Gold

On Friday, an interesting and thought-provoking article was released. It was a story about of a farmer in Peru that brought his sheep down to the river, and within a few minutes after they drank, they all died a violent death. This is because this stream was filled with poisonous nitrate from blasting into mountains in order to scrape out what little gold they could find. The American company, Newport Mining Company, is being funded by the World Bank and IFC to blast away at mountains and use toxic chemicals in to get out the gold ore. The gold mine in this instance is called Yanacocha and is the one of the leading gold mines in production today. When the mine is blasted, they mix cyanide type residue that pulls out the gold ore. This residue is easily washed away with rainwater and is not taken care of beforehand, which ends up in the water streams. Though this mining process is said to bring in many new jobs, over 50% of the population in the Cajamarca province where Yanacocha lies live beneath the poverty line and do not see any benefits from this environmental destruction.

World Bank and IFC has been caught with going over their own policies before and there is no reason for it to stop here.  The problem with this situation is the fact that the World Bank has been more inclined in recent years to fund situations that could be hazardous to the countries they are trying to develop, simply to exploit them for their resources. This sort of greed is what we have been seeing in Brazil as well, only the World Bank is not hurting themselves directly, so the consequences are not as visible.

This story follows Ethiopia as well and shows how the World Bank is creating hazardous situations there. As these chemicals increase in contamination, the question comes up of how bad will the people have to suffer before World Bank stops the environmental destruction?

http://projects.huffingtonpost.com/worldbank-evicted-abandoned/how-worldbank-finances-environmental-destruction-peru

Blog #10: Unabated Environmental Destruction in Niger

Summary: Madalla, a small town in Nigeria, is experiencing some local environmental problems due to local industry. This “industry” consists of burning tires to extract and resell metal bands. The thick smoke created from the burning has been a source of soot, smoke, and other airborne nuisances for some time now. Houses are constructed right next to the burning area, and are caked with the soot, indicating just how bad the conditions can get. Residents who have lived in this area are reporting many side effects from the fires. Most of the problems are related to the respiratory system, as they are constantly inhaling the fumes. The people who live here collect their drinking water from roof runoff. This runoff comes off of the roof, which is covered with soot, resulting in blackened drinking water.

Response: This final blog is a bit of a contrast against the previous ones. Instead of a money grubbing corporation destroying the environment, the destruction is being done by the poor doing what they can to stay alive. If this source of livelihood were taken away from them, they would not be able to support themselves. If they continue to burn tires to make their living, they will continue to pollute their living space. The only way for this dilemma to be solved is for someone to step in and help these people to a better place. This could come in the form of relief by the authorities, or from a philanthropic source from somewhere else.  

http://allafrica.com/stories/201504170452.html

Zachary Jay
04-24-2015
8:50 P.M.

Brazil's water crisis

As Brazil continues to deliberately destroy their forest, and therefore their ecosystem, the water supply is lowering dangerously. Two thirds of the Brazil’s electricity comes from dammed rivers, and the entirety of their power is quickly depleting. Two major reservoir networks, Cantareira and the Alto Tiete, provide Sao Paulo’s water supply. At this moment, the Alto Tiete is at 15% capacity and Cantareira is at 5%, which science advisors say is the worst drought in 80 years. As a city that runs mainly on hydroelectricity, this will be devastating if they trend continues. Also, the people of Sao Paulo are being restricted to only two days of water use per week.

As this concern becomes much more prevalent, officials are trying to figure out ways to finally deal with the problem, including planting trees near river beds in order to keep them more susceptible to capturing water. Although the biggest reservoir of water is forests and without them, capturing more water will be hard, as we have seen before. The problem here is that deforestation is a double hitter to the water supply in an ecosystem. By this, I mean that rain clouds would form from the thick amazon jungle and as it rains, the trees would capture a lot of the rain and release it over more time. With the trees gone, you see not as many rain clouds, and less water from them when they do. Climate researcher, Antonio Donate Nobre, says that 20% of the forest is being clear-cut and another 7% has been burned due to the parts of the forest that were once surrounded by forest-proof woodland now being gone.

