ECOLOGICAL DEBT WHO OWES WHO?

1. ECOLOGICAL DEBT WHO OWES WHO? The North owes an Ecological Debt to the South Produced by RCADE, Barcelona, 2002

2. CONTENTS FIRST PART • Ecological Debt definition • Elements that constitute the Ecological Debt SECOND PART • The relation between External debt and Ecological debt • Organizations that are working on the Ecological Debt • More information

3. DEFINITION • The Ecological Debt is the obligation and the responsibility that industrialized countries have towards Third World countries, because of the plunder of oil, minerals, forests, biodiversity, marine resources; because of the occupation of their environmental space and the destruction and pollution of their natural capital and sources of subsistence. • It does not put a price to nature • It does not pretend to put environmental services on the market • It does not put a price to the right to pollute

4. ELEMENTS CONSTITUTING THE ECOLOGICAL DEBT The pollution by industrialized countries because of their disproportionate emissions of gases that causethe increase in the greenhouse effect and the deterioration of the ozone layer. The illegitimate appropriation of the atmosphere and of the carbon absorption capacity of oceans. soils and vegetation. ? Who owes who?

5. Who emits the CO2 that produces the climate change? The environmental services supplied by Southern countries as “owners” of their proportional part of atmosphere, oceans, soils and new vegetation that absorb CO2 produced in Northern countries, are not taken into account THE CO2 EMISSION PER CAPITA OF A CITIZEN IN USA IS 15 TIMES LARGER THAN IN INDIA Who owes who?

6. Who will suffer most from climate change? The effects produced now and in future by climate change on Southern countries (sea level raise, increased hurricanes, stronger Niños...) are not taken into account. This is a de facto application of The Polluter DOES NOT PAY Principle!! Who owes who?

7. ELEMENTS CONSTITUTING THE ECOLOGICAL DEBT The excessive extraction of natural resources such as oil, gas, minerals, marine resources, forests. These resources are exported without taking into account social and environmental damages. There is an ecologically unequal exchange. Who owes who?

8. THE TEXACO CASE (I)One example from Ecuador http://www.texacorainforest.org Who owes who?

9. TEXACO in Ecuador (II) SOME FIGURES IN THE TEXACO CASE Extraction of more than 1.500.000.000 barrels of oil in 20 years of activity in Ecuador 1970-90. 1.000.000 hectares directly and indirectly destroyed in tropical forests 16.800.000 gallons of oil leaked 19.000.000.000 gallons of liquid wastes contaminating Amazonian rivers 235.000.000.000 cubic feet of flared gas 300 pools filled with toxic wastes Irreversible damages in Siona, Secoya, Cofán, Quichua and Huaorani settlements Who owes who?

10. Many other cases of liabilities by TNC • Under the Alien Torts Claims Act (of the United States) there have been many attempts to claim compensation from firms for damage done in other countries. • For instance, against Freeport McMoRan (Irian Jaya - West Papua) • Southern Peru Copper Corporation • Dow Chemical and other firms (DBCP in banana plantations) • Union Carbide (Bhopal) • Also European firms (Elf, Agip, Repsol, Shell, Rio Tinto) refuse environmental and social liabilities in their overseas operations. Who owes who?

11. Who are the debtors?The energy case (I) The environmental impacts caused by the extraction of natural resources necessary for the production of energy are not compensated in any form Who owes who?

12. Who are the debtors?The energy case (II) The environmental impacts caused by the extraction of natural resources for producing energy are not compensated in any form USA (5% of world population) consumes 25% of the world energy. 2000 million people in developing countries have no access to electricity Who owes who?

13. Other examples of overexploitation in order to cover Northern countries’ consumption Forced overexploitation by Northern countries is exhausting Southern countries’ natural resources A recent FAO’s document affirms that among the 17 world most important fisheries, 9 have been depleted. They have been mainly exploited by European and Japanese companies. From 1991 to 1995, more than 11% of world forested areas have been lost. Even though deforestation has different causes, Southern countries are net exporters of wood to Northern countries. Often forests are depleted and then tree plantations (eucaliptus, oil palms) for export are introduced. Who owes who?

