ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERY IN THE AMAZON PROVES THE FOREST WAS NOT PRISTINE BEFORE "COLONIALIZATION"

BBC:

Brazilian archaeologists have found an ancient stone structure in a remote corner of the Amazon that may cast new light on the region's past. The site, thought to be an observatory or place of worship, pre-dates European colonisation and is said to suggest a sophisticated knowledge of astronomy. ... It was traditionally thought that before European colonisation, the Amazon had no advanced societies.

The archaeologists made the discovery in the state of Amapa, in the far north of Brazil. A total of 127 large blocks of stone were found driven into the ground on top of a hill. Well preserved and each weighing several tons, the stones were arranged upright and evenly spaced. It is not yet known when the structure was built, but fragments of indigenous pottery found at the site are thought to be 2,000 years old. ... It is thought the ancient people of the Amazon used the stars and phases of the moon to determine crop cycles. ... It is thought to have been erected some time between 3000 and 1600 BC.

Okay. Let's get this straight: 3000 YEARS ago the local/indigenous Amazon people we CUTTING DOWN THE FOREST. And - if this site is an observatory, as the scientists maintain - then these ancients would have had to cut down quite a large swath of it in order to ensure that the people would be able to see the stars and planets visibly "line up" with these 127 multi-ton blocks of stone.

SO: when the eco-nuts tell you that the Amazon would be in a "pristine" state if it wasn't for greedy industrialists they are ALL WRONG. Cutting down large parts of the forest is as old as the forest itself.

BTW: scientists recently made another discovery in the Amazon. They discovered that MOST of the tress are MUCH OLDER than they ever thought. (Another link HERE.) And since OLD TREES do not absorb as much CO2 as YOUNG TREES, the aging of the Amazon might be the REAL major reason that atmospheric CO2 levels have risen.

If this is true, then the REAL way to decrease atmospheric CO2 levels in NOT by mandating less use of fossil fuels, but by allowing CLEAR-CUTTING of huge swathes of the Amazon, and then replanting it with YOUNG TREES, which DO absorb/(sequester) a lot of CO2 - because they're GROWING.

But, cutting down trees is not a viable solution for these "tree-huggers" - even though the ancient peoples of the Amazon MUST'VE done it, even though it might actually solve the atmospheric CO2 issue.

I think it's "off the table" for the eco-nuts because these tree-huggers are irrational nature-worshippers (who are emotionally opposed to industrialism and technology), and are not really rational problem-solvers.