Review - Climate Change on the Move by Michael Werz and Kari Manlove

By Barbara Wheat 

Countries around the globe have had to deal with the effects of emigration and immigration, but according to authors Werz and Manlove, the world will soon become familiar with another type of migration as climate migrants flee areas affected by the warming of the planet and the resulting dwindling resources. In their article, Climate Change on the Move, Werz et al. highlight the challenges the world will face once climate refugees are on the move en masse.  

Photo: http://www.dialogue4health.ning.com/

World population recently crossed the 7 billion mark, and according the United Nations, is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050 (Wertz et al. 73). Growing populations faced with decreasing natural resources, and hit with increasing natural disasters such as hurricanes and drought as a result of climate change, may not be able to cope with these “extreme circumstances” (74). An estimated 200 million people could become climate migrants by 2050. 

Many areas expected to be hit the worst by climate change may be the least able to cope with the effects. Areas identified as being most at risk include:

-Asia: warming will shrink freshwater resources adversely affecting 1 billion people;

-Africa: agriculture yields could fall by 50%, food and water insecurity;

-Latin America: melting snowcaps will harm agriculture areas (73).

The authors also cite security issues as a cause of concern as the mobilization of climate refugees will likely aggravate conditions in areas already facing conflicts. Areas most likely to be hit hard by climate change are also the most vulnerable where government and political instability currently put their people at risk.    

With the huge number of climate migrants expected in the coming years, it seems vital to take this into consideration when studying the globalized world. Thomas Friedman’s in-depth analysis in The World is Flat does not address issues related to the warming of the planet and how it will affect people around the world. His vision of the flat world seems to assume that all the pieces of the puzzle will fit nicely together. Closer inspection of problems in the world calls upon us to reconsider the globalized economy from angles other than that of the mega-corporation.

References:

Friedman, Thomas L. The World Is Flat. A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century.
Updated And Expanded. 2005, 2006. Farrar, Straus and Giroux: New York. Print.

Werz, Michael, and Kari Manlove. Climate Change on the Move. D. Stanley Eitzen and
Maxine Baca Zinn, eds. Belmont: Wadsworth Centage Learning, 2009. Print.

Kiribati & Global Warming: Entire Nation May Move To Fiji

Imagine a world where we will have hundreds of thousands of climate refugees. This kind of news will become more frequent with the result of climate change. It's time to think about what your plans are for the future.


Huffington Post-- Fearing that climate change could wipe out their entire Pacific archipelago, the leaders of Kiribati are considering an unusual backup plan: moving the populace to Fiji.

Aerial view of Kiribati

Kiribati President Anote Tong told The Associated Press on Friday that his Cabinet this week endorsed a plan to buy nearly 6,000 acres on Fiji's main island, Viti Levu. He said the fertile land, being sold by a church group for about $9.6 million, could be insurance for Kiribati's entire population of 103,000, though he hopes it will never be necessary for everyone to leave.  

"We would hope not to put everyone on one piece of land, but if it became absolutely necessary, yes, we could do it," Tong said. "It wouldn't be for me, personally, but would apply more to a younger generation. For them, moving won't be a matter of choice. It's basically going to be a matter of survival."

Kiribati, which straddles the equator near the international date line, has found itself at the leading edge of the debate on climate change because many of its atolls rise just a few feet above sea level.

Tong said some villages have already moved and there have been increasing instances of sea water contaminating the island's underground fresh water, which remains vital for trees and crops. He said changing rainfall, tidal and storm patterns pose as least as much threat as ocean levels, which so far have risen only slightly.

Some scientists have estimated the current level of sea rise in the Pacific at about 2 millimeters (0.1 inches) per year. Many scientists expect that rate to accelerate due to climate change.

Fiji, home to about 850,000 people, is about 1,400 miles south of Kiribati. But just what people there think about potentially providing a home for thousands of their neighbors remains unclear. Tong said he's awaiting full parliamentary approval for the land purchase, which he expects in April, before discussing the plan formally with Fijian officials.

