Spring-Summer 2012, vol. XXIV. 1,2
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
6
7
8
9
Special Focus:
Innovative Approaches
to Climate Change Mitigation:
The Case of Oil Exploration
in the Yasuní ITT Rainforest
Special Focus:
Innovative Approaches to Climate
Change Mitigation: The Case of Oil
Exploration in the Yasuní ITT Rainforest
Food for Thought:
Geo-engineering Projects
Oil in Africa
Good News
Ecotourism:
towards green growth
Health and Environment:
Illegal Waste Dumping
Did You Know?
9 The Gibe III Dam
10 Disaster in Ethiopia
The Social Environmental
Protection Floor
10 Causes of High
Food Price Volatility
11 Chornobyl Update
11 Biodiversity impacts
Moment of silence commemorating Chornobyl and Fukushima Daiichi.*
of nuclear accidents
12 IAEA Improving Global
Security in Seoul
Voices
13 UNITAR Forum on
“Opportunities and Challenges
for a Green Economy”
13 UN HEADQUARTERS Briefing
on: An Interactive Dialogue on
“Harmony with Nature”
Statement of WIT to the
13 Commission for
Social Development
14 TEDMED Conference 2012
Point of View:
16 Hope for the future or Another
Kind of Climate Change
Education brings choices.
Choices bring power.
World Ecology Report
is printed on recycled paper.
Yasuni National Park. Most biodiverse place
on Earth could open for oil exploration.
Source: http://earthfirstnews.wordpress.com/tag/yasuni-national-park/
On the evening of Friday, December 18th 2009 – after witnessing the
failure to reach agreement on a follow-on accord to the Kyoto Protocol by
the close of the last regularly scheduled day of negotiations at the Conference of the Parties fifteen and the Meeting of the Parties five to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – I
stated, in an interview for Climate Spark TV at the NASA Club in Copenhagen, Denmark, that “only when it becomes economically beneficial to
mitigate climate change, will it become politically expedient [to do so].”
In making this statement, I assumed that the political push for a binding
climate change mitigation agreement would occur only after renewable
energy and other high-technologies advanced to a point where mitigation efforts would confer substantial financial gains. Nearly three years
later, no one technology nor any grouping of multiple technologies, has
offered significant financial incentives thus dispelling the notion that
economic gain would spur mitigation efforts.
While technological change, has not provided the
economic incentives required to under-write political
action on climate change mitigation – even as we approach the Rio+20 Earth Summit, what many believe
to be the last best hope for a binding accord on global
sustainability – there have been simple but profound advances in conservation. One notable success is in the
energy sector. Specifically, Ecuadorian President, Rafael
Correa agreed to permanently halt oil extraction in the
Yasuní Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tiputini (ITT) rainforest,
perhaps the most ecologically diverse ecosystem on the
planet, if donors would pay Ecuador fifty percent of the
value of lost revenues. By the end of 2011, the Yasuní
ITT Initiative, raised US$116 million (exceeding the required US$100 million) in payments due by years’ end
and successfully stalled the extraction of more than 900
million barrels of oil. Given the fact that the energy sector is by far, the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, this
initiative warrants analysis to determine if it can serve as
a model for multiple, larger scale interventions.
Why Technological Innovation
Has Not Led To Mitigation Policy:
Before analyzing the Yasuní ITT Initiative it is instructive to briefly discuss why technological innovation has
not provided the economic motivation to underwrite
substantive, binding climate change mitigation policies.
This discussion will illuminate why simple, easily implemented, albeit seemingly mundane initiatives such as
the Yasuní ITT are far better suited to have a meaningful impact on climate change mitigation and sustainable
development.
Past precedent appears to lend credence to the argument that profitable high-technological innovation can
result in the adoption of mitigation policy and foment
change. For example, the United States’ embraced the
Montreal Protocol of 1987 and led an initiative to phaseout ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) in favor of ozone neutral refrigerants and propellants such as
hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) because U.S. industries had
a significant lead in these areas and would therefore be
able to capture a significant and highly profitable market share for goods using CFC alternatives.
Given this experience, it is natural to look for a hightechnology or grouping of high-technologies that would
appear to offer a miracle cure. While HFC might have
been just that for the ozone depletion problem, there
World Information Transfer
2 World Ecology Report
Spring-Summer 2012
does not appear to be a similar comprehensive solution for anthropogenic climate change. For example,
solar photovoltaic (PV) is perceived by many as constituting a large part of the solution. However, despite
solar PV’s long history (the photovoltaic effect was discovered in 1839 and commercial silicon PV cells were
marketed by Western Electric as early as 1954), myriad
serious barriers remain, limiting solar PV’s efficacy as
a large-scale solution. Chief among these are land use
concerns and storage capacity. Extrapolating off of John
Sheffield’s calculations, and assuming an average efficiency of 40 W(e)/m2 for solar energy to meet current
energy demand of approximately 6,200 Mtoe/a, a solar
field slightly larger than two United States would be required.1 Even if space were available and a field of this
size were technologically feasible, solar is an intermittent generator and current battery technology proves
woefully insufficient to provide storage for solar electricity. Likewise, other renewable technologies face similar
daunting barriers. This is not to say that these high-technologies, employed together will not have a significant
impact on climate change mitigation. However, neither
one high-technology nor a collection of the most promising high-technologies is likely to provide more than a
partial solution.
Moreover, high-technology solutions pose additional problems. Firstly, they require massive changes
to infrastructure in order for them to be implemented.
Secondly, focusing on one high-technology or a smallgrouping of high-technologies results in a ‘crowdingout’ effect whereby top scientific talent, research funding, etc. is directed towards those high-technologies at
the expense of other promising approaches. The result
is path dependency focusing on one or a small grouping of high-technologies. This is the case with solar PV,
whereby after NASA advanced the development of the
1. Sheffield postulates that at an efficiency of 40 W(e)/m2,
.1% of the earth’s land mass less Antarctica would be required
to generate 4,000 Mtoe/a from solar plants. Also according
to Sheffield, current world energy demand is 6,200 Mtoe/a.
Thus, .155% of the earth’s land mass less Antarctica would be
required. The earth’s total land mass Is approx. 57,500,000
mi2 (Science Desk Reference American Scientific. New York:
Wiley, 1999: 180.) less Antarctica’s 5,500,000 mi2 (http://www.
coolantarctica.com/Antarctica%20fact%20file/antarctica%20
environment/whats%20it%20like%20in%20Antarctica.htm) gives
a total of 52,000,000 mi2. Of which, the United States constitutes 3,717,813 mi2 (UN Official Figures) or .071496% of total
land mass. Two United States equals .142993% or just shy of
the required .155%. NOTE all figures are approximate.
technology for use in space, much focus was applied to
terrestrial uses for solar PV at the expense of other options. Finally, in much the same way that increasing efficiency paradoxically causes consumers to do more of an
energy consuming activity undermining the gains generated from increased efficiency (e.g. with the increase
in fuel economy of modern cars, instead of using less
gas, drivers are now using their vehicles more frequently
and over longer distances thus negating per mile fuel
savings), the large-scale implementation of affordable,
renewable energy is likely to cause an increase in demand for energy. Given these realities, low-technology
solutions such as the Yasuní ITT Initiative provide promising alternatives (or at least compliments) to high-technology innovations.
