We’ve been practicing forestry in ways for thousands of years, but only recently have we worked to seed coral reefs. Scientists in Japan have undertaken a vast coral restoration project to rescue its dying reefs. See the article in the New York Times.

It’s unclear how or if this practice addresses the growing threat of rising sea levels and rising water temperature; coral reefs can recover, but any thorough restoration effort must address the root causes of the sickness. Otherwise, the effort becomes something like lung transplant surgery for a smoker… it might make the person live longer, but a more effective solution would be to quit smoking. It’s unclear how much agricultural pesticides, industrial runoff, and fishing practices have damaged the reefs.

NPR just aired a story about the end of the Green Revolution in India. The quick summary is that India’s farmers used to live in much the same way as their ancestors, eking out a living from the soil; starvation was a looming problem for India’s growing population, and the “American” farming methods promised a solution. It required the use of genetically modified seeds, the application of pesticides, and the use of motorized farm equipment. The results were that some of the yields exploded, but there was a catch: the genetically modified crops required more water. The promise of the Green Revolution has turned out to be something of a Faustian Deal or a Trojan Horse. It may have taken 40 years for this to become obvious, but the dropping water table in India should be a testament to how the “modern” farming methods are not sustainable; not only are they not sustainable, they may have permanently damaged the land. The collapse of India’s breadbasket should be seen as the canary in the coal mine: if our modern system of agriculture has destroyed India’s ability to feed itself, then certainly other areas are close behind. Read more at NPR’s site:
‘Green Revolution’ Trapping India’s Farmers In Debt