Sharon Smith-Johns, a spokeswoman for the Fijian government, said several agencies are studying Kiribati's plans and the government will release a formal statement next week.

Kiribati, which was known as the Gilbert Islands when it was a British colony, has been an independent nation since 1979.

Tong has been considering other unusual options to combat climate change, including shoring up some Kiribati islands with sea walls and even building a floating island. He said this week that the latter option would likely prove too expensive, but that he hopes reinforcing some islands will ensure that Kiribati continues to exist in some form even in a worst-case scenario.

"We're trying to secure the future of our people," he said. "The international community needs to be addressing this problem more."

Tong said he hopes that the Fiji land will represent just one of several options for relocating people. He pointed out that the land is three times larger than the atoll of Tarawa, currently home to more than half of Kiribati's population.

Although like much of the Pacific, Kiribati is poor – its annual GDP per person is just $1,600 – Tong said the country has plenty of foreign reserves to draw from for the land purchase. The money, he said, comes from phosphate mining on the archipelago in the 1970s.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/09/kiribati-global-warming-fiji_n_1334228.html?ref=topbar

Photo: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/kr.html

Ohio House Introduces Revised Great Lakes Compact Implementation Bill

New bill ratchets down daily water withdrawals limits, but rolls back tributary protections and thwarts public's appeal rights

Columbus, OH - A revised bill to implement the Great Lakes Compact was introduced unexpectedly in the Ohio House of Representatives, yesterday.

Representative Lynn Wachtmann (R-Napoleon) introduced House Bill 473, following months of negotiations by Governor Kasich's staff with Wachtmann and industry and environmental leaders. Wachtmann had sponsored a previous Compact bill that Governor Kasich vetoed last July.



Cleveland Harbor Lighthouse


The Kasich administration had been working with the House to craft a new bill since the Governor vetoed an overly industry-friendly bill approved mostly along party-lines by the General Assembly last year.

The bill was opposed by former Governors Bob Taft and George Voinovich, the governors of Michigan and New York, and environmental and conservation groups.

While the new bill is much improved, Governor Kasich's staff has signaled publicly that the bill's introduction was unexpected and that several important issues remain unresolved.

Sportsmen and conservation groups see the renewed debate as a second chance for Ohio to fully protect Lake Erie and the tributaries and ground water that feed the Lake from unsustainable water withdrawals and consumptive uses by stone and mineral mining and other industrial activities.

Conservation groups credit Governor Kasich and the Ohio DNR for achieving substantial improvements in the new bill, including:

• Significantly reduced limits on the amount of water an industrial operation may withdraw or use before triggering a permit;
• Strengthened protections for high-quality streams;
• Empowering Ohio DNR regulators to develop rules to enforce the Compact;
• Added checks and balances to ensure that permit requirements are followed; and
• Grounding in science the management of Ohio's Lake Erie basin water.

"We appreciate the solid work that Governor Kasich and legislative leaders have put into revising the legislation. We agree with the Governor that more work needs to be done to further protect Lake Erie, its tributaries and groundwater and the people and wildlife that rely on these resources for water, jobs, and recreation," said Kristy Meyer, OEC Director of Agricultural and Clean Water Programs.

The OEC and its environmental-conservation allies are urging the General Assembly to shore up four major issues:

Inadequate Protection for Tributaries and Groundwater

Current Ohio law (Ohio Revised Code Section 1522.07(B)(2) ) requires that both Lake Erie and its tributaries be protected from large water uses. This Compact bill, however, repeals the current law.

Instead, the new bill extends protections only if the entire Lake Erie basin is threatened by a proposed water withdrawal-but not if individual tributaries or groundwater sources may suffer a significant negative impact. The Compact and current Ohio law require that tributaries be protected from any water withdrawal or use that may cause significant harm.

