Deforestation is not all that serious is it? After all, it only affects small pockets of the world and doesn’t receive the same coverage as global warming or climate change.

It is this type of mentality that is dangerous to everyone. Deforestation certainly is serious and demands everyone’s attention, not just a few people who show concern about the matter. It may be true that deforestation does not occur in every single area of the world that has trees, but that is partially due to the fact that so much of the planet is carpeted with forests. Unfortunately, too much of humanity has taken the abundance of trees for granted and has turned a blind eye to the frightening pace at which they are being removed. It is easy to forget that tropical rainforests alone are losing over 80,000 acres per day because there remains so much untouched acreage worldwide.

Part of the reason we don’t hear as much about deforestation as other ecological issues is because it hasn’t yet reached critical mass. The negative effects of deforestation are not yet irreversible, but we need to address them before we reach the point of no return. It is possible to leave the forests that have not yet felt the hand of deforestation unspoiled and revive those that have simply by changing our habits and making a call for action.

One obvious cause of deforestation is the sheer amount of paper products humans consume. Paper comes from trees, and the more paper products we use, the more trees are lost. The solution here is not as easy as simply banning the lumber industry from cutting down trees in certain areas. In fact, this solution is not easy at all, because it would be counterproductive. There is a significant population that lives near forest land that is poor, especially farmers, who depend on some trees being removed in order to slightly increase farmland that they may till and harvest in order to carve out a meager living. Those of us who do not depend on the land in order to survive may not be aware of this issue and that is why we must take advantage of our position and make some sacrifices.

And if you think about it, using fewer paper products such as printer paper, paper towels, facial tissues, and paper plates doesn’t take all that much effort. The internet has already reduced the need for so much paper required to print magazines, books, and letters by digitizing so many of the media we use to communicate. Best of all, printer paper does not need to be used at record paces because of wonderful technology like flash drives and hard drives. If you need to retain of copy of a receipt or a piece of correspondence, save it to the hard drive of your computer and back it up on an external drive such as a flash. This way you won’t have to print out a copy that you would place somewhere and lose anyway.

When it comes to reducing the amount of trees felled in the name of paper, recycling is one of the most effective solutions. Instead of absent-mindedly tossing paper in the trash can, put it in a recycling receptacle. Not only does this keep the landfills clear of items that hinder their ability to store items that don’t easily biodegrade, the paper can be recycled into new paper products. It doesn’t take a large stretch of the imagination to realize a much slower rate of deforestation if everyone placed paper plates, cups, and unimportant letters in the recycle bin. If we use one cup, plate, and piece of paper for every one we recycle, the ratio is 1:1, putting much less strain on the world’s forests.

Several cities worldwide also provide recycling incentives in the form of tax credits or rebates for those who enroll in a recycling program. Through these programs, it is apparent that governments are beginning to understand the importance of reducing deforestation (as well as pollution). Many governments are also jumping on board the renewable energy initiative and setting aside funds to encourage research and development of alternative energy programs. Now would be a good time to appeal to the conservation sensibilities that several countries’ governments currently maintain and acquire funding to combat deforestation. If large timber corporations are unwilling to change their harvesting methods, it may help to develop other techniques and educate them on these procedures. If this is unsuccessful, it is possible to direct the funds toward reforestation programs and education to those who may need guidance on how they may help. Timber plantations are also an opportunity for governments to show their citizens that they are serious about curbing deforestation. Once these plantations mature and it can be shown how much product they can yield, maybe we can be convinced to leave the trees that have been given to us naturally alone.

If each of us makes an effort, even one as easy as recycling, deforestation will take much less of a toll on our lives. When everyone pitches in, the end of deforestation is possible.

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Are you getting bored by all the posturing from politicians and various interest groups about global warming, carbon and carbon trading? I certainly am and I am passionate about the subject. I should think most people are totally “over it”.

