Peru and the Amazon Rain Forest

You may ask yourself, why another blog. Surely there are lots out there already and you may be right, but I was thinking about starting a blog and last weekend's news really hit me on the sensitive spot.

I have found this excuse if you will to start my blog in order to bring to you the reader as much information as I can about the things in the world which I believe need our attention, things that we the world citizens should complain about.

So, to the issue at hand! The problem that I see is that the Peruvian government is about to sell out 11 large areas from deep within the Peruvian Amazon to Oil companies. These areas are large enough to contain natives living there, people who have never had contact with the outside world. If this project goes through these people will be moved out of land that they have lived in for generations. Not only that, also these people have no defense against normal illnesses and any contact with people from outside their community will have devastating effect on their number. A few years ago, simillar sort of thing happened as the government put up Amazon Rainforest land for grabs for major companies and a slight contact with the natives caused the death of over 30,000 people.

The issue of the natives is only one part of the issue at the heart pf this blog, the other side is the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. For me and many people I have spoken to, at this day and age this is an unbelievable fact. Remember we are living in a time when people and governments are finally acknowledging the relationship between global climate change and human activity!!!!!!!!

The fact is that the rainforest is the lungs of the world. Each year there are thousands of hectares of the rainforest that are destroyed for timber exportation and construction. Also: as now the price of petrolium goes up and biofuel becomes the new hipe, more and more of the rainforest in all latin american countries will be destroyed to make for land for corn to be grown. Corn which will later be used to give fuel to keep mostly american cars on the road.

The governemnts, specially that of Peru will argue that the oil, when extracted will bring jobs and resources to the country, however this could not be further away from the truth. Yes!! It is true that large amounts of cash will come into the country, however it will never go where it is needed most. It will go to the pockets of the rich in Peru.

I have been to Peru and have seen with my own eyes how poor the country really is, however in the samecountry where people live on a dollar a day, there are suburbs of Lima where some high earning fat cats live. You should see, if you get the chance to ever visit Peru, the quality of the houses that I am talking about. So yes, the revenue will come in, but it will be spent in nice houses for a few.

We should not let this process to go through. We should not let the government to simply give awas Rainforest land to oil companies for the under table money that they will receieve.

I hope people read this and pass on the message.