Project Overview:
The Yasuní ITT Initiative began when, in June of
2007, Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa announced
that he would be interested in permanently leaving the
Yasuní ITT rainforest’s oil in the ground, provided donors contributed half the value of the oil for projects
aimed at conservation, social development and poverty
eradication in the Yasuní ITT rainforest. The Yasuní
ITT rainforest, containing in excess of 900 million barrels of crude oil represents approximately twenty percent
of Ecuador’s proven reserves. The total value of which
(depending on oil prices) could exceed US$10 billion
and represents approximately US$700 million per annum in revenue to the Ecuadorian state. Moreover, the
proposed project would avoid more than 400 million
metric tons of carbon dioxide, roughly equivalent to the
annual emissions of France.
After three years of research, the Yasuní ITT Initiative was launched in mid-2010. Specifically, the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) established
a trust fund, “the Ecuador Yasuní ITT Trust Fund,” to
administer funds raised pursuant to the Yasuní ITT Initiative. The fund will collect fifty percent of the forgone
oil revenue, over a period of ten years. The target goal
for year one, 2011, of US$100 million was exceeded by
US$16 million. For 2012 and 2013, the required fundraising amount has more than doubled to US$291 million, the remaining seven years are likely to have targets
in excess of the fund, US$350 million. The total future
value of the fund, US3.6 billion, will make this the largest fund of its type. For year one, funds were sought
Source: saveyasuni.wordpress.com
directly from governments and large corporate donors
(pledging at least US$100 thousand). Henceforth, donations from individual contributors as low as US$25.00
may be accepted and the Initiative plans to ramp up
mainstream and social media based advertising in furtherance of this new potential fundraising source.
The fact that the Yasuní ITT Initiative is underway
and has exceeded its goal for 2011 is remarkable. All
the more significant is the reality that it is occurring in
Ecuador. A country which derives 35 percent of it GDP
and approximately one third its tax revenue from oil revenue. Moreover, Ecuador is the eleventh largest exporter of oil to the U.S., with oil exports comprising more
than half of the nation’s export revenues.
Project Analysis:
Admittedly, the Yasuní ITT Initiative is still in its early
stages, nevertheless an analysis of its potential successes
and likely shortcomings are warranted. Not only will
this serve to increase understanding of the Initiative
but it may also aid in adjusting key components to avoid
shortfalls.
The main benefit of this Initiative is it keeps vast quantities of oil in the ground, thereby avoiding emissions,
deforestation and destruction of the Yasuní ITT rainforest while preserving the home of the ‘un-contacted’
indigenous people who have lived there for centuries.
As regards the foremost benefit, avoiding emissions, it is
unclear if the full 400 plus million metric tons of carbon
dioxide emissions avoidance that would have resulted
had this oil been extracted will be realized because President Correa has already authorized oil exploration and
World Information Transfer
World Ecology Report 3
Spring-Summer 2012
Source: sosyasuni.org/en/index.php
extraction in other parts of the country to make up for
a portion of the shortfall. Moreover, if the oil does not
flow from Ecuador, former consumers of Ecuadorian
crude, including the U.S. will purchase more oil extracted elsewhere. Nevertheless, even if the emissions reductions are not as high as projected, the fact that oil is not
being extracted from Yasuní ITT is still highly valuable
in that it preserves what many scientists believe to be the
most bio-diverse ecosystem on the planet and ensures
that ‘un-contacted’ indigenous peoples in the area are
not displaced. Beyond its immense biodiversity, saving
the Yasuní ITT rainforest is especially significant for two
reasons. First, forests, especially rainforests, serve as a
massive carbon sink. Nevertheless, deforestation leads
to a global loss of thirteen million hectares of forest each
year, releasing six and a half billion tons of carbon dioxide per annum. Second, deforestation is especially
prevalent in Ecuador, where, as of 2009, an estimated
thirty percent of the Ecuadorian rainforest had been destroyed – making Ecuador, the second most deforested
place in South America (after Paraguay).
The Yasuní ITT Initiative confers additional benefits
given the proposed uses for the funds generated. Specifically, the Trust Fund will invest in the conservation of
4.8 million hectares while administering and protecting
an additional five million hectares belonging to indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian peoples. In addition 1 million hectares of degraded and eroded land belonging to
smallholders will be revitalized. In sum a total of nearly
11 million hectares will be revitalized and/or protected.
In addition to better land management, funds will also
be directed to projects throughout the country aimed
at increasing energy efficiency as well as Ecuador’s renewable energy portfolio. Funds will also be devoted to
poverty eradication and social development; including
investment in education and health as well as to support
advanced research in the field of environmental science.
The focus on poverty eradication in the Amazon is
World Information Transfer
4 World Ecology Report
Spring-Summer 2012
especially significant given the link between oil extraction and increased incidences of poverty. Paradoxically,
poverty rates are highest in areas where extraction occurs. For example, in 2006, 66.8 percent, more than two
thirds the Amazonian population fell below the poverty
line. This is compared to a national average of 49.1 percent; 20.9 percent in Quito and 43.6 percent and 52.4
percent in the neighboring highland and coastal provinces (respectively).
However, it should be noted at this time that some
have raised concerns regarding Ecuador’s commitment
to the Initiative. Some donors and environmentalists
have questioned Ecuador’s ability to abide by the agreement over the long term given political instability. Certainly, the terms of the agreement are secure for as long as
UNDP administers the Trust Fund, but once the money
has been completely disbursed (at least a decade off –
likely far longer) there are concerns that future leaders
will attempt to extract the oil for profit. The feasibility
of doing so is somewhat questionable given the international backlash that would result. Additionally, even a
decision to extract the oil in the distant future would not
undo many of the positive benefits financed by the Trust
Fund. Moreover, it remains unclear if the Initiative will
continue to be able to raise the funds required each year
to keep the project afloat. The quota for 2012 is nearly triple last year’s target. Though, it is likely that the Initiative
will be able to leverage last year’s overwhelming fundraising success coupled with the inclusion of private donors
for 2012 to achieve its commitment this year and into the
future.
Global Project Implications:
Given that the success of this project is at least probable, analyzing the most significant global implications
is justified. Two effects are especially interesting. First,
the effects on global oil prices of removing a significant
percentage of Ecuadorian crude from the market. Sec-
ond, there are potential international implications from
the Initiative given that this type of ‘avoided emissions’
scheme might be adapted and included in international
climate change mitigation treaties.
As regards the effects on the international market for
crude oil, the project is likely to have a negligible effect,
while the total reserves in the Yasuní ITT rainforest exceed 900 million barrels, this equates to approximately
250 thousand barrels per day over the ten year life of the
project. While significant compared to Ecuador’s current production of 486 thousand barrels per day, this
pales in comparison to total world oil consumption of
more than 85.7 million barrels per day. Additionally,
the market is not losing a full 250 thousand barrels per
day given that Ecuador has stepped up consumption
elsewhere. Furthermore, had Ecuador not increased
consumption elsewhere to compensate, other countries
could have stepped in to fill the void. For example, in
response to the recent embargos against Iranian oil, Saudi Arabian Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi stated “I believe we
[Saudi Arabia] can easily get up to 11.4 [to] 11.8 [million barrels per day] [up from 9.8 million barrels per
day – a 1.6 to 2 million barrel per day increase] almost
immediately, in a few days. Because all we need is to turn
valves. Now to get [an additional .7 to 1.1 million barrels
per day] we probably need about 90 days [sic.]. As such,
this Initiative is unlikely to have any significant effects
on oil prices – certainly not to the extent necessary to
foment a change in consumption patterns – unless it is
repeated in numerous other areas.
