Shell Sponsors The Prince’s Rainforest Project
Multinational petroleum company Shell is one of the six “supermajors” – vertically integrated private sector oil exploration, natural gas, and petroleum product marketing companies, where, as an official partner of the Prince’s Rainforest Project is campaigning to raise awareness of the consequences of deforestation – the clearance of naturally occurring forests by the processes of logging and/or burning of trees in a forested area.
Shell World UK (Autumn 2009) features an interview with Tony Juniper, the former head of Friends of the Earth, who is currently advising the Prince’s Rainforests Projects. Taking time out to answer Shell’s questions regarding deforestation and its connection to climate change, Mr Juniper confirmed that deforestation is a major factor causing climate warming whereby one fifth of the emissions entering the atmosphere are actually creating by the clearance of forests.
However, the seriousness of deforestation is put into perspective when it is considered that we actually rely on forests to absorb about 15% of emissions released into the air by industrial pollutants. Therefore, by cutting down the trees, or indeed burning the areas of natural forest, not only are emissions being increased, but the key resource for soaking them up – is no longer there.
The article explains how HRH The Prince of Wales established The Prince’s Rainforests Project due to the severity of the effect of deforestation on climate change. Mr. Juniper goes on to explain that this project is intended not to be portrayed as another overseas aid project or loan – rather likened to paying a utility bill, paying for your gas or electricity for example.
The argument for this is that the global community needs to pay those rainforest nations a utility bill, securing climate protection, rainfall generation and the nature conservation that comes from preserving the rainforests, which is the purpose of the project – working out how to raise and spend money whilst monitoring performance.
The implications of deforestation are global – having a significant effect on the environment and climate change, which is why rainforests are at the forefront of climate change campaigns. If you are interested in supporting the campaign to curb tropical deforestation or would like to find out more about The Prince’s Rainforests Project visit www.rainforestsos.org