Re,
Brazilians destroying rainforests and then building cities where they used to be and then blaming ''cliiiiiimate change'' for the flooding.
Not only but also ...
So much for One-Nutted " Green Energy "The expansion of wind power in China, Europe and North America has triggered a run on balsa wood in Ecuador. Up to 90% of the balsa traded worldwide comes from the South American country.
With existing plantations overwhelmed by the new demand, timber mafias are illegally cutting down balsa trees growing on islands and riverbanks of the Amazon. The loggers invade protected areas and indigenous territories, where they are causing serious social conflict.
The felling of balsa is devastating for local ecosystems. The tree fulfills important ecological functions and protects riverbanks from erosion.
The world’s largest consumer of balsa is Siemens Gamesa. The German-Spanish wind power company used almost 26,000 tons of balsa in 2021 (the equivalent of around 170,000 m³).
The three 81-meter rotor blades of a Siemens Gamesa offshore wind turbine, for example, contain a total of nearly six tons balsa (approx. 40 m³), or the equivalent of 40 trees. The wood is bonded in the blades together with plastics such as PET and PVC, as well as glass fiber and epoxy resins.
Other wind turbine manufacturers also use balsa, but in smaller quantities: In 2021, the figures were approximately 9,000 m³ for Nordex and 2,500 m³ for Vestas.