As regards employing the Yasuní ITT Initiative’s
model elsewhere, some nations fear that the model
will be replicated and written into a binding climate
change mitigation accord thereby forcing multiple additional projects which would both require donor governments to foot a large portion of the bill and could
potentially foment a substantial rise in oil prices. This
fear however is largely unfounded. Pamela Martin, author of Oil in the Soil: The Politics of Paying to Protect
the Amazon, a book which focuses on the Yasuní ITT
Initiative, states that “[The precedent set by Yasuní ITT
is] very limited in scale.” She stipulates that “[i]t [the
precedent] only applies to countries situated between
the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer which have tropical forests, a certified high level of biodiversity, and a
credible program for investment in sustainable energy
programs.”
Even though the Yasuní ITT Initiative’s model may
not be broadly applicable, other ‘avoided emissions’
schemes are being employed with a wider reach. For
example, in the field of land use, land use change and
forestry (LULUCF), The United Nations Collaborative
Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation
and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (UNREDD and UN-REED+) functions similarly to the Yasuní
ITT Initiative in that it establishes a monetary value for
the carbon stored in forests. Specifically, UN-REDD
provides for investment in developing countries for the
purpose of reducing emissions from forestry related
activities. In addition, UN-REDD+ helps subsidize sustainable forestry as well as conservation, increasing the
amount of forest by making trees more valuable alive
than dead. Thus, even if the Yasuní ITT Initiative is not
a globally applicable solution, it can still be replicated
in certain areas and complimented by other initiatives
such as UN-REDD and UN-REDD+ which leverage similar principals of ‘avoided emissions.’
Conclusion:
In summary, while it is clear that high-technology
drivers for mitigation have not proved to be a panacea,
low-technology solutions such as the Yasuní ITT Initiative and other similar projects can confer numerous
benefits including avoided emissions, reforestation, underwriting the transition to renewable energy and funding health and educational programs. While the Yasuní
ITT Initiative clearly has flaws – especially regarding the
less than complete 400 million plus metric tons of carbon dioxide avoidances – it also confers numerous benefits and as such, is a model that ought to be replicated.
In addition, the Initiative has shown that deployment
of non-traditional economic drivers (i.e. trust fund revenue as opposed to revenue from the design, sale and
operation of high-technology solutions) necessitates further research. Research might also be conducted to examine non-economic drivers for climate change mitigation and sustainable development (see Koven, 2010 for
a discussion of security and diplomatic/international
stature related motivations for mitigation and sustainability projects).
Sources: B. S. Koven, The Guardian, Sciencemag.org,
inventors.about.com, J. Sheffield, R. B. Rycroft, P. L. Martin,
ecocentric.blogs.time.com, B. Walsh, eia.gov,
channelnewsasia.com, unredd.org
World Information Transfer
World Ecology Report 5
Spring-Summer 2012
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Geo-engineering Projects
Geo-engineering is the
artificial altering of the environment in order to mitigate
the effects of global warming.
While it is not a new idea,
Bill Gates brought geo-engineering once again to the
public’s attention by pouring millions into high-risk
projects this past February.
A multitude of projects are
in discussion at the moment,
but the injection of sulfate
particles into the atmosphere
to reflect sunlight has been
proven the most effective thus
far, both in the lab and in nature. The 1991 eruption of
Mount Pinatubo, which de- Geoengineering could slow down the global water cycle
posited approximately 9 tons Source: https://www.llnl.gov/news/newsreleases/2008/NR-08-05-04.html
of sulfur in the stratosphere, released sulfate aerosols
However, sulfates bring as many threats as they do
that cooled the earth by approximately 0.5o Celsius promises. The mass-specific light scattering efficiency of
within a year (Katz, 2010). Through observation, scien- a sulfate is strongly dependent on its radius; while the
tists linked the release of sulfuric aerosols in volcanic efficiency peaks at 0.3 μm diameter, it decreases rapidly
eruptions to the cooling of the Earth. The sulfuric aero- for larger or smaller droplets. It is difficult to produce
sols act as a manufactured ozone layer, absorbing and sulfate aerosol with an appropriate size distribution, and
scattering incoming solar radiation. They also have a therefore there is no guarantee that the project would
propensity to increase cloud condensation nuclei, lead- substantially offset the doubling of carbon dioxide
ing to an increase of the cloud’s density, height, and (Keith, 2010). The project may not only be inefficient,
lifetime, which all result in a higher reflectivity (Mat- but also destructive. After the Pinatubo eruption, the
thews and Calderia, 2007).
blue cast of the sky was notably brightened, and even
In contrast to most other geo-engineering schemes, turned white, resulting in both a change of ecosystem
the results of solar radiation management will be seen productivity because of modified photosynthetic behavquickly as it is fast acting, cost effective, and easy to im- ior and a reduction in the output of solar power systems.
plement since the technology required already exists. Furthermore, although non-reactive in the mesosphere,
In 2002, Paul Crutzen, a Nobel prize winning atmos- sulfates can slowly transport to the lower stratosphere
pheric chemist, estimated that the annual cost of strato- and provide reactive surfaces for reservoirs of chlorine
spheric sulfur injection would be 25-50 billion dollars, to produce chlorine monoxide. The chlorine monoxide
compared to the estimated 400 billion dollars for the depletes ozone by decomposing it into oxygen gas.
yet to be effective Kyoto Protocol. Its feasible execution
Despite its promising results, Geo-engineering has
will allow for the prevention of climate tipping elements merely reached the research phase and has been paid litconcerning the world at the moment, such as the loss of tle to no attention, until recently. The covertness stems
Greenland’s glaciers.
from fear that people will consider geo-engineering as an
World Information Transfer
6 World Ecology Report
Spring-Summer 2012
action to reduce global warming instead of as its intended
purpose- risk control. The primary purpose of the project
is not to allow humans to continue to pollute the planet,
but rather to minimize the effects of the already existing
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Continued research
on geo-engineering coupled with citizen cooperation to
reduce carbon dioxide emissions will hopefully mitigate
the impact of global warming on Earth in the future.
Author: Gabriella LoConte
Sources: Katz, J. “Global Response to Global Warming: Geoengineering with Stratospheric Aerosols.”; American Physical
Society. 64.17 (2010): 22-41. Print.; Keith, D. W. “Photophoretic levitation of engineered aerosols for geoengineering.”
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United
States of America. 107.38 (2010): 16428-16431. Print.
Matthews, H. D, and K. Caldiera. “Transient climate–carbon
simulations of planetary geoengineering.” Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences of the United States
of America 104.24 (2007): 9949-9954.
OIL IN AFRICA
In the last week of
March 2012, oil was
found for the first time
in the Turkana region
of Kenya. This discovery brings the dream of
economic promise to
many Kenyans, especially as Turkana is one
of the poorest regions
in Kenya.
