“We live on this planet as if we had another one where to go”
"In 60 years, there will be not a single hectare of forest left”
por Carlos VicenteFotos: Vicky Cuomo
18 de octubre de 2019
The damages caused by soybean farming, the extractive dependence model and open-pit mining are absent from the Argentina political agenda. Carlos Vicente, a member of Action for Biodiversity and also a member of Grain, warns us about the risks of not taking into account future generations.
To think what Argentina might look like in 60 years is disheartening. We are, literally, emptying the country. We are destroying 200,000 hectares of forest per year. At this rate, in 60 years, there will be not a single hectare of forest left beyond the protected areas, which will be for the luxury of those who can pay the access to them.
On the other hand, we have the contamination caused by the millions of litres of toxic pesticides that are being spread every year over areas of intense monoculture and will remain in the environment for years with the consequent effects on our people’s health.
“With the level of extractive industry and open-pit mining activity that exist today in Argentina, in 60 years from now, our natural resources will have run out.”
It is also important to point out that the expansion of soybean production and the extractive development model are draining the soil from its nutrients and its life. Furthermore, with the level of extractive industry and open-pit mining activity that exist today in Argentina, in 60 years from now, our natural resources will have run out.
In addition to what has been mentioned above, Argentina plays an important role in global warming, given that our industrial agricultural model provides a large dose of greenhouse gases. As we all know, the emission of these gases has an irreversible impact on life on Earth. From 2030, the effects of climate change are going to worsen. We’ve got a bleak future ahead of us.
In just 60 years, life on Earth could be unbearable but our political leaders are doing nothing to change the course of events. However, I believe in our people’s ability to react, as it is shown in the hundreds of agroecological projects that are being developed throughout the Cordillera, and in the resistance of native communities. It is important to raise people´s awareness because it may be the only hope left to prevent climate change disaster from happening.
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