Wilkins ice shelf breaking away?

however, from a biodiversity/natural habitat point of view, those forests you refer to are plantations just like any other homogenous crop and as such support a vastly reduced range and amount of life. yes there are more trees but at the expense of the low-density, high diversity natural forest/scrub/whatever that was dug up to plant them.

Everytime you clearfell a section of forest you are removing a percentage of the biomass of the area. Around 20% each time infact as the nutrients in the soil needed to grow the trees is depleated. Forestry is not infinitely sustainable, especially at today's level of demand. Having the biomass in the paper ending up in landfill only puts all the nutrients into a place that is somewhat toxic, rather than back into the forest where it was originally intended. Less trees have to get cut down if we recycle the paper, meaning less depleated soils, better levels of biomass and therefore biodiversity (inc little furry things that live in places like forests) and the timber can be used for more important things than your local pizza shop flyer.

The following is directed at no-one in particular.
Sure, planting trees is not the answer, but there is no one single answer. As the old native american proverb goes:

[INDENT]
[SIZE=+1]Only after the last tree has been cut down,
Only after the last river has been poisoned
Only after the last fish has been caught,
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.[/SIZE] [SIZE=4]- Cree Indian Prophecy
[/SIZE]
[/INDENT]

If nothing is done to stop the sheer mass of consumption that is the modern world that prophecy above will become a harsh reality.

Everyone can try and ignore the obvious and laugh in the face of the hippies, but ask yourself this: When an aboriginal man wanted to go and hunt for some kangaroo meat for his tribe & family, did he take a ton and a half of steel, rubber and plastic with him for a 15mile round trip and throw a load of plastic & polystyrene out of the window once he finished eating? No, of course not. that's why his way of life has survived for at least 50,000 years and the rest. I don't need statistics and scientists to tell me the world is in the shit. It's fucking obvious. The earth needs you to do your bit and if everyone just shifts their attitude slightly it makes a huge difference. Just look at how many more people ride bikes in this city now than say 4 years ago?

Attitude is the key - don't be a defeatist and do your bit.

There, rant over :-p