Unprecedented Limitation on the Right of Aggrieved Citizens to Appeal a Permit

In an unprecedented move, the bill would thwart the ability of anglers, boaters and other recreational water users to appeal a water withdrawal or water use decision that may negatively impact their ability to enjoy Ohio's natural resources. Under the bill, only industrial facility owners applying for a permit or those who can prove injury to a direct economic or property interest could appeal a permit decision.

The bill effectively bars recreational fishers, boaters, and swimmers from appealing a permit that may decrease water levels and fish populations or result in increased toxic algal blooms. Limiting historic appeal rights long protected for all water users and instead reserving these rights only for those persons with a vested economic interest is an outright abandonment of Ohio's public trust responsibility and a radical move toward privatizing Ohio's water and natural resources.

90-Day Averaging of Water Withdrawals

The bill measures water withdrawals and consumptive uses based on an average over a 90-day period as opposed to a "per day" measure. This opens the door for mining and other extractive activities, including oil and gas fracking operations, to withdraw and/or consume quantities of water in excess of permit thresholds without having to obtain a permit. This could occur, for example, if a facility withdrew or consumed 6 million gallons of water in a single day and did not withdraw or consume any additional water over the remainder of the 90-day period. When the 6 million gallons is averaged over 90 days, it would not trigger the bill's proposed gallons-per-day permit thresholds. Fish and other wildlife do not live in a mean amount of water.

Experimental Permits

The OEC applauds the concept of experimental permits, which could encourage the development of new water conservation technology. A few revisions, however, are needed to close potential loopholes and give businesses certainty, while also protecting Lake Erie and its tributaries and encouraging technological advancement.

As the legislation currently is written, water users do not have to meet all the provisions of the decision-making standard within the Compact, particularly the "no significant impact" provision. This provision is required, however, if a permitee wanted to pursue using the technology under the new or increased water withdrawal and consumptive use regulatory program. In addition, the legislation does not outline how many times a water user could apply for an experimental permit.

Lake Erie is a precious resource that is vital to people, wildlife, and jobs. Lake Erie supplies drinking water to 11 million people, 3 million of whom live in Ohio, and supports 1 out of every 10 jobs in seven counties bordering Ohio's Lake Erie coastline. Tourism and travel in the Lake Erie basin generates $10.1 billion annually to the Ohio economy and supplies $1.4 billion in federal, state and local taxes.

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact is a binding agreement between the eight Great Lakes states that restricts water from being exported or withdrawn from the Great lakes drainage basin and requires minimum standards for how water will be managed within the basin. Ohio has until December 2013 to adopt and implement legislation that employs the Compact's water management provisions.

In 2011 the legislature passed a Great Lakes Compact bill that violated the Compact and gave a green light to industrial facilities to withdraw millions of gallons of water from Lake Erie and inland waterways that drain to it without government oversight.
"We look forward to working with the Governor and the General Assembly to ensure the legislation fully complies with the Compact, doesn't roll back current Ohio law, and guarantees that anglers and boaters can continue to enjoy Lake Erie and its connected waters for centuries to come. It is critically important that Ohio gets this right. We call on the General Assembly to take action to address the remaining issues in this bill," said Meyer.

The mission of the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) is to secure healthy air, land, and water for all who call Ohio home. The OEC is Ohio's leading advocate for fresh air, clean water, and sustainable land use. The OEC has a 40-year history of innovation, pragmatism, and success. Using legislative initiatives, legal action, scientific principles, and statewide partnerships, the OEC secures a healthier environment for Ohio's families and communities.

Source: http://www.theoec.org/PressReleases/PR_RevisedCompact_3-8-12.htm

Patagonia: Our Common Waters Campaign

No natural resource is more precious. None is shrinking faster as people consume more and more.

Our Common Waters, Patagonia’s current campaign, is about balancing human water use with the needs of animals and plants. The more water people use, the less there is for everything else. The more water we waste, the more habitat we destroy. The more we pollute our streams and lakes, the harder it is for animals and plants to survive.

