Fires One of the Worst Global Environmental Disasters
10/14/97
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Headline: Fires One of the Worst Global Environmental Disasters
Source: Gary T. Gallon
Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment
506 Victoria Ave.
Montreal, Quebec H3Y 2R5
Ph. (514) 369-0230
Fax (514) 369-3282
email: cibe@web.net
Date: 10/14/97
Copyright 1997 Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment, Montreal
All rights reserved
THE GALLON ENVIRONMENT LETTER
Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment
Vol. 1, No. 14
October 14, 1997
_________________________________________________________
INDONESIAN FIRES ONE OF THE WORST GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS
The Indonesia fires that have burned 1.85 million acres of bush and forest
land are turning out to be one of the worst man-made environmental disasters
ever. They are worse than either the Chernobyl or the Three-Mile Island
nuclear disasters. They are worse than the EXXON Valdez supertanker and
Santa Barbara offshore massive oil spills. They are worse than the killer
smogs in Mexico City and Santiago. They rival the killer smogs which
occurred in London, U.K., in the 1950's that killed thousands of people. The
Indonesian fires so far have:
o Poisoned and harmed the health of more than 20 million workers and
their families, reducing productivity and family health
o destroyed billions of dollars in trees, fisheries, renewable crops that
could have otherwise been harvested annually for decades
o damage biodiversity and potential new genetic strains for future
medicines and food crops. Caused billions of dollars in losses to the
tourist industry.
o Contributed to the Garuda Airlines Airbus crashed near Medan on
Sumatra, on Sept. 26, 1997 as it descended into the haze on its approach for
landing. All 234 aboard were killed. The Garuda Indonesia Airbus pilot
reported low visibility caused by a smoky haze before the plane crashed.
o led to two ship collisions in the Strait of Malacca, which separates
Sumatra from peninsular Malaysia, killing at least 38 people.
Caused the crash of an Indonesian police helicopter killing
three people over Sumatra
******GOVERNMENT OF INDONESIA FINALLY ACTS; REVOKES LOGGING LICENSES OF 29 TIMBER
COMPANIES
Indonesia revoked logging licenses of 29 timber firms implicated in fires
responsible for choking smog across much of southeast Asia. The official
Antara news agency said the move followed an ultimatum to 176 companies to
account for their actions after satellite data images showed so-called fire
hotspots on land licensed to the firms. The deadline expired and 151
licenses held by 29 companies were revoked.=20
****
ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF THE INDONESIAN FIRES
Andy Tan, regional economist with MMS Standard & Poor's in Singapore, said:
"My concern is that the haze has put off investment into the region for the
long term," Tan said. "It will have real impact, but it is too difficult to
pick a figure for it right now." Taking no chances, oil giant Caltex
evacuated staff family members and patients at company hospitals on Sumatra.
The softly, softly diplomacy of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) to which the affected countries belong has been blamed for
prolonging the crisis. The result is a smog that has left behind not only a
trail of choking citizens, badly hit businesses and dented relationships,
but a nasty taste in the mouths of investors. "It might not make existing
investors pull out, but it might make future investors reconsider their
plans. This is bad for Asia, particularly as inward investment is
desperately needed now," Gale said.
******
1.85 MILLION ACRES BURNED
The World Wide Fund for Nature estimates that fires have devastated an area
of about 1.85 million acres. It reported that almost 80 percent of the
fires were set by big forestry and plantation firms systematically clearing
land. Twenty percent of the damage was from traditional slash and urn
techniques employed on small farms.=20
********
$26 BILLION A YEAR TOURISM INDUSTRY DAMAGED
Tourism, a vital foreign exchange and retail sector earner worth about $26
billion regionally, has been hit hard and analysts fear it could be the
longest to recover. Bookings in Sarawak, a Malaysian state on the island of
Borneo which spent 10 days last month in a state of emergency, are about
half of their expected level for the time of year. Big money has been lost
as holidaymakers change plans and companies cancel conferences and major
meetings, hoteliers say. "On the first Saturday when the state of emergency
was declared (in Sarawak), our business dropped from a confirmed 85 percent
to 24 percent," said a spokesman for the Holiday Inn Damai Beach Resort. "As
far as 1997 is concerned, business is going to be very bad," said Michael
Hawkins, general manager of holiday firm Borneo Adventure. At the height of
the smog last month, visibility in Sarawak was only arm's length. Michael
Lim at the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board said regional tourism faced
grim days ahead and its own plans for boosting visitor numbers in 1997 were
in disarray.
