Archive for Social Responsibility
Pakistan flooding and the environmental impact that may follow
Posted by: | CommentsWhile the immediate attention in Pakistan concerns flood relief efforts that have impacted a huge percentage of the land and in turn the population and the lingering impacts on environmental scale may be equally concerning once the waters have receded. The traditional rainy season has been extremely harsh the summer resulting in the worst flooding in living memory causing the deaths of several thousand and the loss of homes for many millions more. Three weeks of extreme flooding has caused rivers to become lakes and entire towns to be submerged underneath dirty brown water, the immediate concerns are of course humanitarian in nature as disease increases while the entire infrastructure of the inner regions of Pakistan is crippled by the flooding.
The crisis itself has grown rapidly over the last few weeks, while gaining a full and proper assessment of the damage is very difficult to compile. 
Even while governments and aid agencies are coming together to provide some degree of relief to Pakistan a government report published today looks at the long-term potential implications caused by the flooding and the damage ecologically to the nation. The two highest concerns are naturally water supplies and the impact on agricultural infrastructure and therefore the food supplies for the nation.
Experts are suggesting that this is the worst flooding to impact Pakistan for many generations, as a result gauging the impact is extremely difficult for the country now has a population estimated at 170 million as opposed to just under 50 million in 1960. The pressures on the food and water supplies for Pakistan are naturally greater than the last time such devastating weather impacted the country. The primary source for water in Pakistan is the now overflowing Indus River and beyond the flooding itself is the damage to sanitation and sewage plants caused by the flooding. Even before this event international observers had published reports expressing that the burden on the food infrastructure and security of distribution was already approaching a crisis level. The flooding can only emphasize just how stretched the food management chain within Pakistan currently is. The immediate aid will hopefully bring a level of stability to those displaced and bring urgently needed help to curtail what is rapidly turning into a major health crisis. It’s the period of time after the flooding that perhaps should bring the most concern. How best to provide the crop assistance, irrigation and sanitation support as well as ensure that food and water can be transported equitably and smoothly into the central region of the country which is under such intense pressure at the moment.
It will of course take great organization and planning to help Pakistan through the immediate weeks but also to safeguard the food and water distribution within the country. The United Nations will take an active role with such planning and we must hope the environmental impacts of the flooding do not bring heightened instability to the country which would be the last thing it needs.
As BP crisis continues, will drilling moratorium be passed?
Posted by: | CommentsOver two months later it appears that the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico may be entering a new phase, a phase that hopefully will result in the most success to date in capping the tragic flow of oil into the ocean. While the situation remains precarious and the clean up task still looms large the future of oil shore drilling remains in the balance. Public opinion at present would suggest that some type of changes are desperately needed, whether this will result in a temporary moratorium on deep-water drilling remains to be seen. The Obama administration are anxiously seeking another opportunity to have a legal precedent restrict deep-water drilling after failing on two recent attempts. The hope is that revised evidence that stresses safety concerns coupled with some subtle rewording may result in a temporary freeze allowing the industry to be properly evaluated and changed as needed.
While the legal wranglings look set to continue the current situation continues to worsen by the day. Meanwhile the proponents and opponents of the case are split along the lines you might anticipate; industry experts proclaiming the demands to be unreasonable and too radical while environmental groups applaud the moves and call them long overdue.
The department of the interior have renewed optimism that the case will be supported as new evidence about how the industry can not manage a deep-water blowout and subsequent oil spill is growing in real time as the BP situation continues to develop. One of the very few bright spots with the current disaster is that it may help cement the belief that spill response capacity is not suitable and add gravity to the request to suspend such operations. The initial case wanted to restrict any rigs drilling at a depth of greater than 500 feet while the newest revision seeks to review any free floating drilling rigs. As the landscape keeps changing so does the scope of the proposed restrictions. The industry of course is fearful that the reaction may be overcompensating for the current event, but can your really overcompensate for the worst US environmental disaster in history? That hardly seems possible.
In the meantime the difficult dance between energy/economic needs seeks to be offset by creating a blueprint for a process that better protects the environment. Its almost as if this courtroom drama is scheduled to become a large and very publicized metaphor for the entire ebb and flow of the environmental movement. It’s a theme I find myself returning to -objectors say the costs are too high in a fiscal sense, while activists say there is no greater cost than the result of doing nothing. This is one battle that apathy must not win - the dismay of millions who have watched the escalating tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico must not return to what they were doing before. The easy protest vote seems to be ‘boycott BP’ but the fundamental problems run so much deeper. This is not just an issue with BP - this is an issue with safety and planning, reward versus risk. It’s an issue in which we each hold vested interest.
