environment conditions cp’s –
achm
venezuela
generic
at- process bad
Emphasizing environmental issues in policy is good
Marquez, 11, contributor @ GlobalIssues.org(Humberto Marquez, 13 June 2011, “Biodiverse Venezuela Flunking
Basic Conservation”, http://www.globalissues.org/news/2011/06/13/10071)//Holmes
Particularly problematic is the case of mercury contamination caused by indiscriminate gold prospecting in southern Venezuelan
river basins, which are the water source and reserves of the state hydroelectric power stations that provide 70 percent of the
country's electricity. Environmentalists estimate some 12 tonnes of mercury a year are released into the environment in this way,
and mercury has been found in fish from 13 out of 18 prized commercial species in southern Venezuela. Environmental
activists recommend 'redirecting environmental management on sound, responsible technical and
humanitarian foundations, without ideological bias; strengthening institutions and educational
programmes; and involving civil society.' 'Environmental issues can no longer be seen as the
hobby of some nature-loving bird watchers; they are a strategic priority for the development of
the country,' said Álvarez.
say yes
If they yes to the aff they say yes to the CP—Venezuela won’t disrupt oil ties
Hongbo, 4/19/13, writer @ China Daily News(Sun Hongbo, 19 April 2013, “ Tough test awaits Maduro”,
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2013-04/19/content_16421703.htm)//Holmes
Besides, the Maduro government is not expected to intensify its political
conflict with the United
States because that could jeopardize its oil exports. US-Venezuela relations are complex. Despite the
US being the largest importer of Venezuela's crude oil and the largest source of its trade surplus ,
their political ties are not likely to improve in the short term. The two countries, though, will maintain a stable oil
trade, and economic and trade cooperation out of political and economic choice. Furthermore, the
new government will continue using oil diplomacy to actively develop relations with big oilconsuming countries. To improve Venezuela's economy, Maduro has to secure its oil exports, import channels and sources of
finance. Also, he has to deepen economic and trade cooperation with China, Russia, India and other countries outside the region.
Chavez death provides an opportunity for environmental agreements
Edwards and Mage, 13, writers @ the Guardian(Guy Edwards and Susanna Mage, 7 March 2013, “Death of
Hugo Chávez gives Venezuela a choice on climate change”, http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2013/mar/07/deathhugo-chavez-venezuela-climate-change)//Holmes
Regardless of one's position on el Comandante Hugo Chávez, the death of the Venezuelan president opens the
door for a policy debate on a critical issue for Venezuela and the world's security: climate change.
As the 2015 deadline to create a new global treaty on climate change approaches , the question for the
oil-rich country looms: will Venezuela be a key architect of an ambitious and equitable deal, or will it
sabotage progress? The International Energy Agency reports that no more than one-third of proven fossil fuel
reserves can be consumed prior to 2050 if we are to limit warming to 2C. Writer Bill McKibben pointed
out that if Venezuela were to exploit its heavy crude oil and Canada's tar sands are fully tapped,
this would mean "game over" for the climate as both reserves would fill up the remaining
"atmospheric space" or "carbon budget." President Chávez oversaw a schizophrenic posture on
climate change. He insisted that climate change is an existential crisis caused by capitalism, while simultaneously pushing for
the development of the Orinoco's heavy crude. Under Chávez, Venezuela's oil dependency increased and it now obtains 94% of
export earnings and more than 50% of its federal budget from oil revenues. Due to high oil prices and Chávez's leadership, poverty
and inequality have dropped. Chávez's administration appeared committed to increase oil production to continue funding its social
programmes, often through long-term agreements with China to supply oil. Venezuela's "commodity backed loans" from China,
estimated at more than $35bn, require it to pay back China in oil. The key to solving climate change is shifting all
countries to low carbon economies. At a United Nations negotiation in Bonn, Germany, in 2009, however, a Venezuelan
official said that a shift to a low-carbon economy would adversely impact developing country oil exporters, suggesting that a robust
climate change treaty would conflict with Venezuela's development model.
squo bad
Lack of environment regulation and enforcement is destroying the environment—
oil extraction specific
Marquez, 11, contributor @ GlobalIssues.org(Humberto Marquez, 13 June 2011, “Biodiverse Venezuela Flunking
Basic Conservation”, http://www.globalissues.org/news/2011/06/13/10071)//Holmes
Threats to biodiversity, spreading pollution, degraded river basins and disappearing forests are
problems in oil-rich, megadiverse Venezuela, where climate change is knocking on the door. The ARA
network, a coalition of 20 environmental organisations, recently launched its report 'Aportes para un
diagnóstico de la problemática ambiental de Venezuela' (Contributions to a Diagnosis of Environmental Problems in Venezuela),
which contains interviews with 34 experts and calls attention to shortcomings in the state and
society's management of seven environmental issues. The assessment is in line with the results of an annual
survey of more than 130 academics and professionals that has been carried out for the last decade by Vitalis, a local environmental
organisation. Alejandro Álvarez of Ecojuegos, a member organisation of the ARA network, told IPS: 'Poor management is
shown by the fact that in this country, where over 40 percent of the territory of 900,000 square kilometres is
protected, only one percent of the government budget is allocated to the Environment Ministry. '
Venezuela has 43 national parks, 30 natural monuments and eight wildlife reserves, he said. On May
26 Álvarez presented the ARA report, which deals with areas where biodiversity is diminishing; pollution;
solid waste management; the impact of oil extraction ; water resource management;
protected area management; and global climate change. Diego Díaz, the head of Vitalis, told IPS that 'year
after year the same problems crop up, showing the lack of efficient management strategies and the
accumulation of environmental liabilities, such as forests that are lost, water sources that are
degraded, soils that are not regenerated, materials that are not recycled, and increasing pollution.'
biodiversity
1nc biod
Text: The United States federal government should condition ________ on the
Ministry of Environment implementing existing environmental regulations,
increasing monitoring of oil companies, and increasing environmental impact
management systems.
CP solves environmental risks of oil development
Wykes, 12, human rights activist, contributor @ Heinrich Boll Stiftung, Denmark green
political organization(Sarah Wykes, 12 October 2012, “Venezuela - The Orinoco Belt”,
http://www.boell.de/intlpolitics/energy/resource-governance-tar-sands-venezuela-15659.html)//Holmes
Additionally, the report warns of the “enormous environmen tal and social risks associated
with the
development of oil and gas mega pr ojects [including further development of the Orinoco Belt], about which
there was a lack of adequate public info rmation regarding the environmental and socio-cultural
stan dards that were to be applied”. lviii Along with the other planned mega projects , developing the Orinoc o
Belt would mean: large-scale industrial development in areas th at are seriously deficient in
services such as potable water and disposal of solid waste and wastewater. Some of these projects
will affect [Areas Under Special Administrative Regime] lix , sensitive eco-systems and important water
basins. There is no clear information on risk management and compensation, nor on the
monitoring and oversight procedures necessary to avoid serious environmental and social damage.
lx Moreover, the report finds that there is a lack of implementation of existing environmental regulations
and monitoring by the Ministry of Environment and by oil companies and a lack of
environmental impact management systems in many companies inve sting in Venezuela.
Regulations are also outdated and there is a lack of technical expertise in the Ministry of Environment that is supposed to carry out
the legally required EIAs. lx
Plan destroys the Venezuelan regional environment without increased regulation
Wykes, 12, human rights activist, contributor @ Heinrich Boll Stiftung, Denmark green
political organization(Sarah Wykes, 12 October 2012, “Venezuela - The Orinoco Belt”,
http://www.boell.de/intlpolitics/energy/resource-governance-tar-sands-venezuela-15659.html)//Holmes
Summarizing the impacts of current oil extraction in the country, the report concluded that: “the
fact that
the Venezuelan government ha s access to extraordinary economic resources and the persistence of an
economy based on the existence of overly cheap fuels, have created a culture where waste, uncontrolled
consumption, the devaluation of nature and a lack of foresight, are having intense impacts on
the co untry, including air, so il and water pollution, huge volumes of solid waste, and the waste
of energy and resources.” lvi The report highlights the following specific concerns:
ecosystems in pr oduction sites in the area of the Orinoco Oil Belt and of the ecosystem of Lake Mara caibo as a result of
continuous spills and leaks Loss of soil and the triggering of erosion processes in exploration and
environmental liabilities, includ ing holding pits for waste
products that are at risk of overflowing and leaching
Flaws in the handling of by-products of the
refining process (mainly sulphur and coke) that are causing wate r, air and soil pollution
emissions of CO2, SO2 a nd NOx in refining and upgrading processes Discharge of petroleum
products and bodies of water,
Pollution and degradation of soils due to the presence of waste products of oil exploitation, as well
as from engineeri ng works associated with this activity. lvii
Brink is now—increased Orinoco development is coming
Vyas, 2012, writer @ DowJones Newswires(Kejal Vyas, 16 November 2012, “Venezuela Wants Unasur Investment
in Orinoco Heavy Oil Belt”, http://www.rigzone.com/news/oil_gas/a/122189/)//Holmes
CARACAS - State energy monopoly, Petroleos de Venezuela, proposed Thursday that national
within the Union of South American Nations, or Unasur, bloc, jointly invest
oil companies
in developing Venezuela's massive
Orinoco heavy belt. Venezuela is looking for allies in the region to help fund the development of
11 production blocks in the Orinoco region, as well as invest in offshore gas projects, refineries
and the upgrader facilities needed to process the country's tar-like heavy oil, PdVSA, as the state
company is known, said in a statement. Development of the Orinoco belt is central to President Hugo Chavez's
plans to boost Venezuela's crude production in coming years. PdVSA says it will need a total of $251 billion
between 2013 and 2019 to finance oil projects and build infrastructure in the mostly barren Orinoco region,
but analysts question how the company will be able to attract the investment. Under Mr. Chavez's leadership, the Venezuelan
government has expropriated a number of oil projects run by foreign private companies in recent years--moves that critics say make
investors reluctant to put money into Venezuela's energy industry. The government says it aims to boost crude
output to 3.5 million barrels a day by the end of the year and 4 million barrels a day by 2014, from just over 3 million
barrels currently. PdVSA has invested an average of $15 billion in each of the last five years toward advancing is production plans.
Venezuela currently exports 133,000 barrels a day of oil and derivatives to members of Unasur and hopes to more than double that
to 300,000 barrels a day by 2019, PdVSA said in its statement. Unasur's members include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile,
Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela. The countries are home to about 400 million
people.
Venezuela’s key to biodiversity
Marquez, 11, contributor @ GlobalIssues.org(Humberto Marquez, 13 June 2011, “Biodiverse Venezuela Flunking
Basic Conservation”, http://www.globalissues.org/news/2011/06/13/10071)//Holmes
The Environment Ministry recognises that 'environmental services like the supply of drinking water,
production of hydroelectric energy, food and pharmaceutical products, the tourism industry and protection against natural disasters'
depend on 'adequate conservation' of biodiversity. Venezuela is ranked the ninth country in the
world for biodiversity, as it is home to 650 types of vegetation, 15,820 species of vascular plants, 27
climate zones, 23 types of relief and over 137,000 animal species. It is also ranked fourth for the
number of species of amphibians, sixth for birds, eighth for mammals and ninth for reptiles . But
the ARA study says that 748 species of fauna are under threat, including 160 of the 312 species of amphibians, as well
as 341 plant species.
no regs kill biod
Poor regulations in the status quo will destroy the environment—it’s on the brink
and Venezuela is key to biodiversity
Stockman and Wykes, 11, both contributors and members of the Heinrich Böll Foundation,
sustainable ecological foundation with 29 foreign offices active on Ecology, Democracy, and
Human Rights worldwide(John Stockman and Sarah Wykes, May 2011, “Marginal Oil - What is driving oil companies
dirtier and deeper?”, http://www.foeeurope.org/publications/2011/Marginal_Oil_Layout_13.PDF)//Holmes
It should be noted that accurate emissions data on Venezuela’s ultra-heavy oil production is less
readily available than for Canadian tar sands. NETL currently estimates a mean value of 95 kg CO2E/bbl, lower
than that of Canadian tar sands (112 kg CO2E/bbl).201 However, in terms of a lifecycle analysis, this still means that “Venezuela
bitumen, Canada oil sands, and Nigeria stand out as having high GHG emissions compared to
other sources,”202 with Venezuelan bitumen having emissions of 30.8kg CO2E/MMBtu LHV diesel, second
only to that of diesel processed from Canadian oil sands (see Figure 20). In terms of local impacts, the Belt’s
development will require “a huge investment in infrastructure.”204 A national media source states that the
development of the Junin and Carabobo license areas will involve the construction of five upgraders and a
refinery project (to be undertaken by ENI) and that the upgraders for the Carabobo block will be located
in Soledad, a town on the Orinoco river opposite Ciudad Bolivar.205 Toxic solid waste products (an estimated 67,800
tons of sulphur and 52,250 tons of coke per day) will be transported by rail to the Orinoco River and then by
barge to the coast at Punta Cuchillo. Liquid waste will be sent through a new 432 km pipeline to the
Araya Peninsula and stored in terminals with an initial capacity of 800,000 b/d.206 This complex transportation
network will run through river and sea networks and forested areas. Venezuela is one of the ten
most biodiverse countries in the world, with the Orinoco resource lying upstream from an ecoregion described as “a globally important wetland, and a critical habitat to a number of
endangered species.”207 According to UNESCO: “A great biological diversity characterizes the terrestrial
and aquatic ecosystems of the Delta del Orinoco.”208 The area is already under threat from “water
diversion and damming, oil drilling, and human populations.”209 Population density overall is low, “although
many small villages of the native Waraos Amerindians live along the riverbanks. An exception is the city of Tucupita and its
surrounding towns.”210
orinoco key
Orinoco Belt drilling will hurt the regional environment absent environmental
oversight
Wykes, 12, human rights activist, contributor @ Heinrich Boll Stiftung, Denmark green
political organization(Sarah Wykes, 12 October 2012, “Venezuela - The Orinoco Belt”,
http://www.boell.de/intlpolitics/energy/resource-governance-tar-sands-venezuela-15659.html)//Holmes
Venezuela holds around 90% of proven extra heavy oil reserves globally, mainly located in the Orinoco
Belt. Certification of this resource means that, in July 2010, Venezuela overtook Saudia Arabia as the country with the largest oil
reserves in the world. Petróleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA), the state oil company, is also now the world’s fourth
largest company. PDVSA’s multibillion dollar investment plans for the Belt are likely to be hampered by the company’s high
levels of debt. In view of its high development costs and the uncertain investment context (e.g. changes in taxation of “windfall
profits”), the Orinoco Belt is still seen by many analysts as high risk. Nevertheless, despite these concerns, foreign companies,
investors and governments still appear keen to get a piece of the huge Orinoco pie, as oil
investment in the country in 2011 showed. The investors range from the Italian oil major ENI to Japanese Bank,
many of them coming from the emerging BRIC countries (Brasil, India, China). The deals do not only include the extraction
of the extra heavy oil but also the construction of refineries and power stations. The massive Belt
development is bound to have major environmental and social impacts on the local region, as
well as its climate impacts. The Orinoco river is 2.140 km long, the surrounding area a wetland of high
biodiversity and home to many endangered species. The industrial development and the large
new necessary infrastructure in refinement equipment and transport have intense impacts on
the country, including air, soil and water pollution, huge volumes of solid waste, and the waste of
energy and resources. The local civil society has concern about the health impacts of waste products
generated at the industrial complex. However, while there is a legal requirement in Venezuela for all oil projects to carry out
environmental impact assessments (EIA), including baseline studies, these studies do not appear to have been published and there
is no information on any more recent EIAs carried out by PDVSA in relation to operations in the
Orinoco Belt. NGOs therefore demand better environmental monitoring and oversight. Orinoco
Diesel has extremely high Greenhouse Gas emissions, Venezuela being at the same time highly vulnerable to
climate change (food production, human health, energy demand, biodiversity and the risk of flooding, among other issues).
NGOs recommend a number of measures of adaptation and mitigation.
Fragile biodiversity in Orinoco means environmental regulations are key
Wykes, 12, human rights activist, contributor @ Heinrich Boll Stiftung, Denmark green
political organization(Sarah Wykes, 12 October 2012, “Venezuela - The Orinoco Belt”,
http://www.boell.de/intlpolitics/energy/resource-governance-tar-sands-venezuela-15659.html)//Holmes
Lack of information on environmental and social impacts The massive Belt development is bound
to have major
environmental and social impacts on the local region, as well as its climate impacts (see below).
According to the Venezuelan government, “ the Orinoco River stands out because of its volume (37.384 m3/s) and length (2,140
km.). Along with its tributaries, this river is one of the lushest rivers in South Am erica and the world. The basin of the Orinoco River
occupies four-fifths of the Venezuelan territory and 94.5% of the basi n unloads its water into the Atlantic
Ocean.” xlii This remote area is a “globally impor tant wetland and a critical habitat to a number
of endangered species” with high biodiversity. xliii Developing the Orinoco Belt will require a
huge amount of new infr astructure, in terms of the extraction and upgrading of th e crude and
also the refini ng equipment and transport infrastructure required for this kind of
unconventional oil production. xliv Particularly given there is little existing power, water and tran
sport infrastructure where the Belt is located. xlv Indeed, some companies have expressed concer ns about the
impact of the current lack of infrastructure, particularly for transporting upgraded crude, on development plans for the Belt. xlvi In
addition, services will have to be provide d for the up to 100,000 additional workers that, according to the government, could be
required. xlvii In August 2007, PDVSA presented 2 environmen tal studies relating to the “sustainable
development” of the Belt to the Ministry of the Environment. xlviii These studies estimated the
current state of conservation in the Belt to be 80% while analysis of the Junín zone showed that
current interventions by th e oil industry had affected 6% of the zone’s ecosystems and that
measures must be taken to avoid future impacts. xlix PDVSA’s head of environment highlighted that: “the area
is singularly frag ile, with a limited amount of land available for use, in terms of agricultural
activities, which is why intervention in this zone must carried out carefully.” However, while there is a
legal requirement in Venezuela for all oil projects to carry out environmental impact assessments, including base line studies,
these studi es do not appear to have been published and there is no inform ation on any more
recent EIAs carried out by PDVSA in relation to operat ions in the Orinoco Belt. l PDVSA’s 2010 environmental report
does contain some limited information on current atmospheric emissions, air quality monitoring an d environmental permits in the
Orinoco Belt. However, it does not give a comprehensive environmental impact analysis.
regs solve
Overhauling Venezuelan drilling regulations solves the environment
Wykes, 12, human rights activist, contributor @ Heinrich Boll Stiftung, Denmark green
political organization(Sarah Wykes, 12 October 2012, “Venezuela - The Orinoco Belt”,
http://www.boell.de/intlpolitics/energy/resource-governance-tar-sands-venezuela-15659.html)//Holmes
Overall, the report recommends a substantive ov erhaul of the country’s policy framework
in order to
improve the management of environmental impacts in the oil industry and makes the following
The Government should strengthen its opera tional,
financial, technical and human capacity in order to carry out better e nvironmental monitoring
and oversight; and develop legal and administrative measures a nd training to ensure that companies have responsible
environmental pol icies and processes in place and can develop properly certified, ongoing environmental manageme
Reinforce the National Contingency Plan against Oil Spills; Update the legislative framework
and tec hnical regulations on the environment in order to address gaps, outdated elements and conflicts between legal
carry out audits and evaluations of environmental liabilities, and put in
place recovery plans Improve environmental monitoring processes and operations in al l areas
of the oil industry
Put in place policies to ensure techni
cal and ethics training to improve the professional capacities of civil servants a nd employees
responsible for monitoring and overseeing environmental protection, both in the oil industr y and in the Ministry of Environment;
Develop wide-ranging policies to administer extractive activitie s that are based on
environmental protection and aim to guara ntee the monitoring and rehabilitiation of affected
areas. lxi
Regulation and reform solves
Wykes, 12, human rights activist, contributor @ Heinrich Boll Stiftung, Denmark green
political organization(Sarah Wykes, 12 October 2012, “Venezuela - The Orinoco Belt”,
http://www.boell.de/intlpolitics/energy/resource-governance-tar-sands-venezuela-15659.html)//Holmes
For these reasons, ARA recommends a number of concrete steps be taken, both in terms of mitigation
and
adaptation policies. These include: the creation of a National Climate Change Office to coordinate
and promot e cross-sectoral action; the mainstreaming of climate change action into all
government planni ng processes; the development of a national climate change education
strategy and the promotion of an inclusive public discussion involving all stakeholders; regional and
local adaptation pl anning; incorporating climate change into poverty reduction strategies; a national
refore station campaign; and roll-out of mitigation policies in the transport and energy sectors. lxvii
Specifically in relation to the oil sector, the report calls for “the reduction in the volume of emissions from the oil
industry, in particular from refining and upgrading of heavy oil.” lxvii
Deregulated oil extraction kills the environment
Kenny, 2007, author @ GreenLeft(Zoe Kenny, 26 January 2013, “Venezuela - an ecologically sustainable
revolution?”, http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/36885)//Holmes
At a meeting in Brazil on April 26, 2006, plans moved ahead between Venezuela, Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil for a major
transcontinental oil pipeline. The pipeline would be 10,000 kilometres long and would link the four countries plus Paraguay and
Uruguay. Venezuela's socialist President Hugo Chavez said the pipeline would be integral to economically integrating South America
and strengthening it against US imperialism, and was essential in "the fight against poverty and exclusion". However, in the August
15 New Scientist an article titled "Is Venezuela's pipeline the highway to eco-hell?" reported that
"environmentalists are furious" about the project. Director of the World Wildlife Fund's Program for Protected Areas in the Amazon
Claudio Maretti said "the proposed pipeline is absolutely insane". He claimed it would damage the Amazon's ecology. The article
highlighted a continuing sore spot for the Venezuelan government, which is leading the Bolivarian socialist revolution. On the one
hand, the Chavez government needs to keep revenue flowing into its coffers to fund its massive array of social programs in
Venezuela. On the other hand, the government's major source of revenue is from the export of oil - Venezuela's principal natural
resource - by the state oil company PDVSA. This export income often comes at the expense of the
environment. In a stark example of the environmental degradation caused by the oil industry, the
December 18, 2000, US Business Week described the impact of the industry on Lake Maracaibo, located in the
northern state of Zulia (where the bulk of Venezuela's oil has come from). Once
a pristine habitat for mangroves and
flamingoes, the lake is now crowded with tankers, polluted with toxic industrial waste and is the
repository for raw sewage from the surrounding area's 5 million inhabitants. A more recent problem is the growing
infestation of the freshwater duckweed, which is devastating fish stocks and endangering the
livelihoods of more than 10,000 fishers. One of the long-term affects of oil drilling is land destabilisation,
which threatens 60,000 people who live near the lake. Venezuela's daily output of 3 million barrels of oil also
contributes to global warming - though only 530,000 barrels a day are used in Venezuela itself.
orinoco invest up
Russia pushing for Orinoco development now
VR, 5/24/13, Russian news service(Voice of Russia AFP, 24 May 2013, “Russia and Venezuela to develop Orinoco oil
fields”, http://english.ruvr.ru/news/2013_05_24/Russia-and-Venezuela-to-develop-Orinoco-oil-fields/)//Holmes
The Russian federation and Venezuela have formed a joint venture to produce 120,000 barrels
of oil a day by 2016 in two fields in the Orinoco Oil Belt. Russia will provides a loan to Venezuela
in the amount of $1.5 billion to finance the development of the fields under the terms of the agreement, and invest
$1.1 billion for a 40 percent share in Petrovictoria. The agreement establishing Petrovictoria was signed by the president of the stateowned Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), Rafael Ramirez, and the president of Russian state oil company Rosneft, Igor Sechin.
PDVSA will sell to Russia 72 percent of the heavy and extra-heavy crude produced by the company, which has a long-term goal of
producing 400,000 barrels a day. Three mixed capital companies are currently operating in the Orinoco
Belt, producing 230,000 barrels a day in a huge area of southeastern Venezuela. The Belt has estimated
reserves of 220 billion barrels of harder-to-refine heavy and extra-heavy oil, the largest in the world.
pollution
1nc pollution
Text: The United States federal government should condition __________ on the
Ministry of Environment creating emission reduction standards and developing
mitigation and adaptation strategies toward climate change.
