environmental, health and resource geopolitics. environmental determinism chernobyl and environments...
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Environmental DeterminismChernobyl and environments beyond bordersOil and Resource WarsFood scares Infectious diseasesClimate ChangeGlobal South
Environmental Determinism
1890s Geopolitics1990s-2000s Environmental Geopolitics
Physical differences cause economic and political differences, i.e. with development
or, environmental problems are the direct result of simply understood political or economic phenomena (i.e. capitalism)
Since World War Two shift to recognise human impact on earth
But discussed as major topic only relatively recently (c25 years)
1940s- present nuclear weapon testing1963 atmospheric test ban treaty
Pesticides
Mercury poisoning
Oil spills – Exxon Valdez in Alaska. March 24, 1989, 11m gallons
Chernobyl
April 26, 1986 at 01:23 a.mSteam explosion that resulted in a nuclear meltdown, a series of additional explosions, and a fireFire and rescue workers not warned about dangers237 people with acute radiation sickness
Chernobyl
May 12th 1986 contamination cloudFirst reports came from Finland and Sweden, where radiation was detected at a nuclear plant that had not leaked.The Chernobyl Forum estimated 4000 deaths, plus up to 9000 extra predicted from cancer; other put this much higher – 30-60,000 by alternative report; 200,000 in Greenpeace study
Beyond borders
Environmental hazards produced in one state but felt in another – acid rain, polluted air, or rivers
Environmental side effects of other processes (economic, political etc.)
Ozone layer depletion, CFCs
Beyond Sovereign Territory
‘Global warming’ (climate change)
Nuclear and biochemical weapons and accidents‘nuclear-free zones’
Over-fishing
Genetically modified foods imported
“Dangers from ‘over there’ are now potentially ‘in here’” (Simon Dalby)
Military security
Gulf War syndrome (1991-)
Anthrax (2001)
Disposal of nuclear weapons in USSR and elsewhere
– More general issues of disposal of nuclear fuel anywhere, and other toxic waste
Deliberate sabotage– Jan 23 1991, Iraq opened oil terminal and dumped oil in
Gulf – Burning oil wells in Kuwait
Oil
Oil crisis of 1973Oil embargo of OPEC
Manipulation of prices
Iranian revolution 1979
Carter doctrine
Gulf War 1991
War in Iraq 2003
‘How did our oil get under their sands?’‘No blood for oil’Peak Oil
National Energy Policy (The Cheney Report) May 2001
– Didn’t stress conservation or renewable energy– Domestic oil production in decline so lead to more
imports (from which areas?)– US energy independence (i.e. exploit resources in
Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve)
Flows of wealth
Resource rich countries
New elites
Wider disparities between rich and poor
Low social indicators, tendency to be authoritarian, corrupt, ineffective, prioritise military expenditure and more likely to be involved in conflict (Philippe le Billon)
Materiality and illicit economies
Minerals hard to extract, easy to smuggle
Illegal logging of trees for timber
Drug trade – Colombia– Afghanistan
Oil
Resource Wars
Michael Klare, Resource Wars (2001) and Blood and Oil (2004)
Philippe de Billon, Fuelling War: Natural Resources and Armed Conflict (2005)
Oil‘conflict diamonds’Agriculture
http://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/ibru/arctic.pdf
http://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/ibru/south_atlantic_maritime_claims.pdf
Food Scares
Genetically modified foods (GM foods)
Fertilisers and pesticides vs. ‘organic’
BSE – animals eating parts of other animals
Foot and mouth
Farm subsidies
European Union Common Agricultural Policy– Shift from smaller family farms to ‘agri-
business’
Infectious diseases
Bird flu
SARS
HIV/AIDS– 5-6000 people die a day– two thirds in sub Saharan Africa
Four geopolitical themes
1. Porous borders; closing borders
2. Transport networks – flights (closing, who flies), roads
3. Militarisation of aid response
4. Logistics
Climate Change
May produce warming, but also coolingSea level rise Gulf stream
KyotoEmissions tradingCarbon off-setting
Kyoto
Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Dec 12th 1997, in force Feb 16th 2005
Press Release
"The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement under which industrialised countries will reduce their collective emissions of greenhouse gases by 5.2% compared to the year 1990 (but note that, compared to the emissions levels that would be expected by 2010 without the Protocol, this limitation represents a 29% cut). The goal is to lower overall emissions of six greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, HFCs, and PFCs - calculated as an average over the five-year period of 2008-12. National limitations range from 8% reductions for the European Union and some others to 7% for the US, 6% for Japan, 0% for Russia, and permitted increases of 8% for Australia and 10% for Iceland."
Common but differentiated responsibilities
Developed countries originated the problem (industrial revolution)
Developing countries still relatively low in terms of emissions (per head)
Share of emissions allowed should reflect development
Therefore China and India largely exempt
Scepticism and Inaction
It isn’t happening
It is, but humans didn’t cause it
Humans caused it, but we can’t do anything
What we do doesn’t matter – look at China and India…
The Day After Tomorrow…
Environmental catastrophe
North becomes uninhabitable
Mass migration to the south
The Rise of China
Economic liberal reforms without political reforms (compare to USSR)10% growth per year since 1991
– Produces half world’s toys; two thirds of shoes and most of its bicycles and power tools
– Most of the US flags bought after September 11th manufactured in China
Predicted to outstrip US economy
Environmental and social costs
Poor employment rights
Water shortages
Environmental degradation
Human rights – Tibet and Xinjiang province– legacy of Tiananmen square (1991)
‘Global South’ Issues
Industrialisation and attendant costs of lower emissions etc.
Deforestation and CO2
Population growth
Impact of North on South
The production of the Third WorldDecolonization Cold War StrugglesDevelopment and NeoliberalismMigrationThe Rise of ChinaThe End of the Third World?Disconnection and integration
The production of the ‘Third World’
First world – US and allies
Second world – USSR and allies
Third world – the remaining, ‘non-aligned’ nations; ‘developing nations’
Organisation of African Unity
The Cairo declaration 1964
“the borders of African States, on the day of their independence, constitute a tangible reality”
weak elites who wanted to minimise threats to their rule
avoiding chaos in recognition of the mosaic of racial and national distribution
states to act as the motor of pan-African unity
End of Third World
Non-aligned world
Developing world
Global south– Geographical determination– But Australia and New Zealand in south; India
and China north of equator
Contemporary challenges
Reduction in aid and investment from North to SouthRise in racism and anti-immigration policies in the NorthPressure on the South on debt rescheduling and trade access for Northern firms (creation of new markets)Continued subsidies to Northern companies
– i.e. $300bn to farmers in North per year– G8 gave $8bn to Africa in aid in 2001-02