Ecocide and Genocide in the American West
John Muir
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John Muir (1838-1914) was born in Scotland but his family emigrated to
the United States in 1849 where they settled in Wisconsin.
Is credited as the founder of the Sierra club, one of the largest
grassroot enviromental organisations in the US.
Was fundamental in the establishment of Yosemite, Sequioa and
General Grant National parks.
Greatest struggle was against Gifford Pinchot over Hetch Hetchy Valley
and whether it should be damned or remain part of Yosemite National
Park.
Died of pneumonia on December 24th 1914, almost exactly a year after the
Hetch Hetchy Damn was approved.
John Muir
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Muir had an extremely spiritual view of the natural world,
willing to underplay it if he thought it would put others off.
Argued that deforestation would cause flooding and cause
more problems than it solved.
Alexander von Humboldt and George Perkins Marsh.
John Muir
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Once quoted as saying “if a war of the
races should occur between wild
beasts and Lord Man, I would be
tempted to sympathise with the
bears”.
Environmentalism in the New Deal
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FDR a keen conservationist like his cousin Theodore
Roosevelt.
Need to create jobs as part of the New Deal combined with
infrastructural issues in the National Parks lead to the
creation of the Civilian Conservation Corp 1933-1942
Employed men between 18-25 to build roads and trails to
and within the National Parks, amongst other things
Wilderness Society 1935, Aldo Leopold, Robert Sterling
Yard, Bob Marshall.
Conservation vs. Preservation round 2.
Ecocide in the Atomic Era
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Radioactive rainfall in Chicago 1955.
National Committe for a Sane Nuclear Policy (SANE) 1951,
Co-Chairmen: Norman Cousing of the Saturday Review,
Clarence Pickett of American Friends Service Committee.
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 1963, “an ecological
blessing”, MIT Arms Control Specialist Bernerd T. Field.
Treaty does not ban the testing of nuclear weapons
underground.
During the 1950s the Federal government was the sole
purchaser of Uranium.
Duck and Cover
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60
Nuclear Weapons test (3:00)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nvTd5mNRz0
Implications for Native Americans
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Around 60% of the USA's uranium reserves are under
Native land.
On top of this over 90% of US Uranium mining and milling
processes takes place in or directly adjacent to Native
land.
End of the Cold War has brought about the need to dispose
of Nuclear material on a grand scale.
Enviromental racism?
National Sacrifice Area: Four Corners Region
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So called for being where Utah,
Arizona, Colorado and New
Mexico intersect.
Home to various nations, namely
the Navajo (or Diné), Southern
Ute, Ute Mountain, Zani, Acoma
amongst others.
1952- US Interior Department
Bureau of Indian Affairs grants a
contract to Kerr-McGee
Corporation to mine for Uranium.
Original contract did not include a
“clean up clause”.
1983 study by the Enviromental
Protection Agency (EPA)
classified 1000 “significant”
nuclear waste sites within Navajo
territory.
Questions
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Is “enviromental racism” an accurate term to describe how Native
American peoples have been treated with regards to US nuclear
policy?