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10/9/03
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1. March to Miami - FTAA Under Siege
2. More Crop
Per Drop
3. European Union Stops Atrazine Usage Worlds
4.
Forests Still Under Siege
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1. THE MARCH TO MIAMI - FTAA UNDER FIRE
With the recent failure of the World Trade Organization
ministerial in Cancun, Mexico, family farmers, workers and
environmentalists are targeting a new trade event -- the
upcoming FTAA trade negotiations in Miami, Florida.
To bring attention to failed US Trade Policy groups are
organizing the March on
Miami; an outreach and education
campaign geared towards increasing public awareness on trade
policy. The campaign began September 26 in Seattle,
Washington and features events at many cities across the nation.
It will end in Miami on November 18th when the FTAA talks begin.
Along the route different grassroots organizations have
facilitated "teach-ins", demonstrations and press
conferences. If you are interested in planning a March to
Miami event in your community there is still time. For
more information contact Tara Widner At (612) 623-8003
or Dan Leahy at (360) 709-9324.
2. MORE
CROP PER DROP
Last night David Letterman of NBC's late night
show opened his monologue with a reference to the Arnold
Schwarzenegger victory saying, "Well folks, it's
official.... Florida is no longer the stupidest state in the
nation." While California politics may be the brunt
of late night comics, when it comes to water resources they
appear to be getting their act together. Rather than face
water shortages that can pit agricultural production against
in-stream wildlife needs, California is proposing a
multi-billion dollar program that would emphasize water
conservation.
On Tuesday the California Department of
Water Resources (DWR) released a blueprint that recommends a
portfolio of relatively "easy-to-implement" fixes --
ranging from water conservation and recycling to replenishment
of aquifers. Jonas Minton, deputy director of DWR, said
the "new water plan reflects the huge strides some cities
and farmers have made in using water more wisely.
"Every day, farmers are finding ways to get more crop per
drop," said Minton, a former director of the Sacramento
Water Forum." See the Sacramento Bee
article.
3. EUROPEAN UNION STOPS ATRAZINE USAGE
This
week the regulatory body of the European Union has refused to
re-register atrazine, one of the worlds most controversial
herbicides. The chemical, which is still widely used in
the United States may be associated with cancer in both humans
and laboratory animals. According to a release by the
Natural Resources Defense Council, atrazine disrupts the
production and function of normal human hormones and is
indicated in elevated levels of prostate cancer in workers at
Atrazine manufacturing plants. In one study on
sexual abnormalities in frogs, atrazine was shown to cause a
ten- fold decrease in testosterone production and has been
linked to the global demise in frogs. While several
European countries had previously banned the use of atrazine,
the European Union is now officially discontinuing it's
re-registration. In the US an estimated 60 million pounds
of Atrazine is applied annually during agricultural
applications. On a related note the Iowa Farm Bureau has
begun contributing financial support to the defense of atrazine
in a lawsuit by NRDC seeking to halt its use. NRDC Factsheet.
4. WORLDS FORESTS STILL UNDER SIEGE
A new report
on the state of the world's forests shows that world wide
consumption of paper fiber from trees is escalating. According
to a new report by the International Development and Environment
Service world-wide regulations to protect destruction of forests
from illegal "cut and run" logging practices are
failing. Moreover, consumer demand for the paper fiber from
trees in developed countries is high and rising rapidly in the
developing world. The article states that "Each year
industrial countries use an average of 164 kilograms per person,
while developing countries use just 18 kilograms per person.
Specifically, the U.S. devours 335 kilograms per person per
year, Japan 249, Canada 229 and Germany 192."
Developing countries are embracing the same wasteful practices.
In Indonesia, for example, increased paper fiber use between
1980 and 1997 rose more than seven-fold. In China usage
was up five-fold, and more than four-fold in both South Korea
and Thailand." Much of the problem, the article
asserts, stem from illegal over-harvest and from laws that are
not enforced. In Indonesia about 70 percent of timber
production is from illegal logging.
Cultivating a vision where
rural and urban communities join together
to ensure abundant family farms, healthy critters, clean water and
a wild Earth.
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Rural Updates!
Scotty Johnson and Aimee Delach
National Rural Community Outreach Campaign
sjohnson@defenders.org
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