INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL INTELLIGENCE BRIEF
Document Type:
Collection:
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST):
0005284814
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RIPPUB
Original Classification:
U
Document Page Count:
16
Document Creation Date:
June 24, 2015
Document Release Date:
May 27, 2011
Sequence Number:
Case Number:
F-2008-00831
Publication Date:
May 19, 1998
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Body:
International Environmental Intelligence Brief
Contents
Articles
Climate Change: G-8 at Sixes and Sevens
Forest Fires Add to Developing Country Woes
Latin America Struggling with Deforestation
China Awakening to Merits of Environmental Protection
Toxic Spill Imperils Spanish Nature Preserve and Costs Jobs
Calendar
19 May 1998
Page
(b)(1)
(b)(3)
APPROVED FOR RELEASEL
DATE: 17-May-2011
Climate Change: G-8 at Sixes and Sevens
The climate change debate continues to be as
contentious now as it was last year when the
emissions targets were at issue
G-8 members remain sharply at odds
over elaborating flexibility mechanisms--such
as international emissions trading, joint
implementation, and the Clean Development
Mechanism--for meeting the targets.
France, for example, insists that flexibility
mechanisms be limited in scope, with a cap on
emissions trading to keep the focus on domestic
emissions reductions
Paris has suggested that the Russian
target of zero emissions reductions be
renegotiated to prevent Moscow from having a
large volume of emissions credits to sell.
- Russian officials refuse to change their
position, proposing the EU member
states participate in international
emissions trading so that they will
have a stake in the system
Germany shares French concerns about
flexibility mechanisms but is listening to the
warning from Bavarian industries that Germany
may need the mechanisms in future years as
emissions recover from the slump in eastern
German industrial activity.
The governing coalition, however, is
striving to keep a green image on
climate change before the election in
September and is adhering to the EU's
8-percent target and a national target
consisting of a 25-percent reduction by
2005J
Japan opposes limits on flexibility mechanisms
because it will be hard pressed to meet its 6-
percent Kyoto target without them. The Trade
Ministry has negotiated an agreement with
Russia for Japanese firms to plug methane leaks
in the Russian natural gas transmission system
and to improve the energy efficiency of Russian
electric utilities to win credit toward Japan's
emission target
The UK last month signed the Kyoto Protocol in
New York, on its own behalf and for the EU.
the UK, like
France, wants limits on flexibility and has
joined the criticism of the Russian target.
The Labor government has lost
credibility, however, with its decision
to keep British coal mines open,
casting doubt on its own emissions
reduction program, according to press
reports
Canada and Italy have not taken leading roles on
the issue. Canada is handicapped by the lack of
support from its oil producing provinces of
Alberta and Saskatchewan, Italy for now is
deferring to the British Presidency of the EU.
Forest Fires Add to Developing Country
Woes
A rash of forest fires around the globe
associated with the El Nino-induced droughts
that began in the summer of 1997 continue to
cause widespread economic damage and to
demand attention and resources from US policy
and relief agencies. In the near term, food
shortages, health problems, and fire-related
smog in Southeast Asia and Latin America will
test the capacity of governments to cope; the
long-range weather forecasts
predict the effects of the El Nino current on
Indonesia could last through August.
Indonesia has been particularly hard hit by new
fires in East Kalimantan that have destroyed
some 1,I00 square miles since the beginning of
the year,
At the current pace, Indonesia
could face a repeat of last year's devastating
fires that affected 2,200 to 3, 100 square miles,
- Indonesian officials as of late April
estimated losses from this year's fires
at more than $635 million, but
associated health problems, lost
tourism, and destruction of homes,
farms, and wildlife are likely to drive
this figure higher
Malaysian officials in April called for figure aid
to help fight fires that have blackened nearly
100 square miles. Rubber growers say the fires
are threatening production and may result in
increased world rubber prices
In the Philippines,
fires--some associated with slash-
and-burn farming--concentrated on the island of
Palawan,
have since been contained by seasonal rains.
