Technology And The Rainforest
...trees
been cut down but also there have positive
aspects to the technology concerning this precious
resource. Peter White, a chief writer for National
Geographic magazine once said, " The tropical
rain forest may well be nature's chief liberty of
experience from which all of humanity can learn,
not only how to do things but also what a vast
variety of things may be possible"(24). We all can
learn from this for, the rain forest is a key to our
environment and with all the technology destroying
it and barely replacing it we all should think about
what is happening and what can be done to save
it. With the great progression of technology
through this century the rain forest has rapidly
been destroyed. Being the home of nearly 50% of
all species, the rain forest is a resource that should
and must be saved. It is once thought that the
tropical rain forest once spanned the great space
of 1.5 billion hectares. But as the time goes on
slowly that number diminishes. In the year 2000 it
is theorized that there will only be 900 hectares left
on this world (Palmer/4). Even though there is not
any rain forest in the United states, the rain forest
greatly effects us in ways not known to all. Many
medicines are found in the rain forest and many of
them treat common diseases. Malaria for example
is a disease that has it's treatment coming from
quinine, taken form the cinchona tree in Peru. Also
when you have surgery, d-tarbocuranine is greatly
relied on as a muscle relaxer. It is made form
curare, derived from an Amazonian liana
(Palmer/23). This research shows that the m!
edicinal aspect of the rain forest is definitely
needed for the advancement of technology itself.
Much of the new technology being made in the
times that we are living in now, relies on the rain
forest. The packaging in which all the new stereos
and CD players are shipped,...
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