Unregulated Venezuelan production will triple its annual emissions—status quo
monitoring fails—Venezuela is particularly vulnerable to warming
Wykes, 12, human rights activist, contributor @ Heinrich Boll Stiftung, Denmark green
political organization(Sarah Wykes, 12 October 2012, “Venezuela - The Orinoco Belt”,
http://www.boell.de/intlpolitics/energy/resource-governance-tar-sands-venezuela-15659.html)//Holmes
Climate protection The climate impacts of full development of th e Orinoco Belt are
likel y to be
devastating. Diesel from Venezuelan bitumen currently has well-to-tank GHG emi ssions second
highest only to those of fuel derived from Canadian tar sands, according to the US Department of Energy. lxiii In terms
of the country’s emissions pr ofile, while currently Venezuela produces only 1% of global emissions,
according to ARA, the government’s plan to increase oil production would mean an increase in oil produc tion of
around 5.8 million barrels per day (mbpd) in 2012, leading to a near tripling of GH G emissions from 30 million tonnes
per year to almost 80 million tonnes. lxiv According to ARA, the country not only has a “mor al responsibility to c
ontribute actively to finding a solution” to climate change, but is it self “highly vulnerable” to the
impacts of climate change, which will impact on “f ood production, human health, energy demand,
biodiversity and the risk of flooding, among other issues.” lxv In terms of policy framework for climate pr otection in
Venezuela, according to ARA: There is no clarity about the existence of m itigation and adaptation
strategies, with clear objectives and specific activities including thei r respective scope,
timetable, costs and allocation of resources and responsibilities. In pr actice, there do not appear to
be any clear mitigation strategies, since there has been no effective action taken to reduce GHG in the motor and oil
industry sectors. Similarly, the proposed changes to the country’s model of energy generation are based
on the substituti on of energy generation processes, principally hydro-electric power, by thermo electricity, wh
ich appears to be a step in the opposite direction . lxvi
The brink is now—Venezuela’s pushing for increased Orinoco drilling
Vyas, 2012, writer @ DowJones Newswires(Kejal Vyas, 16 November 2012, “Venezuela Wants Unasur Investment
in Orinoco Heavy Oil Belt”, http://www.rigzone.com/news/oil_gas/a/122189/)//Holmes
CARACAS - State energy monopoly, Petroleos de Venezuela, proposed Thursday that national
oil companies
within the Union of South American Nations, or Unasur, bloc, jointly invest in developing Venezuela's massive
Orinoco heavy belt. Venezuela is looking for allies in the region to help fund the development of
11 production blocks in the Orinoco region, as well as invest in offshore gas projects, refineries
and the upgrader facilities needed to process the country's tar-like heavy oil, PdVSA, as the state
company is known, said in a statement. Development of the Orinoco belt is central to President Hugo Chavez's
plans to boost Venezuela's crude production in coming years. PdVSA says it will need a total of $251 billion
between 2013 and 2019 to finance oil projects and build infrastructure in the mostly barren Orinoco region,
but analysts question how the company will be able to attract the investment. Under Mr. Chavez's leadership, the Venezuelan
government has expropriated a number of oil projects run by foreign private companies in recent years--moves that critics say make
investors reluctant to put money into Venezuela's energy industry. The government says it aims to boost crude
output to 3.5 million barrels a day by the end of the year and 4 million barrels a day by 2014, from just over 3 million
barrels currently. PdVSA has invested an average of $15 billion in each of the last five years toward advancing is production plans.
Venezuela currently exports 133,000 barrels a day of oil and derivatives to members of Unasur and hopes to more than double that
to 300,000 barrels a day by 2019, PdVSA said in its statement. Unasur's members include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile,
Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela. The countries are home to about 400 million
people.
Status quo environmental regulations do not solve
Wykes, 12, human rights activist, contributor @ Heinrich Boll Stiftung, Denmark green
political organization(Sarah Wykes, 12 October 2012, “Venezuela - The Orinoco Belt”,
http://www.boell.de/intlpolitics/energy/resource-governance-tar-sands-venezuela-15659.html)//Holmes
Other environmental measures taken by PDVSA or its subsidiaries in the Orinoco Belt, according to the 2010 report, were as follows:
An evaluation was carried out of the reuse of the waste products of drilling and production, and
design and engineering of waste manage ment facilities in th e Orinoco Oil Belt; The José
Antonio Anzoátegui Industrial Co mplex and Intevep are developing three (3) computer systems for
the recording and proces sing of environmental information relating to waste management, environmental
liability management and weather conditions; The Executive Directorate of Orinoco Oil Belt and other production departments in
the east and west of the country are developing automa ted systems related to monitoring and control (environmental monitoring,
environmental measures and environmental bonds). Perhaps the information in the re port of greatest concer n
relates to the levels of pollutants at the Jose Antonio Anzoátegui industrial comp lex, which houses
the 4 upgraders that process the crude from the Belt along with other related petro-chemical
industries. As the table below shows, for the period January-September 2010, some pollutants appear to be above
the legal limit.
pollution bad
Air pollution kills millions every year
CNN 13 (Matthew Knight for CNN "Air pollution killing over two million annually, study says"
July 16th, 2013 www.cnn.com/2013/07/16/world/air-pollution-killing-study) SM
More than two million people are dying every year from the effects of outdoor air pollution, according to a
new study. An estimated 2.1 million deaths are caused by anthropogenic increases of fine particulate
matter (PM2.5) while a further 470,000 are killed annually as a result of human-caused increases in
ozone pollution. Composting toilets change lives in Haiti Jason West, co-author of the study published in the journal of
Environmental Research Letters said: "Outdoor air pollution is an important problem and among the most
important environmental risk factors for health."
squo fails
Unregulated oil extraction causes deforestation and pollution
Marquez, 11, contributor @ GlobalIssues.org(Humberto Marquez, 13 June 2011, “Biodiverse Venezuela Flunking
Basic Conservation”, http://www.globalissues.org/news/2011/06/13/10071)//Holmes
The country is among the world's top ten for deforestation. At the close of the 20th century, over half its
territory was covered by forests, but the
forested area is shrinking by an average of 290,000 hectares a
year, equivalent to more than one percent. As for pollution, 'crude oil production, the main
economic activity, has an environmental impact locally. However, the impact of refining the crude,
and especially consumption, is much greater,' said Álvarez. Venezuela refines over one million
barrels of oil a day, producing emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases and sulphur and coke
residues, and its fleet of 5.5 million vehicles consume some 80 million litres of fuel a day. In the congested streets of Caracas, a
concrete jungle set in a valley where five million people are crowded elbow to elbow, 2.3 million cars and one million motorbikes
circulate, according to figures supplied by the mayors of the city's five municipalities. 'We have no precise figures for
pollution, but the country has over 300 large waste dumps open to the skies. Much of this waste
is burned, and who knows what quantities of dioxins and furans are being produced?' said Álvarez. Dioxins are stable
chemical compounds that contain chlorine and are produced by burning. They are fat-soluble and
pollute soils, sediments, the food chain and organic tissues. Furans are volatile liquids that cause cancer. The
2001 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), to which Venezuela and 172 other countries are party, set
guidelines for programmes to minimise, if not eliminate, POP sources.
Poor waste disposal and lack of recycling threaten the Venezuelan environment in
the status quo
Marquez, 11, contributor @ GlobalIssues.org(Humberto Marquez, 13 June 2011, “Biodiverse Venezuela Flunking
Basic Conservation”, http://www.globalissues.org/news/2011/06/13/10071)//Holmes
But Venezuela is lagging so far behind in these matters that 'of the
19,000 tonnes of waste
produced daily, barely 10 to 20 percent is recycled: 85 to 90 percent of aluminium or iron, but only one
percent of organic material, two percent of plastics and 20 percent of paper and cardboard,' Díaz
said. Improper management of solid wastes and residues has for years been at the top of the list of
Venezuela's worst environmental problems in the Vitalis reports, until it was displaced as the main problem
in 2010 by lengthy drought and major flooding. The drought and flooding brought about emergencies and interruptions of the
supply of electricity and drinking water, and caused damages to roads and housing. Some 140,000 people were affected by the
disasters, leading to street protests and social crises. This was climate change's debut, as it were, in Venezuelan society, and the ARA
researchers expressed concern over the forecast that in spite of the unusually heavy rains in recent months, the country must
prepare itself for a reduction of up to 25 percent in average annual rainfall.
Increased oil production will accelerate status quo pollution
Marquez, 11, contributor @ GlobalIssues.org(Humberto Marquez, 13 June 2011, “Biodiverse Venezuela Flunking
Basic Conservation”, http://www.globalissues.org/news/2011/06/13/10071)//Holmes
The state oil industry intends to raise crude production from the present level of 3.2 million barrels a day,
according to official figures, to 5.8 million barrels a day in
the second half of the decade. The government also plans to
add a further 8,000 megawatts of thermally-generated electricity, using fossil fuels, to the
current nominal capacity of 21,000 megawatts. Pollution is also affecting river basins and other
water sources. Only 350 sources of industrial effluents (14 percent) possess treatment systems, in a country
that consumes 4,500 barrels a day of lubricants and greases, and where only 32 percent of sewage is treated in any
way at all. María Eugenia Gil, of the Aguaclara Foundation which works in environmental education, has denounced there
are probably 3,000 open air dumps where municipal, industrial and hospital waste are mingled.
The ARA researchers found 46 sites contaminated with different substances, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) produced
by the energy and metallurgical industries.
regs solve
Environmental regulations over oil serve as a gateway to Venezuelan sustainable
development
Moscona, 6/12/13, contributor to Harvard International Review, loves Disney Movies(Jacob
Moscona, 12 June 2013, “A New Doctrine for Sustainable Development: Case Study in Venezuela”,
http://hir.harvard.edu/blog/jacob-moscona-skolnik/a-new-doctrine-for-sustainable-development-case-study-invenezuela)//Holmes
In 2011, former President Hugo Chavez reported 297 billion barrels of oil in Venezuelan reserves, which
(assuming this statistic is valid) would place
Venezuela above Saudi Arabia as the country with the largest
national oil reserves. In January of 2013, Venezuela shipped 898,000 barrels per day to the United
States; while subsequent oil sales to the US have dropped, the drop is largely explained by Venezuela’s shifting economic ties in the
direction of the Asian market. Venezuelan oil, the “black gold” of Chavez’s administration, is the foundation of
Venezuela’s economy and is largely responsible for recent economic improvements there, including last year’s 5.6% national
economic growth. Indeed, in 2002, a dire economic downturn followed the attempted coup against Chavez and the subsequent strike
of state-run oil company workers, conveying the broad importance of the oil industry to Venezuela's economy. Despite increased
economic diversification, exemplified by a 10.6% increase in the non-oil sector of the Venezuelan economy in 2005, high oil
sales are still considered essential to the economy by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Many claim
that maintaining high oil sales will be an essential element for new president Nicholas Maduro's ability to maintain popular support
and legitimacy. Thus, oil exportation may be a key component of any reasonable plan for economic
and social development in Venezuela. But what about the environmental implication of oil extraction
and carbon emissions? The International Energy Agency avers that the international community must not use more than 1/3
of confirmed oil deposits by 2050 if we are to achieve the goal of preventing in increase in global temperature of more than 2°C. Is it
fair to require Venezuela—or any Venezuelan government campaigning for popular support—to limit this crucial sector of its
economy in order to follow international standards? Should it be the responsibility of oil-exporting or oil-importing countries to
limit the global oil market? At what point is Venezuela no longer developing “within planetary boundaries” and at what point
does the threat of environmental impact trump each individual country’s right to economic and
social betterment?
tar sands module
Venezuela pushing for domestic tar sand development now
Wykes and Heywood, 2010, human rights activist, contributor @ Heinrich Boll Stiftung,
Denmark green political organization, **EU-funded report on the environmental effects of Tar
Sand extraction**(Sarah Wykes and Steven Heywood, May 2010, “Tar sands: Fuelling the climate crisis, undermining EU
energy security and damaging development objectives”, PDF)//Holmes
Venezuela’s tar sands are reported to be the largest after Canada, with recoverable oil totalling at least 2.26
trillion barrels. The majority of the deposits are located in the Orinoco river basin. The Venezuelan
government estimates that 20% of the Orinoco basin deposits are extractable using current
technology, or around 316 billion barrels87. Venezuela is already producing more than half a million
barrels of oil per day from four existing tar sands developments: Petroanzoategui, Petromonagas, Petrocedeno
and Petropiar88. About 8-12% of the Orinoco oil is recoverable through mining extraction techniques. The rest of the oil will then be
extracted through steam-based in situ production, and potentially “methods involving gas injection and in situ combustion”89. The
Orinoco basin has been divided into four areas for the purposes of tar sands exploration and
development. From west to east, these are called Boyaca, Junin, Ayacucho and Carabobo90. European companies are active, to
varying degrees, in all four of these permit zones, each of which has been split into several blocks that are being licensed to oil
companies. Details about the size and expected production rates of the blocks with European company investment can be found
below.ent investigation to assess this is crucial. Investment and development Under the Chavez government many changes have
been made to the way Venezuela’s oil projects are run, generally making it more difficult for European oil companies to operate in
the country. At the end of March 2006, the government terminated all existing oil contracts with foreign companies and insisted that
they be renegotiated with PDVSA as the majority stakeholder in all projects. Furthermore, a highly controversial nationalization of
suppliers followed as PDVSA did not pay debts to oil companies & contractors. The issue of PDVSA’s indebtedness is still not
transparent. This led US companies ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil to pull out of the Orinoco tar sands altogether, although BP,
Total and Statoil decided to renegotiate their contracts and continue to operate on their projects, which were already producing oil
by this point. Since then, many of the new Orinoco exploration licences have been given to the national
oil companies of states that could be considered friendly to the Venezuelan government, although
some European companies have also managed to negotiate licenses91.
Venezuelan tar sands are an internal link to warming
Louvell, 6/11/13, Climate and energy campaign coordinator, BankTrack(Yann Louvell, 11 June 2013,
“Dodgy Deal: Venezuelan tar sands”,
http://www.banktrack.org/manage/ajax/ems_dodgydeals/createPDF/venezuelan_tar_sands)//Holmes
The clearest and most obvious concern of this project is the fact that the tar sands are one of the key
contributors to
climate change. This is mostly attributed to the size of tar sands deposits and their unusually high
greenhouse gas emissions. It is the process of converting the sands to oil that is one of the key concerns as about three
barrele s of natural gas are used to create one barrel of tar sands oil. Apart from the potential recurrence of the local
environmental damage associated with tar sands production, is the size of the deposits being
explored, which will mean the release of huge amounts of GHG into the atmosphere. At the same
time, the localized environmental impacts are also of concern. There are various local environmental effects: from
forest destruction, loss of wildlife, water contamination and more. In order to develop the tar sands forests
are usually clear cut, leaving habitats destroyed, wild life lost, and even the carbon capture from
the forest is also affected. During tar sands production contaminated water may also leak to the
rivers, containing arsenic, mercury, and various carcinogens, all of these are known to cause
cancer and kill local wild life.
Regulations and sustainable technology solve
Venezia and Logan, 2007, contributors to the World Resources Institute(John Venezia and Jeff
Logan, July 2007, “Heavy Oil and Tar Sands”, http://www.wri.org/publication/content/10339)//Holmes
Venezuela has equally massive reserves of heavy oil in the Orinoco Belt. Approximately one-quarter
of
Venezuelan’s current crude output of 4 million barrels a day comes from heavy sources. This percentage
is expected to rise as conventional resources decline and heavy oil recovery technologies improve.
Currently, only a small percentage (5-10%) of original oil in place can be recovered economically. The World Energy Council believes
Venezuelan heavy oil output will grow to 5.5 mb/d by 2030. Greenhouse gas emissions
associated with heavy oil production vary depending on location, oil quality (need for upgrading), and
extraction method. Lifecycle emissions vary from roughly 15 percent above conventional oil use
levels to over 50 percent or more. Carbon dioxide capture and sequestration could be applied to
offset a portion of the extra greenhouse gas emissions from some heavy oil production, but it
would add to costs. The local and regional environmental impacts of heavy oil and tar sands production can
include: significant water consumption, massive earth moving and ecosystem disturbance, increased criteria and other
air pollution, and release of heavy metals and toxic materials. New technologies have the potential
to lower these environmental impacts, although they will likely remain substantially higher than
conventional crude production.
environmental justice
1nc env justice
Text: The United States federal government should condition __________ on the
Ministry of Environment creating emission reduction standards and developing
mitigation and adaptation strategies toward climate change.
Unregulated Venezuelan production will triple its annual emissions—only
mitigation and adaptation solves
Wykes, 12, human rights activist, contributor @ Heinrich Boll Stiftung, Denmark green
political organization(Sarah Wykes, 12 October 2012, “Venezuela - The Orinoco Belt”,
http://www.boell.de/intlpolitics/energy/resource-governance-tar-sands-venezuela-15659.html)//Holmes
Climate protection The climate impacts of full development of th e Orinoco Belt are
likel y to be
devastating. Diesel from Venezuelan bitumen currently has well-to-tank GHG emi ssions second
highest only to those of fuel derived from Canadian tar sands, according to the US Department of Energy. lxiii In terms
of the country’s emissions pr ofile, while currently Venezuela produces only 1% of global emissions,
according to ARA, the government’s plan to increase oil production would mean an increase in oil produc tion of
around 5.8 million barrels per day (mbpd) in 2012, leading to a near tripling of GH G emissions from 30 million tonnes
per year to almost 80 million tonnes. lxiv According to ARA, the country not only has a “mor al responsibility to c
ontribute actively to finding a solution” to climate change, but is it self “highly vulnerable” to the
impacts of climate change, which will impact on “f ood production, human health, energy demand,
biodiversity and the risk of flooding, among other issues.” lxv In terms of policy framework for climate pr otection in
Venezuela, according to ARA: There is no clarity about the existence of m itigation and adaptation
strategies, with clear objectives and specific activities including thei r respective scope,
timetable, costs and allocation of resources and responsibilities. In pr actice, there do not appear to
be any clear mitigation strategies, since there has been no effective action taken to reduce GHG in
the motor and oil industry sectors. Similarly, the proposed changes to the country’s model of energy
generation are based on the substituti on of energy generation processes, principally hydro-electric
power, by thermo electricity, wh ich appears to be a step in the opposite direction . lxvi
Climate change will devastate overpopulated and undeveloped Venezuelan
communities—the damage is already occurring and it’ll only get worse—reject
environmental injustice
Marquez 6/25/13, writer @ Inter Press Service, investigative journalist(Humberto Marquez, 25 June
2013, “Flood Risks in Venezuela Increased by “New Rains” Linked to Climate Change”, http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/06/floodrisks-in-venezuela-increased-by-new-rains-linked-to-climate-change/)//Holmes
CARACAS, Jun 25 2013 (IPS) - “The river is reclaiming its place, the water has risen up to here,” says Ana Polanco,
crouching down to hold her hand high above her head in the little tin house she shares with her
children in El Hueco, one of the communities on the east side of the Venezuelan capital besieged
by the polluted and deceptively calm Guaire River. Stretching a total of 72 kilometres, the Guaire crosses Caracas
from west to east in an almost straight line, but as it leaves the city, it begins to snake along a series of hairpin curves. For the past
quarter of a century, the flooding of this section of the river has wreaked havoc in neighbouring
communities such as La Jóvita, La Línea and El Hueco, which sits at the bottom of a hill carpeted with precarious housing.
Residents and local governments are making preparations to confront the dreaded “new rains”, which cause landslides that block the
channels and ravines that would otherwise help to drain the swollen river. Further aggravating the situation are the
tons of liquid and solid waste that flow into the river from homes, businesses and industries in
this city of almost five million people. The “new rains” are “associated with climate change: during
most of the 20th century, rains fell little by little, slowly increasing and then diminishing, but now they are short-lived and
intense,” explained Nicola Veronico, the manager of environmental affairs at the Metropolitan City Hall of Caracas. Related IPS
Articles “The same amount of rain that used to fall over the course of weeks or a month can now
fall in a single morning. It only takes two hours of torrential rain for the Guaire to overflow,”
Gabriel D’Andrea, the director of Civil Protection in the populous Caracas municipality of Sucre, told Tierramérica. One of the
natural physical changes associated with the phenomenon of climate change is precipitation, “not only average precipitation levels,
with the passage of the years, but also the degree of variability,” stressed María Teresa Martelo, a Venezuelan climate expert and
member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This change, she added, “is not something that is going to
happen in the future. It has been happening since the 1970s, and trends indicate that in the decades to come, the temperature will
rise, the water supply will decrease, and rain/drought cycles will be altered. The big challenge is to define adaptation strategies and
measures.” The eastern side of the city was hit hard in 1979 by heavy rains and the subsequent flooding of the Guaire River, in large
part because of the lack of maintenance of drainage systems. It was also pummelled in August 1993 by Tropical Storm Bret, which
ravaged northern Venezuela and Colombia, southern Nicaragua, and several southern Caribbean islands. In Venezuela, Bret
left 150 dead, 77 of them in Caracas, in addition to 500 injured, as well as tens of millions of dollars in
damages. It also sent a troubling message: that due to the effects of climate change, the tropical storms
that regularly sweep through the Caribbean can take significantly more southerly courses than
normal. “We don’t need another Bret to be worried and on the alert. People here already know that when it’s raining around Las
Adjuntas and Los Teques (towns near the Guaire’s headwaters), they have to get ready to move to higher ground,” Henry Hernández,
a community leader in La Jóvita, told Tierramérica. Hernández is one of the mechanics who works on the road that is separated
from the Guaire by a containment wall. As well as holding back the river’s water, the wall also has markings used to measure its
level. When it floods, “the river reverses the course of the water that flows into it from gutters, drains
and sewers, which mixes with the river water and flows back towards the streets and houses,
inundating everything and damaging whatever is in its path. People’s lives are saved, but we all have stories
about the things we have lost,” he said. “We have markers that measure the level of the river three kilometres before the curves
begin. We monitor them, identify the high-risk areas, and keep the communities informed,” said D’Andrea. “But as far as we
are able to,” he added, since “there are more than 1,800 neighbourhoods in the municipality.” The
Metropolitan City Hall operates a rain gauge station and monitors hundreds of storm drains and 350 ravines, many of which flow
down from El Ávila Mountain, which separates Caracas from the Caribbean Sea, as well as issuing guidelines to the five
municipalities into which metropolitan Caracas is divided. But “beyond these weak umbrellas, what is needed is
the political will to address the root of the problem, because land zoning and land use tend to be
viewed solely in association with the economy and divorced from the environment,” said Evelyn
Pallotta, director of environmental affairs in the state of Miranda, which includes the east side of Caracas and most of its bedroom
communities. The national Ministry of Environment has launched a plan to dredge the Guaire, whose waters carry large
amounts of sediments as well as tons of garbage, from small plastic containers to rusted machinery. This would
serve to lower the level of the river bed, which is one of the factors that contribute to its flooding when there are sudden heavy rains.
However, according to Pallotta, who is also a professor of urban planning at the Central University of Venezuela, “Dredging or
redirecting the river are temporary, short-term palliatives. Added to the problem is the fact that up to 80
percent of the storm drains in Caracas do not work, and the concrete sleeve supporting the river is being worn down over the years.”
“If you know that you can’t build on the banks of the Guaire, that you need to leave a green strip up to dozens of metres wide for
safety reasons, then you shouldn’t allow housing, industry or businesses there. The solution has to be structural,” she
told Tierramérica. Polanco, who lives in one of
a string of small houses separated from the river by a narrow
corridor of concrete and dirt, agrees with Pallotta. “Yes, the solution would be a plan to provide housing for all of us far
away from here, but so far we have only been counted in the census,” she commented, referring to a census of families needing
homes conducted by the government as part of the Housing Mission, aimed at tackling the critical housing shortage. The heavy
rains also pose a threat because of the risk of landslides in a city full of hills and hollows, much of it
covered with metamorphic soils that have endured decades of punishment from vertical
construction. Since the launch of the Housing Mission two years ago, the national government has built hundreds of apartment
buildings in former empty lots, industrial areas and parking lots in Caracas. Although this construction has provided urgently
needed housing, there have been complaints of overcrowding, poor service connections, improper waste
disposal, a lack of green areas and water treatment plants, and excess traffic. “The risks associated with
climate change are also increased by this urban oversaturation,” said Veronico. For her part, Pallotta stressed
that “the human right to housing cannot infringe on other equally fundamental rights, like the right to water, health and a healthy
environment, or the need for a city that complies with the parameters of sustainable development.”
The brink is now—Venezuela’s pushing for increased Orinoco drilling
Vyas, 2012, writer @ DowJones Newswires(Kejal Vyas, 16 November 2012, “Venezuela Wants Unasur Investment
in Orinoco Heavy Oil Belt”, http://www.rigzone.com/news/oil_gas/a/122189/)//Holmes
CARACAS - State energy monopoly, Petroleos de Venezuela, proposed Thursday that national
oil companies
in developing Venezuela's massive
Orinoco heavy belt. Venezuela is looking for allies in the region to help fund the development of
11 production blocks in the Orinoco region, as well as invest in offshore gas projects, refineries
and the upgrader facilities needed to process the country's tar-like heavy oil, PdVSA, as the state
company is known, said in a statement. Development of the Orinoco belt is central to President Hugo Chavez's
within the Union of South American Nations, or Unasur, bloc, jointly invest
plans to boost Venezuela's crude production in coming years. PdVSA says it will need a total of $251 billion
between 2013 and 2019 to finance oil projects and build infrastructure in the mostly barren Orinoco region,
but analysts question how the company will be able to attract the investment. Under Mr. Chavez's leadership, the Venezuelan
government has expropriated a number of oil projects run by foreign private companies in recent years--moves that critics say make
investors reluctant to put money into Venezuela's energy industry. The government says it aims to boost crude
output to 3.5 million barrels a day by the end of the year and 4 million barrels a day by 2014, from just over 3 million
barrels currently. PdVSA has invested an average of $15 billion in each of the last five years toward advancing is production plans.
