Environtmental and Global Health

Archive for the ‘Environmental Impact’ Category

Pagesa Assembly of Catalonia, Greenpeace and Platform Transgenics Fora! presented in Barcelona today, coinciding with the start of the European Commission conference on the future of the “coexistence” between GM and non-transgenic in Vienna (Austria), a detailed study, conducted over the past 10 months on the status of these crops. This document, entitled “The Impossible Coexistence,” is the first report of its kind in Spain which aims to show the public what are the real consequences of GM crops from the case of Catalonia and Aragon, the main producing regions in Spain and the EU (in both communities transgenic corn acres nearly 50% of the total corn crop).

The report concludes that the “coexistence” of GM agriculture to other agriculture is not viable, and is the result of extensive field research conducted in major maize producing regions to which they have collected dozens of testimonies from farmers, farmers and managers of cooperatives and have analyzed hundreds of samples of corn. The situation described in detail pollution cases appeared in 2005, the opacity in the world of research, no or inadequate monitoring and control of crop and food contamination incidents, clerical errors, the cultivation of illegal camps experimental unauthorized absence from public records and pollution along the entire transport chain and marketing.

Aragonés Committee of Ecological Agriculture and the Union of Farmers and Ranchers of Aragon have provided essential data for the report. It describes how the introduction of transgenic agriculture accentuates the division and confrontation between farmers, forcing them to bear the risks and problems, while the companies responsible for the introduction of GMOs wash their hands. The reality is perceived in the field is a strong fear and anxiety. “The consequences of GM contamination are serious and unacceptable, are proof that these are not under control and therefore can not think of a possible coexistence with conventional and organic agriculture,” said Jordi Cipriano Pagesa Assembly of Catalonia . “Economic losses from pollution are borne entirely by the contaminated and no liability is required to own the technology or the Administration, while dynamite the right to choose of farmers and consumers,” says Cipriano .

Precisely this report is published when the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Ministry of Agriculture intends to adopt two decrees of “coexistence” whose political aim is to legalize the widespread genetic contamination. Consequently, the surface of organic corn, the only truly sustainable option to produce corn, is shrinking at an alarming rate. “Meanwhile the Institute of Riserca i Technology (IRTA) devotes a significant portion of its business to experiment with GM in place to encourage research in agroecology” said Joan Garcia of the Platform Transgenics Fora!

“What is really worrying is that this is just the tip of the iceberg, as there is no official record of contamination incidents,” said Juan-Felipe Carrasco, head of Greenpeace GMO campaign, “the majority of incidents contamination is not detected by lack of analysis or kept secret by both companies as well as governments. “

All information contained in the report converges to the unequivocal conclusion that the “coexistence” between GM and non-GM crops is not possible and confirms that:

The control and monitoring of GMOs from the laboratory to the plate are ineffective, and in many cases nonexistent. The system of segregation, traceability and labeling does not work.

There are no separate systems for detecting and investigating cases of contamination, illegal crops, administrative irregularities or adverse effects of GMOs. The vast majority of contamination is not detected before.

The economic costs of pollution and other problems caused by GMOs are high and are borne by those affected. The social, environmental and health are potentially immense.

The tremendous cost that would be a comprehensive analysis and a real tight control by the authorities, makes this type of technology is socially, environmentally and economically viable.

The lack of transparency prevents most of the decisions of the GM or the scandals they are perceived by society. This, however, is constantly subjected to propaganda for an industry that provides objective information and contrasted with the sole purpose of increasing its control over agriculture and food sectors.

The biotech industry is able to influence at many levels, political power, making its interests prevail over those of the environment or society.

States are unable to prevent the illegal sale and cultivation, and to prevent non-compliance in the cultivation of GMOs.

Therefore, the undersigned organizations demand that:

Immediately suspend any authorization of GM crops in Spain, considering that there is no legal and technical framework to grow them in a position to control and safety. This must be revoked authorizations for all varieties of different governments have adopted to date and experimental crops prohibited.

Suspension of any attempt to pass decrees or an order of “coexistence” based on contamination and lack of accountability, both by the Department of Livestock and, Agriculture and Fisheries (DARP) and the Ministry of Agriculture.
Authorities to undertake a reassessment of the Spanish agricultural policy in the sense of guaranteeing the existence of an absolutely free of GM production, thus ensuring freedom of choice of consumers and farmers over the interests of the biotech industry and the multinational owners of these technologies. To this must seriously consider the possibility of GM-free zones in Catalonia, Aragon and the rest of the state.

You create a commission to study vigorously and independently and transparently analyze environmental damage, social or health of GM, and demand that sanctions be applied to their cause. The transgenic production companies that own the patents should be found guilty of pollution and cause damages.

For environmental impact means the effect of a particular human action on the environment in its various aspects. The concept can be extended, with little use for the purposes of a natural phenomenon.

Human actions, motivated by the pursuit of various goals, cause side effects on the natural or social. While the intended effects are usually positive, at least for those who promote action, side effects can be positive and, more often negative. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) is the analysis of the predictable consequences of the action, and the environmental impact statement (EIS) is the previous communication, environmental laws require that under certain assumptions, the environmental consequences predicted by the assessment . Read the rest of this entry »

Human health is increasingly determined by environmental conditions (Rapport et al 1999, McMichael 2001). A report by the World Health Organization (WHO 1997) revealed the following:

* Deteriorating environmental conditions are an important factor contributing to poor health and low quality of life. Mismanagement of natural resources, excessive waste production and environmental conditions associated with health effects pose major challenges to sustainable development. Read the rest of this entry »

The availability of energy from renewable energy sources is higher than conventional energy sources, but its use is restricted. Technological developments, the increase of social demand and lower installation cost and rapid depreciation, which encourages the use of a source of renewable energy sources in recent years.

Similarly, the challenges to sustainable development model and the change towards a sustainable development model implies a new conception of the production, transportation and energy consumption.

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Urban pollution in big cities and towns is one of the most important because it directly affects millions of people have an impact on the health and quality of life.

Environmental problems in urban areas and around this is a phenomenon that comes from the increasing urban growth and resulting environmental degradation. Changes in land use, and the concentration of the use of natural resources, is the cause of environmental problems.

It is for this reason that the urban system imports a large number of resources are transformed into goods and services and partly back into the environment as wastes and emissions.

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Earth’s atmospheric greenhouse effect associated with radiation processes going on inside. radiation is a form of energy, and is transmitted only in a vacuum.

Other forms of energy transmission in the natural environment are conduction and convection. In conduction heat spreads through the solid (propagation of heat from the surface soil to a lower level). In a fluid (gas and liquid) heat transfer by convection process through which a relatively warm part of the fluid, moving, and then mixed and integrated into a relatively cool environment.

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Increasing temperatures will lead to increased rainfall, but the effect is less clear on the storm. Extra-tropical storms partly depend on the temperature setting, which would weaken in the northern hemisphere as the polar regions warmer than the rest of the hemisphere, this would lead to low rates of melting ice and increased the cycle all over the world.

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