Time Running Out for World's Forests
Britain's Prince Philip and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) are urging world leaders to address the current global forest crisis. They estimate that at current rates of deforestation, there will be virtually no natural forests left on the Earth in 50 years. The Prince notes "it is a critical situation." Alarming statistics include the fact that 94% of the world's forests are unprotected, and that Brazilian deforestation (to 1996) has increased by 34 percent since 1992. Clearly, the world has limited time to react to the threat.