Venezuela currently exports 133,000 barrels a day of oil and derivatives to members of Unasur and hopes to more than double that
to 300,000 barrels a day by 2019, PdVSA said in its statement. Unasur's members include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile,
Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela. The countries are home to about 400 million
people.
climate change bad
Climate change will disproportionately affect the impoverished in Venezuela
Bayview, 10, San Franciso black news source, cites the Venezuelan ambassador to the US(San
Francisco Bayview, 18 October 2010, “Venezuela and climate change: Change the system, not the climate”,
http://sfbayview.com/2010/venezuela-and-climate-change-change-the-system-not-the-climate/)//Holmes
Social justice, ecological balance Shortly after President Chávez took office, a new constitution (1999) was written
and publicly endorsed that supports
the principles of poverty eradication, environmental protection and
the people’s participation in Venezuela’s democracy and development. It also states that sustainable
development is the path that the country will adopt in its development plans, stressing the rational use of natural
resources in order to ensure equilibrium with the natural ecosystem. For Venezuela, the cause of the world’s
changing climate is closely linked to the current development model that favors the interests of big
capital and unchecked growth at the expense of equitable development and ecological balance.
Based on these constitutional principles, the concept and practice of sustainable development has deepened in Venezuela. For the
Bolivarian Revolution, the solution to the environmental crisis is to move from a consumerist, industrial
and individualistic society
sustainable.
that sacrifices the environment to one that is socially just and ecologically
squo fails
Status quo regulations fail
Wykes, 12, human rights activist, contributor @ Heinrich Boll Stiftung, Denmark green
political organization(Sarah Wykes, 12 October 2012, “Venezuela - The Orinoco Belt”,
http://www.boell.de/intlpolitics/energy/resource-governance-tar-sands-venezuela-15659.html)//Holmes
Local civil society has also expressed concer n about the health imp acts of waste
products
generated at the indus trial complex. In 2011, the Venezuel an press reported that a civil society organization had called
on Chevron, Tota l, Statoil and TNK-BP, the four minority shareholders of PDVSA in the cu rrent projects in production on th e Belt,
to address the levels of coke being generated as a by-pr oduct of the upgrading of crude. lii The
organization claimed that the
situation re lating to the production of coke was in violation of the
Venezuelan Constitution (Article 127) and articles 42 and 43 of the country’s Environmental Law, claiming that: "there
were complaints by the inhabitants of villages near to the Jose Industrial Complex that they are
suffering respir atory problems and allergies due to the waste products. The multinational
companies cannot av oid their responsibilities, despite being minority partners of PDVSA.” liii
The amount of toxic solid waste that is likely to be generated if full development occurs, particularly
suphur and coke, and the risks arising from its tran sportation to the Orinoco river and along the River to the coast is a major
cause for concern. liv Moreover, the current state of environmental protection in th e country as a
whole does not offer much reassurance, according to a r ecent study by a network of 20 non-governmental
organisations called ARA, which analysed lo ss of biodiversity, pollution, management of solid waste,
impacts of oil extraction, mana gement of water resources, management of protected areas and
global climate change. l
nanotech
1nc nanotech
Text: The United States federal government should condition _______ on
Venezuelan development and deployment of nanotechnology for the purpose of
emission reduction in oil extraction and refinement.
The tech is feasible and being researched now—nanotech solves emissions but
won’t be fully developed due to oil lobbying
Marquez, 12, writer @ Inter Press Service, investigative journalist(Humberto Marquez, 15 November
2012, “Nanotechnology Could Lighten Venezuela?''s Oil Footprint”, http://www.tecnicadelacero.com/en/content/nanotechnologycould-lighten-venezuelas-oil-footprint)//Holmes
Nanotechnology operates at the sub-microscopic scale: a nanometre is a unit of measure equal to one billionth of a metre. "We
are seeking
to use nanoparticles of metallic salts, such as iron, nickel or cobalt nitrates, as catalysts in oil-related
processes that produce greenhouse gas emissions," said Sarah Briceño, a researcher at the Centre for Physics at
the Venezuelan Institute of Scientific Research (IVIC). Catalysts are substances used to speed up chemical processes, "and our goal is
to develop catalysts adapted to Venezuelan industry that will make it possible to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions from activities such as oil refining and fuel consumption by motor vehicles by up to 50 percent,"
Briceño told Tierramérica*. Venezuela, a founding member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC),
extracts close to three million barrels of oil a day and has over two billion barrels of heavy crude
oil reserves. There are six refineries in the South American country that process a total of 1.1 million barrels daily.
Meanwhile, according to OPEC figures, the country consumes 742,000 barrels of different types of fuel daily, of which 300,000
barrels correspond to the gasoline used by more than six million motor vehicles. The Ministry of the Environment reports that
Venezuela is responsible for 0.48 percent of worldwide emissions of greenhouse gases and 0.56 percent of one of these
"villains", carbon dioxide. During the experimental phase, "we have observed with scanning electron microscopes the chemical
reactions between the metallic salt nanoparticles and the surfactant agents (which influence the surface tension between substances)
involved in these processes," said Briceño. Since the concept of nanotechnology - the manipulation of matter at the molecular and
atomic level - was first introduced in 1959 by U.S. physicist Richard Feynman (1918-1988), winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in
1965, it has been developed in a wide range of fields including medicine, pharmaceuticals, energy, electronics, metallurgy and
environmental conservation. "The entire periodic table (of elements) can be taken to the nano scale. We are focusing our research on
how Venezuela, with its technology and infrastructure, can make this environmental contribution through its work with
hydrocarbons," explained Briceño. "Our emphasis is on the reduction of emissions of nitrous oxide and
methane, two of the most potent greenhouse gases," she added. The research is expected to yield
results in 2013. Putting these to use in industry will be a long-term objective, given the scale of
work in the laboratory: at the IVIC results are obtained in masses of particles that weigh 0.1 grams, while oil production in
Venezuela in a single day equals 400,000 tons. The relationship between energy and the environment
provides fertile ground for nanotechnology, as demonstrated by the research undertaken at the U.S. Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT), where nanoparticles containing iron have been mixed with oil in order to
make it possible to clean up offshore oil spills with magnets. "The energy demand will increase in coming
years, and we need to be able to generate cheap, abundant energy with the lowest possible
environmental impact. Fossil fuels are not an adequate alternative, but even worse is using them
badly when there are incredible opportunities to make them so much more efficient," said Javier García
Martínez, director of the Nanotechnology Laboratory at the University of Alicante, Spain. Nanotechnology "offers the opportunity to
generate new materials and processes, and in the field of energy there is great potential to improve the efficiency of the photovoltaic
cells that make up solar panels," Venezuelan consultant Juan Carlos Sánchez told Tierramérica. Sánchez is a member of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 jointly with former U.S. vice
president Al Gore (1993-2001). "The development of processes through nanotechnology aimed at greater
and more effective use of solar energy isn't necessarily in the interests of the big oil producers,
whether companies or countries," said Sánchez. "Any technology that reduces greenhouse gas emissions is
bad for their business, since the demand for oil would decline with an increase in the use of solar energy," he
explained. In his opinion, Venezuela should direct its efforts towards other technologies that reduce the emission of greenhouse
gases associated with oil industry activity, "such as so-called sequestration of the carbon dioxide generated in the refineries, in order
to sink it in the subsoil of oil wells and keep it from entering the atmosphere ." Other OPEC members are moving forward with this
type of research, including Saudi Arabia, Algeria and the United Arab Emirates, as a response to the fingers of blame pointed at the
oil-producing countries as being responsible for global warming, said Sánchez. Venezuela could use its thousands of old, abandoned
oil wells for this purpose, burying carbon dioxide more than 1,000 metres underground. Briceño, meanwhile, thinks that the results
achieved through the research at the IVIC could help to promote studies for the application of nanotechnology to other
environment-related areas of the Venezuelan oil industry. One example is the use and disposal of petroleum coke, a solid waste
byproduct of oil refining with a carbon content of over 90 percent. Venezuela produces 20,000 tons of petroleum coke daily during
the upgrading of heavy and extra heavy crude oils to make them light enough for most refineries. The dust from the resulting
mountains of coke affects communities in eastern Venezuela who live near the crude oil upgrading facilities. Perhaps at some point
in the future, the impact of this waste could be lessened through treatment with nanoparticles.* This story was originally published
by Latin American newspapers that are part of the Tierramérica network. Tierramérica is a specialised news service produced by IPS
with the backing of the United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment Programme and the World Bank.
solves emissions
Nanotech solves emissions—it increases carbon trapping
NanoWerk, 07(NanoWerk, 25 December 2007, “Nanotechnology the answer to air pollution?”,
http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=3828.php)//Holmes
(Nanowerk News) The emerging field of nanotechnology could
provide a solution to the soaring air pollution
shows that nano-treatment of engines can
caused by automobile emissions worldwide, scientists say. Research
cut down toxic gas emissions by up to 90 per cent, Prof J Narayan of North Carolina State University told PTI
here. "Use of nanotechnology based systems increases the rate of pre-emission carbon trapping
considerably, which is the main constituent of carbon dioxide," explains Narayan. "Thus, it causes cleaner
emissions," he added. Nanotechnology, a very important branch of applied science that deals with matters on atomic and
molecular scale, "has a considerable role to play in improvement of energy efficiency," Director of Ansal
Institute of Technology M P Singh said. "Environmental degradation due to automobile emissions is a big issue today. Using
nanotechnology can help us to mitigate air pollution considerably," said Ravi V Bellamkonda of the Georgia
Institute of Technology. Scientists are of the view that the single largest influence of air pollution is the amount of carbon dioxide
and motor vehicles worldwide are a major contributor to the gas in the atmosphere. "Nano formulation can augment fuel efficiency
by up to 35 per cent as it reduces per capita consumption. That means we have to use smaller amount of materials," Narayan said. "It
(nano-treatment) reduces friction among various engine parts considerably and in turn adds to the lubricating quality of the
machine," Narayan said. With lowering of the fuel combustion rate, air pollution rate also comes down, scientists said.
warming impact
Venezuelan action spills over
Reuters, 12 (Chicago Tribune, “Oil-rich Venezuela inks plans to curb spiraling emissions”,
August 17, 2012, http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-08-17/news/sns-rtvenezuelaemissionsl6e8jh9hr-20120817_1_carbon-emissions-greenhouse-gas-emissionsclimate-change, jld)
Wendel Trio, director of Brussels-based coalition CAN¶ Europe, said the move might encourage other members of
oil¶ producer cartel OPEC to rein in their emissions in a year that¶ Gulf state Qatar will host annual U.N.
negotiations.¶ Over 100 countries have made U.N. pledges amounting to 3-6¶ billion tonnes of CO2
cuts by 2020, far below the 12-billion¶ level the U.N. Environment Programme says is needed to
prevent¶ temperature rises expected to lead to flooding and droughts that¶ threaten to displace millions of people.¶
"Many OPEC members have never made commitments... we would¶ hope this would be the first of the
group to recognize they also¶ have a responsibility for tackling climate change," Trio said.
Venezuela is key to global warming
LASP No Date ( Latin American Studies Program, Cornell University "Global Climate Change:
Latin America"
lasp.einaudi.cornell.edu/system/files/Global%20Warming%20Latin%20America.pdf) SM
Though Venezuela is home to 0.4% of the world’ s population, its activities account for 0.6% of global emissions,
making it the 6th biggest emitter of carbon dioxide. (hd report) Venezuela’s industrial and
agricultural activities are a major contribution to the amount of greenhouse gasses in the
atmosphere. Changing land-use, energy combustion and fugitive emissions from production and
processing of oil and natural gas release notable amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
(grio) Also agricultural activities such as crop cultivation and livestock management are major
contributions of the methane and nitrous oxide.
at- squo solves
Current policies aren’t enough
Reuters, 12 (Chicago Tribune, “Oil-rich Venezuela inks plans to curb spiraling emissions”,
August 17, 2012, http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-08-17/news/sns-rtvenezuelaemissionsl6e8jh9hr-20120817_1_carbon-emissions-greenhouse-gas-emissionsclimate-change, jld)
Salerno said the government would tackle emissions from¶ Venezuela's growing car fleet as well as from
agriculture and¶ domestic appliances but ruled out imposing GHG reduction targets¶ and removing fossil
fuel subsidies.¶ Local climate experts say the plan lacks detail and stands¶ little chance of being
implemented in a country where people pay¶ less for gasoline than anywhere in the world.
tech feasible
MIT research proves tech is feasible—nanotech can create environmentally
friendly energy practices
Marquez, 12, journalist specializing in Venezuelan issues, **cites Brinceno, physicist**(Humberto
Marquez, 14 November 2012, “Nanotechnology Could Lighten Venezuela’s Oil Footprint”,
http://www.ipsnews.net/2012/11/nanotechnology-could-lighten-venezuelas-oil-footprint/)//Holmes
The relationship between energy and the environment provides fertile ground for
nanotechnology, as demonstrated by the research undertaken at the U.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT), where nanoparticles containing iron have been mixed with oil in order to make it possible
to clean up offshore oil spills with magnets. “The energy demand will increase in coming years, and
we need to be able to generate cheap, abundant energy with the lowest possible environmental
impact. Fossil fuels are not an adequate alternative, but even worse is using them badly when there are incredible opportunities to
make them so much more efficient,” said Javier García Martínez, director of the Nanotechnology Laboratory at the University of
Alicante, Spain. Nanotechnology “offers the opportunity to generate new materials and processes,
and in the field of energy there is great potential to improve the efficiency of the photovoltaic
cells that make up solar panels,” Venezuelan consultant Juan Carlos Sánchez told Tierramérica.
at- backlash
Discussion of nanotech increases public acceptance
Corley et al., 12 (Elizabeth A. Corley, professor of Public Policy, Ethics & Emerging
Technologies, Youngjae Kim, Research Associate, School of Public Affairs, Youngjae Kim,
Research Associate, School of Public Affairs, “PUBLIC CHALLENGES OF NANOTECHNOLOGY
REGULATION”, SPRING 2012, 52 Jurimetrics J. 371–381, jld)
The third challenge is focused on encouraging trusted groups, such as university scientists and medical doctors, to engage in
public communication about nanotechnology more than they do currently. While some scientists en- gage
in this type of discourse with the public, many do not. There are rational reasons why there is a lack of expert public engagement on
nanotechnology; for example, the incentive systems at universities are not typically designed to
encourage faculty members to spend time on these activities, and public engagement efforts are
not considered equal to peer-review publications or grants when a faculty member is evaluated for promotion or
tenure. Yet, when experts engage in public communication activities about scien- tific research,
there can be positive implications for both public acceptance of the technology and public
knowledge levels about the technology. A series of previous studies demonstrate that the public use trust in experts as
a key heu- ristic to make decisions about support for nanotechnology.8 The public are especially likely to use this
trust in experts to make decisions about nanotech- nology when their knowledge levels about
the technology are low. Because it is important for trusted experts to engage in public communication about tech- nologies,
determining which expert groups have the highest public trust levels is important. Figure 2 illustrates levels of public trust across a
variety of expert groups for the issue of nanotechnology. The three groups with the highest levels of public trust are university
nanoscientists, medical professionals, and consumer organizations. The public also trust industry-based nanoscientists and regulators, but they are both slightly less trusted than the top three groups. The least trusted groups are business, Congress, the White
House, environmental or- ganizations, religious organizations, international organizations, and news media.
cuba
generic
1nc generic
Text: The United States federal government should condition _________ on the
Cuban
-creation of a structure dedicated to environmental conservation and
management within the government
-detection of the hazardous contamination focal points in the country
-review of the system of environmental laws and creation of an interim
environmental regulatory instrument
-procuring of funding sources to promote research and environmental
cooperation projects
-establishment of the framework and guarantees necessary for the rise and
development of independent environmental associations and organizations
CP solves
Levia 12 (Aldo M. Levia -- Data Security and Privacy Law, Civil Litigation, Cuba and
International Law- Leiva Law, P.A. "Promoting And Financing The leivalaw.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/04/Envtl-Infrastructure2.pdf) SM
Clearly, Cuba faces a huge challenge in adequately addressing its environmental crisis. Legal,
practical, and, most significantly, economic factors will determine the success of efforts to solve
this problem. Ultimately, political will and capital are the transforming factors that will solve the
problem; admittedly, however, in light of a transition-era Cuba’s other pressing needs, such will and capital may be in short
supply. Nonetheless, several actors will be committed to changing this reality. On the one hand, Cuban
officials of the New Republic, who, aware that economic development does not mandate environmental degradation, will
develop new policies and laws that actually seek to promote both environmental protection and
economic growth. These two societal goals need not compete with each other and, as seen in the U.S., may be attained
concurrently. Cuban private industry must also adopt this view and seek to invest in environmental
infrastructure development for this purpose. Outside Cuba, international funding bodies should
modify their lending practices to promote such development. Lastly, foreign investors, as evidenced by
their efforts in other Latin American countries, will be interested in developing an environmental
technology/treatment market in Cuba. These actors should consult each other, since they
ultimately share similar goals in this area. The recommendations listed above are but a
beginning step in expanding this dialogue and in recognizing the valuable contributions that
each can make in solving Cuba’s environmental crisis.
Absent regulation, the destruction of ecosystems will continue
Cepero 4 (Eudel Eduardo Cepero -- Research analyst at Florida International University -"Environmental Concerns For A Cuba Intransition" -- CUba Transition Project at the Institute
for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies -- University of Miami -- 2004
ctp.iccas.miami.edu/Research_Studies/ECepero.pdf) SM
A substantial, unquantified loss of biodiversity exists, due, among other reasons, to improper management
of certain ecosystems, the application of intensive farming, the marketing of endangered species, as well
as conditions making it easy for important genetic resources to leave the country. Among the most serious biodiversity
losses are the disappearance of substantial numbers of plant and animal species, the reduction of
ecosystems, the destruction of coastal environments, and the collapse of urban sanitation systems.
Cuba’s environmental status has been compromised, and catastrophes have begun to surface, such
as the soil-related disaster involving the disappearance of significant desert areas in some regions of the
archipelago. The current situation
is the result of a chain of unsustainable actions and factors inflicted on ecosystems,
willfulness,
irrationality, and stubbornness. If current negative trends in environmental variables continue, Cuba’s national
ecological account will fall dangerously close to possible bankruptcy. Tourism and agriculture—
economic sectors identified as key to Cuba’s future market economy—are based upon key
natural resources. If those resources continue to deteriorate, projections for socioeconomic recovery in the
medium term will be useless. The extent of ecological degradation will have to be assessed at the beginning of the transition.
especially during the past 40 years of developmental experiments, characterized by governmental
After scientists gather that information, they will determine the primary environmental courses of action to be established for
recovery. At this time, we can suggest that the following actions be considered, among others: • Create a structure
dedicated to environmental conservation and management within the government design established
during the transition period. • Detect and control the main, most hazardous contamination focal points in
the country. • Review the system of environmental laws and create an interim environmental
regulatory instrument that ensures the conservation and sustainable use of the environment
during the transition period. • Establish a national program for basic soil conservation. • Introduce the compulsory rule:
“You Pollute, You Pay.” • Procure funding sources to promote research and environmental
cooperation projects. • Establish the framework and guarantees necessary for the rise and
development of independent environmental associations and organizations. • Promote education and a
culture of respect for environmental conservation
alternate list
These are all the things that must be done to ensure environmental stability
WTTC 4 (World Travel and Tourism Council "The Caribbean: The Impact of Travel & Tourism
On Jobs And The Economy"
www.caribbeanhotelassociation.com/downloads/Pubs_WTTCReport.pdf) SM
The quality and success of the Caribbean tourism product is dependent, in large measure, on the
maintenance of a healthy and attractive natural environment. In the Caribbean, there is a need for: •
Improved planning and management to increase the technical expertise required in the areas of
pollution monitoring, coastal zone management, and the preparation and evaluation of
Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs); • Increased regional co-operation and collaboration ; •
Higher standards of environmental quality ; • Conservation and sustainable use of natural
resources through participation in environmental certification and rating programmes ; •
Improvements in infrastructure across the region, notably in utilities such as water and
electricity supply, and solid waste disposal; • Greater clarity in land-use policy, containment of
the spiralling price of land, and better zoning on the basis of maximizing economic returns; •
Incentives to mobilize the private sector to invest in environmental improvements; • Education
and in-service training for a more sustainable approach to tourism; and • Crisis and disaster
management to mitigate the severe risk of natural and environmental disasters. SAFETY, SECURITY
AND HEALTH Among the broad forces driving change in the tourism industry today, traveller safety and health are becoming two of
the most influential. Crime, harassment and other forms of anti-social behaviour, along with hazardous and unhealthy facilities, are
some of the major threats – real or perceived – to the development of the industry. Such problems frustrate national and regional
efforts to maintain the region’s image as a safe, clean and hospitable tourism destination
More evidence
WTTC 4 (World Travel and Tourism Council "The Caribbean: The Impact of Travel & Tourism
On Jobs And The Economy"
www.caribbeanhotelassociation.com/downloads/Pubs_WTTCReport.pdf) SM
IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE OR – EVEN BETTER – SURPASS THE BASELINE FORECASTS, AND TO
ENSURE THAT FUTURE GROWTH IS SUSTAINABLE, CERTAIN KEY FACTORS NEED TO
BE ASSURED. These include a favourable government fiscal policy, a climate that is conducive to
business – offering attractive incentives for investment – and sustained and effective marketing
and promotion , as well as environmentally friendly policies. Most importantly, clearly defined, longterm
development plans must be drawn up to help guide regional, national and local public and
private sector activities. These plans should be developed in consultation with all stakeholders, feeding
from and back into a Caribbean Tourism Strategy and individual National Tourism Policies, and
they should be disseminated as widely as possible.
Even more evidence
WTTC 4 (World Travel and Tourism Council "The Caribbean: The Impact of Travel & Tourism
On Jobs And The Economy"
www.caribbeanhotelassociation.com/downloads/Pubs_WTTCReport.pdf) SM
Natural Environment The quality and success of the regional tourism product is dependent, in large
measure, on the maintenance of a healthy and attractive natural environment. There is need for: ■
Improved planning and management – many of the small island developing states of the Caribbean lack the necessary
technical expertise required for the complex field of tourism development and the environment in the areas of pollution monitoring,
coastal zone management, and the preparation and evaluation of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs); ■ Increased
regional co-operation and collaboration – eg by joining the Cartagena Convention and its Protocols; ■
Development and implementation of high standards of environmental quality, including
prevention of pollution by cruise and other ships; ■ Conservation and sustainable use of natural
resources – the challenge is to ensure that local tourism businesses and entrepreneurs develop
good environmental and social practices, both during the tourism development planning and
construction phase and in the operations of tourism enterprises through participation in
environmental certification and rating programmes such as Green Globe, Blue Flag and QTC (see below); ■
Improving national infrastructure to support the tourism industry; water and electricity costs in certain
Caribbean countries are among the highest in the world and, where services such as solid waste disposal are not available, hoteliers
must operate their own treatment and disposal systems, adding further to their operating expenses; ■ Land-use policy – eg the
need to address the issue of the use of land for tourism, golf courses and indeed housing, and the spiralling price of land, especially
on or near areas near the coast in some island destinations, which negatively affects the local population; there is need for better
zoning on the basis of maximizing economic returns, respecting parks, water courses, hotels and facilities rather than private villas;
policies like taxing of land ought as far as possible to take account of the different situations of local, as opposed to transient,
resident populations; ■ Incentives to mobilize the private sector – lack of financing is a major constraint to
investment in environmental improvements, especially in small and medium-sized hotels. Governments can help by providing
concessions for capital investments by tourism businesses that impact on reduced water and energy consumption, reduced solid
waste consumption, etc; ■ Education and in-service training for a more sustainable approach to
tourism – there is need to encourage environmental education in schools, devise and implement effective public awareness
campaigns and activities to promote care of the environment, and to increase training programmes for industry professionals that
support environmental sustainability of the industry; and ■ Crisis and Disaster Management – the region’s tourism
industry is exposed to severe risk from the possibility of natural and environmental disasters, such as hurricanes, volcanic eruptions,
etc. Of particular concern are the threats to the marine environment posed by oil-spill emergencies and the transport of hazardous
substances, such as nuclear waste, through the region.
squo no solve
status quo doesn’t solve
Levia 12 (Aldo M. Levia -- Data Security and Privacy Law, Civil Litigation, Cuba and
International Law- Leiva Law, P.A. "Promoting And Financing The leivalaw.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/04/Envtl-Infrastructure2.pdf) SM
The key Cuban environmental law is Law No. 33, also called the “Law on Environmental Protection and the Rational
Use of Natural Resources.”35 The law is a brief document, only 25 pages long, and is intended to “establish the basic
principles to conserve, protect, improve and transform the environment and the rational use of
natural resources, in accordance with the integral development policies” of the Cuban
government.36 The Law consists of four chapters: (1) general provisions; (2) specific areas of environmental protection and the
use of natural resources; (3) organization of administrative and enforcement agencies/entities; and (4) enforcement procedures.
