Founders Note

Hermis Haridas & Nisha Purushothaman

We are indeed living in dangerous times. Our rain forests are burning, first Brazil and now Indonesia. The rainforests are the lungs of our planet, the critical machinery that soaks up the carbon emissions and releasing breathable oxygen. The human pursuit of indiscriminate development leads to tremendous amounts of carbon emissions, which if left unchecked will lead to unprecedent and irreversible effects on the climate and ecology. And now, the only sponges that can soak up these emissions are themselves burning, in the process releasing more carbon into the atmosphere. The effects are so bad, that major metropolises which are thousands of kilometers away from the sources of fire are blanketed by haze.

World media has been abuzz with news that a majority of these fires are manmade and possibly even intentional. The simple fact of the matter is that, majority of the world’s rainforests today are in the poorer developing nations. These forests hold a lot of natural resources, which can bring badly needed cash to these growing economies. There is ever-growing political and popular pressure to open up these treasures of the natural world for logging and mining to unlock their economical potential and governments are getting more and more persuaded towards this.

One thing cannot be overlooked – the world needs these forests. The survival of not just the countries that is home to the rain forests, but all others are depended on the survival of these forests. Though the rest of the world does not have political ownership, the rain forests are a heritage for all of humanity. Hence, the protection of these cannot be the sole responsibility of the host nations. Our political leaders must rise from the levels of mere politicians and become statesman, and find workable solutions. We appeal to our readers around the world to influence your community and your political leadership to throw their might for a better tomorrow. The rain forests are not a luxury, they are an absolute necessity for the planet to function.

At Paws Trails, we renew our promise to work for the betterment of mother earth and her many inhabitants. Watch out for some exciting news in the near future!

www.pawstrails.com

Hermis Haridas & Nisha Purushothaman
Founders – PT Explorers