"Before we had this environmental disaster, our forecast for growth this
year was between three and five percent over last year's 7.29 million
visitor arrivals," Lim said. The link between environment, health and the
economy was a key lesson that the smog had hammered home, said Steve Tamplin
of the World Health Organisation's Manilia office. "Economic issues are very
much related to health and environmental issues. That is what this episode
has raised and made very clear. Health and the environment should be an
integral part of economic policy," Tamplin told Reuters.
******
3,372 FLIGHTS CANCELED BECAUSE OF THE FIRES
According to data at the Agency for Environment Control, as of Monday, fires
across the country, believed the worst in 50 years, had razed 71,777
hectares of forest in Kalimantan, Borneo Island, and 11,562 hectares in
Sumatra. Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Sjarifudin, playing down the
economic significance of the fires admitted conservatively that: "the fires
had caused losses of 45.7 billion rupiahs (about 12 million U.S. dollars) to
industrial plantation forests, while losses affecting natural forests
couldn't be counted," said Forestry Minister Djamaludin. Transportation
Minister Haryanto said losses in air transportation have reached 20 billion
rupiahs (about 5.3 million dollars) due to 3,372 flight cancellations, plus
2.3 billion rupiahs (about 600,000 dollars) from flights being forced to
turn back because of the dangerous smog conditions over the many airports in
the region.
**********
80% OF FIRES SET BY BIG WELL-KNOWN COMPANIES
The World Wide Fund for Nature estimates that fires have devastated an area
of about 600,000 hectares, with some 80 per cent of the fires set by big
forestry and plantation firms systematically clearing land, and the
remainder of the fires the result of traditional slash-and-burn techniques
employed on small farms. The fire continues to kill as two boys were killed
and six teenagers were missing after a motor boat collided with a cargo ship
in thick haze on the Musi River in South Sumatra, reports said yesterday.=20
***********
VISIT WEBSITES ON THE INDONESIAN FIRES
For those who might be interested, here are two elaborate WWW sites with
detailed resources on the fire and smoke disaster in Indonesia:
http://www.noord.bart.nl/~edcolijn/fires.html; or,
http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/2701/haze.htm.
****************GLOBAL WARMING GLOBAL WARMING GLOBAL WARMING
****************CLEAN TECHNOLOGY CAN ACHIEVE SIGNIFICANT GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTIONS: U.S. DOE
STUDY=20
It is unusual for a department responsible for promoting the use of fossil
fuel to be conducting studies on how using less will benefit the economy.
Yet the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) completed a study that found that
national investment in energy-efficiency and clean energy technologies can
reduce U.S. emissions of global warming gases and produce energy savings
that roughly equal or exceed the costs to implement them. A similar study
should conducted by Canada's Ministry of Natural Resources (NRCan).
The DOE study was conducted by five Department of Energy laboratories and
peer-reviewed by industry and academic experts demonstrates that the United
States. It found that netting out the costs and benefits of meeting climate
change goals through technological solutions such as advanced natural gas
turbines, biomass and biofuels, and energy-saving appliances would result in
an overall economic benefit -- even after massive initial expenditures.
Overall, the study concludes that progress in reducing greenhouse gas
emissions can be achieved without increasing the nation's energy bill. Many
consumers and businesses could actually save money through reduced energy
use and lower overall energy bills. "This analysis shows that what's good
for the environment also can be good for the economy," said Energy Secretary
Federico Pella. "Technology can and must play an important role in
addressing climate change." We look forward to similar words from Canada's
NRCan Minister, Ralph Goodale.
