For our bio-oriented readers: CNN reports that a new species has been discovered on the island of Borneo. It is described as looking like a mix between a cat and a fox, and has been caught on camera twice. It would be the first carnivorous mammal to be discovered on the island for over a century.
However, it may be endangered before ever being seen by a human: a plan for the world’s largest palm oil plantation would result in the clearing of a huge swath of rainforest. The project, backed by the China Development Bank, “is expected to cover an area of 1.8 million hectares, equivalent to about half the size of The Netherlands.”
Wow. Wiping out a rainforest to make a plantation that can be seen from space is Not Good, IMO. How much palm oil does the world really need?
God, as driver of an old diesel mercedes running B100, this depresses the heck out of me… I doubt what I am using comes from palm oil, but is nothing good for the world anymore?
This reminds me of the old Bloom County cartoon where they all become vegetarians, then vegans and so on until the group is finally left hanging from a tree in an effort not to step on bugs or kill any growing things when one of them realizes that with each breath they’re killing thousands of microbes….
Not that I think we should just turn a blind eye to this, but try as hard as I do, it seems I can’t help but impact the world negatively…. tht’s cheerful.
December 6th, 2005 at 8:52:10 pm
China probably wants the oil for biodiesel.
Any Vegetable oil will do.
But Palm gives a LOT of oil per acre.
then again, Perhaps I am way off base.
December 6th, 2005 at 11:21:51 pm
This has nothing to do with this whatsoever, but check this out:
http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=21696
Darwin at his best. Mistake of fact for all the law nerds out there.
December 8th, 2005 at 2:31:49 pm
God, as driver of an old diesel mercedes running B100, this depresses the heck out of me… I doubt what I am using comes from palm oil, but is nothing good for the world anymore?
This reminds me of the old Bloom County cartoon where they all become vegetarians, then vegans and so on until the group is finally left hanging from a tree in an effort not to step on bugs or kill any growing things when one of them realizes that with each breath they’re killing thousands of microbes….
Not that I think we should just turn a blind eye to this, but try as hard as I do, it seems I can’t help but impact the world negatively…. tht’s cheerful.
October 9th, 2006 at 4:12:08 pm
WOW