However,
Kenyans are concerned
that the oil wealth will
fall into the hands of a
corrupt government instead of directly benefiting
the people. Uganda, which struck oil under Lake
Albert in November of 2011, shares a similar dilemma with Kenya in how to approach the future
of oil production in the region with political, environmental, and economic questions.
The large fishing community of Uganda is worried about their livelihood, now that their way of
living is compromised by the greater economic
promise of oil. The government has signed new
contracts with Tullow Oil, even though there is a
parliamentary resolution banning the signing of
contracts before there is a chance to develop
new oil laws for the region. In retaliation, civil
society organizations have threatened to work
with outside organizations to ban Tullow Oil from
access to their oil and resources of the country.
The majority of Ugandans fear corruption in the
government will be the roadblock in their access
to the wealth from oil; there is already a large
gap between the rich and poor in the country.
The Ugandan government has been accused of
taking bribes, starting
with $300,000 in signing
bonuses from Tullow Oil
that has gone missing.
There are also environmental
concerns
related to the discovery
and production of oil,
keeping Africans in trend
with the rest of the world
that fears economic dependency on oil and its
overall effects. The air
emissions from refining crude oil severely impact
the ozone layer; oceans and land contaminated by
leaks and spills can be affected for years, where
the environment surrounding some spills are never
fully rectified. Drilling for oil removes vegetative
cover on the land, as well as all of the hazards that
come with construction. Entire habitats could be
disturbed from the noise, dust, erosion, and exposure to contaminants.
While the discovery of oil as a natural resource in
a region is at first looked at as economic blessing,
countries such as Uganda and Kenya know that
there can be unforeseen curses as well. The entire
world community looks to see how these countries
will handle corruption and environmental concerns.
Author: Lauren Rava
Sources: www.npr.org/2012/03/28/149512221/thegood-and-bad-of-kenyas-first-oil-strike; www.bbc.co.uk/
news/world-africa-15588257; www.guardian.co.uk/globaldevelopment/2012/mar/21/transparency-compensationuganda-oil-sector; allafrica.com/stories/201202210872.html;
africanarguments.org/2011/12/13/angola%E2%80%99snew-oil-banking-legislation-by-kissy-agyeman-togobo-songhai-advisory; teeic.anl.gov/er/oilgas/impact/drilldev/index.
cfm.
World Information Transfer
World Ecology Report 7
Spring-Summer 2012
countries. Before 1960, Costa Rica
had no environmental policy, which
was resulting in widespread deforestation of the countryside. Because
of international, civil, and scientific
pressure the government decided to
act to protect its biodiversity by creating a unique ecological experience
for the tourists visiting their rain
forests. In Asia, countries such as Sri
Lanka or Laos have also developed
a very important ecotourism indusEcotourism:
try. In Africa, Botswana has created
a special Ecotourism Certification
towards green growth
Ecotourism is tourism with a System comprising of quality and
relatively low-impact on the envi- sustainability standards such as comronment, while contributing to mitment with local communities, nathe local economy, engendering ture conservation, and interpretation
cross-cultural exchange, and fos- of surrounding environments to the
tering environmental education. guests. In Kenya, there are a numThe concept developed in the early ber of community tourism projects,
1960’s, when significant criticisms ranging from complete community
were being levied against traditional management to a partnership with
tourism, otherwise known as “mass an investor or trust.
Ecotourism allows for economic
tourism”, characterized by package
development
with limited envideals to popular destinations, with
limited interaction with local popu- ronmental degradation. It brings
lation, high levels of security and a together the good qualities of tracontrived experience with local life ditional tourism while reducing
and culture. Mass tourism has lead environmental degradation and deto adverse ecological and socio-cul- pletion of natural resources. Thus,
ecotourism, by definition, is comtural effects.
In Cancún, Mexico, UNESCO has
described the negative environmental effects that the tourism industry
had on the Nichupté lagoon1, a high
biodiversity ecosystem. The increase
of waste and pollution brought by
hotels and related industries led to
severe ecosystem degradation and
decline of local fishing economy.
Nichupte is just one example of the
destruction of local ecosystems, as
well as rural livelihoods and local
economies.
The developing world has recently
embraced and encouraged ecotourism as a means of attracting foreign
investment while preserving their
natural resources. Various countries
have adopted ecotourism as their
national tourism policy. Costa Rica is
considered to be one of the leading
World Information Transfer
8 World Ecology Report
Spring-Summer 2012
patible with the concept of the green
economy.
In the coming Rio+20 conference, it could be a key sector leading
to sustainable development and thus
helping reach international consensus. The World Tourism Organization, the UN specialized agency for
sustainable tourism, has long been
advancing tourism’s capacity to lift
people out of poverty while protecting the planet and supporting economic growth.
Ecotourism is not a panacea for
green growth since its success depends on many factors, such as the
characteristics of the natural resources of the countries, the policies
leading towards its implementation
and most importantly, the demand
of the tourists themselves. However,
the current developments of the sector and its success show that it is an
alternative to mass tourism in many
countries and that policies advancing ecotourism should be promoted
in the context of green growth.
Author: Julia Naime
Sources: http://www.unesco.org/csi/
wise/nichupte.htm; Botswana Tourism Organization (BTO); World Tourism
Organization (WTO); Ministerio Turismo
Costa Rica; UNESCO
HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT:
Illegal Waste Dumping
The collapse of communism in Central and Eastern
Europe was twenty-two years ago, yet many of these former Soviet bloc countries still the face repercussions of
the regime. Even those that entered the European Union in 2004, many still lag both socially and economically
behind their Western counterparts.
A problem that has been ongoing in Central and Eastern Europe for decades now has been the poor management of illegal waste dumping, mostly in rural areas. In
fact, illegal waste trafficking along with disposal activities
has become one of the fastest growing areas of organized
crime in Europe1 as traffickers are engaging in a low risk
but high profit business. Traffickers, who usually work in
cooperation with businesses, make use of abandoned factories and gravel pits to house the illegal waste.
The effects from this illicit practice include ecological
damage, communal health risks, and financial burdens
to resolve and reverse the dumped waste. It is hard for
waste receiving countries to pin point where the waste is
coming from as it transcends borders. However within
The Gibe III Dam
Disaster in Ethiopia
The Gibe III Dam construction in
Ethiopia began in 2006, in an effort
to regulate flood cycles in the region.
However, there are many economic,
social, and international concerns
with the formation of the dam. First,
the artificial flood would only last ten
days as opposed to the natural buildup of flood water. Local people of
the region have adapted to the environment over hundreds of years, and
regulating the floods would drastically increase hunger and the possi-
the Central and Eastern countries poor legislation, inadequate infrastructure, lack of political determination to
undertake waste management problems, and lack of environmental awareness are some of the factors that contribute to the continued existence of this problem.
Countries that have repeatedly been in the media for illegal waste dumping have been Hungary, Romania, and the
Czech Republic. These three countries have had several instances in the past few years where municipal waste was coming from Germany, where the costs of waste disposal is rising.
Hungary is up in arms dealing with German waste2
Ways to combat this illegal practice vary from country
to country. Some popular recommendations include using risk profiling to recognize potential illegal disposal
sites, protecting those who work in retrieval of illegal
waste repositories, relevant law enforcement, and taking
on a multi-agency approach throughout waste transport
control operations.3
One thing is clear that with so many countries involved
it will be hard to control illegal waste trafficking, even
though both citizens and the environments are feeling the
consequences.