*****************
UP TO $90 BILLION INVESTMENT GENERATES 390 MILLION TONNES S02 REDUCTION
Current projections suggest that a carbon emissions reduction of 390 million
metric tons (MMT) would be required to reduce U.S. emissions in 2010 to 1990
levels. The study models a scenario that combines a vigorous national
technology program with a domestic system of carbon trading to achieve the
reduction. This study estimated the potential costs of the reductions at
$50 to $90 billion per year. Costs in the study include incremental
investments to deploy clean energy or energy efficient technologies by
consumers and industry as well as those associated with hypothetical
increases in energy prices.=20
***********
RESULT IN ANNUAL SAVINGS OF $70 YO $90 BILLION
Energy Department experts reviewed energy cost savings resulting from the
use of these technologies; these estimated savings through 2010 total $70 to
$90 billion per year. This indicates that the clean energy investments could
produce energy cost savings roughly equal to or greater than the costs of
implementation, on a life-cycle basis.
The Department of Energy's Oak Ridge and Lawrence Berkeley National
laboratories led the comprehensive one-year analysis, with contributions by
the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Pacific Northwest and Argonne
National Laboratories. The findings, which were reviewed extensively by
representatives from industry and academia, are consistent with those of two
previous studies.=20
************
OBTAIN A COPY OF THE DOE ENERGY EFFICIENCY STUDY
To obtain a summary or full copy of the study, titled Scenarios of U.S.
Carbon Reductions: Potential Impacts of Energy-Efficiency and Low-Carbon
Technologies by 2010 and Beyond" enter the EREN (Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy Network) website: http://www.eren. doe.gov/ carbonstudy/.
It has information about the 5 lab study (the press release, executive
summary, chapter one, and a link to the full document on the ORNL site).
The entire study is on the ORNL website:
http://www.ornl.gov/ORNL/Energy_Eff/CON444/.
**********
POLLUTERS TYING PRESIDENT'S HANDS ON GLOBAL WARMING
Unprecedented amounts of money are being spent by the fossil fuel industry
to fight plans to reduce global warming gases. Feeling that their direct
economic interests are being affected, the oil, coal, and gas companies in
the United States have undertaken a broad multi-million dollar campaign to
blunt significant reduction efforts. They have recently lobbied the U.S.
Senate to introduce and pass the Byrd-Hagel Resolution 95 to 0 on July 25,
1997, that warns the President that the Senate will not automatically accept
any International Environmental Agreement signed at Kyoto on climate change.=
=20
****
INACTION ON GLOBAL WARMING COULD COST $17.5 TRILLION TO $20 TRILLION
If governments don't do anything meaningful to reduce global warming gases,
the cost of the damage and remediation efforts to the economies of the world
could range in the order of U.S.$17.5 trillion to $20 trillion (Myers and
Kent, June 1995, p. 152). In the U.S. alone, the EPA estimates that a one
meter sea level rise by the year 2100 (the upper end of the IPCC's estimate)
will require $91.25 billion to $138.75 billion in cumulative capital costs
to protect developed areas with bulkheads and levees and by pumping sand
(U.S. EPA, 1989, p. 123). It will also result in a loss of 25 to 80 percent
of U.S. coastal wetlands, which would harm fisheries and recreation, flood
protection, and habitat for numerous species of migratory birds (EPA, 1989,
p. 123; Fankhauser, 1995, p. 32; IPCC, 1995).