In this campaign, we connect water use, the consumer society and threats to biodiversity. The phrase “water rights” carries a larger meaning in this campaign than our usual use of it: Who and what has the right to water?

Existing threats range from increased human water use and water stress to pollution to dams. Each of these is made worse by climate change, which is already altering temperature and river flows. Almost half the animals on the U.S. threatened and endangered list call freshwater home.

An essential part of this campaign is Patagonia’s story as a company: the water cost of doing business, reducing our water footprint and reporting on our water use.

At Patagonia we’re only beginning to learn just how much water we consume – or how much water is used in our name.

As individuals we have to remember that much of the water used in our name doesn’t come out of the tap but rather as our share of the sum of industrial production and consumption. So it’s important for us all to keep an eye on what business does to increase – or meet – the challenges posed by water scarcity and pollution.

Source: http://www.patagonia.com/us/patagonia.go?assetid=58844

Conservation Groups Support Swinomish Tribe Battle to Protect Skagit River and Salmon

From Earthjustice:

Skagit River. The river and some its tributaries consistently fail to meet the basic

flow requirements to maintain a healthy river system for fish and people. (USGS)

March 7, 2012

Seattle, WA — Today, Earthjustice and the Center for Environmental Law and Policy (CELP) filed a friend of the court brief with the Washington State Court of Appeals in support of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and its ongoing effort to protect the Skagit River and salmon.

 

In their brief, Earthjustice and CELP argue that the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) cannot allow more water to be withdrawn from the troubled Skagit River and its tributaries for new junior water uses because such new uses would further impair stream-flows. Impaired stream-flows damage salmon, other wildlife and communities that depend on the water.

 

The tribal community’s appeal, filed in 2008, challenges Ecology’s 2006 revision to the in-stream flow rule for the Skagit River and its tributaries.

The Skagit River and some its tributaries consistently fail to meet the basic flow requirements to maintain a healthy river system for fish and people. There are numerous reasons for this including excessive water diversion to development, municipalities and agriculture.

In spite of low flow and poor water quality in some Skagit tributaries, Ecology chose to revise the Skagit flow rule so that it could still give away large additional quantities of water for future uses—domestic, municipal, commercial, industrial, agricultural and livestock watering—at the expense of what’s needed for a healthy in-stream flows. Ecology claimed to do so under the rarely invoked “overriding consideration of public interest” (OCPI) exemption, a gross misreading of Washington’s water laws. The resulting leapfrog of the new junior water rights holders ahead of more senior in-stream water right goes against the basics of Washington’s long-time water laws that have always subscribed to the “first in time, first in right” doctrine.

“Along with the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, we will not stand by to see critical tributaries of the Skagit reduced to trickles simply because Ecology is unwilling to uphold the law and protect the instream flow reservations that preserve the river and its wildlife,” said Suzanne Skinner of CELP. “The Skagit must be conserved for future generations and we will work to protect the precious water that salmon and people need to survive.”

The conservationists’ brief challenges Ecology’s claim that the “public interest” exemption creates a loophole to ignore protecting basic in-stream flows whenever Ecology finds it convenient or generally desirable to do so. Rather, the public interest doctrine is meant to be used in limited emergencies such as fire suppression or health emergencies. That limited, temporary, emergency use was Ecology’s long-standing position until very recently when it started to stretch the emergency exception into a big, permanent loophole.

“Excessive demand is depriving too many rivers of water, and fish and wildlife are suffering,” said Janette Brimmer, an Earthjustice attorney. “It is Ecology’s job to protect the water resources of the state, but Ecology has chosen to avoid the hard work of protecting water and instead uses the co-called public interest exemption with increasing frequency to hand out water beyond what is actually available. Limiting this exemption to the emergency uses contemplated by the legislature will help protect rivers and streams throughout the state from Ecology’s increasing failure to adequately regulate water use in the state.”