More than 1 50 square miles of virgin forests
were affected and Manila estimates the damage
at about $13 million
In the Western Hemisphere, fires in Brazil's
northernmost state of Roraima destroyed nearly
6,000 square miles--a Lebanon-sized area--
between January and mid-April when rains
extinguished most of the blazes, according to
the Brazilian Government. Food shortages in the
region--one of Brazil's poorest--have sparked
unrest and the migration of those who lost their
crops.
- Brasilia was slow to respond to state
officials' pleas for help, sending only a
handful of firefighters in March and
releasing $2 million in aid--one-tenth
that requested.
Brazil accepted aid, however, from
Argentina, Venezuela, and the UN--
which sent a group of "Green
Helmets" to help firefighters.
Although most of the Brazilian fires are now
under control, future fires are likely and will be
equally difficult to quell. President Cardoso's
land reform policies draw poor settlers to the
region; their slash-and-bum agriculture annually
destroys some 2,000 square miles of rainforest.
- In addition, greatly expanded logging
is robbing the forest of moisture and
increasing the fire risk
Fires in southern Venezuela and in central and
southern Mexico are also having devastating
effects--some of which have reached the US in
the form of a choking haze. So far this year
Mexico has suffered 10,600 forest fires that
have consumed more than 1,000 square miles,
according to the Environment Ministry; more
than half of the Chipinque ecological park
outside Monterrey--less than 150 miles from the
US border--was consumed by fires.
- Fires have also blackened more than
2,000 square miles in Guatemala,
Honduras, and Nicaragua, according to
press reports.
Widespread Regional Impact of Drought and Fires, 1998
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Latin America Struggling With
Deforestation
Brazil has lost some 235,000 square miles of
forest cover--an area larger than France--since
the 1960s while Mexico has lost nearly 60,000
square miles in the past 20 years. Since the
1950s, development and logging have reduced
forest cover by 30 percent in Panama, by 40
percent in Nicaragua, and by 80 percent in El
Salvador, according to environmental scientists.
Poverty and Development Fuel Pressures
Daunting levels of rural poverty account for
much of the loss of forest coverage. In Mexico,
firewood collection by the rural poor accounts
for 75 percent of forest reduction
- In Brazil, land reform efforts intended
to reduce rural poverty have led
farmers to clear lands using slash-and-
burn practices
Economic development and integration also are
driving deforestation. Brazilian efforts to
expand transportation links with Bolivia,
Suriname, and Venezuela have resulted in land
clearing and the loss of tropical hardwoods.
Central American governments generally ignore
illegal logging along their borders because of
the need for export earnings
- Politically influential commercial
interests have blocked proposals to
curb logging in Ecuador, arguing that
the measures would cost jobs
Governments Slow To Respond
Governments belatedly have begun to take steps
to slow deforestation. Mexico is in the midst of
a program to plant 1.7 billion trees over the next
10 years. Brazil has set stiff fines for illegal
logging, has reserved 10 percent of its forests as
conservation units, and has created a national
task force to combat fires in the Amazon.
- Costa Rica is working with NGOs to
improve management of protected
forests, and Nicaragua recently banned
exports of mahogany products
Most governments are unable to implement
effective land management programs
without assistance from abroad.
Latin America's inability so far to stem
deforestation will prompt Brazil and the Andean
states to continue resisting the EU's calls for
and international forest convention unless it
includes monitoring temperate as well as
tropical forests.
- The loss of carbon-absorbing forests is
likely to make some governments
hesitant to accept emissions targets in
climate change talks, calculating they
would lead to pressure to halt lucrative
development in forested areas.
Foreign criticism is likely to make
several countries more defensive in the
UN Commission on Sustainable
Development, where they will resist
calls for sounder management of
natural resources
The Deforestation of Latin America, April 1998
4\.k$,
Mexico: Loses 8,000 sq km annually, according
to prominent NGOs. Govemmerit? protected areas
)c/ii.cii~ Il wLO OUI(a'..c PIQO.
Haiti: Extreme poverty has led to rampant
deforestation
less than 2 percent of country is forested.
