ENVIRONMENT and POPULATION
Web of Life | Environment & Population | Asylum Seekers | Democracy
Dave Julian addresses the environmental concerns raised by Fritjof Capra in his book "The Web of Life"
'The more we study the major problems of our time, then more we come to realize that they cannot be understood in isolation. They are systematic problems, which means that they are interconnected and interdependent. For example stabilizing world population will only be possible when poverty is reduced worldwide. The extinction of animal and plant species on a massive scale will continue as long as the Southern Hemisphere is burdened by massive debts. Scarcity of environmental resources and environmental degradation combine with rapidly expanding population to lead to the breakdown of local communities, and to the ethnic and tribal violence that has become the main characteristic of the post Cold -War era.''
Capra goes on to graphically link these problems with what he calls a 'crisis of perception'. An important component to this crisis is the way we understand the economy. Economics should be the science of human resource allocation. It should be able to define the most efficient way of providing the necessary resources to sustain the maximum number of people. Yet clearly the current economic system is not doing this. Global poverty and inequality seem to be increasing, and, despite a few hopeful signs, the natural environment is still under grave threat.
Perception of our world is dictated by our time and place in it. A 40 year old in Australia has a vastly different worldview than a five year old in Afghanistan. For many Afghani children economy consists simply of being able to conserve maximum energy, allowing survival on a minimum of food and water. This is the economy of existence, and characterizes all biological systems. It is basically a means of allocating scarce resources on a biological level.
For an average Australian economics means something completely different. Notions of global exchange rates, employment statistics and the price of bread come to mind. Still it affects us in a direct way. The devastating effects of job loss, debt and rising prices can not be underestimated. Poverty, even in so called rich countries like Australia, can have devastating social, psychological and physical consequences.
The huge variety of human experience means that it is impossible to share common perception of the world. Yet there are common threads. Economics has the ability to affect all of our lives. The micro economic condition of the poor hangs them on the cusp of living and dying, and for the rest of us translates into varying degrees of well being.
Western concepts of economics and the idea of the 'invisible hand' balancing supply and demand are powerful forces shaping the world. There is no doubt that 'Capitalism', as this style of economics is termed, has made many people rich. The idea of a free market and global trade are very appealing in their pure form. After all being able to share and exchange resources is the economy of the natural world.
In an ecosystem, for instance, energy exists in many forms. It is used by one organism, transformed and passed on to another organism that uses it, transforms it, and once again passes it on. In a forest trees capture sunlight, transforming it into the starches and proteins that build branches and leaves. The leaves fall and are used as nutrients for other plants and animals. Each process has many beneficial 'flow on' effects. Earthworms break down leaf matter, condition the soil and provide food for birds, bees collect pollen and at the same time fertilizes, flowers, These flowers may fruit, providing food for birds which then distribute the seed. Nothing is wasted, resources are constantly being recycled, transformed and improved. Each exchange point is exquisitely tuned to provide the maximum benefit.
This called 'synergy' and is clearly something that we must apply to our own human economies. At the moment resources that are produced in one country are exported to another, despite the fact that these resources could just as easily be produced in the importing country. The reason this is not done is because it is cheaper, in financial terms, to produce in the exporting countries. This is largely, although not entirely, due to labor costs. Yet in simple energy terms this transaction costs many times what it would have cost if the resource were produced locally.
This aberration is evidence of a systematic malfunction in our economic system. Instead of being tuned to maximum efficiency it is biased towards creating wealth in certain regions. Yet in essence, wealth, like energy, cannot be created only transformed and transferred. Wealth in this case is transferred from poor countries to rich. Unlike the exchange that occurs in healthy ecosystems, this exchange is not efficient. Instead of there being multiple beneficiaries, there is only one. Also the fossil fuels used in the transportation represent a net loss of wealth. This fact is disguised by the compensation effect of cheap labor costs.
