We thank the many readers who responded positively to our recent report on Brazil and deforestation in the Amazon. For a researcher and a writer, it is affirming to get some positive feedback.
Not all readers’ responses were favorable. One broker called it the “the dumbest thing I have read.” Another person said, “The world has been heating and cooling for 4 billion years, so what’s the big deal?” And there were a few other naysayers. All fall into the denier/skeptic camp. One said that this is Brazil’s issue, so why are we making it our business in the US? That same reader said that the Alaskan wilderness is Alaska’s issue and the rest of the United States should keep its hands off. Two people were inappropriately nasty and have therefore been removed from our listserv and permanently blocked.
A few people contributed thoughtful responses which argued that the political system is not fixable and that only a massive catastrophe will be enough to change behavior.
Still others said that technological innovations can help mitigate climate issues.
We appreciated nearly all of the responses.
Now here is a link to a study by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) that analyzed decades of ground and satellite data to track the amount of moisture in the atmosphere over the Amazon rainforest and to assess how much moisture is needed to maintain the ecosystem. The map compiled from the data dramatically demonstrates the decline of moisture in the air over South America from 1987 to 2016. We thank David Kruschwitz for directing us to this site.
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/145834/human-activities-are-drying-out-the-amazon
We recommend that deniers and skeptics study this and other climate-change data carefully. If you're truly a skeptic, this may be what tilts you into the science-based consensus that an anthropogenic thumb is on the scale accelerating climate change beyond natural causation alone. After all, the world is no longer seen as flat – except by the few who remain deniers.
David R. Kotok
Chairman and Chief Investment Officer
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