********
KEY GLOBAL WARMING DATES: POST THEM
OCTOBER 22-31, 1997
The final negotiating session to be held October 22 - 31, 1997 in Bonn,
Germany, is a pivotal meeting. It will be attended by the senior
negotiators representing the 166 countries that signed onto the original
Climate Change Convention. During this time, most of the language and key
points of a new International Environmental Agreement (IEA) will be
developed. Most of the decisions will have been made at this session and by
the time the draft agreement is reviewed by the world leaders attending the
Kyoto signing.=20
DECEMBER 1-10, 1997
This will be the formal Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change
Convention. Here, the 166 nations that have joined the Convention will
review the draft agreement, make amendments and decide whether or not to
sign on. This meeting will be attended by environment and energy ministers
and their senior staffs. The meeting will be held December 1 - 10, 1997 in
Kyoto, Japan. try to adopt a protocol to establish the first legally-binding
commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
************
THE SBN -- SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS NETWORK, PITTSBURGH:
A BUSINESS TOOL =97 USE IT
The Sustainable Business Network is a focal point on the Web for the full
range of green business sectors, from recycling to building & construction,
from social investing to renewable energy. It offers a compelling,
constructive way for people to stay abreast and contribute to the
accelerating developments propelling the business of the future. The website
includes Sustainable Business Opportunities -- allowing green businesses to
find investors, partners, distributors, licensees, and respond to RFPs.. It
has the SBN Journal, an on-line, monthly magazine dealing with current
issues and economic activities related to sustainable business. It also has
the SBN Library, which contains resources on sustainable business practices,
including: organizations, government agencies, publications, and mailing=
lists.=20
The list of SBN Journal Content Partners is a veritable roster of leaders in
sustainable business. They include: The Council on Economic Priorities;
Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) known for their
pioneering work in shareholder activism; Business Ethics; Corporate
Environmental Strategy; E Magazine; Rocky Mountain Institute Newsletter;
Waste Age's Recycling Times; Environmental Defense Fund; Clean Yield, a
social investment stock market newsletter; Co-op America Business Network;
Solar Today; and Environmental Building News, the leading newsletter on
environmentally sustainable design and construction. Contact: Rona Fried,
Ph.D, Executive Editor, Website: http://www.envirolink.org/sbn.
********
**************CANADA CANADA CANADA CANADA
**************
TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIPS CANADA FUND: WRITE A LETTER TODAY
The federal government is considering enhancing its contribution to the
Technology Partnerships Canada fund. Only this time, it is going to limit
its support for environmental technologies. It will be opting instead to
bow to a very strong lobby put on by the large companies within the
aerospace and defense industries. Your environment company must write a
letter today to express its support for the strong environmental component
that was in the TPC, but now may disappear. Below is the body of a letter
that your company or organization may wish to fax to Industry Canada
Minister, the Hon. John Manley fax (613) 992-0302, ph. (613) 995-9001. Make
sure you cc: us here at fax (514) 369- 3282, and send a cc: copy to Finance
Minister, Paul Martin fax (613) 995-5176. You can cut and paste the body of
this letter into your own letter.
Dear Mr. Manley,
Thank you for supporting the development of environmental technologies
through the Technology Partnership Canada (TPC) fund. The fund and its
predecessor, the Environmental Technology Commercial Program (ETCP), have
played a major role in helping companies develop eco-efficient and
cost-efficient new green technologies. We have been able to use these
technologies in Canada, and we have been able to provide a strong export
market for our green technology goods and services. We understand that
environmental technologies may be taken off the prior group of technologies
to be support by the Technology Partnerships Canada fund. We ask that you
maintain environmental technologies as one of the priority funding sectors.
We request that you strengthen the financial support for environmental
technology development. We look forward to hearing from you. Yours=
sincerely.
*****
FEDERAL HEARINGS ON ENVIRONMENTAL DEVOLUTION AND HARMONIZATION
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable
Development will hold hearings on the pros and cons of harmonizing and
devolving federal environmental responsibilities to the Canadian Council of
the Ministers of the Environment (CCME) and the provinces (and
municipalities). The hearings will start October 20, 1997, Room 701, 151
Sparks Street, Ottawa. Contact: Stephen Knowles, Clerk, Ph. (613) 992-0897,
fax (613) 995-2106.
CANADA'S NATIONAL NEWSPAPERS WARN OF WEAKENING=20 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
How is it that Canada the green, Canada the pristine, has fallen out of the
leadership for environmental protection within the world community? These
are the questions being asked in front page stories and editorials by
Canada's national newspapers. A front page story in the Ottawa Citizen
(Oct. 4, 1997) reports a $221 million reduction in Environment Canada
funding and staff reductions of 1,400. It reports that the federal
government through a "harmonization" strategy is handing off power to the
provinces, which are in turn slashing their budgets by more than 40 per
cent. The article ("Environment Canada Told To Cut Staff, Spending",by Paul
McKay reports on a leaked memo from Environment Canada's Deputy Minister,
Ian Glenn which states: "cuts in these areas are consistent with the
on-going direction of federal-provincial harmonization". Normally when
harmonization takes place, the financial resources that were used by the
federal government to protect the environment are handed off to the
provinces. On occasion, the provinces will boost their budgets to absorb
the new responsibilities. Normally, the CCME, or the Canadian Council of
the Ministers of the Environment, which has been handed much of the role of
the federal government, would receive a budget increase to handle the extra
responsibilities. But, instead its budget was cut 50% by the provinces. The
Ottawa Citizen reports that the: "environmentalists say the proposed
harmonization accord, due to be adopted in early November, is a national
abdication of environmental regulation in the guise of reducing green tape."