This is just one example of the many inefficiencies built into our economic system. These inefficiencies go hand in hand with inequality and environmental destruction. The creation of wealth in many cases is simply the transfer either through the over exploitation of natural resources or the exploitation of human capital through lower wages and exchange rates. In both cases there is a net loss of wealth. The natural systems lose their ability to sustain themselves (thus reducing their ability to create future wealth) and poor countries simply become poorer.
I believe there are two things we can do to tune our economic system so that it is more efficient. Firstly we must accurately incorporate natural capital into our economic analysis, and account for it in our transactions. Secondly create a global currency. This would encourage local production and reduce the exploitation of countries that are now stuck in poverty. It would truly give a 'level playing field' to all participants in the global economy.
Obviously these are not easy things to do, and will require decades of work. The first step, however, is remarkably simple. That is to change our perception of the world and to see the connections between inequality, environmental degradation, our economic system and the ecosystems we are part of.
Web of Life | Environment & Population | Asylum Seekers | Democracy
Friends of the Earth (FoE) Australia has launched a population and environment project.
This project seeks to bring together existing FoEA work in the areas of climate justice, trade, sustainability and international solidarity campaigning.
FoEA is keenly aware of the fact that concern for 'the environment' is sometimes used as a rationale for opposing further immigration to Australia. Through this project FoEA seeks to expose the use of these arguments by racist organisations and also encourage broader debate about what the key threats are to the ecosystems of the Australian continent. FoEA believes that over consumption of resources (and corresponding over production of greenhouse gases and other wastes) rather than population growth are the key issues relating to environmental sustainability in Australia. It is not rational to see a direct linear relationship between immigration numbers and environmental deterioration
In terms of short-term campaign objectives, FoEA supports an end to mandatory detention of asylum seekers and recognises that there is an onus on Australia to increase its immigration levels and foreign aid.
FoEA also recognises that the Australian community needs to have a debate about what may constitute a sustainable human population for this country. This debate needs to occur with full recognition of the responsibilities that come with being the highest per capita producer of greenhouse gases of any nation on the planet, the need to address the rising numbers of environmental refugees, and international perspectives that involve global equity in terms of access to resources.
In this debate, FoEA acknowledges on-going sovereignty of Australia by Indigenous peoples and the need to fully involve Indigenous communities in developing a common vision about what would constitute an optimum level of human population for long term sustainability.
For a comprehensive look at the issue of Environment and Population, visit: www.foe.org.au/nc/nc_enviro_pop.htm
Summary of position
Resource consumption
Australia has the highest per capita greenhouse gas emission (GHG) rates on the planet at about 26.7 tonnes per person per year. This is twice the average level of other wealthy countries (13.4 tonnes) and 25% higher than emissions per person in the United States (21.2 tonnes). Our energy intensive economy and lifestyle is typical of the developed world, which is responsible for over 80% of all GHG emissions. Australia, with only 19 million people produces 1.4% of global emissions (and, collectively, Australians are using 18 times more of the atmosphere than we are entitled to).
Environmental space:
A fundamental way of beginning to grapple with these issues is to develop the idea of environmental space with equity; the understanding that all people should have equal rights to the resources necessary for a dignified existence. To consume a fair share of environmental space would mean:
The issue of environmental refugees will continue to grow in coming decades, and Australia will not avoid the issue by denying its existence. Therefore, the Australian government and community need to:
Carrying capacity and population
There is no doubt that there will be a limit to the number of people that the Australian continent can sustain into the indefinite future. However, it is premature to talk about ‘carrying capacity’ or limitations on population growth without first considering the more fundamental issues of resource consumption, equity between and within nations, and the ownership of the infrastructure that drives consumption
It is exceedingly dangerous to support the idea that asylum seekers somehow threaten the Australian environment. The key environmental issues revolve around resource extraction and consumption (and patterns of consumption) and not simply the size of the human population on this continent. It needs to be acknowledged that much of the resources extracted in Australia (whether it be through farming, logging or mining) are exported overseas and hence are effectively independent of population levels.
