Reply #34: The Dominican Republic practices responsible forestry and Haiti does not [View All]

[jpak]

Political instability, violence and corruption in Haiti make it difficult for local and national governments and NGOs to halt the destruction of Haiti's forests or remediate them.

This is not the case in the Dominican Republic (which has over 1.1 million hectares of forest). It is clear from that photo that their forest policy works.

The argument that sustainable forestry cannot work in developing countries is just plain wrong.

Where unsustainable forestry *does* take place in the developing world, it is often illegal and/or benefits corrupt governments, officials and commercial enterprises. Logging in these areas produces timber for pulp and wood products - not firewood. Any suggestion to the contrary is just plain wrong.

Inexpensive appropriate wood burning technology (and solar cookers) could reduce the demand for firewood and reduce indoor and outdoor pollution in developing countries...

http://journeytoforever.org/at_woodfire.html

Biogas from animal manures and night soil could also be used for cooking and heat - China is the world leader in developing rural biogas projects. The processed manure is far less polluting than the raw material and is also used as a high quality fertilizer.

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/BiogasChina.php

Solar LEDs bring light into poor rural homes - these can be purchased with micro-loans (note: this year's Nobel Peace Prize went the developer of micro-loans in Bangladesh). These devices would eliminate the need to purchase kerosene for lighting - and these saving would quickly offset the initial cost of the PV/LEDs.

http://environment.about.com/b/a/233210.htm

Small-scale PV systems and wind turbines could produce electricity for irrigation, cellular telephone networks and drinking water purification. Inexpensive solar collectors could preheat water for cooking and cleaning too.

Can Haiti afford a nuclear power plant???

Nope.

Does Haiti have a modern functioning grid to bring electricity to Haiti's rural poor???

Nope.

Could Haiti's rural poor even afford nuclear electricity????

Nope

Who would benefit from nuclear power in Haiti - the corrupt Haitian elite???

Yup.

Have the rural poor of Gabon and Niger benefited from French exploitation of their uranium resources???

Nope

Have the rural poor of the Congo benefited from Belgian exploitation of their uranium resources???

Nope

Are the rural poor of Gabon and Niger and other African counties exposed to the environmental impacts of (foreign) uranium mining???

Yup

http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=46864

www.calla.ecn.cz/data/energetika/seminare/eaje/diehl.pdf

Did uranium mining bring prosperity to the Navajo????

Nope - only suffering and death...

http://www.sonic.net/~kerry/uranium.html

and all the infantile name calling in the world won't make these inconvenient facts go away...