The Global South

There are many existing struggles between the Global North and the Global South, the exploitation of the South for the gain of the North. This week's presentation, film and readings illuminated the deep rooted inequalities, the aspects that are part of our taken for granted daily lives that people in other parts of the world are dying for. As noted in the film, water in the Global North is, for the most part, clean and accessible and populations expect that. However, the Global South is being denied access to their right to clean water.
Why does the Global North get to decide who has the right to clean water? As negative effects of Climate Change increase we see water supplies dwindling and as opposed to changing our behaviour, ensuring equal rights to clean water, corporations have begun to control water. The corporations use water as a commodity because water is a need, not a right, as perceived by the World Bank and United Nations. When something is deemed a need, it is viewed as a commodity.
As opposed to be regarded as a need, water has to be viewed as a basic right for all living beings, it is a part of our survival and it belongs to the nature that we, as humans, are a part of. Unfortunately, this is masked by the notion that humans, with the ability to reason and progress, are seperate from and better than nature, without recognizing our dependency on our environment and the human beings that are exploited. I strongly believe in Article 31, adding the Right to Water into the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Climate Change

The week's presentation and readings on Climate Change outlined the significant arguments, ideologies and approaches. One that particularly stood out, the notion that some believe climate change does not exist, while others simply don't perceive it to be as severe an issue as experts claim. Occupants (or those in power) of developed countries aren't interested in determining and exercising solutions to improve the effects of climate change. Despite the temperature increase, increased loss of species and a multitude of other negative effects, it is easier for people to believe that those are happening for other reasons. Climate change is misunderstood and and it would mean a lifestyle change and financial aid to countries without resources to do so themselves.
The inequality that has been addressed with regard to Climate Change is also a significant issue with little recognition. Locations around the globe are suffering greatly because of frequent disasters putting lives and homes in danger. There is a lack of accountability on the part of the Developed Countries that are largely responsible for the increasing emissions. The opposition to changing our ways means that disasters are going to increase, not only in developing countries that have limited or no access to resources to deal with disasters, and despite the resources available in developed nations we are seeing irreversible environmental damage that will continue to deplete and deteriorate.
The article "Arctic Meltdown: The Economic and Security Implications of Global Warming" provided a great example of where our priorities lie in developed countries - capital. Despite the Arctic Meltdown and the many impacts it has, on species, migration, forestry,etc. Nations are more concerned about exploiting and capitalizing on the resources that exist there. This clearly demonstrates that globally we are not working to "fight" Climate Change.

Understanding Disaster Vulnerability

The notion of natural disasters permits people to be free of responsibility when disasters occur, however Hurricane Katrina undoubtedly demonstrates the multitude of ‘unnatural’ factors that contribute to the outcome of a natural disaster. In the case of New Orleans, there were factors that have contributed to the unfortunate events in the aftermath of Katrina involving human error. The depletion of the wetlands and the levees that could not withstand the Hurricane were the responsibility of humans and had significant consequences for New Orleans when the disaster occurred. The information from the presentation and the film exposed many issues surrounding Hurricane Katrina that I was unaware of and I was astonished to discover. I didn’t realize the severity of the situation with the levees prior to the Hurricane, nor the deliberate attempts to keep the public unaware of the danger. The state of New Orleans post Hurricane appears just as disastrous as Katrina itself. The film ‘The Storm that Drowned the City’ featured a scientist that was brought to tears as he recounted his experience of Hurricane Katrina, that image has been stuck in my mind. The scientist predicted the outcome and felt obligated to communicate his knowledge and when the Hurricane hit and his prediction became a tragic reality he was left powerless, along with every victim. As many others did, he tried to alert proper officials about the severity of the situation with the levees resulting in no action. And now, in the aftermath, the action and the focus are not on the restoration of the city (and levees) and helping citizens rebuild their lives and feel safe but to build tourist attractions. I can’t imagine how powerless and unwanted this makes the citizens feel. This situation truly demonstrates the serious issues in our capitalist, money-grabbing world.

