Saving the Rain Forests

Officials across the globe are stepping up efforts to save the world's remaining rain forests, jolted by widespread tropical fires, growing concern about global warming and warnings of a nearly unprecedented wave of plant and animal extinctions. The World Bank is studying the best way to make limited use of the forests without destroying them, while Brazil, the Philippines and other nations are trying to sharply restrict logging and other destructive activities. Congress, meanwhile, is considering forgiving $50 million owed to the United States by developing nations to encourage them to spare their forests. But unless population growth and worldwide poverty can be addressed, most of the rain forests are likely to be gone by the middle of the next century.