Thank goodness Copenhagen came and went. Hopefully the Australian Government will now allow us to have a rational national debate about the issue. They were elected largely on a “green” vote to help prevent global warming and to fix the Murray Darling water problems and in my opinion they have done little that is effective about either.

So what can we do to reduce our carbon emissions? There are three practical suggestions.

1. Increase the size of the renewable energy target and start building gas-fired power stations on the sites of the existing brown-coal power stations. Get brown coal out of the system as soon as possible.

2. We should start taking energy efficiency seriously, in homes and commercial buildings.

3. Help the small to medium business sector to understand the problem and take action to make savings in their businesses.

Then there are other things like sorting out some of the tax subsidies that actually encourage some industry sectors to consume fossil fuels. It certainly makes sense to stop paying polluters before we implement a polluter pays scheme.

My observation of the Australian Government’s proposed scheme is that it will push up prices, subsidise some households so that they have no incentive to change behaviour, leave small to medium business badly squeezed in the middle and have little if any impact on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from Australia.

On a global scale, we need to help developing countries like Indonesia retain their forests because trees are one of the very best ways to absorb carbon dioxide. At present deforestation globally has the same impact as all the global vehicle emissions every year. If we reduced vehicle emissions AND prevented deforestation that would really make a difference.

What a contrast from the Chinese approach where they are closing the dirtiest power stations, building enormous renewable energy installations, producing most of the world’s solar panels and limiting cars to only drive on alternate days so nearly halving vehicle emissions. They have a huge population so their total emissions are huge but they are miniscule per head compared to ours. And they have set very substantial targets for emission reductions. I don’t see anything sinister in Chinese reluctance to be monitored as I think there would be a huge resistance to international monitoring of US or Australian emissions. I see this as a dignity and trust issue.

A recent survey conducted for BankSA found 69% of business owners and 68% of consumers preferred direct or voluntary action – rather than an enforced emission Trading Scheme – to cut carbon emissions by 5% by 2020.

The survey on sustainability also found that while consumers have embraced targets for mains water conservation, the plastic bag ban 5that is in place in South Australia and bottled water consumption cuts, they reject change in areas that affect quality of life, as shown by a reported rise in power consumption for air-conditioning.

And business owners are yet to be convinced about the selling power of sustainability, with 55% saying they do not believe green credentials attract customers. Only 15% are promoting their environmental efforts and only 13% have any formal environmental certification.

In spite of what they say, almost one-third of consumers are actually using more electricity and gas, as well as fuel for vehicles.

Seeking greater sustainability seemed to be off-limits in other key areas, with 75% of consumers rejecting a switch to toilet paper made from recycled paper and I am with them on that – my bottom does the voting there; and preferring to use their own vehicles instead of public transport. My observations with the transport is the inconvenience of waiting because the services are not a frequent, they are uncomfortable and also dangerous as with no seat belts people get thrown about. Certainly when I fly into Sydney and especially Brisbane, I always catch the train in preference to taxi because it is convenient, faster and much cheaper so even carrying luggage, the train is a better choice.

BankSA Managing Director, Rob Chapman says the results show commitment to sustainability is both price-sensitive and influenced by the desire for comfort and convenience.

“More than 90% of the businesses we surveyed were actively seeking to reduce the amount of waste they sent to landfill, while 69% of consumers said they were prepared to pay more for grocery items produced using better environmental practices,” Rob says.

“However, we also found that lifestyle and cost can be deal-breakers.”

Jean Cannon helps small to medium businesses become truly sustainable with simple and effective management systems. She has now taken her business online and world wide as part of reducing her own carbon footprint.

Jean is both a highly qualified scientist and a business person and she is a true leader in sustainable business.

Get past the hype and confusion and get my Free Report to “Discover how YOU can quickly and easily get your Quality, Safety and Environment ISO accreditation so you increase profits, reduce your risks and attract more clients.” at http://www.enviroaction.com.au and opt-in to get my regular newsletter

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