Originally published August 2 2005
Farming is hurting the environment, Alaskan scientists claim
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Alaskan scientists earlier this week said that farming tactics are harming the overall global environment.
Local land-use practices -- such as clearing tropical and boreal forests, practicing large-scale agriculture, expanding urban centers and intensifying farmland production -- are so pervasive their effects are now observed globally, said study co-author Terry Chapin.
"All of the changes in local land-use are driven by human activities to meet local needs or create economic profits, but these changes have global consequences," Chapin said.
"We need to be aware of the local and global consequences of land-use change so that the true costs are considered when land-use planning and development take place.
It's not to say there shouldn't be any land-use change, but it must be in context."
The study, published in the journal Science, suggests closer collaboration between scientists and practitioners -- linking ecologists, land-use planners, climatologists, architects, entomologists and physicians -- in the development of land-use strategies that recognize both short- and long-term needs.
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