Hi. I am reading up on the Kyoto Protocol for a project and I am a little confused on the meaning of this paragraph. If someone could help explain it to me, that would be great!:
Dispossession and prostitution loom for Costa Rica's rural women and children as rainforests are converted into oxygen credits under the Kyoto Protocol. In Costa Rica, local communities, especially those living in the tropical rainforests, depend for survival on the bounty provided by the forests and women's non-wage labour. With the Kyoto Protocol, neoliberals have redefined forests as 'oxygen generators', a concept that indebted countries have embraced. This world view destroys sustainable ways of living and creates destitution and real misery because it is used to justify the expulsion of local communities from the bounty of their forests, thereby undermining their basic support systems. The global environmental crisis has highlighted the fact that forest vegetation stores carbon that, if released, would contribute to trapping heat in the atmosphere, driving up temperatures and speeding up climate change. Selling oxygen from the rainforest has become part of the 'sustainable development' agenda in the Kyoto Protocol.
Rather give you a line by line paraphrasing of the paragraph, I will give you my views and an overall summary of what it says.
I am not sure I agree with what the paragraph is saying. It makes an extreme claim that women are being driven from their rain forest habitat and into prostitution by their government's embracing of the Kyoto protocol. The poor countries' governments supposedly force them from their habitat and "sustainable forest lifestyle" in order to receive "oxygen credits" from richer countries that are bigger producers of greenhouse gases. The governments supposedly get the payments or credits for leaving the rain forests intact.
The paragraph does not provide examples and does not make a strong case that "sustainable ways of living" are incompatible with leaving the rain forests alone. What the Kyoto protocol tries to prevent is the massive destruction of rain forests for food or biofuel products.
Why do these countries, such as Cuba, want oxygen credits? Does it make them more wealthy?
This paragraph highlights some concerns regarding the impact of the Kyoto Protocol on Costa Rica's rural women and children. It suggests that the conversion of rainforests into "oxygen credits" under the Kyoto Protocol has negative consequences for these communities.
To understand the meaning of the paragraph, we can break it down:
1. "Dispossession and prostitution loom for Costa Rica's rural women and children as rainforests are converted into oxygen credits under the Kyoto Protocol."
This sentence implies that as rainforests are converted into oxygen credits, Costa Rica's rural women and children face the risk of being deprived of their land or resources and potentially being forced into prostitution.
2. "In Costa Rica, local communities, especially those living in the tropical rainforests, depend for survival on the bounty provided by the forests and women's non-wage labor."
This sentence suggests that the local communities, particularly those living in the rainforests, rely on the resources and labor of women to support their livelihoods.
3. "With the Kyoto Protocol, neoliberals have redefined forests as 'oxygen generators', a concept that indebted countries have embraced."
Here, it is argued that the concept of forests being redefined solely as "oxygen generators" is being promoted by neoliberals. Additionally, it is suggested that countries with large debts have adopted this view.
4. "This world view destroys sustainable ways of living and creates destitution and real misery because it is used to justify the expulsion of local communities from the bounty of their forests, thereby undermining their basic support systems."
This sentence asserts that this new perspective on forests as "oxygen generators" undermines sustainable ways of living. It argues that this viewpoint leads to the expulsion of local communities from the resources of their forests, creating destitution and causing real suffering.
5. "The global environmental crisis has highlighted the fact that forest vegetation stores carbon that, if released, would contribute to trapping heat in the atmosphere, driving up temperatures and speeding up climate change."
This statement highlights the role of forests in storing carbon dioxide and preventing the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. It explains that if forests are destroyed or converted, the stored carbon would be released, exacerbating climate change.
6. "Selling oxygen from the rainforest has become part of the 'sustainable development' agenda in the Kyoto Protocol."
The final sentence suggests that within the Kyoto Protocol, the selling of oxygen from rainforests is viewed as part of the sustainable development agenda.
Overall, the paragraph criticizes the Kyoto Protocol for its potential negative impact on Costa Rica's rural communities, particularly the women and children who rely on the resources of the rainforests for their livelihoods. It argues that the focus on forests as "oxygen generators" instead of recognizing their broader value as crucial ecosystems undermines sustainable living and allows for the expulsion of local communities.