Dear CLVH,
I’m really enjoying answering your questions.
I would rank the three most serious environmental issues in Venezuela
as follows:
1. Deforestation
2. Water pollution
3. Air pollution
The mining and petroleum industries are largely at fault:
http://www.mongabay.com/20venezuela.htm
Now let me explain why and what I think should be done:
Deforestation.
I believe preservation of the world’s (not just Venezuela’s)
rainforests is crucial because they are an important source of the
oxygen necessary for our existence. Moreover, the rainforests are
home to countless species of plants and animals that, beyond their
inherent right to exist, provide many benefits to human scientific
inquiry including our understanding of the evolutionary process and
potential cures for diseases. In Venezuela, the rainforests are also
home to indigenous peoples who are trying to preserve their way of
life.
From the following site I found that “Venezuela has lost 41 percent of
its original rainforest, and 37 percent is currently threatened”
http://www.rainforestweb.org/Rainforest_Regions/South_America/Venezuela/
From the Department of Energy I also found that the rate of
deforestation in Venezuela is much higher than elsewhere in the
region.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/venenv.htm
Deforestation also threatens the lives and culture of indigenous
people.
http://www.amazonwatch.org/megaprojects/guripowerline.html
****************************************************
Water pollution is also a serious consequence of the petroleum
industry in Venezuela.
http://www.businessweek.com/2000/00_51/c3712238.htm
“Lake Maracaibo is one of the great oil producing regions of the world
and is the center of regional controversy because of perceived
detrimental effects from more than 75 years of oil operations. Several
negative effects are clearly visible: a green slime caused by the
overproduction of algae (eutrophication) is common in many areas, the
bottom waters of the Lake are anoxic, and discharges from industrial
and municipal sources notably cause local pollution. The oil industry
is the primary recipient of criticism concerning the current
degradation of the Lake…” (PDVSA, 2001)
http://www.oil-spill-info.com/Projects/Projects%20Latin%20America.htm
You can see satellite images of the oil slicks on Lake Maracaibo at
the following site:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=15292
Mining also has a negative effect on water quality. “The pollution
caused by large-scale gold mining affects all aspects of the Guyana
region, and the most immediately noticeable effect will be on the
rivers. These include the Caroni River, which supplies drinking water
for 80 percent of Bolivar” (Reed).
http://www.american.edu/TED/ice/GUYANA.HTM#r2
*************************************************
Air pollution is another serious problem.
“Air pollution from energy consumption and production is high relative
to Venezuela's neighbors. Air pollution in urban and industrial areas
is the most severe problem” (Dept. of Energy, 2000)
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/venenv.htm
The air in Caracas smells horrible and it is sometimes difficult to
take a deep breath. As more and more people move to urban areas, the
sites of economic development, I fear this problem will only worsen
and have an increasingly negative effect on the health of Venezuelan
urban dwellers.
**********************************************
It is difficult to say what precisely should be done because the
industries that are responsible for deforestation will argue that they
provide jobs and services upon which the population relies. While
this may be true I believe society must become less reliant upon
non-renewable resources. We are evolving into a society of excess and
I think we need to learn to control some of our desires for more more
more. However, it is also important to remember that much of the
resources extracted from Venezuela are exported. Thus, while I speak
of a society of excess, millions of Venezuelans live on virtually
nothing.
Many organizations have formed around the attempt to slow
deforestation, preserve ecosystems and protect the indigenous ways of
life. I believe they must continue to inform the public and lobby
governments in favor of energy alternatives and preservation.
“The major non-governmental environmental organizations are:
Asociación Educativa Para la Conservación de la Naturaleza,
(EcoNatura), Fundación para la Defensa de la Naturaleza, Fundación
Servicio para el Agricultor (Service Foundation for Agriculture), La
Fundación Venezolana para la Conservación de la Diversidad Biológica
(Venezuelan Foundation for Biodiversity Conservation), PROVITA and
Sociedad Conservacionista Audubon de Venezuela (Venezuelan Audubon
Society)” (Yahoo, 2002).
http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/ifc/ve/
Finally, I believe the government must pay attention to the long term
consequences of short term economic gain. It must also extend the
same rights to indigenous peoples that it does to other citizens.
Among other things, I think it is a government’s duty to ensure safe,
clean living conditions for its people.
The new constitution of Venezuela seems to be headed in this
direction. However, what is written on paper and what happens in
reality are often two different things in Venezuela.
http://www.rodnermartinez.com/inewenviron.htm
As the countries of the world become more interconnected via the
structures of globalization, so too do environmental issues in terms
of both cause and effect. For example, there is now a dispute in the
World Trade Organization (WTO) between Venezuela and the U.S.
regarding petroleum imports and air quality.
http://www.american.edu/TED/VENEZ.HTM
I hope this is what you were looking for. Please request a
clarification if I can assist you more on this question.
Search strategy:
Environment + Venezuela
Deforestation + Venezuela
Petroleum + Venezuela
Water quality + Venezuela
Saludos,
Gitana |
