<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for <em>Newsweek</em>‘s cover story deserves Pulitzer—and global action]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by Jason D Scorse http://www.grist.org/article/the-most-moving-environmental-story-of-the-year/ Sun, 12 Aug 2007 16:02:10 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/the-most-moving-environmental-story-of-the-year/1 Sad and terrifyinhg stuff...

The bushmeat trade as you rightly point out is fueled largely by elite demand and is one of the most immoral trades in the world. From shark fins to whales to monkeys there are those in the world who simply don't care about other beings- it's all me me me and dam the rest. I think serious criminal penalties are needed for those involved in such a barbarous and cruel trade. It's one thing to kill for survival, but this is perverse gluttony writ large.

I teach environmental economics and blog at http://www.voicesofreason.info.

]]> Sad and terrifyinhg stuff...

The bushmeat trade as you rightly point out is fueled largely by elite demand and is one of the most immoral trades in the world. From shark fins to whales to monkeys there are those in the world who simply don't care about other beings- it's all me me me and dam the rest. I think serious criminal penalties are needed for those involved in such a barbarous and cruel trade. It's one thing to kill for survival, but this is perverse gluttony writ large.

I teach environmental economics and blog at http://www.voicesofreason.info.

]]> Comment #2 by Whiskerfish http://www.grist.org/article/the-most-moving-environmental-story-of-the-year/ Mon, 13 Aug 2007 01:55:07 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/the-most-moving-environmental-story-of-the-year/2 Back in 2000/2001

I broke the coltan story to the British media. At that point it was worth more than the timber and diamonds flowing from the Congo, and its miners were invading national parks and killing gorillas and elephants.

However, the cellphone companies (who were buying most of the coltan) didn't want to make much of a fuss about it (the phones were just taking off, and they didn't want a downer on the party), and did not ever make publicised efforts to source their coltan elsewhere. There was much talk behind the scenes between them and some gorilla organisations that never really came to much, as far as I could figure out. A Belgian group called 'no blood on my mobile' was about the highest-profile effort to get the thing sorted out. They, at least, got Sabena to stop flying coltan ore out of central Africa in the cargo holds of its passenger planes.

The UN has documented the web of corruption that feeds the forest invasions in quite some depth since at least 2000, but very little has been done about it. Various military leaders who control the areas are selling timber, ivory, coltan, diamonds etc. through a network of mostly Lebanese middlepersons (one of the 'queenpins' is a woman) and it's being moved out to global markets by arms dealers and other nefarious types (British, Russian, Chinese etc.)

The eastern DRC is just too far away, I guess. Although gorillas sometimes make the press, the thousands of people who are being killed in the rush for riches in that area barely get a mention.  Their names are recorded on obscure French-language Congolese expat listservs, if at all.

Whiskerfish

]]> Back in 2000/2001

I broke the coltan story to the British media. At that point it was worth more than the timber and diamonds flowing from the Congo, and its miners were invading national parks and killing gorillas and elephants.

However, the cellphone companies (who were buying most of the coltan) didn't want to make much of a fuss about it (the phones were just taking off, and they didn't want a downer on the party), and did not ever make publicised efforts to source their coltan elsewhere. There was much talk behind the scenes between them and some gorilla organisations that never really came to much, as far as I could figure out. A Belgian group called 'no blood on my mobile' was about the highest-profile effort to get the thing sorted out. They, at least, got Sabena to stop flying coltan ore out of central Africa in the cargo holds of its passenger planes.

The UN has documented the web of corruption that feeds the forest invasions in quite some depth since at least 2000, but very little has been done about it. Various military leaders who control the areas are selling timber, ivory, coltan, diamonds etc. through a network of mostly Lebanese middlepersons (one of the 'queenpins' is a woman) and it's being moved out to global markets by arms dealers and other nefarious types (British, Russian, Chinese etc.)

The eastern DRC is just too far away, I guess. Although gorillas sometimes make the press, the thousands of people who are being killed in the rush for riches in that area barely get a mention.  Their names are recorded on obscure French-language Congolese expat listservs, if at all.

Whiskerfish

]]> Comment #3 by arob http://www.grist.org/article/the-most-moving-environmental-story-of-the-year/ Mon, 13 Aug 2007 06:48:57 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/the-most-moving-environmental-story-of-the-year/3 A terrible tragedy for gorillas and humans

This story is indeed very moving.

