure they are made from sustainably managed forests. Please remember to always check where wood is sourced.
Artwork courtesy of polyp.org.uk
#SaveCongoRainForest
#SaveCongoRainForest_Fauna_Flora
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