Unfortunately, rather than creating an effective procedural and substantive legal framework, the
Law provides only a broad policy statement, with undefined and vague terms.37 For example, the Law
requires “proper treatment” of wastes before release into the environment, but does not define and clarify the term
“proper treatment” nor does it define “wastes.” The law also fails to set standards and
contamination limits,38 making it virtually unenforceable. Like the rest of the statute, the Chapter setting out
fines is vague and ill-defined.39 Perhaps responding to its critics, the Cuban government has stated that the Law does not include
clear definitions of management categories, since such regulations should be promulgated by the legislature.40 However, to date,
none have been created.41 Similarly, enforcement provisions remain inoperative and are not applied.42 In
fact, as will be discussed below, in practice, environmental laws are seldom applied and are not
considered in policy-making decisions.43 In 1997, the Cuban government promulgated Law No. 81, which focuses on
pollution control. Like its predecessor, the law is overly broad and ill-defined, but sets out enforcement guidelines, sanctions, and
violations. Its effectiveness remains to be seen, as authorities have not yet fully initiated implementation of the law. Also, Cuba’s law
focuses primarily on current compliance rather than on cleaning up past contamination. Because no law exists addressing preexisting contamination, there is no impetus for state-owned industry or foreign investors to address these problems, thus acting as a
disincentive to the development of an infrastructure to address past contamination. There are also no general requirements for
treatment of wastes prior to disposal. In the absence of such requirements, parties seeking to comply with the spirit of the law have
no guidance and compliance efforts are thereby negatively affected.
cuba k2 biod
Cuba’s key to biodiversity
Dr. Michael Smith quoted in Houck 2K (Oliver A. Houck -- Professor of Law, Tulane Law
School, Tulane Institute of Environmental Law and Policy and the Center for Marine
Conservation -- "Environmental Law in Cuba" -- 2000
www.law.fsu.edu/journals/landuse/vol161/houck.pdf) SM
On a worldwide basis, biodiversity tends to be concentrated in the southern countries, while the institutions
and resources for studying it tend to be located in the northern countries … Cuba provides an extreme case. With
respect to biodiversity, it is the single most important country in the Caribbean islands, and this
is true to an overwhelming degree.2
Cuba is key to global biodiversity
Houck 2K (Oliver A. Houck -- Professor of Law, Tulane Law School, Tulane Institute of
Environmental Law and Policy and the Center for Marine Conservation -- "Environmental Law
in Cuba" -- 2000 www.law.fsu.edu/journals/landuse/vol161/houck.pdf) SM
The first asset is the extraordinary nature of its biological resources. Scattered across the landscape in relic
pockets, keys, caves, marshes, wet forests, and mountain ravines are nearly 7000 species of
plants — half of all identified plant species of the Caribbean, more than a third of the number of
plant species known to the United States and Canada combined.29 The diversity of fauna is no
less impressive, with twelve times as many mammal species per hectare as the United States
and Canada, twenty-nine times the amphibians and reptiles, and thirty-nine times the number
of bird species including several endangered species, the rare Bee Hummingbird, and the last
known sighting of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, now extinct in the United States.30 From the
standpoint of biological diversity, research, and beneficial derivatives, Cuba is as important as any nation in the
Northern hemisphere, facts of which Cubans are quite aware. Cuba's biotechnology industry has been
producing biological pharmaceuticals and pest controls since the early 1980s.31 No less important are Cuba's coastal
resources, with nearly 4, 000 miles of shoreline on the main island and an additional 4,195
outlying, mostly uninhabited coastal islets and keys.32 Cuban beaches have the rare advantages of being both
abundant and relatively unspoiled by Caribbean, or even Florida, standards. They have become a major draw for international
tourism, on which much of the country's economic future now depends,33 facts of which Cubans are also quite aware. By 1996,
tourism had replaced agriculture as Cuba's primary source of revenue.34
Testing coastal zones is the test of environmental responsibility
Houck 2K (Oliver A. Houck -- Professor of Law, Tulane Law School, Tulane Institute of
Environmental Law and Policy and the Center for Marine Conservation -- "Environmental Law
in Cuba" -- 2000 www.law.fsu.edu/journals/landuse/vol161/houck.pdf) SM
The coastal zone is likely to be Cuba’s major test of environmental responsibility. It is a major test
for any country and one that many countries do not bother to sit for, much less pass. The world’s coastal zones are some of
the most biologically rich eco-regions on earth, harboring seabed grasses, kelp forests, oyster
beds, coral reefs, shellfish flats, tidal pools, sea caves and ledges, beaches, dune grasses, sea oats,
cheniers, mangroves, salt marshes, intermediate and freshwater marshes, bays, keys, estuaries,
river mouths, hardwood swamps and similar universes which support more than a quarter of
the world's primary plant production,224 ninety percent of its seafood,225 nearly all of its
migratory waterfowl,226 and provide enormous, additional services in pollution control, flood
control and the buffering of coastal storms at virtually no cost. The case can be made that these resources are
the greatest bargain on earth.2
at- perm
Conditioning is key—we already give environmental aid to Cuba—it’s ineffective
absent incentives
Aronson et al. 1 (Bernard W. Aronson – Project Directors of An Independent Task Force
Sponsored by the Council of Foreign Relations – William D. Rogers, Julia Sweig, and Walter
Mead – project co-chairs – US-Cuba Relations in the 21st Century: A Follow On Report – 2001 –
PDF -https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&ved=0CEU
QFjAD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmercury.ethz.ch%2Fserviceengine%2FFiles%2FISN%2F16039%2
Fichaptersection_singledocument%2F2c6dd9f6-c185-45f0-8e18d0dd55185b18%2Fen%2F2001-02_USCuban%2BRelations_Follow%2Bup.pdf&ei=CyjXUb29EYXGqgHbl4CoCw&usg=AFQjCNHZ8tL
QH4kczdxztns5NqqNleO7Nw&sig2=PPI_CJuUux6bf4e1PvkVUg) SM
As for federal funding of NGOs for people-to-people exchanges, the U.S. government already spends $5 million a
year to assist NGOs working to promote democracy in Cuba. This program, which is specifically targeted at
supporting an independent civil society in Cuba and those working for democratic change, should be continued and expanded. But
the U.S. government should by no means provide funding for programs with Cuban government
institutions—such as exchanges with Cuba’s official “trade unions” and the environmental
groups the Task Force suggests— which would do nothing to help Cubans build an independent
civil society. U.S. tax dollars should be used to support groups seeking to create space for Cubans outside the Cuban state—not
to support programs of the Cuban state.
fisheries impact
Embargo is key to Cuban fisheries—they’re bio-diverse
Mueller, 11, writer @ Fly Fisherman magazine(Geoff Mueller, 31 May 2011, “
Embargoland”, http://www.flyfisherman.com/2011/05/31/embargoland/#axzz2YBdOxSBO)//Holmes
On January 1, 1959, Castro and his band of armed rebels stormed Havana, crushing the Batista regime. Following the Cuban Missile
Crisis, in 1963 President John F. Kennedy invoked travel restrictions under the Trading with the Enemy Act. As
the story goes, Kennedy, recognizing the finer things, procured 1,200 “personal-use” Petit H. Upmann cigars before the embargo
came into effect. Cuban flats fishing, however, remained at that time well off the presidential radar.
As a direct effect of the trade embargo, more than 50 years later Cuba is a land lost in time. Its
lack of U.S travelers may have helped cripple its economy but, in an ironic twist of fate, hasn’t
hurt the fishing. It’s protected it. How good can a fishery teetering on the ramshackle pillars of communist Cuba be? As
good as Belize? The Keys? Los Roques? With enough salty destinations to spin the globe and point, do we need yet another to feed
the insatiable animal within? The short answer is, “Yes, Cuba is that good.” This island archipelago, located 90 miles south
of Key West, is
peppered with national marine preserves rich in aquatic biodiversity, including
migratory tarpon, permit, and tailing bonefish. Its forbidden fruits—outstanding flats fishing,
quality cigars, fine sipping rums, and a city superimposed in 1950s-era steel and mortar—offer
untapped potential and hope.
soil impact
Cuba’s soil is completely eroded
Cepero 4 (Eudel Eduardo Cepero -- Research analyst at Florida International University -"Environmental Concerns For A Cuba Intransition" -- Cuba Transition Project at the Institute
for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies -- University of Miami -- 2004
ctp.iccas.miami.edu/Research_Studies/ECepero.pdf) SM
Domestic food production is severely limited and compromised because 60 percent of Cuba’s farmlands are
affected by soil degradation. Soil erosion affects more than 4 million hectares of farmlands and
acidity is widespread in over 1.7 million hrectares. Elevated saline and sodium levels exist in more than 1 million
hectares. Compaction is present in some 2 million hectares and poor drainage problems are
reported in 2.7 million hectares.
That decks agriculture and infrastructure
Cepero 4 (Eudel Eduardo Cepero -- Research analyst at Florida International University -"Environmental Concerns For A Cuba Intransition" -- Cuba Transition Project at the Institute
for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies -- University of Miami -- 2004
ctp.iccas.miami.edu/Research_Studies/ECepero.pdf) SM
Soil degradation. In Cuba, a bit less than 8 million hectares of agricultural soil exist, of which 4.2 million
have been degraded by artificial erosion;6 of the 4.2 million hectares, it is estimated that 25 percent suffer
both from strong and very strong erosion. Soil degrading factors, such as poor drainage, salinization,7
acidity,8 compaction,9 and the formation of infertile crusts10 have also been observed. All the foregoing has led to
the official use of the term “desertification” to define the state of deterioration that the soil in some
regions of the country is in. The appearance of desert areas on the island is the result of political, economic, and social factors, such
as poverty, technical backwardness, improper land use, excessive pasturage, deforestation, poor management of water resources,
and the implementation of unsustainable agrarian strategies. As a result, 46 percent of the soil falls under the
category of low agricultural productivity, and 14 percent is considered “very low” for failing to
reach 30 percent of the productive crop potential. That is, 60 percent of Cuba’s farmland has low
yields. This situation must be assessed carefully, not only because of its effect on the soil—a natural variable that is, per se, an
ecosystem11 and the support of other ecosystems, such as vegetation—but also due to the direct relationship it has with the
revitalization of the agricultural sector and the national economy. The increase in soil degradation creates a
regressive algorithm that implies a decrease in direct productive yields in the field and an
increase in costs apart from the growing fields, for example, when washouts destroy the
agricultural and social infrastructure, such as roads, sewers, canals, irrigation systems, and
others. Therefore, the proper use of the land, the application of soil conservation practices,12 and reforestation and other actions
geared toward recovering agricultural ecosystems13 must be implemented quickly. A correct combination of regulations and
incentives to promote land conservation would perhaps be a starting point, including financial stimuli related to credits; payment
facilities or tax rebates for 6
Soil erosion causes extinction
Ikerd, 99, Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics at Univers ity of Missouri[John E.,
“Foundational Principles: Soils. Stewards hip, and Sustainability,” Sep 22, http://www.ssu.mi
ssouri.edu/faculty/jikerd/papers/NCSOILS.html]
In times not too long past, the connection between soil and human life was clear and ever
present. Little more than a century ago, most people were farmers and those who were not lived
close enough to a farm to know that the food that gave them life came from the soil. They knew
that when the soil was rich, the rains came, and the temperature was hospitable to plants and
animals, food was bountiful and there was plenty to eat. They knew that when droughts came,
plants dried out and died, and the soil was bare, there was little to eat. They knew when the
floods came, plants were covered with water and died, and the soil was bare; there was little to
eat. They knew very well that their physical well being, if not their lives, depended on the things
that lived from the soil. William Albrecht, a well known soil scientist at the University of
Missouri during the middle of this century, hypothesized that people from different parts of the
country had distinctive physical characteristics linked to the soils of the area where they grew
up. He attributed those physical distinctions to differences in nutrient values of the foods they
eat, which in turn depended on the make-up of the soils on which their foodstuffs were grown.
Albrecht’s hypothesis was never fully tested. As people began to move from one place to another
throughout their lives, and as more and more foodstuffs were shipped from one region of
production to another for consumption, people no longer ate food from any one region or soil
type. But it’s quite possible that when people lived most of their lives in one place, and ate
mostly food produced locally, their physical makeup was significantly linked to the make up of
local soils. Today, we eat from many soils, from all around the world. Even today there is a
common saying that "we are what we eat." If so, "we actually are the soil from which we eat."
The connection between soil and life is no longer so direct or so clear, but it is still there. Most
urban dwellers also have lost all sense of personal connection to the farm or the soil. During
most of this century many people living in cities either had lived on a farm at one time or knew
someone, usually a close relative, who still lived on a farm -- which gave them some tangible
connection with the soil. At least they knew that "land" meant something more than just a place
to play or space to be filled with some form of "development." But these personal connections
have been lost with the aging of urbanization. One of the most common laments among farmers
today is that "people no longer know where their food comes from." For most, any real
understanding of the direct connection between soil and life has been lost. It ‘s sad but true.
What’s even sadder is that many farmers don’t realize the dependence of their own farming
operation on the health and natural productivity of their soil. They have been told by the experts
that soil is little more than a medium for propping up the plants so they can be fed with
commercial fertilizers and protected by commercial pesticides until they produce a bountiful
harvest. In the short run, this illusion of production without natural soil fertility appears real. As
long as the soil has a residue of minerals and organic matter from times past, annual
amendments of a few basic nutrients – nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash, being the most
common – crop yields can be maintained. Over time, however, as organic matter becomes
depleted, production problems appear and it becomes increasingly expensive to maintain
productivity. As additional "trace elements" are depleted, soil management problems become
more complex. Eventually, it will become apparent that it would have been far easier and less
costly in the long run to have maintained the natural fertility of the soil. But, by then much of
the natural productivity will be gone -- forever. In the meantime, many farmers will have little
sense of their ultimate dependence on the soil. Still, all of life depends upon soil. All life requires
food and there is simply no other source of food except living things that depend directly or
indirectly on the soil. This is a foundational principle of natural science, of human health, and of
social studies that should be taught at every level in every school in the world -- beginning in
kindergarten and continuing through college. That we must have soil to live is as fundamental as
the fact that we must have air to breath, water to drink, and food to eat. It’s just less obvious.
Soil erosion causes extinction
ASABE 2 (American Society of Agricultural Engineers, “In Defense of Soil and Water Resources
in the United States: Soil Erosion Research Priorities,” 12/02,
http://www.asabe.org/pr/soilerosion.html)
Our soil resource is vital to the survival of the human race. Not only does it provide the literal
foundation of our existence, it is the source of most of the agricultural products that sustain us and
our way of life—food, fiber, timber, and energy. Because damages to soil quality are nearly always permanent, preservation of
this resource is critically important to maintaining agricultural productivity and environmental quality.
One of the most widespread threats to soil quality is wind and water erosion, an ever-occurring process that impacts our lives in
numerous ways, the direst of which is lost food production. It is estimated that soil erosion is damaging the productivity of 29% (112
million acres) of U.S. cropland and is adversely affecting the ecological health of 39% (145 million acres) of rangeland. In addition to
on-site soil loss, erosion results in off-site sediment movement that can cause problems downstream. Sediment can deposit and clog
drainage ways, increase potential for flooding, decrease reservoir capacity, and carry nutrients and pesticides that degrade water
quality. Current assessments by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of impaired water bodies indicate that 40% of the stream
miles and 45% of the lake and reservoir areas are impaired because of sediment. Therefore, minimizing erosion is not only
important for saving the soil, it is essential
air quality.
for preserving potable water resources and improving water and
Soil erosion causes extinction
Avery 95 (Dennis, Expert On Food Stability, Senior Agricultural Analyst – Deptartment of
State, Policy Analyst – Department of Agriculture, Director – Hudson Institute,
http://www.mandakzerotill.org/book17/planet.html)
The true long-term threat to human existence is soil erosion. Doubling the yields on the best and safest
farmland cuts soil erosion by more than half. And now herbicides and conservation tillage are letting us cut
those low rates of soil erosion by 65 to 98 percent. It should now be possible to build topsoil and soil
tilth on much of the world's best farmland -- while carrying on intensive high-yield farming.
defo impact
Reforestation is nearly impossible
Cepero 4 (Eudel Eduardo Cepero -- Research analyst at Florida International University -"Environmental Concerns For A Cuba Intransition" -- Cuba Transition Project at the Institute
for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies -- University of Miami -- 2004
ctp.iccas.miami.edu/Research_Studies/ECepero.pdf) SM
The irrational use of forests has become common practice under the Castro regime. As no current data are
available on the actual total area of cover forest, the value of Cuba’s forest resources is unknown. Most of the iremaining natural
forests are in poor condition from being overexploited . An average of 200 forest fires occur each
year, affecting some 5,000 hectares of forest. Reforestation has been precarious, due to poor
quality seeds, a low survival rate of plantings, and a narrow range of forest species utilized.
Deforestation causes epidemics which spread rapidly—risks extinction
Butler, 12, co-founder of Tropical Conservation Science, an open-access academic journal that
aims to provide opportunities for scientists in developing countries to publish their
research(Rhett Butler, 22 July 2012, “LOSS OF SPECIES FOR FOREST REGENERATION”,
http://rainforests.mongabay.com/0904.htm)//Holmes
The emergence of tropical diseases and outbreaks of new diseases, including nasty hemorrhagic fevers like
ebola and lassa fever, are a subtle but serious impact of deforestation. With increased human presence in the
rainforest, and exploiters pushing into deeper areas, humans are encountering microorganisms with behaviors
unlike those previously known. As the primary hosts of these pathogens are eliminated or
reduced through forest disturbance and degradation, disease can break out among humans.
Although not unleashed yet, someday one of these microscopic killers could lead to a massive epidemic as deadly
for our species as we have been for the species of the rainforest. Until then, local populations will continue to be
menaced by mosquito-borne diseases like dengue fever, Rift Valley fever, and malaria, and water-borne diseases
like cholera. Many emergent and resurgent diseases are directly linked to land alterations which bring humans in closer contact
with such pathogens. For example, malaria and snailborne schistosomiasis have escalated because of the
proliferation of artificial pools of water like dams, rice paddies, drainage ditches, irrigation canals, and puddles created by
tractor treads. Malaria is a particular problem in deforested and degraded areas, though less so in forested
zones where there are few stagnant ground pools for mosquito breeding. These pools are most abundant in cleared regions and areas
where tractors tear gashes in the earth. Malaria — which is estimated to infect 300 million people a year worldwide, killing 1-2
million — is
a major threat to forest-dwelling indigenous peoples who have developed little or no (in
the case of uncontacted tribes) resistance to the disease and lack access to antimalarial drugs. Malaria in the 1990s was
cited for killing an estimated 20 percent of the Yanomani in Brazil and Venezuela. Drug-resistant forms of malaria means the disease
is again becoming a threat in places where it was thought to be under control. Models suggest that climate change could expand the
distribution of malaria-carrying mosquitos. The outbreak of disease in the tropics does not affect only the
people of those countries, since virtually any disease can be incubated for enough time to allow
penetration into the temperate developed countries. For example, a Central African doctor infected with the
ebola virus from a patient can board a plane and land in London within 10 hours. The virus could quickly spread
among the city's large population Additionally, every person at the airport who is exposed can unknowingly carry the
pathogen home to their native countries around the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, deaths
from infectious disease are on the rise. Infectious disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and the third leading cause of
death in the United States. Infectious disease have had a major role in human mortality throughout history. At least one-third of
human deaths during World War I came from an infectious disease: influenza. In 1919, between 20 million and 100 million died
from the flu—more than the number of total casualties from the war.
Deforestation causes biodiversity loss and extinction
Rochen and Stock 98 (Andy Rochen and Jocelyn Stock are undergraduate researchers at the University of Michigan. “Deforestation
and Society” http://www.umich.edu/~gs265/society/deforestation.htm)
To understand why deforestation is such a pressing and urgent issue, forests must first be given
credit for what they bring to global ecosystems and the quality of life that all species maintain. Tropical
Rainforests presently give a place to call home for 50% - 90% of all organisms, 90% of our relatives,
the primates, and 50 million creatures that can live no place but the rich rainforests (World Rainforest
Movement 16). Not only are other species at risk, but the human race also benefits from what the trees give.
From something as minor as the spices that indulge food to life giving medicines, the rainforests amplify and save
lives. According to the World Rainforest Movement, 25% of medicines come from the forests (28). This is a
number that does not do justice to all the cures that have yet to be discovered or that have been
destroyed. The forests give life, not only to other species, but they help to prolong the human
race. The forests have global implications not just on life but on the quality of it. Trees improve the quality of the air that species
breath by trapping carbon and other particles produced by pollution. Trees determine rainfall and replenish the atmosphere. As
more water gets put back in the atmosphere, clouds form and provide another way to block out the sun’s heat. Trees are what cool
and regulates the earth’s climate in conjunction with other such valuable services as preventing erosion, landslides, and making the
most infertile soil rich with life. Mother earth has given much responsibility to trees.
Forestry collapse causes extinction
Santos 99 (Miguel, professor of ecology and environmental science, Environmental Crisis, p.
35-36, 1999)
In addition, natural forests provide recreation and unique scientific beauty while at the same time serving as the
basis for natural communities that provide life support to organisms (including people).
As mentioned, one vital by-product of plant photosynthetic activity is oxygen, which is
essential to human existence. In addition, forests remove pollutants and odors from the atmosphere. The
wilderness is highly effective in metabolizing many toxic substances. The atmospheric concentration of pollutants over the
forest, such as particulates and sulfur dioxide, are measurably below that of adjacent areas (see Figure 2.3). In view of
their ecological role in ecosystems, the impact of species extinction may be devastating. The rich diversity of
species and the ecosystems that support them are intimately
connected to the long-term survival of
humankind. As the historic conservationist Aldo Leopold stated in 1949, "The outstanding scientific discovery of the
twentieth century is not television or radio, but the complexity of the land organisms. To keep every cog and wheel is the
first precaution of intelligent tinkering." An endangered species may have a significant role in its community. Such an
organism may control the structure and functioning of the community through its activities. The sea otter, for example, in
relation to its size, is perhaps the most voracious of all marine mammals. The otter feeds on sea mollusks, sea urchins,
crabs, and fish. It needs to eat more than 20 percent of its weight every day to provide the necessary energy to maintain its
body temperature in a cold marine habitat. The extinction of such keystone or controller species from the ecosystem would
cause great damage. Its extinction could have cascading effects on many species, even causing secondary extinction.
Traditionally, species have always evolved along with their changing environment. As disease organisms evolve, other
organisms may evolve chemical defense mechanisms that confer disease resistance. As the weather becomes drier, for
example, plants may develop smaller, thicker leaves, which lose water slowly. The environment, however, is now
developing and changing rapidly, but evolution is slow, requiring hundreds of thousands of years. If species are
allowed to become extinct, the total biological diversity on Earth will be greatly reduced :
therefore, the potential for natural adaptation and change also will be reduced, thus
endangering the diversity of future human life-support systems.
water pollution impact
Contamination is causing widespread water pollution
Cepero 4 (Eudel Eduardo Cepero -- Research analyst at Florida International University -"Environmental Concerns For A Cuba Intransition" -- Cuba Transition Project at the Institute
for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies -- University of Miami -- 2004
ctp.iccas.miami.edu/Research_Studies/ECepero.pdf) SM
The collection and disposal of solid waste in cities is lacking, as are the hygienic-sanitary
conditions of landfills. It is common practice to collect and dispose of hospital waste together
with residential garbage. Most facilities that produce hazardous wastes do not have systems in
place for treating them. According to official figures, there are more than 2,200 contamination focal
points considered to be highly toxic in the country
Contamination of our freshwater destroys any possibility for life on Earth.
Robert B. Jackson and Steven W. Running Spring 2001 “Water in a Changing World”, Issues in Ecology, Ecological Society of
America, http://www.biology.duke.edu/jackson/issues9.pdf
Life on earth depends on the continuous flow of materials through the air, water, soil, and food webs of the
biosphere. The movement of water through the hydrological cycle comprises the largest of these flows,
delivering an estimated 110,000 cubic kilometers (km3) of water to the land each year as snow and rainfall. Solar energy drives the
hydrological cycle, vaporizing water from the surface of oceans, lakes, and rivers as well as from soils and plants
(evapotranspiration). Water vapor rises into the atmosphere where it cools, condenses, and eventually rains down anew. This
renewable freshwater supply sustains life on the land, in estuaries, and in the freshwater
ecosystems of the earth. Renewable fresh water provides many services essential to human health and well being,
including water for drinking, industrial production, and irrigation, and the production of fish,
waterfowl, and shellfish. Fresh water also provides many benefits while it remains in its channels (nonextractive
or instream benefits), including flood control, transportation, recreation, waste processing, hydroelectric power, and habitat for
aquatic plants and animals. Some benefits, such as irrigation and hydroelectric power, can be achieved only by damming,
diverting, or creating other major changes to natural water flows. Such changes often diminish or preclude other instream benefits
of fresh water, such as providing habitat for aquatic life or maintaining suitable water quality for human use
invasive species impact
Warming causes invasive species in Cuba
IPS, 13 (Ivet González, Inter Press Service, “Climate Change Drives Spread of Invasive Plants in
Cuba”, Apr 11 2013, http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/04/climate-change-drives-spread-ofinvasive-plants-in-cuba/, jld)
Botanist Ramona Oviedo has spent decades combing the countryside in Cuba to study and curb the spread of invasive plant species,
a serious problem that has been aggravated by climate change. Global warming “can worsen the impact of
invasive plant species, which are more resistant than Cuba’s native flora,” Oviedo, a researcher at the
Ecology and Systematics Institute (IES), said in an interview with IPS. The United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity
defines invasive alien species as “animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms entered and established in the environment from
outside of their natural habitat (that) reproduce rapidly, out-compete native species for food, water and space, and are one of the
main causes of global biodiversity loss.” These biological invasions are the result of globalisation, which has boosted travel and
international trade, and of the intentional introduction of alien species for purposes such as fish farming, the pet trade, horticulture
and biological control (as biocontrol agents). The spread of invasive alien species has become a major driver
of species loss, second only to ecosystem degradation. There are 323 invasive plant species in Cuba
that colonise natural and agricultural environments, displace native plants and cause
imbalances that are costly for the environment and the economy. And another 232 alien plant species present in
the island could potentially be placed in that category. Local effects of climate change such as rising temperatures and
increasingly frequent droughts threaten native vegetation, which could be replaced by highly-resistant
alien species with a high reproduction rate, Oviedo told IPS. Hurricane-prone areas could face a similar fate.