Brazil is in over there heads in this situation. They are destroying so much of the Amazon and not caring about what that will look like tomorrow. Now it has caught up to them and they have a disaster on their hands, all for money.

http://upsidedownworld.org/main/brazil-archives-63/5269-deforestation-in-the-amazon-aggravates-brazils-energy-crisis

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2015/02/12/Brazil-faces-water-disaster-scientists-warned-it-was-coming/8121423766388/

Blog #8- Rio water pollution

As if the rural deforestation of Brazil’s Amazon forests is not bad enough, there have been cases streaming to the surface about Rio’s pollution getting worse.  As the 2016 World Olympics was promised to Rio de Janeiro in 2009, the government promised to get most of the pollution cleaned up in time. Now they are saying it will not be done on time and that the mess is only getting worse. As the letters between Senators and representatives and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Congressional Caucus come to attention, the question of the Olympic sailors’ health come to mind.  It is said in the letters that the 7 million Brazilians’ sewage waste ends up right into Guanabara Bay, which is directly where the water portion of the Olympics will be taking place. A test done in December of 2014 has come back showing that the “super bacteria”, KPC enzyme found in the water causes several different bodily infections and diseases such as E-coli, dysentery, hepatitis A & B and is only treatable by antibiotics.  There have been meetings to discuss where the sailing portion should be moved to, but no public information has been released.  It is also showing that it is killing many of the fish species there as well and aerial shots of the bay shows household trash filling up throughout the bay, including where is to be the sailing lanes for the Olympics. As for the living conditions of the area, it is unacceptable. The sewage water for cities need should not be flushing their sewage into the bay directly next to them. As we can see it carries diseases that can severely harm the population and the ecosystem contained near it. The trash in the bay should not be there, as it should be put away in a landfill somewhere outside the city. Trash in the water around the city only provides more hazards. Regardless of all this trouble in the water, Carlos Nuzman, the head of the Brazilian Olympic Committee, inform the public that the water will be ready on time for 2016 somehow.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/water-rubbish-rio-art-exhibit-uses-trash-stress-pollution-problem-ahead-olympics/

http://www.sail-world.com/Pollution_in_Rio_is_a_major_issue_and_it_could_get_bigger/132963

Brazil Deforestation

As I covered Brazil’s story of deforestation recently, I did not see until this story that a majority of the harvesting of the lumber is in fact through illegal means. Brazil for a long time was credited for its environmental sustainability, as it contained the amazon forest, but kept deforestation rates very low. Recently they have sky rocketed though, more than doubling within the past year. Between 2005 and 2010, Brazil’s greenhouse gas emissions sunk 39 percent primarily from burning mainly the basin of the forest. It is said that this clearing is mostly to make way for pastures for cattle. In a report done by Greenpeace, they blame the weak and corrupt government set in the country. Also they said that about 78 percent of the logging done in the Para state was illegal, which was made done by giving clean documentation to illegally harvested timber. Although there have been some clear stopping of illegal deforestation in Para as seen through the arresting of Ezequiel Antonio Castanha. He is allegedly responsible for up to 10 percent of the illegal deforestation of Brazil’s Amazon. The farmers are also people who really want the forests clear, as it would make more room for them to grow their crops. Dilma Rousseff, who was elected president, originally stated a no tolerance for deforestation, but later partnered with a coalition of wealthy farmers and agribusinesses and persuaded her to rewrite the country’s land-use laws.

Fearnside, a scientist trying to aid the Amazon along with others, blame the major cutting on the Forest Act of 2012 which took away major protection for the Amazon and gave amnesty to people who have broken the law before 2008.

