Speedy Gone-zales

Mexico is losing forests at almost twice the rate previously thought, the country's Environment Ministry announced yesterday. A new multi-agency study of satellite images taken from 1993 and 2000 found that average forest loss in that time was about 2.78 million acres a year, the world's second-highest deforestation rate. Over the eight years, the amount of forest lost was equivalent to the area of Ireland. Brazil is losing forests at a faster clip, but the causes are the same: logging, fires, and the expansion of ranches and farms.