March 25, 2008
Climate Change Means Flood of Illegal Immigrants for Europe
The European Union is facing a dramatic influx of “eco-immigrants”—those who leave nations that are suffering drought, food shortages and other effects of climate change, to illegally find work in Europe—says a report by the EU’s foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, and external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
To prepare for increased immigration, the document suggests boosting the EU’s military in response to the “serious security risks” thought to soon arise due to climate change. The report estimates “there will be millions of environmental migrants by 2020.”
“Europe must expect substantially increased migratory pressure,” the report states. “Populations that already suffer from poor health conditions, unemployment or social exclusion are rendered vulnerable to the effects of climate change, which could amplify or trigger migration within and between nations.”
The document also raises concern that more frequent drought, low crop yields, and flooding could lead to increased unrest in the Middle East and Africa.
Individual nations have already been battling the problem of illegal immigration—especially Spain.
Using canoes, small boats and inflatable mattresses, migrants from North Africa attempt a treacherous 12-day journey to reach the Spanish-controlled Canary Islands. Others try to reach Spain’s enclave on the Strait of Gibraltar, Ceuta, or navigate the Strait to reach the Spanish coast.
In 2006, over 31,000 Africans reached the Canary Islands and an estimated 6,000 disappeared or died, according to a UN report (NY Times). However, it is nearly impossible to determine total deaths, because the number who attempt the voyage is unknown.
Waters along the northwest African coast have been dramatically overfished, leaving families that have fished for generations unable to support themselves. Many sell all their belongings and board canoes to Spain—hoping to find work and new lives.
A Spanish human rights group reported that in 2007 there were 921 confirmed deaths among those attempting to illegally enter Spain. Since the beginning of 2008, nearly 2,100 have arrived on the Spanish coastline, mainly from North Africa (El Mundo).
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March 24, 2008
Nicaragua reports 65 deaths during Easter holiday
MANAGUA — Nicaragua’s March 17-23 Easter holiday saw 29 fatal drowning cases, 27 murders and nine people killed in road accidents, Horacio Rocha, director of the National Police, said Sunday.
This is an improvement compared with 2007’s figure of 35 killings and 14 road deaths, Rocha said in a press conference.
Police arrested 400 people during the holiday season, seizing 136 weapons including 49 handguns, 61 knives and six home made weapons. They also seized 951 fireworks.
At the same press conference, Nicaragua’s Health Minister Guillermo Gonzalez, said that the 26 of the 29 drowned (89 percent) were women and that 17 of the drowned (60 percent) was linked to drinking.
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March 23, 2008
“Lost” Chemical Weapons and Other Pollutants from Military Actions
This is a special problem for small islands that have served as
military bases for the major powers. . . . When such bases are
abandoned or returned by the United States military services there is
a unique problem — the terms and conditions under which the local
country is assisted or endemnified for environmental or toxic
problems being left behind are NOT set by US Government law or
general regulation, but by negotiated agreements reached by the
military commander AT THE BASE at the time of closure. This form of
plausible deniability allows the US Government to say that they fully
comply with the law (there isn’t any!), and that the local host
government is in full agreement with the arrangements made.
Dumped chemical weapons missing at sea
THE last thing you might expect to encounter exploring the ocean
floor is a chemical weapon. But it seems hundreds of thousands of
tonnes of them have been dumped into the sea, and no one knows
exactly where the weapons are. Now, scientists are calling for
weapons sites to be mapped for safety’s sake.
Between 1946 and 1972, the US and other countries pitched 300,000
tonnes of chemical weapons over the sides of ships or scuttled them
along with useless vessels, according to public reports by the Medea
Committee, a group of scientists given access to intelligence data
so they can advise the US government on environmental issues.
But the military have lost track of most of the weapons because of
haphazard record keeping combined with imprecise navigation. Even
the exact chemicals were not always noted, though there are records
of shells, rockets and barrels containing sulphur mustard and nerve
agents such as sarin.
The Chemical Weapons Convention does not cover the destruction of
the sea-dumped weapons, which are considered abandoned. “There’s no
piece of legislation or treaty that deals with this stuff,” says
Peter Brewer, an ocean chemist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research
Institute in Moss Landing, California. “It’s in limbo.”
If the chemicals leak from their containers, they will break down
slowly in the cold seawater. But it is unclear what will happen if
the chemicals bind to sediment or sink into anoxic zones, says
Brewer (Environmental Science and Technology, vol 42, p 1394).
A team led by Roy Wilkens at the University of Hawaii in Manoa is
planning to look for munitions dumped off the island of Oahu.
Records only note that the weapons were dumped about “five miles
south of Pearl Harbour”. Finding them will involve a search of 60
square kilometres, says Wilkens.
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March 21, 2008
Fleeing traffickers dump 3,000 pounds of cocaine into ocean off Nicaragua
MANAGUA, Nicaragua: Drug traffickers fleeing Nicaraguan authorities and the U.S. Coast Guard dumped 3,300 pounds of cocaine into the ocean off Central America before escaping, police said Thursday.
Lawmen chased the traffickers along the coast from Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday, when the four ditched their boat at a beach just south of Puerto Cabezas, said Puerto Cabezas Police Chief Aquilino Alaniz.
The fugitives threw 50 packages of cocaine into the sea and abandoned their 24-foot boat, Navy commander Eduardo Sanders told Radio Nicaragua.
The boat was equipped with four 200-horsepower engines, Alaniz said.
The U.S. Coast Guard took part in the chase on the high seas, where it patrols to help monitor for drug trafficking and illegal fishing.
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March 20, 2008
Copra Biofuel Project
Coconut oil is a local resource that is abundantly available in Fiji and especially in the rural coastal communities. While it has for years it has traditonally priovided food and shelter, its is now being used to generate electricity. This is through a specially designed generator that utilizes coconut oil as its primary fuel source 90% – 95% of the total running time of the generator.
Two such communities that are greatly benefiting from the coconut biofuel programs are Lomaloma, Naqara and Sawana villages in Vanua Balavu and Welagi village in Taveuni. The projects were setup through DOE – Secretariat of the Pacific Community(SPC) cooperation and technology provided by CIRAD Fance through French Government funding.
The Ministry of Agriculture (Taveuni Coconut Centre) and Public Works Department(Electrical) were vital partners in this project implementation and not to mention the four villages that are now part of the project.
Yearly inspections are carried out on the project sites for repairs and training of technicians to run the generators.
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