Invasive species
Boom, 12 (Brian M., Director, Caribbean Biodiversity Program, Ph.D in Biological Sciences,
“Biodiversity without Borders”, September 2012,
http://www.sciencediplomacy.org/article/2012/biodiversity-without-borders, jld)
Invasive Species: Cuba and the United States share many of these problem organisms, which are
among the most significant threats to native species and to ecological and economic wellbeing.
For example, Hydrilla verticillata, an aggressive waterweed native to the Old World, displaces native aquatic plants and
seriously disrupts recreational uses of lakes and rivers in Cuba and the United States.8 Another example is the red lionfish,
which is native to the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans but was released into the Atlantic Ocean from a home aquarium in Florida
when Hurricane Andrew struck in 1992. Today, this venomous fish has spread along the U.S. Atlantic Coast as far north as New York
and into the Caribbean, including Cuban waters, voraciously eating native fish and creating major disruptions
to coral reef ecosystems.9
Disease vector species
Boom, 12 (Brian M., Director, Caribbean Biodiversity Program, Ph.D in Biological Sciences,
“Biodiversity without Borders”, September 2012,
http://www.sciencediplomacy.org/article/2012/biodiversity-without-borders, jld)
Disease Vector Species: A good example of a shared disease vector is the
Aedes aegypti mosquito. This species is the
principal vector for the viruses that cause dengue fever, a non-curable, sometimes fatal disease
in humans. In the Western Hemisphere, the disease is known to occur throughout much of Latin America and the Caribbean,
including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, but so far not in Cuba, and only rarely in the continental United States. But this
situation could change. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there is evidence that this
mosquito is constantly responding and adapting to environmental changes. Cuba has one of the
world’s best centers for dengue research with knowledge about how the island stays dengue
free.10 Yet, Cuba and the United States are not working together on dengue, a shared and growing threat.
Invasive species planetary extinction
Nadol 99 (Viki, JD Candidate – Valparaiso, Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark
College, Lexis)
The threat of invasion by nonnative species has always existed. It is arguably a natural process that should be
allowed to continue unheeded. 21 The problem with this theory is that it fails to take into account the rate
at which humans are responsible for accelerating the pace of successful introductions , as compared
to those that would occur naturally. 22 The last five hundred years or so demarcate an era of human expansion that has
resulted in the increasingly rapid disruption and weakening of Earth's eco systems. 23 The fragile
condition of these systems renders them vulnerable to the establishment of invasive species. 24 In addition, rates of
introduc [*343] tion have escalated with the advent of new modes of conveyance by trade and travel. 25 Airplanes, boats, and
automobiles provide sufficiently quick and spacious travel, facilitating entry of a number of invasive species into habitat zones
otherwise out of reach. 26 In the late 1950s, Charles Elton, a renowned British ecologist, warned that modern society was witnessing
great historical dislocations of the world's fauna and flora. 27 Indeed, the scope of invasion is alarming, as are its
effects. 28 Over 4500 invasive species are now established in the United States. 29 These species greatly
threaten biological diversity 30 because they are often able to out-compete and displace native
organisms. 31 As would be expected, they also add to the stress already suffered by endangered and
threatened native species. 32 One study indicates that invasive species are second only to habitat destruction among the
leading causes of spe cies loss nationwide. 33 However, some experts fear that invasive species ultimately will
contribute to the demise of the human population by destroying natural processes and
ecosystems necessary to human survival. 34 [Continues – To Footnote] n30. See infra note 35 and accompanying
text. In addition to threatening diversity, invasive species ultimately threaten survival of species as well: As the total number of
species declines, plants and animals that may be important food resources, that play a critical role in the food web, or that contain
medicinal qualities may disappear. Surviving species will have fewer buffers against catastrophic
fluctuations in the environment. If, for example, a fish species loses many or some of its food resources, any threat or
damage to the remaining food resource can be far more detrimental to the fish because alternatives have been lost. Thus
homogenization of habitats and species can have far-reaching effects. Breaching Natural Barriers, supra note 22, at 8. n31.
Quammen, supra note 25, at 66. As one specialist explains, invasive species outgrow, out-mature, and simply out-compete native
species. Telephone Interview with Neil Rich mond, Shellfish Fishery Biologist, Oregon Dep't of Fish & Wildlife (Nov. 25, 1998)
[hereinaf ter Richmond Interview]. n32. Quammen, supra note 25, at 66 ("[A] report, from the U.N. Environmental Program,
declares that almost 20 percent of the world's endangered vertebrates suffer from pressures (competition, predation, habitat
transformation) created by exotic interlopers."). n33. Westley et al., supra note 6, at 46. n34. See Quammen, supra note 25, at
68. We come to a certain fretful leap of logic that otherwise thoughtful observers seem willing, even eager, to make: that the
ultimate consequence will be the extinction of us. By seizing such a huge share of Earth's landscape, by imposing so
wantonly on its providence and presuming so recklessly on its forgivingness, by killing off so many species, they say, we
will doom our own species to extinction.
migratory species
Migratory species
Boom, 12 (Brian M., Director, Caribbean Biodiversity Program, Ph.D in Biological Sciences,
“Biodiversity without Borders”, September 2012,
http://www.sciencediplomacy.org/article/2012/biodiversity-without-borders, jld)
Migratory Species: Thousands of species of animals migrate between the two nations . Cuba provides
key wintering habitats for 284 bird species that breed in the United States, such as black-and-white warblers. Many
insects also migrate between the United States and Cuba, including the monarch butterfly. Fishes, such as the Atlantic
bluefin tuna, swim through both Cuban and U.S. waters, while turtles, such as the hawksbill,
share Cuban and U.S. marine habitats. Mammals, such as the Florida manatee, also swim between U.S.
and Cuban waters.
endangered species
Endangered species
Boom, 12 (Brian M., Director, Caribbean Biodiversity Program, Ph.D in Biological Sciences,
“Biodiversity without Borders”, September 2012,
http://www.sciencediplomacy.org/article/2012/biodiversity-without-borders, jld)
Endangered Species: Cuba and the United States share forty-nine animal species and eight plant
species that are categorized as Globally Threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
and Natural Resources (IUCN). Because only a small fraction of the world’s plants and animals have been
assessed by the IUCN criteria, the actual number of threatened species that are shared by Cuba and
the United States is certainly much larger. Even with what is known already, there exists a strong
imperative for the two countries to cooperate on monitoring and protecting the threatened
species for which they are joint stewards, including the West Indian walnut, the American crocodile, and the West Indian
whistling duck.
eco-tourism
1nc
Text: The United States federal government should condition _________ on
Cuban promotion of ecotourism in Cuba.
Lifting the embargo without environmental protection measures destroys Cuban
biodiversity—emphasis on ecotourism solves
Kramer, 10, writer @ PBS, aided in production of episode on Cuban biodiversity(Kelly Kramer,
“Cuba: The Accidental Eden A Brief Environmental History”, http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/cuba-theaccidental-eden/a-brief-environmental-history/5830/)//Holmes
Cuba has been called the “Accidental Eden” for its exceptional biodiversity and unique historical
development. The island nation and its archipelagos support thousands of plant and animal species,
many of which are endemic, making Cuba the most naturally diverse Caribbean nation and a
destination for biological scientists and ecotourists. Cuba’s natural blessings are the result of a manifold historical
trajectory. The American trade and tourism embargo and the collapse of the Soviet Union have both made
“accidental” contributions to the survival of Cuban wildlife. Cuba’s low population density (about 102 people
per square kilometer) and relative land isolation as an island have afforded it moderately low levels of
environmental destruction and high levels of endemism. And Cuba remains biologically diverse,
but it has seen its share of loss. Spanish colonialism invited new plants, animals, and diseases, and some native lifeforms failed to
cope. Species unique to Cuba became extinct, including varieties of sloths and monkeys, among other animals. The expansion
of Cuban commercialism and industry, particularly with the influence of European and American capital, continued to
threaten Cuban wildlife populations. Tobacco and more significantly sugar transformed the country from a Spanish
shipping port to a major agricultural exporter. As sugar demand rose, habitat was destroyed for farming. Today, farmers still
compete with wildlife for use of the land. At the same time, heavy industrial development polluted Cuban air, land, and water.
Cuba’s 1959 revolution set the country on a path apart from other post-colonial nations. Although revolutionary Cuba
instituted policies around agriculture, industry, forests, and water, like most states in the 1960s,
its moderate environmental efforts had mixed results. Focusing more heavily on agriculture rather than
heavy industry probably did more to save Cuban wildlife in the ‘60s and ‘70s than did any environmentally
conscious policies. While global capitalism continued on a general course of thoughtless environmental destruction, the
U.S. embargo against Cuba, including a travel ban, freed the country from its most salient
environmental threat while putting the nation under great economic strain. Cuba traded and underwent forms of
“development,” but in many ways avoided the developments of late century American capitalism. While both “capitalism” and
“communism” ultimately undervalued natural resources, American executive and legislative dispositions helped
nurture the blossoming of Cuban wildlife. A dramatic shift toward agriculture, industry, and the environment
appeared after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. With shortages in fossil fuels and the disappearance of 80% of both imports
and exports, Cuba entered the “Special Period,” an economic depression that required new techniques to help the country become
more self-sustaining. Although Cuban beaches were opened to international tourism, an environmentally significant
aspect of the Special Period was the adoption of permaculture agriculture and land use
strategies. Circumstances since the ’90s have led the Cuban government to take a stronger legislative and rhetorical stance
toward environmental management. Although initially centered around the human species, Fidel Castro’s 1992 address to the UN
Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro expresses this attitude of environmental awareness and urgency: “An important biological
species is in danger of disappearing due to the fast and progressive destruction of its natural
living conditions: mankind. We have now become aware of this problem when it is almost too late to stop it. … Tomorrow
it will be too late to do what we should have done a long time ago.” Today Cuba exhibits thriving natural diversity,
though it may be tenuous. Agricultural pollution, habitat destruction, and significantly tourism all
threaten the island’s plants and animals and compete for land and water use. Every moment brings
Cuba closer to the possibility of a lifted U.S. embargo, which would dramatically affect Cuba’s economic
possibilities and thus its wildlife. One of the many mixed blessing would be increased tourism. Marine conservationist Fernando
Bretos notes that “The tourism impact has really been minimal in Cuba, but that’s going to change. When you go from 2
million tourists a year to 4 to 6 to 8, everything will change.” Those with concern for Cuban wildlife but an
understanding of the inevitable promote an ecotourism that focuses on enjoying and even actively
supporting nature. This practice necessitates natural preservation, though potentially favoring certain species of
flora and fauna over others. Mixed messages from officials make it unclear how Cuba’s tourism industry will proceed, but some
conservationists see Cuba’s position as an opportunity to set a constructive example.
alternate list
These are all the things that must be done to ensure environmental stability
WTTC 4 (World Travel and Tourism Council "The Caribbean: The Impact of Travel & Tourism
On Jobs And The Economy"
www.caribbeanhotelassociation.com/downloads/Pubs_WTTCReport.pdf) SM
The quality and success of the Caribbean tourism product is dependent, in large measure, on the
maintenance of a healthy and attractive natural environment. In the Caribbean, there is a need for: •
Improved planning and management to increase the technical expertise required in the areas of
pollution monitoring, coastal zone management, and the preparation and evaluation of
Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs); • Increased regional co-operation and collaboration ; •
Higher standards of environmental quality ; • Conservation and sustainable use of natural
resources through participation in environmental certification and rating programmes ; •
Improvements in infrastructure across the region, notably in utilities such as water and
electricity supply, and solid waste disposal; • Greater clarity in land-use policy, containment of
the spiralling price of land, and better zoning on the basis of maximizing economic returns; •
Incentives to mobilize the private sector to invest in environmental improvements; • Education
and in-service training for a more sustainable approach to tourism; and • Crisis and disaster
management to mitigate the severe risk of natural and environmental disasters. SAFETY, SECURITY
AND HEALTH Among the broad forces driving change in the tourism industry today, traveller safety and health are becoming two of
the most influential. Crime, harassment and other forms of anti-social behaviour, along with hazardous and unhealthy facilities, are
some of the major threats – real or perceived – to the development of the industry. Such problems frustrate national and regional
efforts to maintain the region’s image as a safe, clean and hospitable tourism destination
More evidence
WTTC 4 (World Travel and Tourism Council "The Caribbean: The Impact of Travel & Tourism
On Jobs And The Economy"
www.caribbeanhotelassociation.com/downloads/Pubs_WTTCReport.pdf) SM
IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE OR – EVEN BETTER – SURPASS THE BASELINE FORECASTS, AND TO
ENSURE THAT FUTURE GROWTH IS SUSTAINABLE, CERTAIN KEY FACTORS NEED TO
BE ASSURED. These include a favourable government fiscal policy, a climate that is conducive to
business – offering attractive incentives for investment – and sustained and effective marketing
and promotion , as well as environmentally friendly policies. Most importantly, clearly defined, longterm
development plans must be drawn up to help guide regional, national and local public and
private sector activities. These plans should be developed in consultation with all stakeholders, feeding
from and back into a Caribbean Tourism Strategy and individual National Tourism Policies, and
they should be disseminated as widely as possible.
Even more evidence
WTTC 4 (World Travel and Tourism Council "The Caribbean: The Impact of Travel & Tourism
On Jobs And The Economy"
www.caribbeanhotelassociation.com/downloads/Pubs_WTTCReport.pdf) SM
Natural Environment The quality and success of the regional tourism product is dependent, in large
measure, on the maintenance of a healthy and attractive natural environment. There is need for: ■
Improved planning and management – many of the small island developing states of the Caribbean lack the necessary
technical expertise required for the complex field of tourism development and the environment in the areas of pollution monitoring,
coastal zone management, and the preparation and evaluation of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs); ■ Increased
regional co-operation and collaboration – eg by joining the Cartagena Convention and its Protocols; ■
Development and implementation of high standards of environmental quality, including
prevention of pollution by cruise and other ships; ■ Conservation and sustainable use of natural
resources – the challenge is to ensure that local tourism businesses and entrepreneurs develop
good environmental and social practices, both during the tourism development planning and
construction phase and in the operations of tourism enterprises through participation in
environmental certification and rating programmes such as Green Globe, Blue Flag and QTC (see below); ■
Improving national infrastructure to support the tourism industry; water and electricity costs in certain
Caribbean countries are among the highest in the world and, where services such as solid waste disposal are not available, hoteliers
must operate their own treatment and disposal systems, adding further to their operating expenses; ■ Land-use policy – eg the
need to address the issue of the use of land for tourism, golf courses and indeed housing, and the spiralling price of land, especially
on or near areas near the coast in some island destinations, which negatively affects the local population; there is need for better
zoning on the basis of maximizing economic returns, respecting parks, water courses, hotels and facilities rather than private villas;
policies like taxing of land ought as far as possible to take account of the different situations of local, as opposed to transient,
resident populations; ■ Incentives to mobilize the private sector – lack of financing is a major constraint to
investment in environmental improvements, especially in small and medium-sized hotels. Governments can help by providing
concessions for capital investments by tourism businesses that impact on reduced water and energy consumption, reduced solid
waste consumption, etc; ■ Education and in-service training for a more sustainable approach to
tourism – there is need to encourage environmental education in schools, devise and implement effective public awareness
campaigns and activities to promote care of the environment, and to increase training programmes for industry professionals that
support environmental sustainability of the industry; and ■ Crisis and Disaster Management – the region’s tourism
industry is exposed to severe risk from the possibility of natural and environmental disasters, such as hurricanes, volcanic eruptions,
etc. Of particular concern are the threats to the marine environment posed by oil-spill emergencies and the transport of hazardous
substances, such as nuclear waste, through the region.
tourism kills biod
Lifting the embargo doubles tourism in a year—that decimates important regional
biodiversity
Dean, 07, writer @ New York Times, cites Marine Biologist @ Florida institute of
Technology(Cornelia Dean, 25 December 2007, “Conserving Cuba, After the Embargo”,
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/25/science/25cuba.html)//Holmes
Through accidents of geography and history, Cuba is a priceless ecological
resource. That is why many scientists
are so worried about what will become of it after Fidel Castro and his associates leave power and, as is widely
anticipated, the American government relaxes or ends its trade embargo . Cuba, by far the region’s largest
island, sits at the confluence of the Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Its mountains, forests, swamps,
coasts and marine areas are rich in plants and animals, some seen nowhere else. And since the
imposition of the embargo in 1962, and especially with the collapse in 1991 of the Soviet Union, its major economic patron,
Cuba’s economy has stagnated. Cuba has not been free of development, including Soviet-style top-down agricultural and mining
operations and, in recent years, an expansion of tourism. But it also has an abundance of landscapes that elsewhere
in the region have been ripped up, paved over, poisoned or otherwise destroyed in the decades
since the Cuban revolution, when development has been most intense. Once the embargo ends,
the island could face a flood of investors from the United States and elsewhere, eager to exploit
those landscapes. Conservationists, environmental lawyers and other experts, from Cuba and elsewhere, met last month in
Cancún, Mexico, to discuss the island’s resources and how to continue to protect them. Cuba has done “what we should have done —
identify your hot spots of biodiversity and set them aside,” said Oliver Houck, a professor of environmental law at Tulane University
Law School who attended the conference. In the late 1990s, Mr. Houck was involved in an effort, financed in part by the MacArthur
Foundation, to advise Cuban officials writing new environmental laws. But, he said in an interview, “a n invasion of U.S.
consumerism, a U.S.-dominated future, could roll over it like a bulldozer” when the embargo
ends. By some estimates, tourism in Cuba is increasing 10 percent annually. At a minimum, Orlando Rey Santos,
the Cuban lawyer who led the law-writing effort, said in an interview at the conference, “we can guess that tourism is
going to increase in a very fast way” when the embargo ends. “It is estimated we could double tourism
in one year,” said Mr. Rey, who heads environmental efforts at the Cuban ministry of science, technology and environment.
About 700 miles long and about 100 miles wide at its widest, Cuba runs from Haiti west almost to the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico.
It offers crucial habitat for birds, like Bicknell’s thrush, whose summer home is in the mountains
of New England and Canada, and the North American warblers that stop in Cuba on their way
south for the winter. Zapata Swamp, on the island’s southern coast, may be notorious for its
mosquitoes, but it is also known for its fish, amphibians, birds and other creatures. Among them
is the Cuban crocodile, which has retreated to Cuba from a range that once ran from the Cayman
Islands to the Bahamas. Cuba has the most biologically diverse populations of freshwater fish in
the region. Its relatively large underwater coastal shelves are crucial for numerous marine species, including some whose larvae
can be carried by currents into waters of the United States, said Ken Lindeman, a marine biologist at Florida Institute of Technology.
Dr. Lindeman, who did not attend the conference but who has spent many years studying Cuba’s marine ecology, said in an
interview that some of these creatures were important commercial and recreational species like the spiny lobster, grouper or
snapper. Like corals elsewhere, those in Cuba are suffering as global warming raises ocean temperatures and acidity levels. And like
other corals in the region, they reeled when a mysterious die-off of sea urchins left them with algae overgrowth. But they have largely
escaped damage from pollution, boat traffic and destructive fishing practices.
Tourism will decimate marine biodiversity absent regulation
Boom, 12 (Brian M., Director, Caribbean Biodiversity Program, Ph.D in Biological Sciences,
“Biodiversity without Borders”, September 2012,
http://www.sciencediplomacy.org/article/2012/biodiversity-without-borders, jld)
A complex mosaic of coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangroves knit together the marine and
coastal ecosystems. Some of the most extensive, best preserved coral reefs in the Wider Caribbean Region
occur in Cuban waters, and extensive coral reefs parallel the Florida Keys in U.S. waters. Cuba has the largest extent of
mangrove forests in the Caribbean, about 4,000 km², and Florida’s southwestern coast supports mangrove forests
comprising about half the extent of those in Cuba. Seagrass meadows occur in shallow waters of both
countries, stabilizing sea bottom sediments that could otherwise threaten coral reefs and
providing breeding, feeding, and shelter grounds for myriad marine animals, plants, and
microbes.7 These ecosystems are threatened increasingly by habitat modification, the impact of
tourism, overexploitation of marine fishes and other commercial seafood resources, the
ramifications of climate change and rising sea levels, and pollution from land-based sources (e.g.,
unsustainable agricultural and forestry practices) and ocean-based sources (e.g., cruise ship waste). Increasing
tourism especially threatens coral reefs. Despite some positive measures taken by the cruise industry in recent years,
more cruise ships in the region still mean greater potential stresses to the marine and coastal environments. In addition to these and
other shared ecosystems, many marine and terrestrial species are shared by Cuba and the United States. Examples include
migratory, invasive, endangered, and disease vector species.
at- no tech
Cuba has the capacity to ensure ecotourism works
MNT No Date ("Ecotourism in Cuba" My Natour www.mynatour.org/destination/ecotourismcuba) SM
Ecotourism in Cuba is poised and ready for the influx of tourists it expects in the near future.
Between the impending lift on the American travel embargo and the ardent promotion of Cuba as an ecotourism destination to
Europe and afar, Cuba is working on managing impacts of ecotourism, and ensuring that the
appropriate management and development strategies are in place. Ecotourism in Cuba is
promising and forward-looking, and it’s certain that Cuba has a lot of ecotourism options for
those seeking adventure.
offshore drilling
1nc offshore drilling
CP solves
Cuba News 13 (Cuba News -- "EDF: What about environmental impact?" March 4th, 2013
www.cubanews.com/sections/edf-what-about-environmental-impact) SM
When international oil companies were exploring off Cuba’s northwestern coast last year, much of the U.S. media focused on the risk
of oil spills like the Deepwater Horizon disaster that fouled the Gulf of Mexico because it was close to South Florida.” Now that
exploration efforts have shifted to Cuba’s north-central coast, the media seems far less interested in the environmental
consequences. That worries attorney Dan Whittle, Cuba program director at the New York-based Environmental Defense Fund
(EDF). Whittle has been monitoring Cuba’s marine life for the past 12 years. At first, he was
concerned about the island’s expanding tourism sector and the adverse effects it might have on
the environment. But with that sector still limited mainly to Havana and Varadero, Whittle says
he’s focusing more now on offshore oil drilling. “My concern as an environmentalist is the
impact on Cuban marine life,” Whittle told us. “That area, [Cuba’s north central coast] is very important. It’s extremely
rich in marine biodiversity. The impact could be significant from any major oil spill. What distinguishes this
from other sites is the near-shore impact.” The EDF notes that the Cuban government has designated 18%
of its ocean shelf as marine protected areas, with plans to increase that area to 25%. The organization has a long
track record monitoring Cuba’s coastlines. As far back as the 1990s, the EDF took part in helping the Castro government protect
Jardines de la Reina, an 850-sq-mile marine reserve along Cuba’s southeastern coast. The reserve boasts large populations of sea
turtles, sharks, huge groupers and thick sea grass meadows all essential in maintaining a balanced ecosystem. Whittle understands
that the regime is under pressure to find oil off its coasts, especially because its major petroleum source, Venezuela, could dry up if
ailing President Hugo Chávez dies. However, Whittle hopes the Cubans are cautious with their offshore
activities. “If they are intent on proceeding, then they should do so in the most careful, sensitive
way possible,” said Whittle, saying his concerns aren’t limited to Cuba. “Fishing, coastal
development, and offshore oil and gas exploration in Cuba can have huge impacts on the United
States and vice-versa.” The nonprofit group is also urging the Cubans to look seriously at ocean
thermal energy as well as other alternatives to oil. “With good standards and policy in place,
Cuba could be a model for clean energy development in the Caribbean,” said Dr. Rod Fujita, director of
ocean innovations the research and development arm of EDF.
solves
Oil cooperation between the US and Cuba is essential to prevent oil spills
Dlouhy 11 (Jennifer, reporter on energy policy and other issues for the Houston Chronicle,
“Embargo may block U.S. response to Cuban oil spill,” 6/6/11,
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2011/06/06/embargo-may-block-u-s-response-to-cuban-oil-spill/,
MDM)
With oil exploration set to begin in Cuba’s Gulf of Mexico waters, pressure is mounting on the
administration to relax a politically sensitive embargo that would prevent U.S. firms from
responding swiftly to potential oil spills roughly 50 miles from Florida beaches.¶ The U.S. trade embargo
against Cuba generally bars U.S. commerce with the nation and caps at 10 percent the portion of American-made
components in offshore drilling equipment used in Cuba.¶ That means containment equipment developed after last
year’s oil spill would be off-limits — at least initially – if the same thing happened in Cuba’s part of the
Gulf. Oil spilled there could reach the U.S. in three days.¶ The embargo also would forbid use of chemical
dispersants to break up oil, boom capable of corralling it and other spill response equipment manufactured in the United States.