Once we accept this fact, and acknowledge the global responsibilities that have accrued as a result of our carbon and environmental debts, it becomes clear that there is an imperative for Australia to accept more refugees and asylum seekers. It also highlights the fact that the current environmental problems confronting Australia are local in origin and hence the solution rests with local action, not in scapegoating asylum seekers.
Friends of the Earth Australia
Ph: 03 9419 8700
Fax: 03 9416 2081
PO Box 222 Fitzroy VIC 3065
Email: foe@foe.org.au
www.foe.org.au/
Web of Life | Environment & Population | Asylum Seekers | Democracy
Oxfam Community Aid Abroad is part of a broad coalition of non- government, Church and community organisations campaigning against the mandatory detention of refugees, and for a more just, humane and sustainable policy, including detention of refugees for short periods only to allow health, identity and security checks and release of refugees into the community with a range of support services.
WHO IS A REFUGEE?
Refugees are people who flee their countries in fear for their lives. Some are escaping war and human rights abuse, others persecution for standing up against brutal regimes. Most are women and children – up to 90 percent in regions where men are often killed, taken prisoner or drafted. Some can sell all their possessions, others have nothing but their clothes. Some have access to standard refugee application processes. Many do not. Worldwide, legal channels for migration are being shut down. Australia, like many nations, has no diplomatic mission in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. Nor can many refugees go safely to a neighbouring country to apply. Many such countries have not signed the Refugee Convention, and offer no safe, secure settlement. These have no "queue" to jump, and must to use alternatives like "people smugglers" to come direct to countries like Australia and seek asylum.
WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY?
The United Nations was set up after WWII as a way for all countries to work for peace. In 1948 it passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which enshrines the right to seek asylum. One of the UN’s first tasks was dealing with the massive flows of refugees worldwide following the war. They were also Oxfam’s first focus; it was set up in England in 1942 to aid European war refugees. In 1951, the UN passed the Refugee Convention, defining a refugee as someone who faces persecution – or a wellgrounded fear of it – in their home country on the basis of race, religion, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.
According to both Australian and international law, a person who alleges persecution in their country is entitled to seek asylum where they can. People who arrive on our shores without prior authorisation, or without legitimate documents, are not illegal. They are asylum seekers. The 1951 Convention specifically recognised that many refugees may well be unable to leave their home country carrying "proper" documentation, if they are in fear for their lives.
Between the 1950s and the 1990s, most refugees flows were created by the playing out of Cold War politics in places like Nicaragua, Afghanistan, Vietnam and Cambodia. Their presence was used by their host countries to strengthen superpower alliances. With the end of the Cold War and the eruption of various regional crises and civil wars, the rising numbers of refugees were made less welcome in many countries, including Australia.
According to Amnesty International, one in every 115 people on earth are refugees. This year, Afghanistan has been the main country of origin of refugees worldwide, followed by Iraq, Turkey and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The majority arriving in Australia have been from Afghanistan and Iraq, followed by Iran, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Sudan, Turkey, Syria, Somalia and Palestine. Prior to that, the majority of refugees coming to Australia where from Vietnam in the 1970s, China and Cambodia in the 1980s, and Ethiopia, Eritrea and Kosovo in the 1990s.
WHERE DO THEY GO?
Despite Australian government talk of "floods" of refugees, the vast majority – over 70 percent – are hosted in developing nations. Last year, just 4174 asylum seekers reached Australia by boat or plane. In total we hosted 16,700 refugees. That same year – long before the current crisis – Iran hosted 1.8 million refugees from Afghanistan and Iraq. Pakistan hosted over two million, mostly from Afghanistan. Tanzania hosted half a million, mostly from Burundi, Congo-Kinshasa and Rwanda. Jordan hosted 1.5 million, mostly Palestinians. India hosted 290,000, mostly from Tibet, Sri Lanka and Burma.
WHAT IS AUSTRALIA’S POLICY?