Author: Natalia Baranowski
Sources: Stated by Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency; 2 Recommendations found in Europol OC-SCAN
Policy Brief
bility of ecological collapse. It will reduce the water flow to Lake Turkana
in Kenya, especially during the first
few years as the reservoir fills. The
construction of the dam will directly
affect the thousands of fishers and
pastoralists who depend on the lake
in the Turkana region.
As food and other resources become scarce due to the regulation
of water, the region will be subject
to more conflict between struggling tribes that already clash. Local
groups have campaigned for the end
of construction, including imploring Chinese funders to rethink their
economic support to the construction of the dam. Ethiopia is one of
the world’s poorest countries, with
only 15% of the population having
access to electricity. The government continues to construct hydro
dams because they believe that they
will have the opportunity to export
electricity, but the most efficient way
to bring electricity to their people is
to build decentralized power plants
near unelectrified communities. In
addition, the Gibe III Dam violates a
number of international treaties and
laws, including Ethiopia’s Environmental Law and the UN Convention
on Biological Diversity.
Ethiopia’s potential to become a
great exporter of hydropower has the
potential for realization, but the Gibe
III Dam is highly regarded as a disaster that will not achieve the intended
results for the country. Finding alternate solutions that do not negatively
affect the welfare of their people or
harm the environment is the greatest
challenge, without pouring resources
into insufficiently studied innovations like the Gibe III Dam.
Author: Lauren Rava
Sources: www.internationalrivers.org/en/
africa/ethiopia/gibe-iii-dam; www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/25/ethiopiagibe-hydropower-dam
World Information Transfer
World Ecology Report 9
Spring-Summer 2012
The Social
Environmental
Protection Floor
Romulo Paes de Sousa, the Deputy Minister of Social Development,
Brazil, introduced the concept of
the Social Environmental Protection
Floor at a Side Event at the United
Nations on March 19, 2012. He
urged that this concept be adopted in the final outcome at The UN
Commission on Sustainable Development.
Precautions must be taken as
countries transition into a green
economy and move towards sustainable development. A social environmental protection floor can provide
a “safety net” for countries. It can do
this by providing developing countries with basic access to healthcare,
nutrition and income security. It can
also protect citizens against personal
losses and natural disasters.
An example of the importance of
the social protection floor is to look
at farmers throughout the developing world. To enable them to adopt
new sustainable farming practices,
insurance should be available to protect them from potential risks. This
will enable farmers to take the necessary steps towards sustainable agriculture.
Strengthening social protection
may provide incentives for developing countries to engage in conservation activities and environmental
protection programs. People who
are focused on daily survival usually
do not give priority to environmental qualities. Therefore, having a social protection floor would provide
more income security to empower
people to engage in environmental
conservation.
Author: Samantha Steinberg
Source: http://uncsd.iisd.org/news/
brazil-suggests-inclusion-of-socioenvironmental-protection-floor-in-rio20outcome.
World Information Transfer
10 World Ecology Report
Spring-Summer 2012
CAUSES OF HIGH FOOD PRICE VOLATILITY
In the context of our fragile economic recovery, the prices of food, oil
and other commodities have risen again, as they did in the middle of 2008.
In December of 2010, the FAO food price index reached its 2008 peak;
sugar, oils and fats being among the agricultural products that most significantly increased. For instance, the price of rice rose by 127%: wheat
by 136%; corn by 125%, soybean by 107% and milk by over 80%. These
changes severely impact the poor, who have no resilience to such abrupt
changes.
There are many possible causes that can explain the rising food prices.
Many analysts point out to the occurrence of seasonal drought in grain
producing countries, or the oil price hikes that have lead to an increase
in fertilizers, pesticides and transportation. Others attribute price hikes to
the use of crops for biofuels, or the increasing demand rise of emerging
economies such as China. The factors associated with climate change or
the continued policies of subsidies in the developed countries are not negligible causes either.
There’s an additional factor that many do not take into account. This
factor is the speculative trading of food commodities that is taking place
in many futures trading markets, a phenomenon that is attributed to the
“financialization” of commodities. The “financialization” of commodities is
the process by which the value of commodity goods –such as food, oil,
and water- is determined by financial markets (determined by expectations
and speculation) instead of by exchange markets (determined by supply
and demand). The United States 1936 Commodity Exchange Act provides
that the “excessive speculation in any commodity under contracts of sale
of such commodity for future delivery causes sudden fluctuations or unwarranted changes in the price of such commodities”. That is, when there’s
speculation of the future prices of commodities, the market is artificially
distorted. Given that the market is neither regulated under current US legislation (Commodity Futures Modernization Act, 2000) nor in the European
Union, there has been undisclosed speculation of food prices in the financial markets of the developed world. Pension funds, banks, and institutional
investors are the leading participators of the commodities market.
Many of the world’s poorest people spend more than half their income
on food. Price hikes for cereals and other staples can force them to cut
back on the quantity or quality of their food. The sharp spike in food prices
has raised the number of starving people in the world. What can be done
to reverse the trend of price volatility that is negatively impacting people
across the world, particularly the poor? The access to information regarding commodities trading is essential, as in any financial market. Thus, to
mitigate it, it is essential to increase transparency levels and disclosure of
the future commodity markets. Second, there has to be regulatory measures that limit and oversee the speculation, in the international as well as
national level (especially US and EU).
As the president of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernandez, stated
in the recent high-level meeting on Price Volatility in the UN, the problem of
food security is multidimensional. The causes explaining food price volatility are not mutually exclusive. There is a need to increase productivity and
increase support for farmers, change subsidies, and create resilience to
climate change. But financial speculation is a major cause of the observed
volatility and should be treated in tandem.
Author: Julia Naime
Sources: UN Briefing, World Bank, FAO, International Fund for Agricultural Development, IFAD, UNCTAD http://unctad.org/en/docs/gds20111_en.pdf
CHORNOBYL UPDATE
The radioactivity released from
the Chernobyl incident was estimated to be 200 times more than
what was released by both the bombs
dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In 1986, the IAEA had 103
member states, seventy of which
signed two international conventions (the Convention on the Early
Notification of a Nuclear Accident
and the Convention on Assistance
in the case of a Nuclear Accident or
Radiological Emergency) that were
Source: blogs.nature.com/news/2011/09/directly_comparing_fukushima_t.html
On April 26th, 2012, the Chornobyl nuclear disaster would reach
its twenty-sixth anniversary. Twentyfive years after the nuclear disaster
in Ukraine, Japan experienced the
same incident in Fukushima Daiichi. According to the IAEA Director General, countries learned from
the Chernobyl disaster and adopted
new measurements to minimize the
consequences of a nuclear plant cataclysm.
Following the Chernobyl incident, the main health issue was the
radioactive iodine which is a short
term isotope. Later the concern became caesium-137 which lives in the
soil for generations.
BIODIVERSITY IMPACTS OF NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS
The explosion at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant
in 1986 released vast amounts of radioactive material
over an area of 200,000 km2 in eastern and central Europe. In 2011 the reactors of Fukushima and Daiichi released significant radiation. Both nuclear disasters have
been assessed as seven on the official IAEA INES scale.
Such disasters disrupt the ecological environment and
biodiversity as radiation has negative effects on survival
of animals and humans. Radiation has short-term as well
as long-term impacts on biodiversity.
