Boreno is Burning

From NASA Earth Observatory.

Natural Hazards: Fires on Borneo
The fires occur annually in the dry season (August-October), caused mainly by land-clearing and other agricultural fires. Fires escape control and burn into forests and peat-swamp areas. Fires in peat—thick layers of dead, but un-decayed vegetation—are extremely smoky and difficult to put out

This is another contributing factor to the acid rain cloud over Asia, along with increased car pollution. It is also a problem of desertification. Now withthese fires in Borneo another area faces desertification thanks to international agribusiness. This is not the frist time fires have gotten out of control in the Indonesian islands. Nor will it be the last.

The agricultural burning is a by product of palm oil production which is the major commdity export business in Indonesia dominated by agribusiness cartels like Cargill.

As I wrote back in 1997;

"In the fall of 1997 the islands of Sumatra and Borneo caught fire, and burned through out the fall and winter. The devastation and resulting air pollution covered not only Indonesia but its neighbours in Thailand and Malaysia. The government and corporations at first blamed peasants for the fires, saying it was caused by slash and burn agriculture.

In reality it was the slash and burn policies of the Indonesian government and its corporate partners like Cargill, which created the conditions which led to this ecological disaster. News reports reveal that the fires were started to clear land for palm oil planatations!"

There is nothing natural at all about these fires, they are the result of deliberate slash and burn policies of the palm oil industry.

The illegal brush fires were started by farmers or agricultural companies on Borneo and Sumatra islands as a cheap way of clearing the land.

See:

Agribusiness

Desertification

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A Counter Challenge

Olaf over at Prairie Wrangler which describes itself as blog by "Repentant freethinkers, with tips on how to rope rookies, blowhards and chumps from across the political spectrum..." usually keeps the rope handy for those on the left and progressive end of the political spectrum.

Repeating oft said arguments around the rights current bugaboos, Status of Women, abortion, etc. he is upset that no-one talks to him. Well perhaps if he would take up an argument that actually posits some debate that would not be limited to stereotypical attacks on straw-men and charactures of the left he would get some response.

He like many others on the right make the falacious argument that we lefties and progressives are all in lock step. That we don't disagree, that our arguments are warmed over Michael Moore...none of them of course have heard of Chomsky, just kidding of course they have, they atttak him for being a rich guy...any ways it's a stereotype lefty they attack. So here is a real lefty challenge for Olaf.

Here is his opportunity. As he has been so kind as to link me as a Best Mouthpiece,I will challenge him to prove I am a lock step lefty on these issues;

1. Smoking

2. The Seal Hunt

3. Tax cuts

4. Wages for Housework

5. Free Trade

6. Kyoto




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