14. ELEMENTS CONSTITUTING THE ECOLOGICAL DEBT The intellectual appropriation and the uncompensated use of ancestral knowledge related to seeds, medicinal plants and other knowledge that support biotechnology and modern agroindustry . ?

15. EXAMPLES OF BIOPIRACY The industrialized countries have stolen, and keep stealing, knowledge and seeds of Southern countries http://www.grain.org/ http://www.rafi.org Harpadol, a traditional plant of Namibia, Sudafrica and Bostwana. Only 0.06 % of sales are for farmers. Companies of Southern Korea, Germany and USA claim for the property right of Harpadol. Many other examples (Sangre de Drago, Ayahuasca...). Also, old examples: chinchona officinalis... The tropical countries have maintained a high level of biodiversity. Many of the species used in pharmacy and agroindustry come from these countries, but they didn’t get anything for this. Who owes who?

16. ELEMENTS THAT CONSTITUTE THE ECOLOGICAL DEBT The degradation of the best land, water, air and human energy by exporting agriculture, which jeopardizes the food security and sovereignty, and the culture of local communities. ? ?

17. Switch to agriculture or aquaculture for exports Southern countries have been forced to substitute traditional agriculture or resource use by export agriculture or aquaculture Substitution of 70% of the mangroves in Ecuador by shrimp farming for export Increase of Niño’s impact because of reduction of coast protection Substitution of traditional agriculture in fertile valleys in the Andes by flower production for exports Pollution in greenhouses, starvation in years of scarce harvest Who owe who?

18. ELEMENTS CONSTITUTING THE ECOLOGICAL DEBT Toxic wastes carried to Third World countries

19. Some examples of “waste transport” (I) Industrialized countries have contaminated, and keep contaminating with their waste the developing areas Nuclear tests map 6.) Atoll of Mururoa (France) and other atolls (UK): 220 tests 21.) Marshall Islands (US) -- 66 tests Who owes who?

20. Some examples of “waste transport”(II) Industrialized countries have contaminated, and keep contaminating with their wastes the developing areas ALANG (INDIA): industrialized countries send out ships to be disassembled in this area. In 20 years levels of pollution equivalent to an industrial area after 200 years of functioning have been reached Who owes who?

21. Some examples of “waste transport” (III) Industrialized countries have contaminated, and keep contaminating, with their waste the developing areas http://www.greenpeace.org/~toxics/index.html NEPAL: In 1998 70 tons of expired pesticide have been discovered. They have been imported under the indication “development aid”. Some with the labels of the USA embassy PHILIPPINES: Tons of toxic material have been discovered on some American military basis when they have been abandoned PARAGUAY: Delta & Pine sent out lapsed polluted cotton seed, to Rincon-i - some deaths, illnesses in 1998. Who owes who?

22. Relations between External debt and Ecological debt External Debt Loans conditioned upon an adjustment plan Plan to balance external accounts (including payment of debt + interests) Restraint inflation Reduction internal wages and social expenses Improvement of the terms of trade (unlikely!) Overexploitation of environment in order to increase exportations Increased technical efficiency

23. Summary - up to now

24. Governments sometimes mistakenly oppose environmental protection for the sake of poverty alleviation. They say, our priority is poverty, not the environment. However, people have fought for livelihood and the environment (Chico Mendes, Medha Patkar, Ken Saro-Wiwa...). THE WSSD IN JOHANNESBURG 2002 IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SOUTHERN GOVERNMENTS AND CIVIL SOCIETY TO PRESENT THE CLAIM FOR THE ECOLOGICAL DEBT. THIS WOULD SIMULTANEOUSLY HELP THE ECOLOGICAL ADJUSTMENT THAT THE NORTH MUST MAKE AND HELP WITH POVERTY ALLEVIATION IN THE SOUTH

25. Organizations that are working on the Ecological Debt Acción Ecológica Ecuador http://www.ecuanex.net.ec/accion/ FOEI (Friends of Earth International) http://www.foei.org/ Jubilee + http://www.jubilee2000uk.org/ecological_debt/eco_main.htm ..... RCADE-Red de Denuncia de la Deuda Ecológica http://www.rcade.org/comisiones/deudaecologica.htm

26. Last campaigns and meetings

27. More information on the Ecological Debt http:// www.cosmovisiones.com/DeudaEcologica/