Conflict Between Economic Development and Environmental Protection Jim Ryan SPC An Irish Case Study Conflict in Ireland (Local) The Mayo Gas Terminal Development Highlights the need to manage the development of our natural resources and protect the environment and the safety of the local population Background Corrib Gas Field - 70 km offshore from Mayo coast Will provide a lifetime of aprx. 20 years and aprx. 60% of Ireland’s gas needs Will reduce the amount of gas we need to import from areas such as North Sea (Interconnector with UK) Processing The Gas The owners of the Gas Field Shell Cosortium want to process the gas onshore in Mayo Need to get out impurities and add odour for safety Investing 900 Million Euro in processing plant Gas will be pumped ashore near Rossport and be piped to the terminal at Bellanaboy Processing It will be processed and added to the National Gas Pipeline Grid The Construction is creating 500 jobs in an area which has very little employment 50 Permanent jobs will be created in the terminal when finished Conflict Jobs may not go to locals Safety of pipeline for local Safety of pipeline for environment Accidents Safety of Processing Plant Destruction of Natural Habitats Resulted in long court battles/picketing of site/violent assaults/local feuding Concerns of Locals High Pressure Pipeline close to residences and roads Proposed pipeline only 70 metres away from some homes - International guidelines state should be 750 metres Locals want it processed at sea and sent ashore in lower pressured pipelines Excavation of peat from area for the terminal could cause landslides Why Not Process at Sea? Too Expensive Delays Weather Issues Would not provide jobs to locals Rossport 5 2005 Five local landowners jailed for blocking access to the site - spent 90 days in jail - inflamed the situation Highlighted the way Irish Government were granting licences to foreign MNC’s rather than keeping the resource for Ireland People believe these licences have not benefited locals only make MNC’s richer - Inefficient use of Natural Resource Unlike oil in Norway (Statoil) Resolution International team of inspectors carried out a safety review and reported to Irish Government Mediator appointed to help locals and gas company resolve their differences 2006- Gas Company offered to re-route the pipeline They also offered to pay over 1.3 Million Euro into a Community Fund - to be used to create local employment and develop local business Resolution? In 2007 the Company was granted a licence by the EPA with 85 conditions - It stated that under these grounds the terminal would not adversely affect the health of the locals or the local environment Further objections were raised by the local objectors and An Taisce The terminal is now almost complete but has created great divide within the community and between the Gas Company and the Community International Case Study Deforestation - Amazon Rainforest Background 40% of World’s remaining Tropical Rainforest Vital role in maintaining Biodiversity/Climate/Water Cycle A Global Sink for Carbon Dioxide - absorbs it from the atmosphere as it grows Vital resource for food for local tribes Protects the soil against soil erosion and landslides/mudflows Critical resource for medicines Advance Brazil 2001 - Announced by Brazilian Government $40 Million plan Replace much of rainforest with: 10,000km of roads/HEP Dams/Reservoirs/Power Lines/Mines/Gasfields/Oilfields/Canals/Ports/ Logging Concessions/Industry Conflict The damage that will be done has been predicted by scientists using satellite imaging In 20 years they predict the following damage: 42% of region will be totally deforested Less than 5% of the land will be pure forest Forest destruction could be permanent Loss of rainforest will more than likely affect Global Warming due to decrease in Global Sink Brazil is a developing country and needs to develop its economy - Developed countries have always exploited raw materials The Future? The Advance Brazil plan is a means for speeding up Brazil’s development The plan may be overly ambitious so - may not be as destructive as predicted The plan has helped stop previous government policy of re-settling people in the rainforest which has been a major cause of deforestation The plan has been submitted to an Independent Environmental Impact Assessment by local Brazilian protestors and the International Community - They fear the global damage it could cause Global Concerns Lungs of the World being destroyed Deforestation causes poverty Deforestation causes mass movements of people - Refugees Destruction of Natural Habitat/Indigenous People Climate Change Destruction of possible Medical Remedies