Australia has a long tradition of supporting refugees, and was involved in drafting the 1951 Convention. In the past 50 years, half a million refugees have resettled here. Yet government policy recently has changed dramatically, including accepting fewer refugees, greater emphasis on "border policing" and mandatory detention for all asylum seekers arriving without a valid visa. Whole families can be detained for months or years, while their status is determined. Eighty-five percent are eventually granted refugee status, giving them only a "temporary protection visa" which excludes them from Medicare, English lessons, housing bond assistance and the family reunion migration scheme. The government moved recently to stop asylum seekers from landing in Australia at all, and passed legislation to exclude parts of Australian territory from our migration zone.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH MANDATORY DETENTION?
Australia is the only Western nation that has mandatory detention, which has been widely criticised, including by the UN. At the time of writing, 1821 adults and 480 children were in mandatory detention, most in remote centres at Curtin, Port Hedland and Woomera. The policy breaches several basic rights, including that not to be detained without a proper trial, and the right of children not to be detained at all. The centres are run by a private prison company, and access has been denied to all independent agencies, including the UN, until a recent Liberal backbenchers’ investigation. Their report claimed that conditions in the centres are worse than jail. At least 75 percent of asylum seekers in detention have previously experienced torture. Others have lost family members and experienced violent conflict. Detention is causing major mental and other health problems for already traumatised people.
WHAT’S THE ALTERNATIVE?
Asylum seekers should be released into the community on a bridging visa while their refugee status is determined, as they are in countries including New Zealand, Canada and the UK. Detention should be limited to short periods to allow health, security and identity checks. Centres should be near support services and communities, and people should be informed of their legal rights on arrival. On release, people should have the right to work, to income support, Medicare, employment assistance, housing and specialist services such as trauma counselling. Australia must respect its obligations as a relatively wealthy country, and a responsible member of the world community, by offering resettlement places and respecting people’s right to seek asylum. Australia should also put more resources into reducing the need for people to leave their own countries and regions, including supporting refugee camps in countries like Pakistan, and supporting peace-building in areas of conflict.
Oxfam Community Aid Abroad
Phone: 02 9264 1399
www.caa.org.au
e-mail: enquire@caa.org.au
Web of Life | Environment & Population | Asylum Seekers | Democracy
Extract from ‘Antarctica’, by Kim Stanley Robinson
If sufficiency were the true goal, then the world’s needs could be met and more, using current and emerging technologies. It is economic growth and the enrichment of the feudalist-capitalist aristocracy that are the true goals of this society, and the masses do not truly go along with these goals which are against their own interests, but are rather intimidated to accept what they can in an unjust system, or else be fired or jailed or shot. Very few want their lives shattered in order to protest an injustice that is massively entrenched and made to appear the natural order of things, and unlikely to fall to any individual act.
It is typical of law enforcement, to pursue very vigorously individuals performing civil disobedience or other protest actions, while allowing hundreds or even thousands of corporate executives to comprehensively break the laws without obstruction, or even with so-called law-enforcement’s help and protection. It makes law enforcement not a police but rather a private security force, which might as well take it’s pay directly from the foreign governments and transnational corporations it is serving. As private security for corporations it makes sense to overlook gross malfeasance while brutally pursuing small individual protest actions, which to corporations are indeed the more dangerous of the two.
The small spontaneous protests of individuals suggests, after-all, that democracy might be a real thing, rather than just a cover story to keep people in their places in the economical hierarchy. The idea that democracy might be real is much too dangerous a notion to allow it to spread very far, for if it did, and if everyone acted on truly democratic principles, including protesting obvious crimes against the law, then social control would be impossible and the gross inequalities of the current economic order, in which five percent of the world’s population own ninety percent of the world’s wealth, would be revealed for the hypocritical environment-devastating injustice that it is. A few hundred thousand people benefit excessively while billions suffer, and the coming generations handed a scorched and plundered Earth!
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