Norway, which it turns out is not in South America, is the first country to donate to an Amazon preservation fund that will give money to Brazil to save its rainforest.   According to the Associated Press via MSNBC, Norway pledged $1 billion to the fund, paid by 2015, assuming that Brazil reduces deforestation.

The hope is that $21 billion will be raised that will all go to Brazil so that the country may immediately work “to protect nature reserves, to persuade loggers and farmers to stop destroying trees and to finance scientific and technological projects.“  Says Noways Prime Minster Jens Stoltenberg

‘Efforts against deforestation may give us the largest, quickest and cheapest reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Brazilian efforts against deforestation are therefore of vital importance if we shall succeed in our campaign against global warming.’

Seems to make sense, no?  This year, Norway will give $21 million to Brazil, next year $210 million, and will keep releasing money according to some sort of metric based on how well Brazil is doing on combating deforestation.

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If you’ve been to the movies in the past 2 years you probably know that cowboys are hot again.  And it seems they’re not just hot in the cinema but also in the rainforest.  A cattle rancher by the name of John Carter (not Noah Wyle from ER)  is working to give farmers who farm in environmentally safe ways better pay as a way of saving the rainforest from burning and farming.

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

Katie Halper:

“The First Time I Every Saw Your Face” May Be the First Time You Hear About Ewan MacColl

California’s Gay Marriage Ban Overturned & 5 Ways To Take Action

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Nicole Hughes:

“Bottlemania” Book Takes Bottled Water Industry To Task

Arnold Tells Automakers To “Stop Whining” About Tougher California Emissions Standards

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Andy Kondrat:

Department of Energy Forecasts Large Increase In Wind Power Usage

Edward Norton & Gavin Newsom Speak To Congress About Environmental Building Practices

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Jon Popham:

Spencer Tunick Strips Hundreds Naked

Lichtenstein Sculptures At Fairchild Garden In Miami

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Giulia Rozzi:

Does Being Ethical Pay?

Is the Anti-Female Genial Mutilation Campaign Offensive?

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Gina Telaroli:

A Global Look At Media On Pangea Day

Everything Cinema: Brody Takes On the Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard

The Roy Lichtenstein monumental sculptures exhibit is coming upon the last two weeks of its unique run at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami. The installation features ten Lichtenstein monumental sculptures ranging from eight to thirty feet high and including some of the late, great pop artist’s most famous works, including House II and Brushstrokes, showcased within the gorgeous, lush surroundings of the Botanic Garden.

The Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami - Dade County’s oldest cultural institution and one of the premiere Botanic Gardens in the world, has presented the exhibition as part of its annual Art and Flowers series. The premiere was last December during the world famous Art Basel Miami Beach international art show.

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by Kerry Trueman

Women love chocolate, and that includes Mother Nature. And why not? It’s good, and good for you,” and now we know, thanks to this delicious report from NPR’s Joanne Silberner, that planting cocoa trees is also good for the planet.

Brazilian cocoa farmers are employing a method called “cabruca” farming, in which they cut down just a few tall trees and plant the lower-growing cacao trees underneath. Rainforests do a stellar job of storing massive amounts of carbon, so finding a way to farm that doesn’t require clearcutting the rainforests is a great step forward. Is there anything chocolate isn’t good for?