North
Pacific
Ocean
Guatemala: Loses 900 sq km of forest
annually. At current rate, Guatemala
could have 2 percent of original forests
by 2010
Honduras: Loses 800 sq km annually
because of unsustainable logging, firewood
collection, and ranchingF_
::=Honduras will have no significant
forest coverage by 2014.
El Salvador: More than 90 percent
of rural inhabitants rely on wood for
cooking and heating.
Colombia: Has lost up to 60 percent of its
forest cover because of commercial logging
and coca and opium poppy production.
The Government's lack of control over
many biologically sensitive areas makes
enviromental protection difficult.
Ecuador: Total land area covered by
biologically' diverse mangrove trees has
declined by nearly 60 percent since 1969,
according to NGOs.
Peru: Slash-and-burn agricultural techniques
used by coca producers and small-scale
farmers have resulted in average deforestation
rates of 300 sq km annually this decade.
Fully half of the rainforest has disappeared in
some coca-producing areas.
Chile: Government announced 700,000-tree
reforestation program last year; NGOs
charge that program replaces native species
with faster growing, nonindigenous hardwoods.
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t[ eir living off'tpgging aetivlties making;
local politicians unwilf g to t alt illegal
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Argentina
Uruguay
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South
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Suriname ^~ r ,^,
China Awakening to Merits of
Environmental Protection
China's leaders over the past year have become
increasingly vocal about the need for
environmental protection as a corollary to
economic growth, according to various official
press reports. Their concern may result from
growing public dissatisfaction with mounting
health problems and deteriorating air and water
quality.
The leadership has placed increasing
emphasis on water conservation,
reforestation, and sulfur dioxide
abatement in response to drought, river
siltation, and acid rain, according to
official press reports
The acceleration last year of state-owned
enterprise reforms beginning to have a positive
impact on the environment. The reduction of
subsidies for some of these enterprises has
resulted in the closing of many old, inefficient,
and polluting factories.
Energy conservation laws passed last
year and planned increase in prices for
water and energy associated with the
desire for conservation and economic
efficiency should lead to further waste
reductions.
Under pressure from Beijing, local governments
last year began to comply with a law requiring
regular reports on environmental conditions. An
air-quality monitoring service expects to go into
operation this summer.
Beijing,
has encouraged individuals to speak
out against polluters and to press local
governments to comply with
environmental laws, and has allowed
the formation of NGOs to mobilize
public opinion
China has some of the toughest environmental
protection laws in the world but has a dismal
record of enforcement, in large part because the
State Environmental Protection Agency until
recently has been weak. SEPA in March was
upgraded from a sub-ministerial department to a
ministerial-level body answerable to the State
Council, which raises its profile and provides it
with greater authority to negotiate with other
agencies and foreign governments.
SEPA's new status, however, has not
come with a larger budget or the
authority to force local agencies,
which answer to local governments, to
comply with national laws.
Moreover, SEPA is hamstrung by a
lack of information on local conditions
and resistance from ministries and
state-owned enterprises comfortable
with the status quo.
Economic Growth Still a Priority
The leadership is hesitant to enact
environmentally friendly policies carrying a
large economic cost, and environmental goals
are tied to progress on economic plans,
developing-country position on climate change,
are pushing ahead with the Three Gorges Dam,
and are unwilling to make a significant
investment in clean coal technology and natural
gas.
- Beijing's environmental goals,
therefore, are longer term--to halt
degradation by 2010, reverse it in
2020, and achieve sustainable
development by 2030,
Toxic Spill Imperils Spanish Nature
Preserve and Costs Job
Despite government efforts to divert a toxic
waste spill away from the Coto de Donana in
southern Spain, the park, surrounding croplands,
and local fisheries remain at risk of long-term
ecological damage. A rupture in late April in the
tailings reservoir at the Aznalcollar mine 60 km
north of the park unleashed 5 million cubic
meters of heavy metal tailings into the
Guadiamar River.
more than 25
miles of the Guadiamar and 25,000
acres of surrounding farmland have
been contaminated by toxic zinc,
mercury, cadmium, lead, copper, and
silver residues
- Volunteers have hauled away
thousands of dead fish and wildlife to
reduce the number of deaths among
the feeding waterfowl, and local
authorities have warned citizens not to
use the water for themselves or
livestock]
The government vowed to take legal action
against the mine's owner, the Canadian-Swedish
firm Boliden, and is assessing the extent of
damage to determine the company*s potential
financial liability
Boliden officials shut down the mine and vowed
to compensate affected farmers, according to
press reports. Environmentalists called on
Environment Minister Tocino to resign and
want the government to declare a state of
emergency
marsh for up to 50 years.
