Blackline Master #H2

Globalizing Connections 1 The Critical Thinking Consortium

Recent developments involving environmental protection

Human activity on Earth has a large environmentalimpact. These changes include climate change,ozone depletion, disappearance of tropical forests,oil extraction, and chemical contamination. Inresponse, many people have participated in theenvironmental movement. This movement aims tomake environmental protection a political andeconomic priority. The environmental movementhas gained momentum in recent decades. However,most governments and citizens are acting slowlycompared to the rate of environmental destruction.

Key recent events in environmental protection:• protesting logging of the Amazon rainforest• banning of CFCs• reducing greenhouse gases• promoting local foods• boycotting the seal hunt

Protesting logging of the Amazon rainforest

The Amazon tropical rainforest in South America isenormous. It spans 9 countries and is the size of theUnited States. Biologists consider it to be the mostdiverse ecosystem on earth. Human inhabitants relyon the forest for everything from shelter tomedicine. The forest helps maintain a stable globalclimate.

Despite its value, the Amazon has been threatenedfor many years. An area larger than France has beenlogged. Tropical hardwoods like mahogany are soldon the international market. The logging operationsare very wasteful. Only 30% of the timber actuallymakes it to the market. The other 70% is lost inpoorly operated mills. Once an area has beenlogged, it is not reforested. Lands are used foragriculture and industry. Land used for cattle erodesrapidly. Chemicals from unregulated miningcontaminate waterways. The region is at high riskfor forest fires, drought and mass extinction.

In 1976, inhabitants of the Amazon stood up tologgers for the first time. Rubber ‘tappers’ work bygathering latex (rubber) from the rubber trees in theAmazon forest. They formed a human chain in thetrees to protect against oncoming chainsaws.Rubber tapper Chico Mendes led the fight.

The rubber tappers’ protest marked the beginnings

of a long campaign to protect the Amazon.International groups like WWF and Greenpeacehave teamed with local inhabitants to make theAmazon. But so far conservationists are fighting alosing battle. Because of the size of the rainforest,the government cannot enforce logging regulations.In 2003, an area equivalent to four million soccerfields was cleared in spite of regulations. Loggers,miners and ranchers resort to violent tactics, evenmurder, to get rid of environmentalists. Forexample, an angry rancher assassinated the rubbertapper Chico Mendes in 1988.

International demand fuels deforestation. Countriesthat buy the most wood from the Amazon havetaken very few steps to buy products from legal orecologically responsible logging companies. Thesecountries include Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, theUK and the U.S. Multinational companies continueto buy soy and beef from newly cleared rainforestland. International consumers and producers need tobe informed and take action to protect this life-giving tropical ecosystem.

The results of deforestation by burning in theAmazon rainforest. © CIDA: Pierre St-Jacques

Banning of CFCs

The ozone layer is a part of the Earth’s atmosphere.It protects against harmful solar rays. In the 1970s,scientists discovered that the ozone layer issensitive to certain chemicals. The most dangerouschemicals to the ozone layer are calledchlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). These chemicals wereused in refrigeration and air conditioning beginningin the 1920s.

Blackline Master #H2

Globalizing Connections 2 The Critical Thinking Consortium

Studies on ozone depletion found that CFCs had thelargest impact at the poles of the Earth, especiallyAntarctica. So many of the protective ozonemolecules were destroyed that people began talkingabout a “hole” in the ozone layer.

Ozone depletion was finally taken seriously in1987. Twenty-four countries signed the MontrealProtocol. This was an international agreement tophase out ozone-depleting chemicals. Evenconservative leaders like Ronald Reagan andMargaret Thatcher agreed to the Protocol. DuPontwas the largest CFC producer. They announced anend to CFC production in favour of safer chemicalsthe year after the signing of the Montreal Protocol.

CFCs take from 50 to 100 years to breakdown.Therefore, ozone depletion will continue into thefuture despite the ban. But, in 2003, scientistsannounced that depletion might be slowing due toan effective international effort to enforce the CFCban. Many people see the slow reversal as anenvironmental victory.

Reducing greenhouse gases

Climate change refers to a change in the Earth’sclimate or a regional climate over time. The Earth’sclimate has always changed. It fluctuates betweenperiods of extreme cold (ice ages) and periods ofwarmth. In recent decades, the average temperatureon Earth has been rising. This steady, continuousincrease in the Earth’s temperature is called globalwarming. Previous changes in climate were due tosolar activity, volcanic activity and cyclical changesin the Earth’s orbit. This time, the cause of globalwarming is the release of greenhouse gases due tohuman activity. Greenhouse gases cause theatmosphere to thicken and trap more of the sun’sheat. Levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane(CH4), the two most important greenhouse gases,have risen steadily since the industrial revolution.Cars and factories emit these gases.

