China will host the 2008 Olympics, which are an expression of human nature, which is all about competition and status. The Olympics, in my humble opinion, are little more than a pissing match writ large. The Chinese will of course use this event to show the world how cool they are. One way they plan to impress visitors is to build things out of luxurious tropical hardwoods, like the rich, dark red Merbau tree, which grows in the jungles of Indonesia and Malaysia.
From the Jarkarta Post:
Experts forecast that China's drive to develop its infrastructure to host the Olympics will consume tens of millions of cubic meters of primary forestry products, including solid wood flooring.
How does China plan to obtain this much wood in the next two years? Well, by setting up a $1 billion dollar timber-processing factory in Papua province, that's how. The enviro wackos, always complaining, claim that:
... China's growing timber industry consumes almost all of the estimated 300,000 cubic meters of merbau smuggled out of Papua every month.
I can see how you can smuggle a few kilos of cocaine, but how can you smuggle 300,000 cubic meters of logs? Somebody is blowing smoke and I don't think it is coming from the environmentalists. The power brokers are saying all the right things:
Forestry Ministry spokesperson Masyhud said that the ministry would ensure that the company would only be supplied with logs harvested from timber plantations, and would also require the company to establish its own timber plantations.
"Should the planned investment be approved by both sides, we will require them to apply sustainable forestry management measures as we are confident that such a large investment will mean a long-term presence."
Two questions for you, Masyhud: Where are you going to put these timber plantations, and how many trees are you going to get out of them by 2008?
And for all of you high-ranking Chinese officials reading this post, I have some advice ... bamboo. What is the point in emulating the opulent, unthinking, uncaring actions of wealthy Americans? Aren't you the ones who saved the giant Panda from extinction? You have a unique opportunity to one-up us capitalist pigs by using bamboo for your flooring at the Olympics instead of tropical hardwoods. Considering that you are the major producer of bamboo flooring, this would be a marketing coup if ever I saw one. And if you do follow my advice, be sure to tell visitors exactly why you are using it: to save the planet's biodiversity.
Comments
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bookerly Posted 9:09 pm
03 May 2006
The problem with posts like this is that instead of addressing a problem, they come across mostly as angry. Which is an ineffective way of communicating.
Americans raving at China about how to act may find that they are unsuccessful. A response might be, "Don't the Americans use rare woods, such as Mahogany? Why do they tell other people not to do what they are doing?"
There are many people here working very hard to preserve biodiversity. Posts like this one, which are mainly about anger, are not helpful.
Imagine people raving and screaming at Americans about Kyoto, for instance. Would that help get the treaty passed? (Not that I have any ideas on this one, HELP!!)
I have never heard anyone here use the term capitalist pig, they would consider it impolite.
patrick
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amazingdrx Posted 10:14 pm
03 May 2006
I think it's time for the US and China to do that. Leave the governments out of it.
We the people of both nations ought to do it ourselves. How long will it be until our idiot governments will have us fighting one another if we don't? And that could be the end of everything human.
Even if it's just the usual corporate/commercial warfare, it will do us in from global climate disaster.
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog
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bookerly Posted 7:42 am
04 May 2006
Dear AmazingDrX, sister cities are a good idea. There are a number of international environmental NGO's operating in China (Greenpeace, TNC and others). There are also many many local environmental NGO's that operate on a shoe string. Some college campuses have groups called "Twigs and Branches" or is it "Twigs and Leaves"? (my Chinese improves but slowly).
The students volunteer to do environmental cleanup, education and other projects.
My old school had a Raptor Rescue Center to help sick raptors and restore them to the wild.
US based environmental NGO's could look for Chinese "sister" groups and exchange ideas and help in other ways. It would have to be done respectfully, staying away from politics, seeking understanding. But it would help people understand each other.
Look at the groups that currently work in this way for ideas.
But mainly, I would suggest that Americans educate ourselves (me too!) about other countries and cultures before jumping the gun.
For instance, one of the mainstays of Chinese philosophy has always been the idea of humans living in harmony with nature. Which is different from the Western idea of conquering nature. How does this impact culture and ideas?
China is a big place, and there are lots of different things going on, much more than the media provides.
I believe that cooperation will be the key to solving our problems, and we must base it on mutual respect and understanding.
pace, patrick
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