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Sept/Oct 1999 issue (#41)
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An article in the July 12 New Yorker describes how the rising of the seas, due to global warming, is affecting Venice, Italy, the city of canals: "At the beginning of this century, St. Mark's Square was flooded about six times a year. By 1989, it was flooded 40 times a year, and in 1996 the number was 99... [T]he sea level around Venice has risen about four and a half inches since 1900... Meteorologists and oceanographers who focus on global climate change predict that seas, including the Adriatic, will be at least eight inches higher by the middle of the next century. That would put Venice under water at least half of the year." (The land beneath Venice is also sinking, contributing to this effect.) England and the Netherlands, the article notes, have spent hundreds of millions on floating barriers "in preparation for the sea change to come."
Before drugs are released onto the market, they must undergo stringent testing. But in the case of bioengineered foods, in which the gene of a fly might be grafted onto a potato, or any imaginable gene grafted onto any crop, little testing is done before planting. Millions of acres of bioengineered corn have been planted in the U.S., and now reports are that the Monarch butterfly is damaged by pollen from this corn, coming to you courtesy of Monsanto, one of the makers of the Vietnam-era product, napalm, which burned people and forests. Other corporations concocting these "Frankenfoods" are Novartis, Hoescht Chemical, and Du Pont. Prince Charles of England has spoken out against these foods and explains their potential dangers on his website, resisting the Blair government's pleas for him to shut down his postings on this subject. You can check out what the Prince has to say at http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/.
An article in the Seattle Times noted that several countries are concerned that "gene-altered seeds, microbes, plants or animals will seriously harm the environment and human health....Some fear that engineered microbes or plants will disrupt local ecologies....Others have focused on perceived, albeit unproven, health threats from eating genetically engineered grains or cereals." Many foods eaten daily by millions of people in the U.S., where no warnings must be given, have genetically engineered components. In Europe such foods must be labeled.
According to the excellent environmental newsletter News on Earth (175 Fifth Ave., Suite 2245, NY, NY 10010) some of the foods containing bioengineered ingredients are Coca-Cola (corn syrup and/or Aspartame), Fritos (corn), Green Giant Harvest Burgers (soy), McDonald's french fries (potatoes), Nestle's chocolate (soy), Land o' Lakes butter (rBGH), and more. If you (and your pets!) want to stay away from bioengineered foods, the newsletter says, go organic. The December 1998 newsletter said there are 30,000 products in the U.S. with bioengineered ingredients. Moreover, "most livestock and commercial seafood are being fed GA (genetically altered) feed."
Northwest Environment Watch has released the latest of its fact-filled examinations of the Pacific Northwest region. Green-Collar Jobs: Working in the New Northwest, portrays five towns, from British Columbia to Oregon, that are "uncoupling" themselves from extraction industries, principally logging, to embrace the new low-impact industries that rely on the computer. But greener jobs don't mean a better environment. The gap between the rich and the poor is getting wider, and excessive consumption, particularly of fossil fuels running gas-guzzling, air-polluting SUVs and trucks, militate against a cleaner environment. To order the booklet, write Northwest Environment Watch, 1402 Third Ave., Suite 1127, Seattle, WA, 98101-2118.
Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA) is forming a climate change caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives. Some of the members so far are: Karen McCarthy (MO), Peter DeFazio (OR), Rush Holt (NJ), Sherwood Boehlert (NY) and Henry Waxman (CA). According to Inslee: "The purpose of the caucus is to educate our colleagues about global climate change. We also focus on the role of the U.S. as a leader in developing new technology and economic opportunities for minimizing global warning." Asked if Rep. Inslee sensed concern about climate change among his colleages, his aide said: "No, we do not see a sense of urgency among our colleagues on this issue, which is a primary reason that we formed the caucus."
On one night, April 18 this year, NATO bombers flew over Pancevo, Yugoslavia, and did the following, according to the Los Angeles Times: "Within seconds, they demolished a refinery, a fertilizer plant and a U.S.-built petrochemical complex that released a toxic cloud so dense and potentially lethal that its effects...will be [felt] for decades to come."
Help "Welcome" the WTOThe World Trade Organization is coming to Seattle this fall. The WTO is the reincarnation of the despised GATT--the General Agreement of Tariffs and Trades. GATT began neutralizing the environmental and labor legislation that many activists worked and died for. A few of the many examples of this follow: the WTO is forcing Europe to buy steroid hormone and chemical laden U.S. meats, it is destroying legislation that forbids DDT and other toxic chemicals from being sprayed on food that is imported into the U.S., and it has already declared provisions of the U.S. Endangered Species Act illegal. The U.S. can no longer ban importation of shrimp caught with nets that drown sea turtles. The Ethyl corporation, which earned a fortune adding lead to gasoline and thus caused countless cases of lead poisoning, is using the WTO to force Canada to use its MMT fuel additive which causes cancer and decreases fuel mileage. Provisions of the U.S. Clean Air Act have been neutralized because Argentina used the WTO to force the U.S. to import its highly polluting oil. The WTO is also promoting what Europeans call "Frankenfood"--genetically altered food. This may be the worst health hazard in history. Clearly the WTO must be stopped Please help give the WTO an alternative "welcome" in Seattle this fall. --Dr. John Ruhland |