Amazon Deforestation Climbed 28 Percent in 12 Months

5,843 km² of Brazil forest denuded in 12 months to July 2013

Deforestation rate in Brazil rose to 5,843 km² between August 2012 and July this year, a staggering rise of 28%, compared with the previous period, according to provisional figures released by the government.

More than 600,000 km² of Amazon rainforest have been destroyed in the past 40 years to make room for cattle ranching, farming and extensive transportation projects.

Agriculture accounts for almost 5.5% of the Brazil’s GDP, and is responsible for the majority of Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Cattle rest in deforested jungle near Maraba, in Brazil’s central state of Para, May 3, 2009.  Soon thousands of cows will be chewing pasture on the freshly cleared land in Brazil’s Amazon state of Para, just a tiny part of Brazil’s 200-million-strong commercial cattle herd, the world’s biggest, that makes it a beef superpower. More than 70 million are in the Amazon area, three for every person. This is where the industry has grown fastest in recent years, a trend activists say is due to cheap land, widespread illegal clearing and weak government enforcement. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker. Images may be subject to copyright.

Relate Links

• Phew, It Was a Jungle Out There! Posted  June 1, 2009
• Only One Guess Allowed!
• Brazil “soy king” sees Amazon as food solution
• Corn for Food, NOT for Fuel
• Greenpeace says global beef trade destroying Amazon
• Cattle a tough target in Amazon protection fight
• Brazil’s Extreme Rain Events Trigger 4,000 Landslides
• Famous Last words …

Liver Disease Killing 7,500 Australians Each Year

More than 6 million Australians have liver disease, mostly self-inflicted

More than a quarter of Australians suffer from liver disease, according to a report commissioned by the Australian Liver Association.

The most common form of the disease in Australia is non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, affecting 5.5 million across the country. The next most common form is viral hepatitis, including B and C, which affects another 500,000 people.

• The cost to the economy is a “staggering” $51 billion a year.

• Obesity, drug and alcohol abuse are major risk factors.

• ”The majority of patients are also part of the obesity epidemic that we’re seeing in Australia,” said Australian Liver Association Chairwoman.

• ”While liver disease caused by the virus hepatitis C is the No.1 cause for a liver transplant, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease accounts for a much higher proportion of people with liver disease.”

Other Global Disaster/ Significant Events

Peru declares state of emergency in its rainforest

Government of Peru has declared a state of emergency in a part of its northern Amazon rainforest, after discovering high levels of barium, lead, chrome and petroleum-related compounds in the region, which is home to one of its biggest oil fields, said a report.

‘Abnormal heat’ sets record March temps in Australia

Australia’s 2013 summer was the hottest on record, said a report, and the period from October onwards is forecast to be the hottest since records began more than a century ago.

Blistering temperatures were reported across eastern Australia this week.

• Birdsville, Queensland broke a 101-year-old record, posting a high of 42.9ºC  and beating a previous high of 42.1ºC set at Longreach on 28 March 1912, the report said.

• Swan Hill, Victoria set a new late-season record at 38.8ºC and Fowlers Gap, NSW recorded 40.9ºC  ( Both records were previously set on March 29, 1986).

• Melbourne reported peak of 35.6ºC, the hottest this late in the season since the extreme heat of March 1940.

Massive bushfire in Australia destroys many homes

Australian authorities have issued two emergency warnings after a massive bushfire, which consumed 1,300 hectares and many homes,  descended on the 700-strong community of Dereel, west of Melbourne, prompting many residents fleeing for safety, said a report.

Related Links

• Back-to-back Australian Disasters

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DISASTER CALENDAR – March 27, 2013 — 
SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,081 Days Left 

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,081 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History
• The countdown began on May 15, 2011 …

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID PLANETARY DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs