Science and Society

Thanks for the great report! Who would have ever thought that coffee would become such an issue? Since it's almost impossible for the average consumer to discern exactly where and under what conditions coffee beans are grown, I think it's very important for the major coffee companies like Kraft Foods, Procter and Gamble, and Sara Lee to fully support and encourage such efforts as those of the WWF and to inform consumers of what it is they're doing. Smaller gourmet coffee companies have begun to advertise their coffee as "fair trade," or coffee which has been grown by small farmers using the "shade grown" method(traditional method, as opposed to the "sun grown" modern method) who receive a fair price for their coffee. Whenever I can, I try to support this "fair trade" coffee, but it's not always readily available.

Perhaps if those "poor farmers" had another source of income they wouldn't need to encroach on the animal's habitat. This is not just about endangered animals it is also about endangered human beings.

Your outlandish headlines are misleading. Instant coffee is not killing elephants. Farmers who hack down the forests and plant beans are trying to earn a living, right or wrong in their processesses. What else would you suggest they do in their locations? I grieve for the loss of habitat, but given a choice, I'd still pick a person over an elephant. Growing coffee beans is a far cry from growing poppies. Give it a break.

Unfortunately, so many people are blind to the fact that we are tied to the planet and we NEED to preserve habitat and wildlife or we WILL become just as extinct as the forests and the animals who live in the forests. Unfortunately, I don't believe the US with its endless corn, soybean and rapeseed crops and animal feedlots is any more responsible to the environment than these Indonesian farmers are. Look at the deforestation happening here. Who are we to point fingers when we can't even manage our own land?

Steve, The fields of row crops and acres of animal feedlots are not endless. It is very finite. Deforestation is far more common here from urban encroachment than clearing farmland.
Farmers, for the most part are responsible stewards of the land balancing their business and livelihood with their knowledge and respect for their land. Your comparison of Indonesian farmers encroaching on protected wildlife habitat is very unfair to U.S. farmers and farmland.

The United States has destroyed millions of acres of land within it's borders for the past 200 years for farming and industrial ventures. This has led to a comfortable lifestyle that much of the world envies. I totally agree that the destruction of wildlife is a global wide problem but it's going to happen more as smaller third world nations try to modernize. Who are we to tell indonesia to stop farming. I believe we may be past conservationalism as a key to helping this animals and have to think of a more radical solution. I know there isn't one now but i do not believe for a minute that a poor farmer trying to keep him and his family fed is going to care about this situation or should.

Why doesn't it surprise me that Steve would attempt to simplify things to picking a person over an elephant? And I think Steve's 'grieving'over the loss of habitat might be a bit of a stretch. People like Steve are the reason extinction and global warming keep being swept under the rug and will eventually become our demise. Instead of pointing a finger at supposed "outlandish" "misleading" headlines that are SOLELY attempting to raise awareness amongst an otherwise complacent society, maybe Steve should keep his ignorant beliefs to himself, rather than embarassing our species further by proving to be just one more stupid human who doesn't realize (or care) that by mistreating the environment and the animals in it, we're only hurting ourselves. You make me ashamed to be a human Steve.

This story illustrates that establishing a national park means nothing without a method of protecting the integrety of the park. The biosphere is under assault by overpopulation. What is needed is a dramatic reduction in the human population.

Deforestation and urban encroachment is a worldwide problem, and one for which the richest countries have much responsibility. We demand exotic foreign grown products for our lifestyle, we insist on wasteful lawns, we pave paradise and burn down the rainforests.

There are things we can do, as individuals and as consumers. Buy locally as much as possible, refuse to buy products that one knows are problematical, be a wise consumer and stop blindly supporting mega corporate greed by buying their products.

Shade grown, fair trade coffee is available at Costco and major supermarket chains. It's environmentally and economically desirable... and it tastes good. Buying it is just one small step to solving a huge problem, but it is a model program for other products and producers. Small steps can launch long successful journeys.

Personally I find all of you funny, just like the rest of our pitifull and pretty much stupid society. We as a human race are evil, vile, ignorant virus that has plaqued our planet for millenia. Yes there are many people out there who are actually DOING something. And there are a vast majority who are NOT. I mean seriously, would ANY of you posting here and who are about to post give up coffee, your car, your electricity, your cell phone, your hotwater, your processed foods, your paper and finally, your wooden homes? Just to save the rainforests or a species of animal? Seriously, think about it. Would you? NO, you wouldn't. And I know what you're thinking, "This guy doesn't know me. I bet he wouldn't even give up his things to do the same things." Well, your right. I wouldn't give up my truck. But, I have thought of building my future home from other materials, not wood. I DO donate money to environmental causes. I WILL teach my three young children the value of nature and conservation. You see, while most of you just talk and rant about how the environment is being treated, and be disgusted for the 5 minutes it takes for you read this blog's post and the following reader's posts, you will forget about it in the same amount of time. But there are those of us who are not just TALKING and being angry, we are actually DOING something. We are not being lazy a#@#@ and sipping our coffee and talking on our cellphones about how much gas costs while driving our cars. We are taking responsibility for our actions and working to reverse these consequences. I know this post seems very angry and hatefull, it's meant to be. Thats because I'm angry at people not like Steve, who are equally at fault, but people like you all who are posting nasty things about him. It is you who are the majority, you who need to change and start DOING instead of Talking about doing. I admit I am one of them too. We as a collective species need to get off our lazy bums and walk to work, stop cutting down trees to build huge extravagant homes, and throwing our garbage on the street. If we ALL start DOING, maybe we can stop being this evil virus that you all seem to be talking about.

L.P.

They buried it under the entertainment section.
And, I think this is a little more important than slop about the lady who died doing the idiotic radio contest.

Tom T. is right. Human overpopulation is the root cause for a lot of things. If we don't do something about it voluntarily, Nature will step in and do it for us. It could take the form of a thermonuclear war, with nations fighting for resources. It could be resource depletion (Can you imagine what will happen when the oil runs out?) It could happen by a major pandemic. It might even be caused by an external event, i.e., when "The Big One" hits. But we are the cause. Deal with it!

The real problem is over population of the world by people. When I was young there were fewer than 3 billion people. Now there are almost 7 billion people who are making more babies. We are driving the world ecosystem to overheat as the greenhouse effect. But since we refuse to reduce the population we will be forced to reduce it. One of these days the whole thing will explode. And there will be panic. All because we refuse to limit population.

This world would be a nice place with say 2 billion people. but at 7 going for 10 billion, I see little hope for a solution. If the population rises from 3 billion to 15 billion in less than 100 years what will save the animals and outself. We are all poisoning the environment. We are poisoning ourself.

The world desperately needs to stop having more children.

The guy above with 3 kids ranting and raving at everyone else but himself needs to look at his 3 kinds and learn some mathematics. The kids are a bigger problem then having a house today. The kids are exponentially demanding more and more houses. That guy is missing the boat big time.

"This is not just about endangered animals it is also about endangered human beings."

Huh? Humans are about as endangered as the common housefly. In fact, there are TOO MANY humans on the planet, which is the root cause of _this_ problem (and so many others).

No one person is responsible for overpopulation...that's what makes it so hard. But if people were more conscientious and had smaller families, this problem would get worse at a much slower rate than it currently is.

i will niver drink coffie ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm in favor of the planet first, then humans after that. We are supposed to be good stewards of this planet - it's the only one we have. So to say humans are more important than any other living thing on this planet is a complete ingorant statement. We (all living things) are all linked to each other. Have you ever heard of the "balance of nature"? Humans have the ablility to change their surroundings like no other creature on the planet - does that mean we have the right to kill off anything in our way? I believe we will ultimately pay for our poor stewardship and "the balance of nature" will smack us where the sun don't shine. The solution is not easy, but if we don't act now, nature will dish out what is necessary!