Nearby drilling rigs in the Gulf also would be barred from working on relief wells in Cuban waters.¶ But with companies planning to
begin exploratory drilling off Cuba as early as September, industry and environmental interests alike are
pressing the Obama administration to modify the embargo’s restrictions for firms that could respond to a
disaster.¶ “Embargo or not, we cannot ignore Cuba drilling in the Florida Straits,” said Lee Hunt, the head of the Houston-based
International Association of Drilling Contractors. Hunt said he is trying to persuade political leaders to prepare now by coordinating
with companies that could help in an emergency.¶ Help a long way off¶ If there were an accident under the current system, Cuban
officials and the oil companies “simply won’t be able to pick up the phone and call the nearest responders in the U.S.,” said Dan
Whittle, a senior attorney and director of the Cuba program for the Environmental Defense Fund.¶ Instead of flying technicians and
parts from New Orleans and Houston, oil companies drilling in Cuban waters would have to seek resources from North Sea or South
American operations, said Jorge Piñon, an expert on Cuba’s energy sector who spent three decades working for Shell, Amoco and
BP.¶ Repsol, a publicly traded oil company based in Spain, is preparing to drill an exploratory well near the Florida Straits this fall,
after Saipem’s Scarabeo 9 rig arrives there. Partners on the project include Norway’s Statoil and India’s Oil and Natural Gas Corp.¶
Other firms – all foreign-owned national oil companies – are lined up to use the Scarabeo 9 to explore their offshore Cuba leases
afterward, with drilling on as many as seven wells reportedly planned during the next four years.¶ Political challenge¶ Under the
embargo – imposed administratively since the early 1960s and by law since 1992 – companies can ask the Treasury Department’s
Office of Foreign Assets Control for licenses to travel to or do business with Cuba. At least two U.S. companies specializing in spill
response already hold such permits.¶ Advocates of a looser policy want the administration to issue a
general license for a broad class of oil service companies to share safety information now and do
business with Cuba in case of an emergency.¶ Another option is a presidential executive order issued after a disaster,
though that would not remove barriers on sharing information in advance.¶ Piñon notes that company-specific licenses have a
political virtue: They can be issued quietly. By contrast, a general license for all oil response and service firms – even limited to
emergencies – would be seen by some hard-line embargo supporters as “the first crack in the embargo wall,” Piñon said.¶ That
presents a political challenge for the administration and for lawmakers on Capitol Hill, where the conventional wisdom is that any
move to relax the trade policy could alienate a powerful voting bloc of pro-embargo Cuban-Americans in South Florida.¶ Rep. Ileana
Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., who represents many such embargo supporters in Miami’s Little Havana and the Florida Keys, wants the U.S.
to do more to thwart Cuban offshore drilling.¶ “The Cuban tyranny will say and do anything to persuade
others to invest in its oil sector in order to stay afloat,” she said. “It is in our national security
interests to deter others from participating in these reckless schemes. We cannot allow the
Castro regime to become the oil tycoons of the Caribbean.”¶ Cuban promises¶ Interior Secretary Ken Salazar
has said his agency and the State Department are working to ensure that Cuban drilling is as safe as possible. ¶ The Interior
Department, which oversees drilling in U.S. waters, has been working with Mexico to develop what Salazar calls a single “gold
standard” governing oil and gas exploration in the Gulf.¶ Department officials have drawn leverage from Repsol’s leases in U.S. Gulf
waters and pushed the Spanish company to follow American standards when drilling in Cuba. Salazar pressed the issue with Spanish
authorities and Repsol representatives during a trip to Spain last week.¶ In a conference call Friday from Oviedo, Spain, Salazar said
Repsol has volunteered to comply with U.S. environmental regulations for any of its Gulf drilling – even near Cuba.¶ During an
International Association of Drilling Contractors conference last month in Trinidad, six Cuban officials said their country is
following IADC, American Petroleum Institute and United Kingdom models for managing the risks of drilling operations.¶
Information sharing¶ IADC’s Hunt said Cuba is requiring Repsol and other operators “to demonstrate the extent of their compliance
with U.S. regulations.Ӧ He said Cuban officials also have studied the report by the U.S. presidential
commission that investigated last year’s oil spill, and have expressed interest in talking with the
U.S. government about oil spill preparation and coordination.¶ The Environmental Defense Fund’s Whittle
argues that by working together now – before drilling begins – Cuba and the U.S. could share information on
standards and science.¶ “The Cubans would have a lot to learn on how to build out an
infrastructure to accommodate oil and gas,” Whittle said. “From an environmental perspective, I
wish this issue would transcend politics and the relative government agencies could work
together.”¶ The United States already has plans with Mexico and Canada for handling oil spills in shared waters.¶ The U.S. needs
a similar accord with Cuba, said Thad Allen, the former Coast Guard admiral who headed the Deepwater Horizon response.¶ “We
need to figure out what are the barriers that might prohibit us from being more effective in a
response with Cuba and start attacking those now from a legislative and statutory standpoint,”
Allen said in an interview. “Right now we’re pretty much prohibited from doing anything.”
oil spills likely
Risk of oil spill high now—regulation solves
Hoffman 12 (Karen Hoffman -- Writer for the EIJ "Cuba's Gulf of Mexico Oil Exploration
Makes Strange Bedfellows" Earth Island Journal -- News of the World Environment -- March
15th, 2012
www.earthisland.org/journal/index.php/elist/eListRead/cubas_gulf_of_mexico_oil_exploratio
n_makes_strange_bedfellows) SM
From his hotel in Havana, marine scientist and conservation policy specialist David Guggenheim, aka the “Ocean Doctor,” can see
the lights of Scarabeo 9. The recently arrived oil-drilling platform off the Cuban coast began drilling exploratory deepwater wells on
the Cuban side of the Florida Straits, about 70 miles from Key West, last month. Photo Courtesy Mapquest Last month, Spanish
oil company Repsol began exploratory drilling on the Cuban side of the Florida Straits, about 70
miles from Key West. US environmentalists and policymakers are concerned that Cuba doesn’t
have the resources, technology, or expertise needed to deal with a Deepwater Horizonlike
disaster. The 53,000-ton rig is, literally, under more pressure than Deepwater Horizon. Operated by Spanish company Repsol,
it’s what’s known as an “ultra-deepwater” platform, drilling at depths up to 6,000 feet. (Deepwater Horizon’s depth was 5,000 feet.)
A Scarabeo 9 spill would damage critical marine ecosystems in the Gulf. US environmentalists
and policymakers are concerned that Cuba doesn’t have the resources, technology, or expertise
needed to prevent or respond to such a disaster. But even the threat of irreparable
environmental damage hasn’t been enough to clear away old Cold War resentments and political
inertia between the two countries and get them working together to formulate an emergency
response plan. Which is why an unlikely coalition of environmentalists, oil executives, and
scientists — like Guggenheim — are joining forces to try to, in his words, “fight half a century of
an illogical policy with logic.” *** Between North Cuba and South Florida lie the narrow Florida Straits — a channel of
water that connects the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. The straits carry the Florida Current, the origin of the Gulf Stream
and what allows Cuban refugees to reach the US with only a raft. In the case of a spill at Scarabeo, it is feared that the same
current could spread oil up the Gulf Stream to the US east coast. (Similar fears were expressed after the BP
disaster in the spring of 2010. That scenario didn’t happen because a gyre formed and kept the oil in the Gulf of Mexico, with drastic
consequences for its ecosystems and fauna -- from oysters, to pelicans, to human beings whose way of life depends on the Gulf.)
Cuba, whose share of the Gulf of Mexico was established in 1977 after it signed a treaty with the
US and Mexico, has made major investments in offshore oil exploration. Cuban officials say the northern
waters of the Gulf, which are part of its exclusive economic zone, have more than 20 million barrels of oil reserves. (The US
Geological Survey, however, estimates that the Cuban zone contains about 4.6 billion barrels of oil.) Cuba hopes the
offshore reserves will revive its economy and make it energy self-sufficient. The well being drilled by
Scarabeo 9 is just the first of several exploratory wells in the offing. Cuba has also signed deals with Brazilian and
Russian state oil companies for oil exploration rights off its north shore. Meanwhile, in the US, drilling for
oil in the eastern Gulf of Mexico is banned, largely in order to preserve Florida’s beaches and marine life that bring in much of the
state’s tourism-based revenue. In February 2010, the Florida legislature was debating lifting the ban, but the BP disaster put the
kibosh on that — temporarily. Florida’s 800 miles of coast are far from as unspoiled as Cuba’s, but they still contain invaluable
ecological treasures. Kayak in Florida Bay, part of the iconic Everglades National Park, and dolphins will frolic alongside you. The
sea grass beds of Biscayne Bay support manatees, sea turtles, and sharks. Because Florida’s ecosystems are already stressed from the
pressures of six million people and their sewage, the effects of a massive oil spill, not to mention the chemical dispersant, would be
disastrous, says Matthew Schwartz, executive director of the South Florida Wildlands Association. The region is also home to the
only mangroves in the continental United States. A study (pdf) by the USGS and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration found that there is no way of cleaning up an oil spill in mangroves.
Since mangroves take in salt water and release it through their leaves, it would suck up the oil and dispersant would and then die of
suffocation. “If you kill off the coastal mangroves,” says Schwartz, “you lose the coastline.” (The pristine Cuban waters have arguably
even more to lose. “I’ve been diving for nearly 40 years and I’ve never seen coral reefs healthy as I’ve seen here,” says Guggenheim,
referring to the reefs at Cuba’s “Gardens of the Queen” marine reserve. “Many of them are probably nearly as healthy as they were
500 years ago when Columbus first came. They’re a living laboratory from which we could learn to restore coral reefs elsewhere.”
Guggenheim has been working hard to get the US, Cuba and Mexico to collaborate more on marine science and conservation issues.)
*** Still, at least in Florida, it seems environmental threats are taking a backseat to Cold War politics. At a January congressional
subcommittee hearing, representatives seemed less willing to dialogue with Cuba on damage control, and more concerned with
punishing Repsol for daring to operate in Communist territory. "We need to figure out what we can do to inflict maximum pain,
maximum punishment, to bleed Repsol of whatever resources they may have," said Rep. David Rivera (R-FL). These sentiments
were echoed in a letter sent by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), co-signed by Rivera and 34 other members of Congress to Repsol.
Former DHS assistant secretary Juliette Kayyem responded in a Washington Post column, “That’s their only concern? This letter
was sent in 2011... It could have been drafted in 1961.” Administration representatives’ testimony at the hearing “really came up
empty to me,” Guggenheim says. “I
don’t think they’re in any way prepared to deal with an oil spill that
requires significant coordination and collaboration with Cuba.” The US embargo against Cuba
does complicate matters quite a bit. Basically it means US companies can’t do any work on the rig,
even during an emergency, without special permission from the federal government. This can
lead to some bizarre scenarios. For instance, in the event of a spill, American aircraft can’t be
used to fly over Cuban waters. Instead, the Cubans plan is to retrofit aging crop dusters from farms for the job, according
to the Washington Post. The paper also reported that a crucial component of safety equipment called a capping stack would have to
be delivered to Cuba from Scotland, even though it’s manufactured in Houston. The threat of an oil spill and the
diplomatic tangle that could seriously hamper safety and disaster relief efforts has made some
strange bedfellows: Environmental groups and oil company executives are banding together — via
the UN International Maritime Organization —to fund US-Cuba talks in neutral locations like Curaçao and the Bahamas. Little by
little, individuals from both countries are bridging the gap. “We’re the diplomats,” says Guggenheim. “When you come here [to
Cuba], you realize these people are gifted, natural allies and reliable partners.” In a small victory for cooperation, a NOAA
representative from the Florida Keys Marine Sanctuary visited Cuba last year for a workshop. Another sign of progress: The report of
the National Commission on the Deepwater Horizon Spill and Offshore Drilling, makes specific reference to Cuba and calls for
establishing international safety standards for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. “I congratulate them for the bravery of putting the word
‘Cuba’ into a federal report, because you just mention that and people go nuts,” says Guggenheim. President Obama’s administration
has rolled back some of the Bush-era restrictions on Cuban travel, with demonstrable results. Americans are flocking to Cuban
people-to-people exchange programs. In an election year, however, it’s unlikely this administration will make further strides on
opening a relationship with Cuba. Still, conservationists say, something must be done. “The marine ecosystem that
exists between Florida and Cuba does not have international boundaries,” says Schwartz. “These lines may exist on a map, but the
marine animals that migrate back and forth don’t know about them. No matter how we as humans think of it, clearly the marine life
that shares the habitat with us is going to be the ultimate victim of any mishap.” From Cuba, Guggenheim agrees. “I still hold in my
heart this idealistic belief that marine biology can be a uniting force between our countries,” he says. “Sometimes you don’t
get along with your neighbor, but if something happens in the neighborhood that affects
everybody, you’ve got to find a way to work together.”
mexico
border infra
1nc
Text: The United States federal government should condition _______ on Mexico
increasing its investment in border transportation infrastructure.
Mexico agreeing to a bridge over the Rio Grande solves massive congestion
Fox News 13 (Fox News Latino, “Border Bridge Stalls U.S., Mexico Border Plan,” 6/3/13,
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2013/06/03/building-new-us-mexico-border-crossingstalls/, MDM)
A bridge over the Rio Grande, between the U.S. and Mexico, was supposed to be the site of a massive new
customs and immigration facility by June — but nearly two years after its groundbreaking, not a shovel of dirt
has been moved south of the border.The Mexican government has not allocated any money for its
share of the work, so the bridge building is stalled — with no timetable for completion.¶ The bridge would
provide a fourth international border crossing to handle U.S.-bound commercial traffic from
Ciudad Juarez, one of North America's biggest manufacturing hubs. Planners had hoped the $96 million
undertaking would be an economic boon, attracting manufacturing plants and long lines of trucks that currently use two congested
crossings between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso.¶ Jesse Grado walks cautiously past a welder whose work throws off a spray of brilliant
sparks as construction crews lay slabs of concrete for a bridge over the Rio Grande. The leader of the project points to an empty void
— the point where the six-lane span abruptly ends 30 feet above the river.¶ Beyond the pavement is nothing but miles of Mexican
farms, dirt and desert.¶ In the meantime, truckers say they won't be lured away from the established crossings until this remote
farmland draws more industry. That could take years.¶ "To me, it does not make any sense," said Manuel Sotelo, truck company
owner and president of the Ciudad Juarez freight truck association. "It's one of those projects made by someone at a desk in
Washington."¶ Truckers hauling cargo from Ciudad Juarez say using the bridge would require them to make an hour-long drive east
to the new crossing then spend another hour traveling back to cargo terminals in El Paso, Texas, to unload.¶ So far, the border
community of Tornillo has secured no agreements with industry. For now, it offers little but fields of cotton and alfalfa. The scene is
similar across the river in the tiny town of Guadalupe, Mexico.¶ Still, local officials hope that by building the crossing first,
commercial traffic will come later. They cite the success at the Santa Teresa port of entry, which was built 20 years ago in New
Mexico in a similarly remote area.¶ About 15 years after the crossing opened, a huge industrial park that houses manufacturing giant
Foxconn was built a few hundred yards from the inspection stations. It has since attracted more businesses.¶ "Once the
infrastructure is complete, they'll have to take a fresh look at this," said Vince Perez, an El Paso County commissioner representing
the district where the bridge is being built. "A port of entry is a once-in-a-lifetime project."¶ The two farming communities have been
pushing for the Tornillo-Guadalupe international bridge for the last 16 years to replace a 1920s-era wooden bridge. Once the new
span is finished, the federal government plans to transfer customs and immigration personnel to the
adjoining 117-acre complex.¶ In July 2011, American and Mexican officials showed up with golden
shovels and delivered speeches about the promising future for the surrounding communities.
Cesar Duarte, governor of the Mexican state of Chihuahua, pledged that construction would start two months later. ¶ The
Mexican Department of Transport and Communications blames the delay on national elections
that installed new leadership in late 2012. There is still no budget for the Mexican portion of the crossing, which
would cost more than $15 million.¶ "There is not much we can do," said El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar, the county's top
administrative official. "We have faith the State Department will continue to advocate for us."¶ The U.S. State Department,
in charge of the American side of the project, acknowledged the delay but referred all other
questions to the Mexican government.¶ Once complete, the bridge will serve the same function as the five other border
crossings in the Ciudad Juarez area, which currently process more than 10 million cars, 700,000 trucks and 6 million pedestrians
every year.¶ But exactly how much traffic would be diverted to Tornillo is anyone's guess.¶ Most Mexican trucking companies are not
allowed to venture more than 25 to 50 miles into the U.S. — a rule that requires them to use drop-off points closer to the border. No
one knows how long it will take to entice those kinds of cargo terminals to the Tornillo area, or if a federal pilot program allowing
Mexican trucks to drive deeper into the U.S. could be expanded.¶ Escobar said she expects many farmers pressed by drought to sell
their land to industrial developers. A few "for sale" signs have already popped up around the area.¶ "It's a matter of time" until
businesses move in, she said. But it could be a long time if the Santa Teresa crossing is any indication.¶ When the port of entry was
first inaugurated in 1993 in southeastern New Mexico, the paved road ended abruptly at the Mexican border. Five years passed
before the Mexican government paved the 12-mile stretch that led to Ciudad Juarez and another decade before it landed the
industrial park.¶ "We were perceived as Siberia," said Jerry Pacheco, vice president with the Border Industrial Association, a New
Mexico group that helped lure companies to the area.¶ The Chihuahua governor hopes the bridge expansion on the Mexican side will
make it an ideal spot for factories.¶ Until that happens, truckers say they would rather wait in line at the
congested crossings than make the long drive from Ciudad Juarez to Tornillo and back up to El Paso. The typical wait
time at the existing bridges is two hours.¶ The new crossing "does not make much sense unless you see it in the very
long term," truck driver Hector Mendoza said while taking a break at a truck terminal in El Paso.¶ Raul Lara concurred, saying the
trip to Tornillo could actually cost more and take just as much time.¶ "I would not go there," he said. "I'd rather wait it out at the
bridge in El Paso than to waste diesel going all the way there."¶ Neither the location debate nor the construction delay is having
much effect on Grado, who oversees the work crews on the U.S. side. They aim to have their part of the project finished on time.¶ "I
wish they (Mexican workers) had started at the same time as us," he said. "It's better that way. Now they will have to make it match
with ours."
Nieto will say yes – he’s committed to spend on infrastructure, the only question is
where
TBC 13 (Trade Bridge Consultants quoting a Mexican government press release, “President
commits $310 billion to infrastructure spend,” 6/21/13,
http://tradebridgeconsultants.com/news/government/president-commits-310-billion-toinfrastructure-spend/, MDM)
President Enrique Peña Nieto has announced a major investment in infrastructure, with the government
to spend $310 billion on highways, country roads, trains and ports, together with water and electrical works.¶ The
official press release as published on the president’s website outlines a number of projects mentioned by the website and the full release is as follows:¶
“Mérida, Yucatán, June 20, 2013¶ As he led the national meeting of Communications and Transport 2013, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto
announced that this year the government will spend 310 billion dollars on highways, country roads, trains and ports, together with water and electrical
works and Petróleos Mexicanos.¶ He reported that as part of this investment, which includes funds from the National Infrastructure Fund, 123
billion pesos have already been spent and the remaining 187 billion pesos will be spent during
the second semester.¶ “This is certainly good news for the sector and the national economy,” he said, noting that infrastructure,
“Will allow us to build the prosperous, modern Mexico we long for, which is why we consider it a
strategic issue of national priority.Ӧ Noting that the National Development Plan 2013-2018 is designed to modernize, expand and
maintain the infrastructure in the different modes of transport and improve their connectivity using strategic efficiency criteria, President Peña Nieto
cited some of the works his government plans to undertake such as the Oaxaca-Isthmus Highway, with an investment of 1.4 billion pesos for this year
out of the total nine billion pesos it will cost.¶ He said that certain other branches will be modernized such as the highway between Playa del Carmen
and Xcán in Yucatán. He noted the rural
roads will be improved in the areas of greatest poverty and
marginalization, where 25 percent of the national population lives, so that, “They can be developed and linked to the logistics centers from
which they can transport the produce obtained from the countryside.” “We want,” he added, “For the benefits to spread to every region and every part
of this great nation.”¶ The President noted that, “The
great challenge ahead is to achieve greater, sustained
economic growth. To make this possible, we will have to influence productivity levels in our
country. A prerequisite for addressing this issue is the democratization of productivity, which means expanding and extending the benefits of
public policies to boost productivity, and ensuring that they do not remain concentrated in a few regions or companies.” ¶ In the railway sector, the
president highlighted high impact works such as the Queretaro-Mexico train, the Mexico-Toluca train and the trans-peninsular train. Regarding the
latter, the president instructed the Secretary of Communications and Transport to complete the necessary technical studies as soon as possible in order
to put these works out to tender and begin construction.¶ In the maritime port sector, he mentioned the development of world-class strategic ports such
as Lázaro Cardenas and Manzanillo.¶ In the Airport Subsector, he said that interconnection should be improved and that the efficient operation and
maintenance of this sector should be maintained together with its operating profitability. ¶ “As president, I am convinced that one of the key
components for building a prosperous Mexico, which is one of the five major national goals my government has outlined and which Mexicans seek and
deserve, is undoubtedly infrastructure development,” he said.¶ The President explained that Mexico is located at a level it must overcome, since
according to the World Economic Forum evaluation of 144 countries, it ranked 68th in infrastructure. “We must therefore speed up the pace of the
construction and development of more infrastructure to improve this position, because we deserve a higher position. A position that projects the wealth
of our country and projects us as such to the world.”¶ He declared that in order to improve the quality of infrastructure and achieve Mexico’s full
potential, it is necessary to improve its roads, railways, ports, airports, telecommunications and electricity supply, “That is exactly what we are
determined to do in this administration,” he said.¶ Addressing members of the Mexican Chamber of the Construction Industry (CMIC), which brings
together over 10 000 companies in the sector, the president declared that his
government is determined to promote works
that “arise from social demand , where they are needed, where it is important to develop
infrastructure to generate better environments and better living conditions for Mexicans.”
We access the greatest internal link to toxic air pollution
FHWA 11 (Federal Highway Administration, “Greening Transportation at the Border,” 2/23/11,
http://www.borderplanning.fhwa.dot.gov/greenborderrpt/green_border_final.pdf, MDM)
Vehicles passing through and idling at ports of entry release a host of toxic pollutants into the
atmosphere, impacting the health of people in vehicles (drivers and passengers), people outside of vehicles (port of entry
employees and pedestrians), and residents in border communities. Measuring the quality of the air inside and outside of vehicles at
ports of entry and in border communities will help border officials understand the scope of the air quality problem in the border
region. This data will help agencies address and mitigate air pollution at the border.¶ Researchers at San Diego State University
performed a study to assess the in-vehicle pollutant exposures experienced by frequent cross-border commuters at the Tijuana-San
Diego border crossing at San Ysidro. Participants in the study varied their exposure to ambient air by having the windows open or
closed and/or using air conditioning with and without interior air recirculation. The study found that exposure to ultrafine
particles and carbon monoxide was highest at the ports of entry while exposure to black carbon
was higher in both the U.S. and Mexico, and exposure to PM2.5 was higher in Mexico . However,
because of the amount of time spent at the border by crossing vehicles, there is significant concern about the human
health impacts of air pollution at the border. San Diego State University partnered with Casa Familiar in San Ysidro
to measure air quality for pedestrians crossing the border as well as within Tijuana. The study found that exposure to PM2.5,
ultrafine particles, and carbon monoxide was much higher for pedestrians crossing the border at San Ysidro than they were within
Tijuana. Reducing vehicle congestion at the port of entry could improve air quality for all users.¶
Air quality is a major concern for communities on both sides of the U.S./Mexico border due to
emissions from vehicles passing through and idling at ports of entry. However, the concern is
greater in border communities in Mexico - substandard transit vehicles release high levels of
pollutants into the air, traffic congestion in the cities increases exposure to vehicle emissions,
and poor roadway surfaces (dirt in some cases) contribute to unhealthy air in urban areas. Mexico's BECC
is planning for and designing sustainable transportation infrastructure to improve air quality in border communities using air
quality assessment data. For example, areas of the city with unpaved roads have very high levels of airborne particulates. In Tijuana,
paving previously unpaved roads has been shown to reduce particulates by 25 percent. By measuring air quality, BECC is able to
implement the strategy that has the greatest positive impact on local air quality.
env justice
This is the critical internal link to environmental justice
SCERP 12 (Southwest Consortium for Environmental Research and Policy, “White Paper:
health impacts of crossings at US-Mexico land ports of entry: Gaps, needs and
recommendations for action,” 5/4/12/, http://www.healthyborders2012.com/#!whitepaper/libro-blanco with PDF download, MDM)
It has been shown that neighborhoods with high poverty rates tend to experience higher traffic
densities, and that these inequalities exacerbate the problem of environmental justice and
health disparities in these underserved communities [60]. Disparities in exposure to traffic
have been documented and are considered an environmental justice issue in Southern California [61].
