Clear-cutting a tropical rainforest exposes its shallow soil to heavy tropical rain. The soil is quickly washed away, causing floods and landslides, and preventing regeneration of the original rainforest. However, fast-growing softwoods, which can be harvested for a profit, will grow in clear-cut areas, halting further soil runoff. If we can't prevent clear-cutting, we should provide tax relief to companies that plant softwood plantations in clearcut areas in order to minimize environmental degradation.
Which of the following if true, most seriously calls into question the advisability of the above scheme?
A) Softwood plantations usually contain only type of tree, and so lack the biodiversity of the original rainforest.
B) Increasing the value of clear-cut land will encourage the clear-cutting of more rain-forest.
C) It would be cheaper to halt flooding and landslides by building dams and levees.
D) The original rainforests are clear-cut to obtain hardwoods, which are many times more valuable than softwoods.
E) Government incentives tend to have far reaching consequences that are difficult to predict and may turn out to be counterproductive.
Which of the following if true, most seriously calls into question the advisability of the above scheme?
A) Softwood plantations usually contain only type of tree, and so lack the biodiversity of the original rainforest.
B) Increasing the value of clear-cut land will encourage the clear-cutting of more rain-forest.
C) It would be cheaper to halt flooding and landslides by building dams and levees.
D) The original rainforests are clear-cut to obtain hardwoods, which are many times more valuable than softwoods.
E) Government incentives tend to have far reaching consequences that are difficult to predict and may turn out to be counterproductive.