Rita Mesquita, a senior researcher of Brazil’s National Institute for Research in the Amazon, stated that if the rate of deforestation keeps going like this, then even the mightiness of the Amazon would be gone in 30 or 40 years. This could not be anymore true, as forests are cut down way quicker than they come up. Carbon dioxide levels will skyrocket as well. Overall, if the government does not crack down more on this deforestation problem, their ecosystem will change in ways that most people there do not see.

http://www.newsweek.com/brazils-deforestation-rates-are-rise-again-315648

Blog #6: Nicaragua's Grand Canal: No Indigenous Consent, and Probable Environmental Catastrophe

Summary: The Nicaraguan government is beginning construction on a new canal that will connect the Pacific to the Caribbean Sea. The indigenous population affected by the canal and scientists who have studied its pros and cons are against it. Officials assert that it will “help ease the dire poverty of the second-poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.” Experts against the project believe that it will irreversably damage the surrounding environment. The locals who would be affected were reportedly not consulted in any way during the planning process. The plan entails digging a 90-foot deep, 1,710 foot wide trench that stretches 170 miles directly through rainforests and the primary source of water: Lake Nicaragua. All of this comes at the low price of $50 billion dollars. The lake in question is only 50 feet deep, and must be dredged to meet the depth needs of the canal. The leftover soil will then be either dumped on land or somewhere else in the lake. 400,000 hectares (hectare=10,000 m^2) of rainforest and wetlands will be directly impacted.

Response: I think it’s crazy that a government can be so focused on creating a potential source of revenue that it ignores its own residents’ well being AND the legitimate concerns of scientists. Salt water will find it’s way into Lake Nicaragua and contaminate the fresh water supply for both people and the creatures that call this place home. The canal will also cut across important water drainage channels, which could cause certain parts of the environment to become too dry, while simultaneously causing other areas to become too wet. We’ve seen similar things happen in the Everglades, indigenous species were wiped out, and natural habitats were destroyed. This was all created from canals dug to transport water. The canal in Nicaragua is being dug for transportation purposes, meaning there will be a much higher chance of some kind of a dangerous chemical spill with an estimated 5,100 ships passing through per year. This canal is also going to be constructed near the Boswanas Biosphere Reserve, a “tropical forest that is the last refuge for many disappearing species.” It is unclear exactly how much the canal will affect this fragile area, but no doubt it is better to err on the side of caution.

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/03/25/nicaraguas-grand-canal-no-indigenous-consent-and-probable-environmental-catastrophe

Zachary Jay

3-27-2015

12:16 P.M.

IS's environmental destruction

     Iraq is dealing with serious environmental pollution due to heavy fighting with ISIS. With fights going on around already unsteady industrial zones, it releasing hazardous chemicals, affecting the soil, air and groundwater. The IS forces have specifically been targeting oil fields in order to pollute the environment there and in return create a most hazardous environment for the Iraqi citizens. Iraq’s Ministry of Environment is already undergoing strategies in order to gain ground on preventing this environmental destruction form spreading. Quataiba al-Jubury, Minister of Enviornment, stated “the ministry will work to fight pollution by adopting techniques for monitoring, control, sensing and the application of effective preventive processes and procedures, combat pollutants that threaten the environment and public health in addition to those related to landmines and explosives planted by terrorists in residential neighborhoods, homes and roads to impede the progress of security forces.” Because they also believe that IS has contaminated the water sources as well, directly or indirectly from the attacks on the oil refineries, Ministry of Environment is also taking measures to test the water to see if it is clean. The World Health Organization has spoken about the increased risk of the environmental hazards from these attacks. Because Iraq’s main industry is oil mining, there is a lot of hazardous potential for this danger to build tremendously. When oil catches on fire it releases plumes pollutant that is hazardous for humans to breathe, not to mention for the ecosystem all around. The polluted water will likely kill many citizens there as it spreads, and there the World Health Organization says that it will not have to proper technology to move fast enough with checking and cleaning all the water sources. Furthermore, relief from UN agencies can only come if the country has requested it, which it has not. Waiting is only going to cause the environmental damage to worsen and be unable to counter. IS has severely hurt Iraq and her people in with these attacks and will only cause more damage. There is no reason for them to stop this environmental destruction until someone stops them.