Actually having polluters offset their emissions by protecting tropical forests is not entirely applicable to this situation because the gorilla massacres are occurring within the boundaries of a designated park.  A better solution for this tragedy would be to prioritize development aid to the DRC for park management and protection.  Also Western governments have not worked very hard to stabilize the country (probably because their mining companies have benefited from the instability as documented in the UN Panel of Experts investigation from 2001 and 2002).  Some wealth transfer from developed countries to the global South is clearly necessary to preserve tropical carbon storage, but it won't stop the gorilla massacres in the eastern DRC (nor will it stop the massacres of humans there).

Whiskerfish, I'm interning with a group doing work on mining in terms of the environment, human rights, and economic justice in the DRC.  Have you done work on chain-of-custody for coltan and other minerals mined artisanally from the DRC (especially from the DRC to the US)? As far as I know, few if any groups in the US have done an in-depth chain of custody investigation.  I would be extremely interested in any information you have or any reports you've authored, even if they're only pertinent to the UK.  My email is (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) //= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == ' ') output += "&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"; else output += unescape(l[i]); } document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_bgxVPUlebP').innerHTML = output; //]]> , thanks

]]> A terrible tragedy for gorillas and humans

This story is indeed very moving.

Actually having polluters offset their emissions by protecting tropical forests is not entirely applicable to this situation because the gorilla massacres are occurring within the boundaries of a designated park.  A better solution for this tragedy would be to prioritize development aid to the DRC for park management and protection.  Also Western governments have not worked very hard to stabilize the country (probably because their mining companies have benefited from the instability as documented in the UN Panel of Experts investigation from 2001 and 2002).  Some wealth transfer from developed countries to the global South is clearly necessary to preserve tropical carbon storage, but it won't stop the gorilla massacres in the eastern DRC (nor will it stop the massacres of humans there).

Whiskerfish, I'm interning with a group doing work on mining in terms of the environment, human rights, and economic justice in the DRC.  Have you done work on chain-of-custody for coltan and other minerals mined artisanally from the DRC (especially from the DRC to the US)? As far as I know, few if any groups in the US have done an in-depth chain of custody investigation.  I would be extremely interested in any information you have or any reports you've authored, even if they're only pertinent to the UK.  My email is (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) //= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == ' ') output += "&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"; else output += unescape(l[i]); } document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_bgxVPUlebP').innerHTML = output; //]]> , thanks

]]> Comment #4 by Whiskerfish http://www.grist.org/article/the-most-moving-environmental-story-of-the-year/ Mon, 13 Aug 2007 16:54:25 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/the-most-moving-environmental-story-of-the-year/4 arob

I'd need more details on who you were working for before I passed on any (by now probably rather out of date) info. Send an email to (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) //= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == ' ') output += "&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"; else output += unescape(l[i]); } document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_HKzp8qO1m6').innerHTML = output; //]]> , and they'll pass it on to me.

Whiskerfish

]]> arob

I'd need more details on who you were working for before I passed on any (by now probably rather out of date) info. Send an email to (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) //= 0; i=i-1){ if (l[i].substring(0, 1) == ' ') output += "&#"+unescape(l[i].substring(1))+";"; else output += unescape(l[i]); } document.getElementById('eeEncEmail_HKzp8qO1m6').innerHTML = output; //]]> , and they'll pass it on to me.

Whiskerfish

]]> Comment #5 by amc89 http://www.grist.org/article/the-most-moving-environmental-story-of-the-year/ Tue, 14 Aug 2007 01:00:48 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/the-most-moving-environmental-story-of-the-year/5 bush meat trade

I think eco groups need to make tackling the bush meat trade a priority. In some quarters I think some groups may see it as taboo to campaign against what many people see as subsistance hunting, but it's clear that what's happening is not subsistance. Nobody should have to kill and eat exotic wildlife to survive.  There's many environmental problems with livestock as well, so partnering with aid groups to promote sustainable plant-based diets in these impoverished areas would be a smart move.

]]> bush meat trade

I think eco groups need to make tackling the bush meat trade a priority. In some quarters I think some groups may see it as taboo to campaign against what many people see as subsistance hunting, but it's clear that what's happening is not subsistance. Nobody should have to kill and eat exotic wildlife to survive.  There's many environmental problems with livestock as well, so partnering with aid groups to promote sustainable plant-based diets in these impoverished areas would be a smart move.

]]>