CANADA ON AN ENVIRONMENTAL JOY RIDE
A front page story in the "Focus & Books" section of The Globe and Mail
("Ottawa's Environmental Joy Ride", October 4, 1997) reported that: "at a
meeting of world leaders at the United Nations in June 1997, the Prime
Minister felt the shame of a global reputation in decline. Canada is no
longer the green-suited boy scout of the international community." The
overleaf (second page) headline of the story states: "The Most
Anti-Environment Government We've Had in 20 Years".
A third newspaper, "The Hamilton Spectator" also concerned about the decline
in federal environmental protection, dedicated its editorial cartoon
(October 2, 1997) to a picture of the Prime Minister, Jean Chretien,
pointing out the window with a caption: Mr. Chr=E9tien's View on the
Environment =97 "There's A Tree". What is important to understand is that
these newspapers primarily speak from the conservative side of the spectrum
on behalf of the business community. Both the Ottawa Citizen and the
Hamilton Spectator are Conrad Black newspapers. When you see his newspapers
concerned about the environmental decline, note should be taken.
*****
B.C. WORKSHOPS ON WASTEWATER PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
The Environmental Affairs Branch of Industry Canada hosted a number of
workshops in British Columbia on public and private partnerships related to
building, managing and owning wastewater treatment facilities in Canada.
For your business, review the reports from the workshops: Download: "Final
Report on Awareness Workshops for Public-Private Partnerships in Wastewater
Treatment in British Columbia", Website: http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/SSG/
ea01242e.html
*********
IPPSO ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON INDEPENDENT POWER IN CANADA
It's a must do conference for those involved with cogeneration and
alternatives to nuclear energy. The Independent Power Producers' Society of
Ontario (IPPSO) will hold its ninth annual conference entitled: "Replacing
the Megawatts: Meeting Ontario Hydro's Shortfall with Independent Power",
November 11-12, 1997 in Toronto. Expect to hear from federal Natural
Resources Canada Minister, the Hon. Ralph Goodale. This conference will
feature senior executives from business, utilities and government discussing
the most current issues regarding competition and restructuring of electric
power systems in Canada and around the world. For more information, please
contact Jake Brooks, Executive Director, IPPSO, 163-C Eastbourne Ave.,
Toronto, Ontario, M5P 2G5; Tel: (416) 322-6549, Fax: (416) 481-5785; E-mail:
Ippso@web.net; Internet: http://www.newenergy.org/newenergy.
********
CANADA LOSES BID FOR UN DESERTIFICATION SECRETARIAT
Canada lost it bid to host the United Nations Secretariat for the Convention
to Combat Desertification (CCD) in Montreal. After intense lobbying from
Bonn, Germany, Murcia, Spain and Canada, the UN decided to place the new
secretariat in Bonn, Germany instead. One of the contributing factors to
Canada's loss was the difficulties Canada and Quebec have in agreeing who
will sign the national agreements with the existing international agencies
recently located in Montreal, since Quebec prefers to function as a separate
legal entity. Another reason was that Germany was willing to provide
substantial financial support for the start up of the secretariat. This is
a common international practice for important venues, one that Canada and
Quebec decided not to invest in. The desertification secretariat and its 45
jobs instead will be located next to the new UN secretariat for the
Framework Convention on Climate Change, also located in Bonn. The decision
was made October 3rd, 1997 by the First Conference to the Parties to the=
CCD.
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**************************Gary T. Gallon
Canadian Institute for Business and the Environment
506 Victoria Ave.
Montreal, Quebec H3Y 2R5
Ph. (514) 369-0230
Fax (514) 369-3282
email: cibe@web.net