In 2008, the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community challenged Ecology’s revision of the in-stream flow rule for the Skagit. The Superior Court ruled against the tribal community and its members appealed to the Washington State Court of Appeals.

Contact:
Janette Brimmer, Earthjustice, (206) 343-7340, ext. 1029
Suzanne Skinner, Center for Environmental Law and Policy, (206) 605-0461

 

Source: http://earthjustice.org/news/press/2012/conservation-groups-support-swinomish-tribe-battle-to-protect-skagit-river-and-salmon

Know Your Rights - Waterkeeper Alliance

You may not be aware that you have the right to clean water. You may also not be aware that your participation is needed to protect the water sources in your area. The Waterkeeper Alliance provides information about your right to clean water, and will help you find a way to work in your community to protect these rights. Join the movement for "fishable, swimmable and drinkable waterways worldwide."

From Waterkeeper Alliance:

You have the right to clean water.

You are the owner of your stream, river, lake, bay and coastal waterway.
You have the right to use those waters as long as you don’t interfere with their use by anyone else — and as long as they are free from pollution and destruction by our hands, there is plenty for all.
Pollution is theft. Government is entrusted to protect our waterways for the use and enjoyment of the public. When government fails, it is the right and responsibility of citizens to enforce environmental laws and protect our right to clean water.

The origins of your right to clean water.

Medieval Code
In the sixth century the Roman Emperor Justinian ordered the codification of imperial legal doctrine as the Corpus Iurus Civilis [Body of Civil Law]. The Justinian Code spread throughout the Roman Empire and forms the basis for English and U.S. Common Law. The Justinian Code spells out the Public Trust Doctrine: The public — no individual, no government, no corporation and no polluter — owns our waterways.

United Nations
The right to clean water is almost universally recognized worldwide. The United Nations Charter and the legally binding 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights implicitly and explicitly recognize the human right to clean water.

Fishable & Swimmable
U.S. Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972. The goals of the law are broad and ambitious: fishable and swimmable waterways and zero discharge of pollution into our rivers, lakes and coastal waters by 1985. We’ve missed the deadline. But the national goal and the law remain in effect.

Citizen Action
U.S. federal law and the laws of nations around the world give citizens the power to prosecute environmental crimes. Waterkeeper Organizations enforce these laws, patrolling our waterways and protecting our communities.

Source: http://www.waterkeeper.org/


You can become a Waterkeeper by visiting this webpage: http://www.waterkeeper.org/ht/d/sp/i/212/pid/212

Rachel Carson Sense of Wonder Contest

Star Light

Sense of "Water" Contest

2012 is the 40th Anniversary of the Clean Water Act, and this year's Sense of Wonder contest will focus on water. To honor this anniversary, the contest has been renamed the Sense of Water Contest for 2012. The deadline for entries is June 1, 2012.

The U.S. EPA, Generations United, the Dance Exchange, Rachel Carson Council, Inc., and the National Center for Creative Aging announce a poetry, essay, photo and dance contest. Entries must be from a team of two or more persons—a young person and an older person.
We would like your team to share your love for water through a creative project that captures water around us. Capture what you hear, see, feel and taste as you explore and study water. Contestants will work across generations to share through one of these distinct mediums their own interactions with and reflections about the sense of water.

Dance video entries are not limited to the moving body. You can use live performers and/ or capture movement and change visible in nature: birds landing, trees shaking in a storm, a river flowing...
Experienced and first time dancers and video makers are encouraged to participate.

Let Rachel Carson's words inspire you. In 1951 Rachel Carson published her second book, The Sea Around Us. The New York Times Book Review wrote:

"Each of Miss Carson's chapters is worth sampling and savoring, and her book adds up to enjoyment that should not be passed by. Every person who reads it will look on the sea with new pleasure."

Visit the website:

http://www.epa.gov/aging/resources/thesenseofwonder/index.htm