Short-term impacts have an ecological aspect, such
as the abundance of the species, the distribution, and
their rarity. The long-term impacts include the evolutionary aspects, such as the reproduction and mutations
rates. Recent studies in the field of conservation biology
have evaluated the impact that radiation has on bird biodiversity in both Chornobyl and Fukushima. Analysis of
14 species common to the two areas revealed a negative
effect of radiation on abundance particularly in Fukushima, demonstrating a negative consequence of radiation
immediately after the accident. The negative relationship
between radiation and abundance of rare species indicates that rare species are the most affected by radiation.
The evolutionary consequences of the nuclear disaster were that mutations rates have increased by a factor of 20 due to the release of radionuclides (unstable
atoms). The slightest mutation can lead to selective genetic death. Average deleterious mutations can be pre-
sent for as long as 167 generations, thus mutants will
be able to disperse outside contaminated areas. As a
consequence, the Fukushima and Chornobyl disaster
may have significant consequences for population size
and population viability of many species due to large
number of selective deaths. Animal abundances provide reliable early warning signals of the impact of environmental perturbations on biological systems. Another
factor that will hinder the bird species’ viability is the
skewedness of the mortality rates across age and sex
of birds.
A study of the sex ratios of birds post Chornobyl indicated a differential mortality in females that has lead
to strongly male-skewed sex ration in the most contaminated areas. Additionally, the abundance of bird
species can also be explained by increase of parasites
as a result of radiation. Increased mutation rates may
provide selective advantage to host because such host
will be less able to defend themselves. Second, the radionuclides may directly weaken the ability of hosts to
defend themselves, as in the case of immune defenses
of humans against viral and bacterial parasites.
Author: Julia Naime
Sources: “Abundance of birds in Fukushima as judged from
Chornobyl”, Anders Moller et. all; “Elevated Mortality among
Birds and Chornobyl as Judged from Skewed Age and sex
ratios”, Anders Moller, Bonisola-Alquati et alt.; “Conservation
consequences of Chornobyl and other nuclear accidents”,
A.P. Moller and T. A. Mousseau (2011)
World Information Transfer
World Ecology Report 11
Spring-Summer 2012
implemented five months after the
nuclear incident.
In 2011, the nuclear plant Fukushima-Daiichi released a large amount
of radioactive material. Caesium-137
landed over 4,000 square miles evacuating over 20,000 Japanese residents from their homes. The U.S.
National Council on Radiation Protection (NCRP) estimated that the
caesium-137 released in Japan was
eighty-five greater than the amount
released following Chernobyl incident given the size of the region.
Following Fukushima-Daiichi di­
sas­
ter in Japan, world leaders met
at the Nuclear Security Summit at
Seoul. They stressed the importance
of strengthening the nuclear security
to avoid future incidents.
After Fukushima, countries realized that a nuclear disaster can occur at any time leading IAEA member states to adopt new advanced
measurements in the event of catastrophic events.
Currently, nuclear plants are an
important source of energy. However, following Chernobyl, Germany
took the initiative and shut down its
nuclear plants in order to use renewable energy. All countries, except
Israel, that possess nuclear weapons
possess nuclear plants as well. Not
only do they transform atoms into
energy, they also remain functional
for 60 to 80 years. Nevertheless, since
the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl,
the number of functional reactors
has declined. Hopefully, they will
continue to decline in the future.
Author: Tarek Hamdan
Sources:
“The
Dream
Economist,
March
that
Failed”,
The
10th
2012;
economist.com/node/21549098;
unscear.org/unscear/en/chernobyl.html;
unscear.org/unscear/en/fukushima.html;
iaea.org/newscenter/features/chernobyl-15/cooperation.shtml; akiomatsumura.
com/2012/04/682.html;
www.un.org/sg/
statements/?nid=5170
World Information Transfer
12 World Ecology Report
Spring-Summer 2012
Source: onioni2.blogspot.ca/2011/05/summary-of-detected-radioactive.html
IAEA IMPROVING GLOBAL SECURITY IN SEOUL
World leaders met at the Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, South Korea
in the last week of March 2012 to discuss nuclear security and reducing the
threat of nuclear terrorism. The Summit’s communique recognized the role
of the IAEA in assisting with international cooperation in regards to individual
countries fulfilling their nuclear security obligations.
Voluntary contributions to the IAEA Nuclear Security Fund were encouraged so that the IAEA can assist countries both domestically and internationally with their nuclear security concerns. THE IAEA was also encouraged by the world leaders to organize meetings highlighting the important
connections between nuclear safety and security, in light of the Fukushima
accident in March 2011. The importance of multilateral instruments to address nuclear security was underlined, with the mention of the amendments
to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM).
The IAEA Illicit Tracking Database program was also emphasized, which
makes available any information on nuclear materials currently outside of
regulatory control. Promoting a global security culture was mentioned in
the communique, along with IAEA initiatives in information security. International cooperation among nation states was particularly highlighted in the
communique and at the Summit, as the IAEA recognizes that without cooperation among states, nuclear security cannot be achieved.
Author: Lauren Rava, Sources: iaea.org/newscenter/news/2012/iaeakeyrole.html
STATEMENT
OF WORLD INFORMATION TRANSFER, INC.
to The Commission for Social Development
UNITAR Forum on
“Opportunities and
Challenges for a
Green Economy” –
March 23rd, 2012
The UNITAR Forum held its
“Opportunities and Challenges for a
Green Economy” meeting on March
23rd, 2012, where the focus was possible green solutions and how they
are to be achieved. Biotechnology
was a proposed solution to a green
economy and also a source of renewable energy. It could be used in the
area of transportation, which is the
second largest energy user and by far
the largest oil user. While it is recognized that fossil fuels will be a resource for many years to come, it has
come time to begin the transition
to renewable resources as well. Biotechnology would create jobs and
can make 914 million tons of fuel.
The role of ICT networks as a resource to connect many countries is
another area to explore. There is a
concern in the Rio+20 documents that
ICTs are not being utilized to their full
potential; they can be used to mobilize and connect with people around
the world at any moment. Having
the ability to connect with people in
this way would reduce transportation,
roads, gasoline, and entire conferences could be held on a screen.
Speakers: Ms. Yvonne Lodico,
Mr. Gary Fowlie, H.E. Mr. Jim McLay
ambassador of New Zealand, Mr. Justin Perrettson.
Fiftieth session, 1-10 February 2012
Your Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates and Dear Colleagues,
World Information Transfer, (WIT), an NGO in General Consultative Status with
ECOSOC, Associated with DPI, with reference to UN Document E/CN.5/2012/1,
Section 3, (b) iv, WIT offers the following recommendation:
Unrestrained population growth has been continually ignored by politicians even
when dealing with issues such as poverty, food production, natural resource depletion, world’s ability to provide jobs and decent living standards. Even though population growth rates have slowed, population increase remains the single greatest threat
to remediating Climate Change and its consequences to the health and sustainability
of this planet..
The Rio Summit in 1992 also ignored the population issue. The delegates, instead of insulating themselves from the religious and cultural pressures and focusing on the one issue that impacts the quality of the environment and sustainable
development, let dogmas and fear of retribution shadow their negotiations.