The first global action to address climate changecame in 1997. The Kyoto Protocol is a legalinternational agreement aimed at reducinggreenhouse gas emissions. Since its creation, theProtocol has been ratified (agreed to) by 175nations worldwide. It went into force in February2005. Its success depends on whether countriescomply with their commitments and whether theassessment data is accurate.

A major obstacle is the resistance of key polluters.Some industry predicts economic "disaster" if CO2

reductions are enforced. Meanwhile, coal powerplants and vehicles in the U.S. produce roughly onequarter of the world’s total emissions. Skeptics andsome politicians doubt the science behind globalwarming.

Promoting local foods

Food has become a commodity on the internationalmarket. It is produced in one part of the world andshipped around the globe. The international marketmeans that people in the developed world can eatexotic food from many locations. However, theglobal food market creates many health andenvironmental difficulties. Massive farms tend touse more pesticides than home gardens. To simplifyharvesting and processing, multinationals grow onlya few crops. This results in depleted soil and lostbiodiversity.

Another concern relates to moving food around theglobe. Food miles measure how far food travelsfrom where it is produced to where it is eaten. It isan approximation of the energy used to transportfood. When foods are shipped farther, more energyis used. In the U.S., food travels an average of 1500to 2500 miles. With increasing concerns over globalwarming, the CO2 emissions from foodtransportation need to be considered.

There is a renewed interest in alternatives to theglobal food market. For example, during WWII.U.S. citizens were asked to plant Victory Gardensto increase the supply of fruits and vegetables. Thegoal was to free up money for the government tosupport the war. These home gardens produced40% of all vegetables used in the U.S. at the time.

The local food movement is another alternative.Proponents emphasize the health, environmental,social and economic benefits of eating food fromyour region. Food is more nutritious because it isharvested when it is ripe. It requires less energy tobe transported. Community is strengthened whenpeople rely on others to produce and buy food.Local economies become sustainable when peoplebuy things from each other. The new word“locavore” means someone who eats food fromtheir local area. One popular version of the localfood movement is the 100 Mile Diet, pioneered by ayoung couple in Vancouver.

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Globalizing Connections 3 The Critical Thinking Consortium

Boycotting the seal hunt

Seal fur is popular on international markets. It isused for coats and other products. The governmenthas tracked the number of seals killed each yearsince 1971. The number killed goes up withincreased quotas, and down with internationalprotests. In 2003, the Canadian government set athree-year catch limit of 975,000 seals. This hunt ishighly controversial.

Seals may be harpooned or shot. However, the mostcontroversial method is clubbing. Seals are clubbedand then skinned. Analysis of their skulls showsthat some may be conscious when they wereskinned. Most of the seals clubbed are very young:97% are under three months of age.

Proponents of the hunt emphasize that seals werehunted traditionally by aboriginal peoples. Somebelieve that seals are responsible for the reductionof the cod fish industry. Finally, many state that thehunt is vital for the maritime economy: in 2006,sales of harp seals totaled $33 million. On the otherside, opponents say that the seal hunt is vastlylarger than traditional seal catches. Massive catchesby fisheries are a more likely cause of the loss ofcod stocks. Finally, they state that the seal huntcontributes little to individual incomes. InNewfoundland, the hunt accounts for only 0.5% ofthe economy.

Most Canadians oppose the hunt. Of those whohave an opinion, 70% are opposed. A vast majorityof foreigners are opposed to the hunt. For example,95% of those in the Netherlands think the hunt isunacceptable. International boycotts of Canadianseafood products have been launched. There havebeen protests against the annual seal hunt acrossCanada. On the other hand, a public opinion poll in2005 found that 60% of Canadians support aresponsible seal hunt. Negotiating these conflicts isan ongoing challenge.

Bibliography

Amazon: www.rainforestrelief.org

Climate change: www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/www.davidsuzuki.org/Climate_Change/

International Panel on Climate Change:www.ipcc.ch

Ozone depletion, U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency: www.epa.gov/ozone/

Food miles:http://www.lifecyclesproject.ca/initiatives/food_miles/

http://100milediet.org/http://www.worldwatch.org/node/827

Seal hunt boycott: http://www.boycott-canada.com/http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/seal-phoque/myth_e.htm