Environmental justice concerns the inequitable exposure of poor and minority
communities to environmental hazards [62]. In California, Hispanic children have been shown to be more
likely to live in areas with higher traffic density than non--‐ Hispanic whites [63]. In addition, despite health risks posed
by traffic exposure, some schools in California are located close to traffic sources, and these schools are more likely to be
poor and serve Latino students [64]. Studies have found that parental stress can also heighten the adverse
effects of traffic exposures on asthma in children [46]. Environmental justice is required to
be considered in federal planning as described in executive order 12898 [65].
Mexico is already disproportionately affected by air pollution
The Mexpatriate 13 (The Mexpatriate, translator of Mexican newspapers quoting the Clean
Air Institute, “Pollution causes 14,000 deaths a year in Mexico,” 5/5/13,
http://themexpatriate.com/2013/05/05/pollution-causes-14000-deaths-a-year-in-mexico/,
MDM)
The Clean Air Institute just published an alarming report on air quality in Latin America; Mexico came in second to Brazil as the
country with the most deaths every year caused by pollution. Mexico City has long been plagued
by smog but according to the report, Monterrey is the city with the highest levels of Particle Pollution (PM10)
in all of Latin America. The concentration of PM10 per cubic meter is 85.9 micrograms in Monterrey; the European Union limits member
countries to maintaining levels of under 40 micrograms per cubic meter. Guadalajara’s pollution is also toxic (70.1 mcg/m3) and Mexico City’s looks
almost clean by comparison (57.0 mcg/m3).¶ ¶ The report also analyzes ozone levels. Ozone
reactive. We need it in the atmosphere to protect us from UV rays, but it’s dangerous
is a gas made up of oxygen atoms and it’s highly
when it comes into more direct
contact with living tissue. According to Air Info Now: “The properties that make ozone a powerful cleaner, disinfectant, and bleaching
agent also make ozone dangerous to living tissues. When it comes in contact with living tissues, like our lungs, ozone attacks and damages cells lining
the airways, this causes swelling and inflammation. Some have compared ozone’s effect to a sunburn…inside your lungs.” Guadalajara
has
the highest ozone levels in Latin America, followed by León and then Monterrey and DF. Their only close competitors are
Cochabamba, Bolivia and Quito, Ecuador.¶ Pollution has been linked to a wide array of serious health problems,
including cardiovascular and respiratory disease, cancer, premature birth and low birth weight,
lung disease and early death syndrome.¶ The Clean Air Institute (CAI) and several other NGOs concluded that Mexico
needs a federal air quality improvement policy as soon as possible. The director of CAI, Sergio Sanchez, noted that Mexico has no
standardized techniques for collecting data or monitoring air quality. The director of atmospheric science at UNAM, María Amparo Martínez, said
“one
of the problems we have is lack of institutional capacity for monitoring all the different
cities in the country.”¶ An article in Proceso published on April 5 titled “In Mexico, even the air kills us”, starts by observing that “most of
the population (60%) ignores the quality of the air they are breathing, since the government fails to provide accurate information.” In fact,
Mexico’s official “safe levels” of ozone, PM10 and PM2.5 are all significantly higher than the levels
recommended by international environmental and health organizations, which allows the government to cheat
by declaring that the pollution isn’t at dangerous levels (just don’t ask for a definition of “dangerous”.) Politicians have made a few lame attempts to
reduce car dependence and promote a “green” image; the mayor of Saltillo started a bicycle sharing program in March, but the bicycles don’t work. The
ex-governor of Jalisco cut the ribbon on two new sections of a major highway on a bicycle – the highway has no bicycle lane.¶ Mexico City has made
some progress in the past twenty years and as indicated by the CAI report, its pollution is actually less noxious and dense than in other smaller Mexican
cities. It has taken time and effort – the construction of Metrobus, adding cycling lanes, cutting the number of vehicles on the road by improved
enforcement of “hoy no circula.” But it
still has a long slog ahead.¶ Pollution is indeed the stuff of politicians’
nightmares: it kills constituents, but unlike smoking or fatty foods or alcohol, it’s not their problem to fix. Sure, you can tell people to
risk their lives weaving in and out of traffic on bicycles or maybe suggest they don’t inhale when they step outside, but the reality is that any major air
clean-up is going to fall on the shoulders of…what? The government? Regulations have to be enforced, public transportation invested in, air quality
tested, dirty fuel use curtailed…the list goes on and the politicians yawn, roll over and dream of the next highway construction project bearing their
name.
warming impact
Mexico is key to global warming
LASP No Date ( Latin American Studies Program, Cornell University "Global Climate Change:
Latin America"
lasp.einaudi.cornell.edu/system/files/Global%20Warming%20Latin%20America.pdf) SM
Mexico is one of the more developed nations in Latin America. In Latin America Mexico is currently
the leading energy-related greenhouse gas emitter. (pnl 31) The leading emission producing
activities are transportation, industrial activities, and methane emission from garbage and
livestock. Urbanization is becoming a huge concern for greenhouse gas emissions, with Mexico
City currently holding over 20 million people, the highest population concentration in the world.
(usaid) The expansion of cattle ranching has led to exponential increase in deforestation, another
practice having an adverse effect on global climate change (pnl 32)
border cause cong
The US-Mexico border is an immense source of air pollution; regulations must be
made to cut back emissions
SCERP 12 (Southwest Consortium for Environmental Research and Policy, “White Paper:
health impacts of crossings at US-Mexico land ports of entry: Gaps, needs and
recommendations for action,” 5/4/12/, http://www.healthyborders2012.com/#!whitepaper/libro-blanco with PDF download, MDM)
This white paper concerns potential health effects of US--‐ Mexico border crossings, especially
regarding exposures to traffic emissions associated with the crossings. On May 3 and 4, 2012,
stakeholders from both sides of the US--‐Mexico border gathered in San Ysidro, CA to hear presentations on traffic
exposures at crossings, health effects of traffic exposures, and potential solutions as well as to jointly identify gaps and
needs and to make recommendations concerning health impacts of border crossings (www.healthyborders.com). The
United States--‐Mexico border region is a unique area where many different people come
together and cross geopolitical boundaries. This is a dynamic region, with a population
that has pressing health and social needs, higher rates of uninsured, high rates of
migration, inequitable health conditions and a high rate of poverty. The residents living and
working along the border come from different economic and political backgrounds, yet they share a common
environment and similar exposures to harmful pollutants that are generated at border
crossings. U.S. border residents are predominantly Hispanic and have lower incomes than the national U.S. average,
with the exception of San Diego County. However, the border area of San Diego, especially San Ysidro, is poor and
Hispanic. These characteristics of U.S. border communities suggest important environmental
justice issues that need to be addressed.
There are 43 points of entry (POEs) on the border between the
United States and Mexico. In 2011, over 4.8 million commercial trucks, 61.2 million personal vehicles and 40.2 million
pedestrians crossed northbound through the US POEs. The busiest crossings for commercial trucks were Laredo, Texas,
and Otay Mesa, California. For personal vehicles, the busiest crossings were San Ysidro, CA and El Paso, TX, and these
same two POEs were the busiest for pedestrian crossings as well. Long delays of idling commercial and
passenger vehicles are common at many Ports of Entry. These busy border crossings
present challenges for both sides of the border, including economic, social, and health
issues. Exposures to traffic emissions related to border crossing occur to people while
waiting in line in vehicles or on foot to cross the border, while working at the crossing, and to
communities near the border crossings or those affected by truck or other traffic moving to and from the border crossings.
Traffic emission exposures have been linked to a number of adverse health outcomes in
children, pregnant women and the elderly, including respiratory problems, cardiovascular
effects such as an increased risk of heart attack, cancer, and adverse birth outcomes. Short-‐term high exposures as well as long term exposures have been linked with health effects. As an additional consideration,
potential exposures from being near traffic at border crossings come in addition to
background exposures to generally poor air quality along the US--‐Mexico border.
Workgroups at the Technical Workshop, Community Meeting and Conference included Planning and Design, Policy and
Emissions Reduction, Exposure and Health, and Improving the Crossing Experience. Major gaps, needs and
recommendations made by work groups, Technical Workshop attendees and Community members that were approved by
the conference are summarized below.
Border delays cause loss of competitiveness, oppression, and air pollution
SCERP 12 (Southwest Consortium for Environmental Research and Policy, “White Paper:
health impacts of crossings at US-Mexico land ports of entry: Gaps, needs and
recommendations for action,” 5/4/12/, http://www.healthyborders2012.com/#!whitepaper/libro-blanco with PDF download, MDM)
Border delays/ border wait times Waiting in line on foot or in a passenger or commercial vehicle is
an often frustrating and potentially avoidable part of the border crossing experience. The delay times at
each crossing, with associated volumes of idling vehicles, vary by season, type of use (commercial or passenger) and
direction, with northbound crossings usually, but not always, having the longest delay times. The delay
time is also called the border wait time, and as such has been formally identified by the US and Canadian working group
as “the time it takes, in minutes, for a vehicle to reach the CBP’s primary inspection booth after arriving at the end of the
queue.” [17]. Delay times, as well as lanes open for each Port of Entry, are reported by Customs and Border Protection on
their website and on mobile apps in real time [18]. In 2010, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted an
analysis of commercial truck border wait times at the US--‐ Canadian Border as a part of an assessment of the
improvements from the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) system launched in 2002. They stated that “CBP officials and the
13 border stakeholders, importers, and trade organizations GAO interviewed about wait times questioned the accuracy and
reliability of CBP’s wait times data”[19]. They recommended that data be collected to better evaluate border wait times and
effects of interventions. In April, 2012, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas requested that a similar study be
performed on commercial crossings at the US--‐Mexican border, and the US GAO is currently performing this
evaluation[20]. Both radio and TV stations on both sides of the border report delays times along with traffic reports.
Calit2, at UCSD, has developed a mobile app that provides data on delay times at each port by day of the week, and also
has a feature that allows users to self--‐report delay times to compare with official CBP data ([21]. Assessment of delay
times: How delay is assessed varies. For example, at San Ysidro POE, delays are reportedly assessed by CBP through a
combination of visual estimates of queue length, questions to drivers and crossers as to how long they have been waiting,
and judgment. At Tijuana news stations, delays are often reported as number of vehicles in the queue, sometimes gauged
through aerial means. Apparently, CPB data reflect average wait times at San Ysidro and fail to capture the waits for 2--‐
3 hours for pedestrians and for passenger that frequently occur during peak crossing hours. For commercial crossings,
delays can be assessed by length of the queue, questions to drivers, and also more sophisticated means such as GPS
tracking in vehicles, vehicle license plate recognition, and automated vehicle Figure 5: Pharr--‐Reynosa commercial POE
wait time data assessed using RFID technology February 2012. Source: Health Impacts of Border Crossings 15 identification.
The US FHA/ DOT has sponsored pilot projects related to technologies for assessment and study of delay time,
summarized and available at[22]. Although GPS effectiveness was assessed previously at the Otay Mesa commercial crossing
[23], a passive RFID system was recently investigated and identified as potentially the most promising technology [24].
Social and economic impact of delays: The economic aspect of border delays was the subject of a
recent op--‐ed piece in the New York Times (Escobar, 2013), and called efficient cross--‐border
movement to be part of any immigration reform discussion. Several studies have
examined the social and economic costs of delays at US--‐Mexico border crossings. In
California, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) has conducted an analysis of the economic effect of
border delays on cross--‐border personal travel (2005) and freight travel in a study titled ‘Economic Impacts of Border
Wait Times at the San Diego--‐Baja California Border Region [25]. They estimated that freight delays alone cost
in total 6 billion a year and the equivalent of over 50,000 jobs in the binational
economy, significantly hurting competitiveness. In 1998, the US DOT sponsored a study called Binational
Planning and Programming Study, and Phase II Products, Task 10 detailed economic impacts of delays [26]. Fuentes
and del Castillo [27] calculated the annual direct costs of 745, 975 vehicles waiting for three hours as
139,870,200 dollars annually, or 466,236 dollars per day For social effects, surveys have been conducted among
border crossers at POEs and found border delays were reported by survey responders to increase stress, form
a barrier to visiting relatives and friends, provoke feelings of concern regarding physical
safety, cause physical distress during the long waiting periods, and lead to a perception
of discriminatory behavior at times by agents, as well as other issues [28]. Relation of delay time to
number of idling vehicles in the queue: Delay time is not a direct measure of emissions, as emissions are related
to number of vehicles idling in line and the type of vehicles, as well as the vehicle speed and load.
The number of lanes open also affects delay times, as a border POE with few lanes open might report a long vehicle delay
time but have fewer emissions than the same POE with a shorter border wait time but with all lanes open. Vehicle type
also affects emissions, as commercial trucks emit more pollutants per vehicle than do passenger vehicles.
the number of lanes open and the delay time, together with the type of vehicles
at each crossing, form a crude estimate of the potential emissions. For a more sophisticated
Therefore
estimate, exact vehicle mix, vehicle ages, vehicle registrations, average speed, creep idling vs. pure idling, grade, fuel and
other considerations influence the accuracy and need to be estimated from models or direct measurements [29, 30].
Estimates of emissions at border crossings A comprehensive estimate of emissions for all US--‐Mexico Ports of Entry,
including the emissions during idling and creep idling in a queue, has not yet been made, although such as effort is
currently underway under the direction of the US DOT (see preliminary findings, [29], below). Some initial estimates of
the contribution from delay times have been performed. Estimates of criteria pollutant and greenhouse gas 16 Health
Impacts of Border Crossings emissions just from the northbound delay period were made for all San Diego County border
crossings, (the passenger and bus crossing at San Ysidro POE, the commercial crossing at Otay Mesa POE, and the much
smaller crossing at Tecate, which handles both [31], [32]. Official CBP delay times were used for the estimates for the year
2009. The crossing type which contributes the most emissions in these 2009 estimates is
very different for greenhouse gases as compared to criteria pollutants PM2.5, CO, etc.
For
greenhouse gases, San Ysidro Port of Entry delays contributed the majority (76%) of the estimated GHG emissions due to
the very large volume of vehicles and long delays ([31], Appendix Figure 1). However, when PM2.5 emissions
were calculated, due to the fact that commercial trucks emit much more particulate pollution on a per vehicle basis,
delays at the commercial truck crossing at Otay Mesa were the majority contributor, at
63% of emissions for the San Diego County northbound delays ([32], Appendix Figure 2A). The distribution also
changes for each pollutant. For example, for carbon monoxide, motorcycles at San Ysidro contributed only 0.4% of PM2.5
but 15.4 % of CO from delays at northbound crossings in San Diego, since motorcycles lack emissions exhaust controls
([32] Appendix Figure 2B). The US DOT in conjunction with Cambridge Systematics began
conducting a study in 2012 to estimate emissions at all the US--‐Mexico border crossings,
as well as consider options for reduction [29]. The Ysleta--‐ Zaragoza port near El Paso was used as a case study (2010
data) to demonstrate the approach to be used at all US--‐Mexico border crossings (Figure 6, below). The US EPA
criteria pollutants PM2.5 and NOx emissions were calculated for four scenarios: 1. "No
delay" scenario where vehicles pass through the POE as if it did not exist, 2. "No--‐
action" scenario, 3. "Privately Owned Vehicle (POV) Strategy" that shifts vehicles to the
faster SENTRI lanes, 4. "Commercial Vehicle (COM) Strategy" that assumes U.S. and Mexican cargo
inspections are combined to eliminate duplicative inspections. Initial estimates indicate that using this approach, the
delay accounts for the majority of emissions and reduction in delay time is an effective
control measure.
Border traffic is the critical internal link to air pollution and hazardous waste
transfer
Papoulias and Parcher 13 (Diana, researcher for the Biochemistry and Physiology Branch of
the US Geological Survey, and Jean, researcher for the international relations branch of the US
Geological Survey, “Protecting the Environment and Safeguarding Human Health,” 3/11/13,
http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1380/downloads/Chapter5.pdf, MDM)
Currently, Mexico is the second largest trading partner of the United States , after Canada. Trade between
the United States ¶ and Mexico has soared over the past decade since the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) went into
effect in 1994. ¶ In 2000, the value of trade had increased by 17 percent per year since 1995 and was projected to continue to grow at
about ¶ 5.9 percent per year (Jannol and others, 2003). Trade between the United States and Mexico reached $347 billion in 2007. ¶
Goods predominantly move across the border on trucks, which pass through 39 ports of entry between the
Pacific Ocean and the¶ Gulf of Mexico. The
current border-crossing infrastructure was not designed to
handle the large traffic volumes that have developed¶ since NAFTA, so international trade-related traffic destined
for the interior of the United States or Mexico increasingly uses local¶ transportation systems, many of them urban. This large
amount of vehicles not only causes problems such as air pollution from ¶ idling cars and trucks
waiting to pass immigration inspection, but also contributes to the accumulation of waste
tires(fig. 5–2),¶ the prevalence of oil and gasoline storage facilities, and increased transport of
hazardous waste.
condition key
US-Mexico cooperation is key to reduce border congestion
Wilson and Lee 12 (Christopher and Erik, Christopher E. Wilson is an Associate at the Wilson
Center's Mexico Institute. Erik Lee serves as Associate Director at the North American Center
for Transborder Studies (NACTS) at Arizona State University. The two are coauthors of the trade
and competitiveness chapter in the forthcoming "State of the Border Report," from which this
article was adapted, “Whole Nations Waiting,” 7/12,
http://www.siteselection.com/issues/2012/jul/us-mex-border.cfm, MDM)
Commerce between the United States and Mexico is one of the great — yet underappreciated — success
stories of the global economy. In 2011 U.S.-Mexico goods and services trade reached the major milestone of one-half
trillion dollars with virtually no recognition. The United States is Mexico's top trading partner, and Mexico — which has gained
macroeconomic stability and expanded its middle class over the last two decades — is the United States' second largest export
market and third largest trading partner.¶ Seventy percent of bilateral commerce crosses the border via
trucks, meaning the border region is literally where "the rubber hits the road" for bilateral
relations. This also means that not only California and Baja California, but also Michigan and Michoacán, all have a major stake
in efficient and secure border management.¶ The quantity of U.S.-Mexico trade is impressive, but its quality makes it unique. The
United States and Mexico do not just sell goods to one another, they actually work together to manufacture them. Through
production sharing, materials and parts often cross back and forth between factories on each side of the border as a final product is
made and assembled. As a result, U.S. imports from Mexico contain, on average, 40 percent U.S. content, and Mexico's imports from
the U.S. also have a high level of Mexican content.¶ This system of joint production has two important consequences. First, it means
that our economies are profoundly linked. We tend to experience growth and recession together, and productivity gains or losses on
one side of the border generally cause a corresponding gain or loss in competitiveness on the other side as well. Second, the fact that
goods often cross the border several times as they are being produced creates a multiplier effect for gains and losses in border
efficiency. Whereas goods from China only go through customs and inspection once as they enter the U.S. or Mexico, products built
by regional manufacturers bear the costs of long and unpredictable border wait times and significant customs requirements each
time they cross the U.S.-Mexico border.¶ Corridors in Crisis¶ This trade relationship requires major
infrastructure to function effectively. The largest trade corridor, often referred to as the NASCO corridor, links central
and eastern Mexico to Texas, the American Midwest, Northeast, and Ontario, utilizing the key Laredo-Nuevo Laredo ports of entry
(POEs). Other important trade arteries include the CANAMEX Corridor, which connects western Mexico to the intermountain
United States and Canadian province of Alberta, as well as the shorter but high-volume I-5 corridor connecting California to Baja
California. As the economies of both the U.S. and Mexico grow, it is likely that this network of freight transportation infrastructure —
and the land POEs that serve as nodes in this network — will experience added stress.¶ Unfortunately, the infrastructure and
capacity of the ports of entry to process goods and individuals entering the United States has not
kept pace with the expansion of bilateral trade or the population growth of the border region.
Instead, the need for greater border security following the terrorist attacks of 9/11 led to a thickening of the border, dividing the twin
cities that characterize the region and adding costly, long and unpredictable wait times for commercial and personal crossers alike.
Congestion acts as a drag on the competitiveness of the region and of the United States and
Mexico in their entirety. Solutions are needed that strengthen both border security and efficiency at the same time.¶ The
integrated nature of the North American manufacturing sector makes eliminating border
congestion an important way to enhance regional competitiveness. The global economic crisis forced
manufacturers to look for ways to cut costs. After taking into consideration factors such as rising fuel costs, increasing wages in
China and the ability to automate an ever greater portion of the production process, many American companies decided to
nearshore factories to Mexico or reshore them to the United States, taking advantage of strong human capital and shorter supply
chains. Bilateral trade dropped significantly during the recession but has since rebounded strongly, growing significantly faster than
trade with China.¶ But the growth of trade continues to add pressure on the already strained POEs and transportation corridors.
Several studies have attempted to quantify the costs of border area congestion to the economies of the United States and Mexico. In
what is perhaps a testimony to the fragmented and geographically disperse nature of the border region, most of these studies have
focused on particular North-South corridors of traffic and trade rather than taking a comprehensive, border-wide approach. The
specific results of the studies (see table on p. 108) are quite varied. Nonetheless, one message comes through quite clearly — long
and unpredictable wait times at the POEs are costing the United States and Mexican economies many billions of dollars each year.¶
Moderate investments to update infrastructure and to fully staff the ports of entry are certainly
needed, as long lines and overworked staff promote neither efficiency nor security. But in a time of
tight federal budgets, asking for more resources cannot be the only answer. Strategic efforts that do more with less,
improving efficiency and reducing congestion, are also needed. Trusted traveler and shipper programs (i.e.
the Global Entry programs, which includes programs such as SENTRI, FAST, C-TPAT) allow vetted, low-risk individuals and
shipments expedited passage across the border.¶ Common Voice¶ Improving these programs and significantly expanding enrollment
could increase throughput with minimal investments in infrastructure and staffing — all while strengthening security by giving
border officials more time to focus on unknown and potentially dangerous individuals and shipments. The development of the 21st
Century Border initiative by the Obama and Calderón administrations has yielded some advances in this direction, but the efforts
need to be redoubled.¶ The 1990s were the decade of NAFTA and skyrocketing trade. The 2000s saw security concerns grow
and recession struck. The new decade has only just begun, but the potential is there for a resurgence of competitiveness and regional
integration. There are strong ideas — including trusted traveler and shipper programs, preclearance, customs harmonization, and
public-private partnerships — that have enormous potential.¶ The challenge is now for heterogeneous and
geographically dispersed border communities to find a way to speak with a common voice, for
policymakers in Washington and Mexico City to guide strategic planning for regional
competitiveness, and for all stakeholders to engage vigorously in binational dialogue and
cooperation
There is empirical proof of US-Mexico environmental cooperation
Landa 12 (Jose, Eagle Pass Business Journal News columnist, “U.S.-Mexico Environmentalists
Join Forces to Fight Open Surface Coal Mines on Rio Grande River,” 8/11/12,
http://www.epbusinessjournal.com/2012/08/u-s-mexico-environmentalists-join-forces-tofight-open-surface-coal-mines-on-rio-grande-river/, MDM)
In a historic United States and Mexico environmentalists’ meeting celebrated Friday, August 10, 2012, at 10
a.m. at the international U.S.-Mexico boundary at the City of Eagle Pass International Bridge No. 1 between Eagle
Pass, Texas and Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, members of the Maverick County Environmental and
Public Health Association and the Consejo Ciudadano Piedras Negras Por Un Mejor did an
international ecological friendship abrazo and joined forces to oppose two open surface coal mines
, one already opened in Piedras Negras, Coahuila since March of 2011 and a proposed sister open pit coal mine in Eagle Pass, Texas
whose permit is pending before the Railroad Commission of Texas, from contaminating their communities’ potable water supply
from the Rio Grande River.¶ Eagle Pass Mayor Ramsey English Cantu welcomed the bi-national
environmentalists at the international boundary line between the U.S.-Mexico and pledged both
his personal and the City of Eagle Pass’ support, who is a contestant at the Texas Railroad Commission permit
hearing, to protect both Eagle Pass’ and Piedras Negras’ potable water supply from the Rio Grande from becoming polluted and
contaminated due to coal mine waste discharges into Elm Creek, other creeks, underground water aquifers, and the Rio Grande
itself.¶ Maverick County Environmental and Public Health Association member, Martha Bowles Baxter, stated that whatever
pollution occurs in the proposed Eagle Pass Mine will affect both Eagle Pass and Piedras citizens alike as well as over 3 million
Texas-Mexico residents downstream from Eagle Pass-Piedras Negras. Consejo Ciudadano Piedras Negras Por Un Mejor member
Victor Manuel Perez Rodriguez stated that the “Tajo Norte/Zacatoza” open surface coal mine in Piedras Negras was illegally
approved on December 14, 2009 by the Piedras Negras City Council at a 5 a.m. Meeting pursuant to State of Coahuila laws instead of
Mexican federal laws. Both open surface coal mines are owned by subsidiaries of Mexican global steel and energy conglomerate,
Altos Hornos de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. (AHMSA) and Grupo Acerero del Norte, S.A. de C.V. (Grupo GAN).¶ The proposed Eagle Pass
Mine is owned by a Texas Partnership called Dos Republicas Coal Partnership, which is owned by two Texas corporations who in
turn are owned by a Mexican subsidiary of AHMSA/Grupo GAN. The bituminous coal to be extracted at both coal mines is to be sold
to a Mexican company who has the coal supply contract with the Mexican government electricity entity, Comision Federal de
Electricidad (CFE) , to burn the coal at Latin America’s two largest coal electricity plants located in Nava, Coahuila, Mexico known as
Carbon 1 and 2. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), these two Mexican-government owned coal
electricity plants are among the largest polluters of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide to the State of Texas and United States,
including the Big Bend National Park.¶ Dos Republicas Coal Partnership plans to ship the Eagle Pass Mine coal by railroad cars
through a private railroad bridge and line owned by the same investors as the coal mine. The Eagle Pass Railroad company has
submitted an application with the State Department of the United States for a permit to build and own the private railroad bridge
and line and is pending.¶ The City of Eagle Pass, County of Maverick, Maverick County Hospital District, Maverick County
Environmental and Public Health Association, and many local farmers, rancher, and residents oppose Dos Republicas Coal
Partnership’s application to renew, revise, and expand Permit 42A, Eagle Pass Mine, just three miles north of the Eagle Pass city
limits and upstream from both the Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras municipal water treatment plants. Opponents also contend both
coal mines will pollute their air, cause methane gas emissions into the air, cause many chronic pulmonary diseases and cancer, and
cause the destruction of natural habitats of the federally endangered ocelot and jaurguandi cats. Dos Republicas Coal Partnership
denies these allegations.¶ The historic U.S.-Mexico environmentalists’ joint agreement to collaborate on
protecting the U.S.-Mexico border from pollution and contamination from industrial economic
developments, including open surface coal mines on or near the banks of the Rio Grande River, is a major
ecological milestone. Maverick County Environmental and Public Health Association Vice-President Jose Reyna asked for a
moment of silence in honor of all persons on both the Texas-Mexico border who have died from cancer.
say yes
Burgeoning cooperation makes now key to solve, independently means Mexico will
say yes
de la Parra et al. 13 (Carlos, professor and researcher at the Colegio de la Frontera Norte in
the department of Urban Studies and Environment at the Wilson Center, “The State of
Sustainability and the Evolving Challenges of Managing the U.S.-Mexico Border Environment,”
5/13, http://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/mexico_state_of_border_0.pdf, MDM)
The concern of both nations over environmental quality at their common border ¶ is relatively
new, relatively low on the list of priorities of both capital cities, and ¶ ostensibly reactive. In comparison with the framework for
managing shared ¶ U.S.-Mexico water resources, which has been in existence for over a century, ¶ joint efforts to control
environmental pollution are less than 30 years old, and ¶ research and analysis on the region’s
sustainability are in their infancy. In the ¶ years following the United States-Mexico Environmental Cooperation
Agreement, also known as the La Paz Agreement,2¶ which was the first U.S.-Mexico ¶ environmental cooperation framework signed
by the two countries, successive ¶ border environmental programs were created to address pollution problems ¶ along the border.