Unfortunately, by ignoring the importance of family planning it is impossible to prevent child abuse, child labor, human trafficking and human slavery. Unless every child
born is assured of food, shelter and education, we will continue to throw money at keeping children barely alive and ignorant instead of giving them an opportunity of growing
up to become healthy, educated and contributing members of the world society.
Therefore, WIT recommends continued linking of poverty eradication to family
planning, the goal of which is simply, healthy families. The means to this goal is
free education.
Thank you for your attention.
UN HEADQUARTERS
Briefing on:
An Interactive Dialogue
on “Harmony
with Nature”
Speakers: Owen Gengerich,
Mark Lawrence, Joshua Farley, Pat
Mooney and Brian Czech.
Summary: Professor Gengerich
spoke about the history of our universe and stressed on how we are destroying species and deforesting our
planet. He argued that the more we
advance technologically, the more we
destroy our planet and its inhabitants.
He also spoke about the destruction of
the ozone layer and that we should be
more careful since it is what protects
us from the UV rays of the Sun.
Lawrence talked about the side effect of what we do. He argued that even
though it is unintential, we are well
aware of the harm we cause. Our actions are polluting our planet at a very
high and scary rate. He said we are at
the “Anthropocene” era, which began
either with the industrial revolution
in the 1800 or with World War II. He
raised an important issue: How can we
live in harmony with nature if we don’t
live in harmony with ourselves.
Farley as well as Czech stressed how
the growth of the world economy is
leading to an increase in the use of
non-renewable resources and hence
destroying our environment even faster. Our endless pursuit of economic
growth leads to the degradation of our
planet. The higher a country’s GDP
is, the more we destroy our planet.
Hence, we need to find a middle point
that would work for the economy as
well as the environment.
They talked about different rules
for sustainability that should be implemented. Among them were:
1. Pollution outflows cannot exceed absorption capacity
2. Renewable resource extraction
cannot exceed regeneration process
3. We must leave a healthy, clean,
and safe environment for future
generations.
Conclusion: the more we seek
economic growth the faster we will
destroy our planet. It is time we learn
to share our environment.
World Information Transfer
World Ecology Report 13
Spring-Summer 2012
Point of View, continuing from page 16
Occupy Wall Street protesters expressed verbal violence
against a range of ethnic and religious groups including
Moslems and Jews. Its agenda never clarified, the national protest movement gathered much of its momentum from pent up resentment and frustration.
Civil Society typically considers itself to be the protector and advocate for justice. Non-governmental actors
have a history of pushing their governments to expand
human rights, protect workers, broaden educational opportunity, safeguard human health. Recent events give
us pause to question whether this historical role has
changed particularly since the last time the United Nations convened a world summit. The World Conference
against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and
Related Intolerance,” (Durban, South Africa, August
31-Sept 7, 2001) became an opportunity for some Civil
Society representatives to express age old bigotry, most
notably - and shockingly - in the form of anti-semitism.
While governments have various geo-political reasons to
repeat ethnic and religious hatred, what motivates nongovernmental groups to behave so corrosively?
9/11 occurred four days after the conclusion of the
failed World Summit against racism. Quite consistent
with the hatred expressed in Durban, rumors quickly
circulated that Jews and Israel caused the attacks or were
forewarned. Another journalist, Daniel Pearl, of the
Wall Street Journal, was decapitated by 9/11 compatriots. Pearl was targeted as a Jewish, American journalist.
The last UN Summit, in 2001, deteriorated into demonstrations of bigotry and hatred, the exact opposite of
its stated purpose. We hope that climate change does
not now also imply a degraded emotional climate for
international negotiations. The crucial goal of a sustainable future won’t advance within such a heated atmosphere.
TEDMED
Conference 2012
The TEDMED Conference, held
this past April at the Kennedy Center
in Washington D.C., was an experience filled with innovative and forward thinking topics on health and
technology. TEDMED stands for technology, entertainment, and design,
but focuses on medicine and health
issues as well. This collaborative experience addressed the problems, solutions, and challenges that lie ahead in
the medical field.
Dr. Francis Collins, the director
of the Human Genome Project addressed the need to make the drug discovery pipeline faster. Over 4,000 diseases have known molecular causes,
but only 250 of those have treatments.
Dr. Collins proposed that the National
Institute of Health should work more
closely with the private sector to enhance the access to information and
repurpose drugs that have been used
to cure other diseases.
Technological innovations in the
medical field were also addressed at
TEDMED, and will be a key tool for
World Information Transfer
14 World Ecology Report
Spring-Summer 2012
future doctors. David Icke discussed
his pliable electronics that look like
tattoos, but monitor a heartbeat and
ECG. John Qaulter, co-founder of BioDigital Systems, presented the freely
accessible 3D interactive human. This
technology is a teaching mechanism
for medical students to learn anatomy,
health conditions, and treatments.
Todd Park, the US Chief of Technology said Cincinnati has experimented
with electronic health record sharing
and has seen promising results.
The current medical system was a
topic of concern for many speakers
at TEDMED. Dr. Ivan Oransky, the
executive editor of Reuters Health
commented on the increased “medicalization” in society. Dr. Jacob Scott
mentioned that medical students and
current doctors could be great connectors, but their innovation is being
held back in the modern biomedical
field. Doctors need to channel their
creativity, calling this “imaginectomy.”
Chief Medical Examiner of the
HealthDay News, Cynthia Haines, who
attended TEDMEN, knows the medical system is facing problems, but saw
innovative solutions underway that
could help Americans minimize their
health risks. Detecting inflammation,
which could lead to heart disease and
other illnesses is one preventative
measure that is being looked at. She
discussed how relaxation exercises
such as Reiki and aromatherapy reduce the risk of illnesses. The Patients
role in health care is also a growing
theme in the TEDMED conference,
and how Americans should take responsibility for their health and share
the “power” and knowledge between
doctors and patients.
The next TEDMED Conference
will be held next April in Washington
D.C., which will take on a whole new
set of discussions surrounding technology and health.
Sources: 1)http://medgadget.
com/2012/04/tedmed-2012-day-2-rockstar-scientists-and-patients-aimingto-knock-out-disease.html
2)http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-cindy-haines/tedmed-2012_b_1422040.html
3)https://www.biodigitalhuman.com/default.html
World Information Transfer
World Ecology Report
World Information Transfer, Inc.
(ISSN #1080-3092)
475 Park Avenue South, 22nd Floor
New York, NY 10016
TELEPHONE: (212) 686-1996
FAX (212)686-2172
E-MAIL: wit@worldinfo.org
ELECTRONIC EDITION AVAILABLE ON:
http://www.worldinfo. org
FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF:
Dr. Christine K. Durbak
MANAGING EDITOR:
Dr. Claudia Strauss
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS:
Natalia Baranowski, Tarek Hamdan,
Barnett S. Koven, Gabriella LoConte,
Julia Naime, Lauren Rava,
Samantha Steinberg, Mehdi Tolou
CIRCULATION MANAGER:
Carolyn Comitta
LANGUAGE EDITORS:
CHINESE - Eddie Ng Hon Fai,
Yangtze Sun, Geoffrey Yeung
SPANISH - Patricia Munoz Tavira
UKRAINIAN/RUSSIAN Oleh Harasevych, Stefan Heryliv
REGIONAL DIRECTORS
CANADA:
Martha B. Trofimenko,
Barrister and Solicitor,
123 La Rose Ave. Apt. 610
Toronto, ON M9P 3T3
Tel: (416)248-8800
E-mail: olamar@sympatico.ca
CHINA:
Au Yin Yu (Josephine)
3 Hop Yat Road 4th Floor,
Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
EASTERN EUROPE:
Prof. Mykola Prytula,
Stefan Geryliv
World Information Transfer
is a Non-Profit,
Non-Governmental
Organization in General
Consultative Status
with the United Nations,
Promoting Health and
Environmental Literacy.