From Farms to Factories

The week's readings and discussion, specifically regarding the transformation from traditional local family farms to the profit driven agricultural system brought to mind a discussion I attended held by the Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable, entitled "How Much Should We Pay for Food?" There were five panelists from differing backgrounds speaking about food cost and accessibility to local, fresh food. What stood out for me was the accessibility (or lack of) to local, fresh food. We've discussed in class that the unfortunate reality of low-income families is that they often do not have the resources to access local, fresh food and are uneducation about food. One panelist Laura Callum, a Community Nutrition Worker, spoke of a program that serves a demographic consisting of mostly women and new Canadians. The program teaches food preparation skills, how to buy quality food as opposed to convenience food, informs about buying local, and encourages the rituals of preparing and eating food as community. This program is important as it is not only imparting wisdom about food and the process of cooking but about the importance of buying local and eating well. This encourages supporting local farms and farmers as opposed to putting profit into the agriculture system that produces food in unhealthy, unethical environments. I think it is important to start this movement at a local level and raise awareness, impart wisdom in the community about the realities of the food we consume and the effects it has on humans and our environment.
For anyone interested, I have posted a link that takes you to the Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable website and allows you to look at a forum that discusses this event in further detail. http://www.wrfoodsystem.ca/index.php?p=forum/view_thread&thread_id=10127

Technological Change and the Environment

Recently, my laptop of three years stopped functioning. I brought it to a repair shop where I was told that they could centre the problem area but because the computer was older the necessary parts would be next to impossible to locate and it would be in my best interest to purchase a new computer, financially and time-wise. I am now left with an un-usable computer (borrowing a family member’s) until such time as I decide how to deal with it – the information from this week’s readings, presentation and film have made me think much more about this. It is simple to disconnect ourselves from what happens to the product once we dispose of it. E-waste results from this increase in production that makes it difficult for computer repairpersons, let alone the consumers, to locate parts. This situation is a result of the treadmill of production, the new and improved products are produced rapidly and citizens are so eager to upgrade. For this reason it becomes too difficult to locate parts from computers designed two years prior, it is more time and cost effective to purchase new and waste the old. Changes need to occur in the process of producing and consuming technology, e-waste is severely damaging the environment and human beings, as illustrated in the film. I believe in the concept of Product Stewardship, it seems to me it is fundamental in the future management of e-waste; the product and everyone involved in the lifespan of the product are meant to be centred on reducing environmental impact. This should involve everyone from the birth to the death of the product, including the government, corporations, producers, and consumers. Consumers have a responsibility to increase their knowledge of products and recognize that we hold power in the cycle of production and consumption - what we choose not to consume will eventually discontinue. So, as consumers, we can make a choice to purchase that which will be more sustainable for humans and the environment.

Corporate Power and Global Media

In considering the lack of media attention regarding environmental issues it is important to be aware of corporate power and the role of the global media. The text, along with the film, ‘Manufacturing Consent’, specifically referring to the Propaganda Model, demonstrates the control that the mass media maintains over the core culture particularly the media’s capacity to exploit the environment “privately” while publically demonstrating concern, an act sometimes referred to as “green washing”. I found the article presented by Tasha and Adam not only further explained this reality, but expressed the importance of the relationship between individuals and the media and their ability to act individually. There is a severe lack of accountability on the behalf of corporations for the environmental and human exploitation that occurs on a daily basis. Clearly if we totally rely on corporate and government owned media to report with integrity on the issues we will be nothing short of bulldozed. What we need to take with grave seriousness is that human beings have a serious responsibility to rigorously seek information and increase their knowledge in order to act accordingly. Referring to corporate power and the role of the media in the sense that the text does, grants too much power to the media. We need to face the reality that even up against the ruthless power grab of corporations and corporate media we cannot despairingly throw our hands in the air despite the implication that human beings and their individual acts cannot make a difference.

Imperialism and Ecological Violence

Ecological Marxist James O’Connor argues “capitalism undermines the factors that sustain it, such as human labour and the environment.” (32) Simon’s lecture on Imperialism and ecological violence reinforced ecological Marxist notions, the exploitation of humans and the environment to increase capital gain. Simon discussed the notion that under capitalist regime money becomes the dominant criteria of worth. Thus, capital determines value. The negative impacts of this are illustrated in the resulting human crisis, as discussed by Simon, whereby human beings are working harder and for longer, and in the ecological violence that occurs on a global scale. Neither humans, nor the environment are given a chance to replenish and rejuvenate, as the demand for ever-increasing production and consumption will not allow it. Imperial relations in third world countries have allowed the West to capitalize on resources and cheap human labour to expand and increase production and consumption. Simon’s discussion of his work in the rose industry in India illustrates the way in which capitalism is undervaluing the parts that sustain it. The growth of roses in a dry region demand a significant amount of water – this will create future problems in the region as the water supply declines and will result in ecological damage and create an unsustainable environment for humans. However, the resulting capital gain is valued more than the parts that sustain it, the environment and human beings.