Edward Norton’s newest U.N. role may be his most important yet
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Almost everyone watches films on occasion and many seem to catch the latest new releases seemingly every week. From time to time an actor comes along who seems to just stand above the crowd such is his or her ability to dominate a film or take a role to unimagined heights. While I don’t think the last generation has brought along a Pacino or a De Niro I think Edward Norton has the ability to go down in that sort of company if his career keeps finding the roles that bring out the very best of his talents. The 40 year old actor has a long film resume but it is his work as a conservationist that is gaining equal billing in recent years.
This has never been more apparent that the news that Norton has now been named the U.N. goodwill ambassador for biodiversity. After his appointment Norton was naturally thrilled with the opportunity:
“It is an issue that I’ve been engaged with on many different levels for a number of years, but it’s very, very exciting to be asked to engage with it on the level of the U.N. with its incredible capacity and reach.”
He explained how his new role will move away from traditional methods of conservation that are having limited success as the emphasis shifts to looking more deeply at human needs which directly lead to the requirements of conservation action in the first place.
“People have recognized that fragmenting the ecosystems or creating protected pockets is not actually authentic to the way ecosystems work,”
Norton has been involved in many causes most recently Crowdrise which seeks an easier way to engage the public in performing or sponsoring charitable work. His interest in environmental issues is more than a celebrity gesture as his activities have been juggled with his film career for many years. His new appointment will make that balance ever more precarious but he seems willing and able to give as much of himself to the U.N. position as possible:
“Increasing people’s focus on the fact that human well-being is intertwined fundamentally with biodiversity, I think catastrophic events like what’s happening in the Gulf with the oil spill do highlight for people that there is enormous ramification for human well-being through a loss of biodiversity,”
As with many actors he has now taken his talent to film-making and his own Class 5 films is actively pursuing making future works that focus on environmental topics in addition to those already completed.
2010 is the United Nations international year of biodiversity. When you take the time to explore their website and learn far more about the many initiatives the U.N. supports the scope is quite breathtaking. The website itself is very informative and the far-reaching designs of the U.N. to combat negative environmental impact is inspiring. If Edward Norton can help make the project be known in more households throughout the world this can only be a good thing in my opinion.
To learn more about the U.N. biodiversity platform please visit here
To learn more about Crowdrise please visit here
Video of Edward Norton appointment
Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders wade into Delaware River to raise eco-awareness
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve found that in recent weeks I’ve tended to write about very heavy topics when it comes to enviromental issues. The reality is I should be doing just that as raising awareness for some of the bigger challenges that exist seems to be a never ending quest. Just for tonight I thought I’d focus on something a little less intense and not just as an excuse to show women in bikinis!
The bracelet made from recycled flip-flops as I mentioned.....
The NFL of course holds huge marketing appeal in addition to managing the football league itself and part of the multi-million dollar advertising attack revolves around the official cheerleader squads that are associated with each franchise. The Philadelphia Eagles like all teams (I think?) have their own cheerleaders who are making an environmental statement by building a theme on their new official calendar ‘Saving The Oceans‘. The calendar is released this week and to celebrate that the entire squad will be getting their hands dirty and pulling assorted trash and debris from the banks of the Delaware River in Philadelphia this evening. It’s supposed to be in nearly 100f when the event begins so a muddy river bank in Philadelphia will not be the ideal place to be. Volunteers are encouraged to join and they hope turnout will be high to help promote the launch of the new calendar.
Each member of the team will be wearing T-Shirts emblazoned with “There Is No Planet B” as they take time to pull refuse from the river. The goal is to removed 300lbs of trash that would otherwise follow the river down to the Atlantic Ocean, an honourable effort which is symbolic of the work needed on rivers and streams everywhere. Oceanic pollution is not being curtailed anywhere near as aggressively as changes to air quality, whether its because so much of the impact occurs hundreds of miles offshore or is perceived as harder to measure and resolve is unclear. The cheerleaders are not new to raising eco-awareness as they have had ‘eco-sexy’ photo-shoots for the last few seasons; featuring bikinis and accessories made from a variety or recycled material. In the most recent photo-shoot a cheerleader wears a bracelet made from flip flips that had washed up on a beach. Another bikini being worn has been constructed from recycled nylon fishing nets.
The effort does more than increase awareness this year as 10% of proceeds will be directly donated to the Gulf Restoration Network, who are working frantically to reduce the impact of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster. The calendar will be launched towards the end of next week and you can secure your copy via their website.
For more information about the Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleaders Calendar and eco-event click here.
For information about ordering the 2010/11 calendar please click here.
To visit the Gulf Restoration Network site or donate please click here.