Board of Directors
Dr. Christine K. Durbak,
CHAIR & CEO
Roland DeSilva
EXECUTIVE VICE CHAIR
Dr. Claudia Strauss
VICE CHAIR
Carolyn T. Comitta
SECRETARY
Barnett Koven
TREASURER
Dr. Oksana Baczynskyj
Dr. Bernard D.Goldstein
Valeriy Kuchinsky
Dr. Philip J. Landrigan
Dr. Patricia Myskowski
Dr. Maria Pavlova
Dr. Scott Ratzan
Prof. Mark Robson
Dr. William N. Rom
Jay Walker
World Information Transfer, Inc., (WIT) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization in General Consultative Status with the United Nations, promoting environmental health and literacy. In 1987, inspired by
the Chornobyl nuclear tragedy, WIT was formed in recognition of the pressing need to provide accurate actionable information about our deteriorating global environment and its effect on human health. WIT exercises its
mandate through:
• World Ecology Report (WER). Published since 1989, the World Ecology
Report is a quarterly digest of critical issues in health and environment,
produced in four languages and distributed to thousands of citizens
throughout the developing and developed world.
• Health and Environment: Global Partners for Global Solutions Conference. Since l992, WIT has convened what we believe to be one of the
world’s premier forums for the presentation of scientific papers by international experts on the growing clinical evidence supporting the link
between degrading environments and diminished human health. The
conference has been convened as a parallel event to the annual meeting
of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. The scientific papers presented at the conference are available on WIT’s web site.
• Health and Development CD ROM Library. This project consists of a
library of CDs each of which focuses on a subject within the overall topic
of Development and Health information. Our Human Information CD
ROM Library offers one bridge across the “digital divide” for both developed and developing countries. The project is continuous with future
topics being developed.
• Health and Development CD ROM Library for Ukraine. In conjunction with UNDP, WIT has developed a country specific library disc for
distribution in schools and centers in Ukraine.
• Humanitarian Aid. In conjunction with the K.Kovshevych Foundation,
WIT provides humanitarian aid to schools, hospitals and orphanages in
areas devastated by environmental degradation. Shipments include computers, clothing, toys and medical equipment.
• Internship. World Information Transfer (WIT) offers internships in
New York City, where our main office is located. Our goal is to encourage future leaders in health and environment. Our interns spend the
majority of their time at the United Nations.
• Scholarship Program. With the support of the K. Kovshevych Foundation, WIT offers scholarships to intellectually gifted university students
in need of financial assistance to continue their studies in areas related to
health and environment.
• www.worldinfo.org WIT provides through its web site up to date science
based information on the relationship between human health and the
natural environment, including the papers from the WIT’s annual conference, the archived World Ecology Reports, and our new Ecology Enquirer, an e-newsletter written by our Interns targeted to young people.
• Centers for Health & Environment. The aim of the Centers is to promote research, education and solutions. The first center was opened in
Ukraine in 1992.
K. Levychkoho11a, #15, Lviv, Ukraine
Tel/Fax: (380) 322 76-40-39 & 76-68-18
E-Mail: wit@post.com
EUROPEAN UNION:
Dr. Michel Loots
Oosterveldlaan 196
B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium
Tel: 32-3-448-05-54; Fax: 32-3-449-75-74
E-Mail: mloots@humaninfo.org
LATIN AMERICA:
Patricia Munoz Tavira
Sleutelstraat 38,
2000, Antwerp, Belgium
Tel: 32 (0) 48 66 79006
E-mail: witbelgium@gmail.com
USA:
Dmitry Beyder
3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Rd.
Portland, OR 97239
Tel: 646-924-8464
E-mail: dbeyder@gmail.com
World Information Transfer
World Ecology Report 15
Spring-Summer 2012
POINT OF VIEW:
Hope for the future or Another
Kind of Climate Change
Rio + 20 (the nick name for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, June 20-22, 2012)) reminds us that we have
spent two decades envisioning a future where cooperation and compromise would lead to a clean and sustainable environment. With the stresses of climate change
already upon us, and global population growing in the
most stressed parts of the world, such a future remains
distant, despite the advances to protect the planet’s resources. The long, disparate list of the Rio summit’s
key issues suggests tough negotiations ahead. In the
current climate of frustration and inflexibility, government representatives will need to refocus their energies
on our common future.
Civil Society might take the responsibility of urging
collaborative negotiations based on the art of compromise. And some sectors have. However, one segment
of Civil Society, instead, has chosen to blame capitalism
for many perceived injustices including climate change.
Quoting from the “Declaration of Social Movements
Assembly” during the 2012 Thematic Social Forum, Porta Alegre, Brazil, Jan. 28, 2012: “If today we fight, the
future is ours;” and “there is no solution inside the capitalist system!” and “the inspiring strength of movements
like the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall St., “indignados” and
the struggle of Chilean students, the Social Movements
Assembly call upon popular forces and activists of all
countries to mobilize actions – coordinated at world
level – to contribute to people’s emancipation and selfdetermination, reinforcing the fight against capitalism.”
A look at the last century would suggest that if today
we fight, the future is war. Capitalism in one form or another has been around since humans organized themselves into stationary communities. What alternative
economic arrangement would successfully replace it?
In the last century communism tried and failed, until it
incorporated capitalist elements.
Particularly disappointing in the Social Forum Declaration is the omission of complexity in understanding capitalist economies. In the Declaration, capitalism
is treated as a scapegoat: it is simplified, stereotyped,
viewed as the enemy, and like all effective stereotypes
served up as a lodestone for anger and hate.
The Arab Spring protests, the Occupy protests produced important results but also exposed underlying
rage. In Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the South African CBS
journalist, Lara Logan, was sexually brutalized by a male
mob until she was rescued by a group of soldiers and
women. Her attack exposed the violence with which
so many women in the Arab world live. UN-Women reports (http://www.un.org/womenwatch) that justice
is denied to millions of women, even though their living conditions have generally improved globally. The
UN Commission on the Status of Women will address
the theme of Violence at its 2013 annual session. Some
Continuing on page 14
World Information Transfer
World Ecology Report
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
475 Park Ave. South, 22nd Floor
New York, NY 10016
WIT is a non-profit, international, non-governmental organization, in consultative status with
the United Nations, dedicated
to forging understanding of
the relationship between health
and environment among opinion leaders and concerned citizens around the world. You can
help us with your letters, your
time, and/or your donations.
“Never doubt that a small group
of thoughtful committed citizens
can change the world. Indeed
it’s the only thing that ever has”
World Information Transfer
16 World Ecology Report
Spring-Summer 2012
MARGARET MEAD
NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U. S. POSTAGE PAID
CEDAR RAPIDS, IA 52401
PERMIT NO. 860