Environmental, Health and Resource Geopolitics

Environmental DeterminismChernobyl and environments beyond bordersOil and Resource WarsFood scares Infectious diseasesClimate ChangeGlobal South

Environmental Determinism

1890s Geopolitics1990s-2000s Environmental Geopolitics

Physical differences cause economic and political differences, i.e. with development

or, environmental problems are the direct result of simply understood political or economic phenomena (i.e. capitalism)

Since World War Two shift to recognise human impact on earth

But discussed as major topic only relatively recently (c25 years)

1940s- present nuclear weapon testing1963 atmospheric test ban treaty

Pesticides

Mercury poisoning

Oil spills – Exxon Valdez in Alaska. March 24, 1989, 11m gallons

Chernobyl

April 26, 1986 at 01:23 a.mSteam explosion that resulted in a nuclear meltdown, a series of additional explosions, and a fireFire and rescue workers not warned about dangers237 people with acute radiation sickness

Chernobyl

May 12th 1986 contamination cloudFirst reports came from Finland and Sweden, where radiation was detected at a nuclear plant that had not leaked.The Chernobyl Forum estimated 4000 deaths, plus up to 9000 extra predicted from cancer; other put this much higher – 30-60,000 by alternative report; 200,000 in Greenpeace study

Beyond borders

Environmental hazards produced in one state but felt in another – acid rain, polluted air, or rivers

Environmental side effects of other processes (economic, political etc.)

Ozone layer depletion, CFCs

Beyond Sovereign Territory

‘Global warming’ (climate change)

Nuclear and biochemical weapons and accidents‘nuclear-free zones’

Over-fishing

Genetically modified foods imported

“Dangers from ‘over there’ are now potentially ‘in here’” (Simon Dalby)

Military security

Gulf War syndrome (1991-)

Anthrax (2001)

Disposal of nuclear weapons in USSR and elsewhere

– More general issues of disposal of nuclear fuel anywhere, and other toxic waste

Deliberate sabotage– Jan 23 1991, Iraq opened oil terminal and dumped oil in

Gulf – Burning oil wells in Kuwait

Oil

Oil crisis of 1973Oil embargo of OPEC

Manipulation of prices

Iranian revolution 1979

Carter doctrine

Gulf War 1991

War in Iraq 2003

‘How did our oil get under their sands?’‘No blood for oil’Peak Oil

National Energy Policy (The Cheney Report) May 2001

– Didn’t stress conservation or renewable energy– Domestic oil production in decline so lead to more

imports (from which areas?)– US energy independence (i.e. exploit resources in

Alaskan National Wildlife Reserve)

Flows of wealth

Resource rich countries

New elites

Wider disparities between rich and poor

Low social indicators, tendency to be authoritarian, corrupt, ineffective, prioritise military expenditure and more likely to be involved in conflict (Philippe le Billon)

Materiality and illicit economies

Minerals hard to extract, easy to smuggle

Illegal logging of trees for timber

Drug trade – Colombia– Afghanistan

Oil

Resource Wars

Michael Klare, Resource Wars (2001) and Blood and Oil (2004)

Philippe de Billon, Fuelling War: Natural Resources and Armed Conflict (2005)

Oil‘conflict diamonds’Agriculture

Spratly Islands

Caspian Sea

http://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/ibru/arctic.pdf

http://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/ibru/south_atlantic_maritime_claims.pdf

Food Scares

Genetically modified foods (GM foods)

Fertilisers and pesticides vs. ‘organic’

BSE – animals eating parts of other animals

Foot and mouth

Farm subsidies

European Union Common Agricultural Policy– Shift from smaller family farms to ‘agri-

business’

Infectious diseases

Bird flu

SARS

HIV/AIDS– 5-6000 people die a day– two thirds in sub Saharan Africa

Four geopolitical themes

1. Porous borders; closing borders

2. Transport networks – flights (closing, who flies), roads

3. Militarisation of aid response

4. Logistics

Climate Change

May produce warming, but also coolingSea level rise Gulf stream

KyotoEmissions tradingCarbon off-setting

Kyoto

Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Dec 12th 1997, in force Feb 16th 2005

Press Release

"The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement under which industrialised countries will reduce their collective emissions of greenhouse gases by 5.2% compared to the year 1990 (but note that, compared to the emissions levels that would be expected by 2010 without the Protocol, this limitation represents a 29% cut). The goal is to lower overall emissions of six greenhouse gases - carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, HFCs, and PFCs - calculated as an average over the five-year period of 2008-12. National limitations range from 8% reductions for the European Union and some others to 7% for the US, 6% for Japan, 0% for Russia, and permitted increases of 8% for Australia and 10% for Iceland."

Common but differentiated responsibilities

Developed countries originated the problem (industrial revolution)

Developing countries still relatively low in terms of emissions (per head)

Share of emissions allowed should reflect development

Therefore China and India largely exempt

Scepticism and Inaction

It isn’t happening

It is, but humans didn’t cause it

Humans caused it, but we can’t do anything

What we do doesn’t matter – look at China and India…

The Day After Tomorrow…

Environmental catastrophe

North becomes uninhabitable

Mass migration to the south

The Rise of China

Economic liberal reforms without political reforms (compare to USSR)10% growth per year since 1991

– Produces half world’s toys; two thirds of shoes and most of its bicycles and power tools

– Most of the US flags bought after September 11th manufactured in China

Predicted to outstrip US economy

Environmental and social costs

Poor employment rights

Water shortages

Environmental degradation

Human rights – Tibet and Xinjiang province– legacy of Tiananmen square (1991)

‘Global South’ Issues

Industrialisation and attendant costs of lower emissions etc.

Deforestation and CO2

Population growth

Impact of North on South

Moral issues

High consumption vs. poverty and famine

‘the polluter pays’

Duty to future generations

The production of the Third WorldDecolonization Cold War StrugglesDevelopment and NeoliberalismMigrationThe Rise of ChinaThe End of the Third World?Disconnection and integration

The production of the ‘Third World’

First world – US and allies

Second world – USSR and allies

Third world – the remaining, ‘non-aligned’ nations; ‘developing nations’

Organisation of African Unity

The Cairo declaration 1964

“the borders of African States, on the day of their independence, constitute a tangible reality”

weak elites who wanted to minimise threats to their rule

avoiding chaos in recognition of the mosaic of racial and national distribution

states to act as the motor of pan-African unity

End of Third World

Non-aligned world

Developing world

Global south– Geographical determination– But Australia and New Zealand in south; India

and China north of equator

Contemporary challenges

Reduction in aid and investment from North to SouthRise in racism and anti-immigration policies in the NorthPressure on the South on debt rescheduling and trade access for Northern firms (creation of new markets)Continued subsidies to Northern companies

– i.e. $300bn to farmers in North per year– G8 gave $8bn to Africa in aid in 2001-02