The Guadiamar is the principal source of
fresh water for the 185, 000-acre park that is
Europe's largest wetland--designated in
1980 as a UN World Heritage site--and
home to more than 350 native bird species
and 6 million migrating birds. The park also
is a refuge for the endangered Iberian lynx
and the imperial eagle. Environmentalists
say heavy metal toxins could remain in the
Mounting Economic Costs
Early estimates by local observers place cleanup
costs--including removing tons of contaminated
mud--at $120 million. A similar accident at a
copper mine in the Philippines in 1996 forced
the mine's Canadian owners to spend $75
million in compensation. An association of
Spanish farmers said its members will suffer up
to $80 million in lost rice, cotton, and vegetable
crops and claimed that 13,000 acres of poisoned
cropland must remain barren for 25 years.
- Lucrative fisheries in the Bay of Cadiz
and the local tourist industry also
could be hard hit.
The mine will remain closed until
September or October according to
Boliden officials, leaving 500 workers
unemployed and halting ore
production that annually averages 4
million tons
8
Se
Montserrat: A Dying British Dependency
Volcanic activity has destroyed Montserrat's
ability to sustain itself,
IThe volcanic
ashfalls and pyroclastic flows that occurred
from July 1995 to last December--producing
avalanches of superheated gases and debris--
have devastated most of the island's housing,
businesses, infrastructure, and tourist facilities.
- Moreover, scientists say Soufriere
Hills Volcano may be active for
several years, postponing the
inhabitation of the southern two-thirds
of the island
Only about 3,200 of the island's original
residents remain, most having migrated to
havens in the Caribbean, Antigua, the main
refuge of migrants from Montserrat, is suffering
housing shortages and high unemployment
rates, according to press reports, and the
Antiguan Red Cross is hard pressed to distribute
food to 1,400 migrants
Local leaders are seeking to revive Montserrat--
the relocation of the capital is a necessary first
step--but providing housing and employment
would be difficult because the northern one-
third of the island unaffected by the volcano is
undeveloped and has little tourist potential. As
long as seismologists can assure British officials
that people are safe in the north, London will
defer forcible removal.
The UK has committed or spent $92
million dollars to sustain its
dependency over the past three years.
Even with the offer of voluntary
departure subsidiaries emigration is
unattractive to long-term residents,
who are likely to remain dependent on
British assistance
Selected International Environment-Related Meetings
Eighth Meeting of Parties to the UN
New York
Convention on the Law of the Sea
22 May-30 September
World Exposition (EXPO 1998)
Theme: The Oceans, a Heritage for
the Future
3-6 June
UNESCO Conference on World Water
Paris
Resources for the Twenty-First Century
2-12 June
Subsidiary Bodies of the Climate
Bonn
Change Convention
16-17 June
EU Environment Ministers Meeting
Luxembourg
23-25 June
Fourth Environment for Europe Ministerial
Aarhus
28 June-3 July
First Global Negotiating Session
Geneva
on Persistent Organic Pollutants
July
Independent World Commission
Lisbon
on Oceans
August
Ad Hoc Meeting on Biosafety Protocol
TBD
1-3 September
APEC Senior Officials Meeting on Environment
Singapore
November
Tenth Conference of Parties to the
Cairo
Montreal Protocol
2-13 November
Fourth Conference of Parties to the
Buenos Aires
Climate Change Convention
29 November-12 December
Second Conference of Parties to the
Dakar
Convention to Combat Desertification