http://www.isn.ethz.ch/Digital-Library/Articles/Detail/?lng=en&id=189290

Chernobyl: Containing the World's Worst Nuclear Accident

Summary: Almost thirty years after the Chernobyl disaster, the radioactive containment is getting a long term solution. The project is known as the New Safe Confinement, and will be a gigantic dome designed to fit over the building that housed the nuclear reactor that exploded on April 26th, 1986. A massive amount of land next to the reactor has been cleared and prepared for the construction to take place. The finished product will be the most massive of it’s kind ever attempted, and will be rolled on rails to its final resting place over the building. The core of the reactor was filled with around 100 tons of uranium, one ton of plutonium, and an assortment of other highly dangerous radioactive substances. The structure will be capable of keeping the building and core climate controlled, while simultaneously preventing any radioactive dust from escaping.

Response: While the surface is mostly safe for short periods of exposure, the massive amount of substances in Chernobyl’s core will prevent human population from returning for thousands of years. While I think it’s great that we are doing something to make the containment more permanent, when you really think about it, 100 years isn’t very long at at all. The Chernobyl disaster is a lasting reminder that utmost care and caution should be used with radioactive substances. In this case, however, humans seem to have taken a bigger hit than the native species. The thirty mile exclusion zone around the reactor has actually become a habitat of sorts, as no humans are permitted beyond a certain point. We really don’t know exactly what might happen to the plants and animals that are exposed to radioactivity here. A good guess would be infertility and a higher rate of cancerous tumors. Whatever the consequences are, they will continue for centuries.  

https://docs.google.com/a/uncg.edu/document/d/1Z4bpg3iMTa9lxc8PUiCCVGI_CF1VT9VQWKJBlzV5qak/edit

Zachary Jay
03-20-2015
11:41 P.M.

Blog #4: Mining Act: 20 Years of Plunder, Destruction, and Pollution Must End

Summary: In Manila, protesters have been calling for an end to 20 years of liberalized mining law. Some 300 indigenous peoples and environmental activists assembled to what they claim brought “environmental destruction, pollution, and plunder.” These people had experience first hand the effects of this law. The Philippine Mining Act was passed in 1995 by then president Fidel V. Ramos to open the country to large scale foreign mining companies. The law has remained in effect since then, surviving three administrations and 20 years. Local farmers and village residents have been ousted by these foreign companies to make way for large scale mining operations. They also gathered to protest in outlying areas as part of a larger group: the “Kalupunan ng mga Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas” (Kamp for short). Kamp reveals just how much the Mining Act has promoted “legal land grabbing” and the “extensive destruction of livelihood and homes.” Foreign mining companies have also been given a free pass concerning pollution and environmental destruction.

Response: In return, the people of the Philippines received only one tenth of the profits of these massive corporations. On top of that, the government only charges two percent of the income for tax purposes. To assist their cause and make removing unwanted nuisances from the land as painless as possible, the mining companies often bring in military force. There have been 66 deaths at the hands of this force, all of them protesters who got in the way. The government offers no lawful protection of these people, they seem to be focused on making a few dollars rather than protecting the rights and lives of the citizens of their country. The environmental cost is enormous, there are no kind of restrictions that the mining companies abide by. They can dig, dump, and release all sorts of waste wherever they please. Perhaps at one point this law was made to expand the economy of the Philippines, but foreigners have taken advantage of it, destroying land and lives. New legislation must be passed to put a stop to these terrible things.

http://bulatlat.com/main/2015/03/03/mining-act-20-destruction-and-pollution-must-years-of-plunder-end/

Zachary Jay

03-06-2015

8:25 P.M.