But funding for border projects competes for scarce resources against other national priorities on
both sides of the border, as evidenced by ¶ the shrinking funds in the Border Environment Infrastructure Fund, which saw ¶
appropriations from the U.S. Congress drop from a high of one hundred million ¶ dollars per year in the mid-Nineties to levels of less
than twenty million by ¶ 2008.3 The long term stability of U.S. funding for border affairs remains highly ¶ susceptible to the political
priorities of Congress and/or the White House. ¶ Despite these shrinking resources, there is growing recognition that
sustainability cannot be disassociated from security, quality of life, or economic development.
Indeed, sustainability of the environment provides the basis for quality ¶ of life in terms of health,
jobs, and sustainable security. Throughout the three ¶ decades of bilateral cooperation on environmental quality, issues
and priorities ¶ along the border have evolved. A deficient water and sewerage infrastructure ¶ is no longer the main cause of
pollution along the border, nor is pollution, per ¶ se, the environmental issue of greatest concern for both governments. In the ¶
1980s, cross-border pollution had become a liability in U.S.-Mexico relations. It ¶ was problematic in San
Diego, as sewage from Tijuana overflowed into the ¶ sensitive Tijuana River Estuarine Reserve on the U.S. side; it was an issue ¶ in
the Arizona-Sonora area, as the copper smelters in Douglas, Arizona and 125 The State of the Border Report¶ Nacozari, Sonora
polluted common regional air quality with sulfur dioxide; and ¶ it was an issue in Tecate, B.C. and Matamoros, Tamaulipas when
hazardous ¶ waste from U.S. firms began appearing illegally in Mexican rural areas. But ¶ successive U.S.-Mexico environmental
programs4 under the La Paz Agreement ¶ provided joint interventions by both federal governments, strengthened by ¶ state
government investments in the latest multi-year program, building greater knowledge and capacity to control pollution at the
border.¶
solves congestion
Getting rid of idling vehicles cuts air pollution
Bonner et al. 10 (Former Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Former
Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration, “Managing the United States-Mexico Border:
Cooperative Solutions to Common Challenges,” 11/4/10,
http://www.pacificcouncil.org/document.doc?id=30, MDM)
The border region is an area of striking beauty and biodiversity, but also of significant ¶ pollution
and environmental damage. Because emissions and effluents cross the ¶ border easily, only
coordinated action on this front can safeguard environmental ¶ standards. ¶ In general, efforts to
facilitate commerce, promote economic development, and ¶ properly manage water resources will all advance environmental goals.
For instance, ¶ cutting wait times at the border reduces air pollution from idling vehicles . In addition to ¶
these measures, however, governments
must also take direct steps to preserve the ¶ border region’s
natural heritage and reduce environmental degradation.
congestion bad
Air pollution at the border spreads globally, only reducing congestion solves
de la Parra et al. 13 (Carlos, professor and researcher at the Colegio de la Frontera Norte in
the department of Urban Studies and Environment at the Wilson Center, “The State of
Sustainability and the Evolving Challenges of Managing the U.S.-Mexico Border Environment,”
5/13, http://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/mexico_state_of_border_0.pdf, MDM)
The border region, with few exceptions, ¶ consists of a series of common transborder airsheds (volumes of
air that circulate ¶ or exist temporarily on both sides of the ¶ border). Two factors in particular work to ¶ make air
quality management at the border ¶ challenging: a rapid degree of sprawling urbanization and
industrialization, ¶ and the division of legal jurisdiction between the two countries within those ¶
common transborder airsheds. Combine the above with the arid and semiarid nature of the region, the
high automobile usage in the Southwestern U.S. ¶ coupled with the lack of public transit in
Mexican cities, and the result is urban ¶ air quality that is in fact a mixture of carbon monoxide,
suspended particulate ¶ matter (mostly PM 2.5, 6.0 and 10), and ozone. In a study on the levels of ¶ ozone, carbon
monoxide and PM10 done for the San Diego-Tijuana and Mexicali-Imperial borders, Quintero et al found air quality compliance for
PM10 only in ¶ San Diego, in Tijuana and San Diego for CO, and all four counties/municipalities ¶ were in non-attainment for air
ozone quality standards.18 Air quality is especially challenging when we include greenhouse gases. Air ¶
quality issues have always been complicated by their complex mixture of ¶ pollutants, sources, exposures, effects and the
susceptibilities of different ¶ populations, and can be compounded in a binational context. What’s more, ¶ maritime
flows introduce pollutants from bunker fuels (the relatively dirty ¶ petroleum product burned by ships at sea) and the remote rural
and even the ¶ larger and closer community centers have no air quality information.¶ Brick kilns both in the Paso del Norte and the
Mexicali-Calexico border are ¶ especially dirty sources of all pollutants. Traditional fuels for kilns include waste ¶ materials like scrap
wood, tires, batteries, fuel oil, and almost anything that’s ¶ ignitable. The Mexicali-Calexico area has one of the highest incidences of
¶ asthma in both countries, and two additional power plants built by Intergen ¶ and Sempra Energy aggravated a community already
susceptible to respiratory ¶ ailments. ¶ Congestion at ports of entry continues to be a source of air
contamination as ¶ the average queue time has increased in the last 10 years. Some trucks wait in
¶ line for several hours.¶ Muñoz-Meléndez, Quintero-Núñez and Pumfrey provide several options to ¶ meet the
challenges of air quality management at the border, amongst which ¶ the cross-border trading of emissionreduction credits and the creation of a ¶ clean-air investment fund stand out.19
Air pollution can travel transnationally
SCERP 8 (Southwest Consortium for Environmental Research and Policy, “Air quality at the
US-Mexican border; current state and future considerations towards sustainability,” 11/17/08,
http://www.scerp.org/bi/BI_X/papers/3-Air%20Quality%20at%20the%20USMexican%20Border.pdf, MDM)
Many border residents are currently exposed to health-threatening levels of air pollution ¶ by the
presence of substances such as ozone (O3), particulate matter (PM), carbon dioxide ¶ (CO2), and sulfur
dioxide (SO2). This situation has created concerns on both sides of the ¶ border, and the U.S Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and the Mexico’s National ¶ Institute of Ecology (Instituto Nacional de Ecologia-INE) have developed regional ¶ strategies to
improve air quality based on separate but similar national ambient air quality ¶ standards. ¶ Air pollutants move freely
across political borders. Because of physical conditions such ¶ as topography, geomorphology
and weather, border communities share air sheds or air ¶ basins that are characterized by changing wind patterns
depending on the season. Wind is ¶ the means of transport of air pollutants, and thus any human
activity that generates ¶ pollutants on one side of the border will have an impact on the other
side.
misc
baseball diplomacy
1nc
Text: The United States federal government should pass the Baseball Diplomacy
Act
Baseball diplomacy increases relations with Cuba without having to remove the
embargo
Greller 99 Matthew N. Greller, American University International Law Review, “Give Me Your
Tired, Your Poor, Your Fastball Pitchers Yearning for Strike Three: How Baseball Diplomacy
Can Revitalize Major League Baseball and United States-Cuba Relations,” 14 Am. U. Int'l L. Rev.
1647, 1999 http://digitalcommons.wcl.american.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1341&context=auilr
The drain of talent from Cuba to MLB provides a source of international embarrassment to Cuban
President, and baseball fan, Fidel Castro . 5 Castro's distaste for these defections embitters United StatesCuba relations, and is strikingly similar to many MLB teams' distaste for the departure of free agent players to rival teams.' 6
While the original defectors did not represent Cuba's best talent, °7 the subsequent defections of pitchers Osvaldo Fernandez and the
Hernandez brothers illustrated that the top-tier players also desired to leave Cuba for MLB.208 To prevent further defections, the
touring National Team suspended several players suspected of defecting, and shuffled its roster to exclude some of the best
players.2° Many baseball scouts claim that this drastic rearrangement represents the beginning of Castro's effort to prevent further
baseball defections to America."' Rather than witness these players defect to the United States, several scouts believe that Castro will
sell the rights' to the players cleared for the 2000 Olympics to the Japanese League.'1" Preventing talented Cuban baseball players
from competing on the National Team, or sending them to Japan, only balks at the possibility to improve the relations between the
United States and Cuba through Baseball Diplomacy.23 The recent changes in the embargo against Cuba indicate the United States'
willingness to seek greater contacts between the people of these two nations.1 Moreover, Fidel Castro's recent international
agreements recognize the importance of forging political and economic ties to ease Cuba's economic crisis."5 Consequently,
changes regarding Cuban baseball immigration can provide the impetus for creating the greater
contacts and economic ties desired by both nations. Thus, the incentive exists for Castro to
permit Cubans to compete in MLB if such a policy could both rectify the deteriorating conditions
of Cuban baseball, 17 and enable the people-to-people contacts needed to energize the
relationship between the United States and Cuba."8 Recent statements from Cuban officials indicate a willingness
by Cuba to allow its players to compete in MLB, provided that any new arrangement respects Cuban socialist sports.19 Continued
adherence to the "El Duque" model will only serve to intensify the many problems that stem from this model. "-0 Adhering to a fourstep process, however, can alleviate these problems, and create an effective Baseball Diplomacy to improve the quality of MLB and
United States-Cuba relations. A. FIRST BASE: ENDING EXCLUSIONARY PRACTICES To facilitate changes in Cuban baseball
player immigration, MLB, Cuba, and the United States must first abandon their policies of exclusion.
For this to occur, MLB must abandon former Commissioner Kuhn's 1977 Directive, which prevents MLB teams from scouting or
signing Cuban players.2 ' Such a change will bring MLB closer to Kuhn's ultimate goal of utilizing baseball to improve bilateral
relations between Cuba and the United States. 2 1 In addition, Castro must remove the 1960 ban on Cubans competing in
professional sports, which discourages Cuban participation in MLB. 23 For the United States, however, changes in Cuban
baseball immigration require neither abandoning the economic embargo against Cuba, nor the
overall policy that seeks people-to-people contacts to hasten a democratic transition.-" Such changes
merely require precise modifications of portions of the embargo to permit an effective Baseball Diplomacy to begin.- These changes
will indicate a will- ingness to allow Cuban baseball players to join MLB, and allow Baseball Diplomacy to reach First Base. B.
SECOND BASE: DRAFTING CUBAN PLAYERS To remain close to the Cuban government's desire to respect the principles of Cuban
sports226 and to bolster the competitive balance within MLB, Baseball Diplomacy requires further proactive efforts. Accordingly,
MLB must implement a system that exposes Cuban players who desire to play in MLB to the June Draft, instead of allowing these
players to follow the "El Duque" model." Drafting Cuban players will comply with Kuhn's desire to establish an orderly system that
allows for the fair distribution of Cuban players. "2 Such a change will spread the rich Cuban talent around the thinning MLB
rosters, and instill pride in the hearts of Cubans throughout the northem hemisphere. 9 Moreover, draffing Cuban players will allow
poorer MILB teams to acquire some of the best international talent that they currently cannot obtain.2-0 Consequently, drafting
Cuban players will provide the opportunity for these teams to enjoy increased fan support, media interest, attendance levels, and
television and radio ratings that can buoy their financial solvency.23 ' To do so, MLB must amend both Rule 4(a) and Rule 3(a)(1) to
permit the drafting of Cuban players, and allow these newly drafted players to sign contracts with the teams that draft them. An
amended Rule 4(a) should read, "For purposes of this Rule 4, the term 'United States' shall mean the 50 States of the United States
of America, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and any other Commonwealth, Territory or Possession of the United States of
America. Additionally, for the purposes of this Rule 4, a player may be eligible to sign if said player resides within the Republic of
Cuba.232 Moreover, Rule 3(a)(1)'s provisions for the First-Year Draft should include this amended language to enable the signing of
Cuban players.233 Drafting Cuban baseball players, however, will not deprive these players of the ability to command large
contracts. In fact, the amendments will allow Cuban players to be treated like all the other MLB players who are entitled to salary
arbitration after three years of service within MLB, and who can obtain free agency after six years with the same team.2 " 4 The
drafted Cuban baseball players will receive these conditions as well. Drafting Cuban players, therefore, will allow Baseball Diplomacy
to move halfivay towards its goals, and advance to Second Base. C. THIRD BASE: A CUBAN CONTRACT TAX To SUPPORT CUBAN
BASEBALL To support the Cuban League that will provide MLB with Cuban talent, MLB should impose a moderate tax on teams
that sign Cuban players. Much like the payroll and player salary taxes that go to baseball's central revenue fund,ns MLB teams
should pay a tax on the contracts signed by Cuban players into a MLB fund designed to support both the Cuban baseball
infrastructure,2 and the Cuban scouting efforts of all thirty MLB teams. -7 This tax will apply to those Cuban players that continue to
pursue the "El Duque" model, as well as Cuban players that naturally become free agents after six seasons with the same team. If a
2.5% tax2' exists the next time a Cuban player like "El Duque" signs a $6.6 million contract, that player's team will pay $150,000
into a MLB fund that supports Cuban baseball and the scouting efforts of all MLB teams within Cuba.2 1 9 Thus, while the United
States will absorb talented Cuban players, the success of these players will assist the development of future Cuban stars by improving
the infrastructure of Cuban baseball through better equipment and training.240 This money will not go to the Cuban government,24
' but rather will remain under the auspices of MLB while directly going to the Cuban people through baseball.4 Additionally, this tax
can provide Castro the opportunity to redirect funding previously earmarked for Cuban baseball2 "' towards alleviating the rampant
conditions of poverty that plague the Cuban people.2 " Enacting the policies of Baseball Diplomacy from First to Third Base will
decrease the incentives for Cuban players to follow the "El Duque" model."5 Moreover, the economic reasons for players to defect
will dissipate.46 Although some Cuban players may still seek to immediately command lucrative contracts under the "El Duque"
model, most of the Cuban talent will still remain available to the majority of MLB teams through the Draft.4 Such a draft system will
not eliminate the dichotomy between rich and poor teams. It will, however, afford poorer teams access to Cuban players by allowing
them to scout, draft, and trade these players for greater financial and competitive success. 24 Thus, a Cuban Draft and a tax on
Cuban contracts supporting the Cuban baseball infrastructure will assist the struggling economies of both MLB and Cuban baseball,
and will enable Baseball Diplomacy to safely move to Third Base. D. HOME PLATE: CHANGING UNITED STATES IMMIGRATION
LAWS These changes by MLB and Cuba, however, will not succeed unless efforts begin at home.
The United States must change its immigration policies to look beyond the current Cuban
communist government, and instead seek to reach out to the Cuban people through baseball. 249
Prior to the enactment of the Helms-Burton Act250 and the establishment of the "El Duque" model, New York Congressman Jose
Serrano first introduced legislation designed to permit Cuban baseball players to play in the United States. In the 106' Congress, this
legislation, House Bill 262, remains before the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims.-"2 Serrano based the aptly titled
"Baseball Diplomacy Act" on the ability of sports to unite people from various backgrounds,2"
and provides the impetus for an effective Baseball Diplomacy. By passing such legislation,
Congress will illustrate that the United States no longer will force Cuban baseball players to
defect in order to compete in MLB. -" Moreover, passage of House Bill 262 will illustrate a
dynamic approach to United States-Cuba policy by increasing people-to-people contacts2 "
through baseball player immigration. Additionally, by permitting targeted modifications in the
application of the United States embargo to allow the immigration of Cuban baseball players ,
House Bill 262 will not drastically depart from the overall United States policy to pressure the Castro government.2 6 Subsequent
versions of Serrano's proposed legislation, however, should amend Section l(a)(1) to provide "O-1" or "P-i" visas for Cuban players
instead of the current language that calls for pro- viding "H-2B" visas.257 Authorizing the appropriate "0" or "P" visas for players
and their families will diminish the difficulty of playing in the United States, and will eliminate the need to defect.21 Furthermore,
allowing Cuban baseball players to receive "0" or "P" visas will allow these players to enter the
United States the same way as other foreign baseball players.5 9 Admittedly, preventing the Castro
government from seizing the salaries of these players may prove difficult. Undoubtedly, supporters and members of the CubanAmerican lobby will seek to prevent enactment of House Bill 262 because of their opposition to any interaction with Castro, and
because of the possibility that the Cuban President may benefit by seizing the player's salaries.2 ° Implementing this legislation,
however, will provide the first step towards allowing a Draft that will display Cuban talent throughout MLB.261 Coupled with a tax
on Cuban contracts that will support Cuban baseball, the incentives for seizing players' salaries will diminish.262 Enacting the four
proposals of Baseball Diplomacy requires strong leadership, and a commitment to move around the Base-Path. MLB Commissioner
Bud Selig, and Presidents Castro and Clinton must seize the opportunity to catch Baseball Diplomacy.2' Their efforts to finalize the
details of the Orioles-Cuban National Team exhibition series indicates a potential willingness to try Baseball Diplomacy.2' Despite
the political and financial difficulties of organizing these exhibition games,265 the series reaffirmed the ability to bring the Cuban
and American people closer together through baseball.266 CONCLUSION Like good fundamental baseball, MLB, Cuba, and the
United States must move Base-by-Base to succeed. Each time one side decides to move ninety feet to the next Base, the years of
animosity and the ninety miles separating Cuba and the United States begins to fade. All three sides stand to gain from the
aforementioned proposals of Baseball Diplomacy. Baseball Diplomacy, though, is not a panacea. These small steps will not bridge
the ideological gap separating a communist dictatorship from a democratic republic, 67 nor will they allow the Montreal Expos to
dethrone the New York Yankees.26 Enacting these policies, however, will act as a catalyst in that direction, and allow the world's
baseball fans to collectively cheer for the best baseball available. Ultimately, such changes will insure a true World Series each
October.
2nc solves
Defections are specifically detrimental to relations- we solve their advantage best
Greller 99 Matthew N. Greller, American University International Law Review, “Give Me Your
Tired, Your Poor, Your Fastball Pitchers Yearning for Strike Three: How Baseball Diplomacy
Can Revitalize Major League Baseball and United States-Cuba Relations,” 14 Am. U. Int'l L. Rev.
1647,
1999 http://digitalcommons.wcl.american.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1341&context=auilr
Rene Arocha's foray into MLB followed the tenor of existing United States-Cuban relations.175 The
larger forces of Cuba's struggling economy,'76 coupled with the appeal of lucrative MLB salaries,177 heavily influenced Arocha's
defection and the desires of other Cuban baseball players to defect.17 ' This rebirth of a Cuban-trained presence in
MLB coincided with several external events that drastically affected United States-Cuban
relations.' Following the arrival of these Cuban players, legislative developments in the United
States hastened the collapse of the Cuban econ- omy,"8° and subsequently encouraged further
baseball defections."' Unlike Jackie Robinson's' pioneering entry into MLB, that eventually enabled societal changes
regarding race relations,' the legislative developments following Arocha's arrival additionally
aggravated the relations between the United States and Cuba.""' Ultimately, by encouraging
further defections, this legislation extended animosity to the baseball diamond.''
aff- links to politics
Baseball diplomacy is extremely controversial
Greller 99 Matthew N. Greller, American University International Law Review, “Give Me Your
Tired, Your Poor, Your Fastball Pitchers Yearning for Strike Three: How Baseball Diplomacy
Can Revitalize Major League Baseball and United States-Cuba Relations,” 14 Am. U. Int'l L. Rev.
1647,
1999 http://digitalcommons.wcl.american.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1341&context=auilr
Few things ignite such heated passion in America as discussions about baseball 2 or the United States'
international relations with Cuba.' Recently, the Clinton Administration's proposal to ease the United
States' trade embargo against Cuba4 thrust these two seemingly diverse realms together,5
permitting exhibition games between the Baltimore Orioles and the Cuban National Team' in Havana' and Baltimore!
Despite the Cuban government's reactionary measures towards the new United States
initiatives,' and stem rebukes from influential Cuban-Americans," Cuban and Major League Baseball
("MLB") players met on the baseball diamond 2 for the first time in forty years."
ofac cp
1nc
Department of Treasure’s Office of Foreign Assets Control should grant licenses to
US scientists and conservation professionals for the purpose of collaborating with
Cuban scientists and conservation professionals
Boom, 12 (Brian M., Director, Caribbean Biodiversity Program, Ph.D in Biological Sciences,
“Biodiversity without Borders”, September 2012,
http://www.sciencediplomacy.org/article/2012/biodiversity-without-borders, jld)
A few months before the Brookings/EDF gathering, the American Council of Learned Societies/Social Science Research Council
Working Group on Cuba and the Christopher Reynolds Foundation sponsored a two-day workshop. “Workshop on the Future of
Environmental Collaboration between the United States and Cuba,” held in November 2008 in New York City, helped identify and
define the issues that led to the Brookings/EDF event and to a number of others. This workshop was attended by thirty-two
representatives of environmental NGOs and private philanthropic foundations. One of the outputs was a letter, dated December 11,
2008, which was signed by twelve CEOs of environmental NGOs, addressed to then PresideWnt-elect Barack Obama urging him to
“take action to increase scientific exchange and collaboration between the United States and
Cuba.” The letter specifically suggested issuing U.S. visas to Cuban scientists and conservation
professionals; directing the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to
grant licenses to U.S. scientists and conservation professionals planning to collaborate with their Cuban
colleagues; giving OFAC licenses to U.S. entities to enable Cuban scientists and conservation
professionals to travel to third countries when U.S. funds are used; directing federal agencies,
such as NOAA, to encourage more collaboration between U.S. and Cuban scientists and academic and
conservation professionals; and amending OFAC regulations that govern educational exchanges between
the United States and Cuba to allow more flexibility.