Global Spotlight - E.W. Scripps School of Journalism

Global Spotlight
Institute for International Journalism
E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, Ohio University
Volume 4, Issue 3
What’s inside
South Korea 8
Belgium 13
Scotland 14
Ireland 15
Turkey 16
Cuba 17
Senegal 11
Thailand 6
Pakistan 4
El Salvador 18
Ivory Coast 9
Argentina 19
Brazil 18
Zambia 12
India 7
Malaysia 5
Tanzania 10
Asia
3
Editors’ Letter
Battling bullets with blackboards:
Welcome to the second issue of Global Spotlight for
winter quarter 2012. The writers of this issue have put
together a group of stories from literally every corner of
the world. Each story centers around an issue that affects
members of a different country and unique culture.
Although our writers were unable to physically travel to
the countries about which they reported, each interview
was conducted with sources living and working in these
locations. Our reporters communicated through Skype
and with calling cards, oftentimes negotiating difficult
language barriers to get the facts and accurately report
the stories.
Hopefully you will come away from this issue with a sense of some of the behind-the-scenes
stories that affect a variety of cultures around the world. Although these issues may not make
international front page headlines, they all directly affect a wide range of citizens. We hope you
enjoy this month’s issue of Global Spotlight! Thank you for taking the time to read it.
Sincerely,
The Editors
Global Spotlight Staff
Advisor
Yusuf Kalyango
Editors-in-cheif
Joseph Barbaree
Emily Bowman
Heather Farr
Graylyn Roose
Copy Editors
Sagar Atre
Phil Barnes
Amber Skorpenske
Contributing Writers
Sagar Atre - Pakistan
Joseph Barbaree - El Salvador
Phil Barnes - South Korea
Emily Bowman - Ireland
Brendon Butler - Senegal
Katie Donaldson - Tanzania
Heather Farr - Malaysia
Adam Flango - Ivory Coast
Hilary Johnson - Turkey
Tina Kuhne - Brazil
Jenna Miller - Scotland
Matt Pentz - Zambia
Taylor Pool - Belgium
Graylyn Roose - Argentina
Amber Skorpenske - India
Laura Straub - Cuba
Bixi Tian - Thailand
This publication may contain
copyrighted material the use
of which has not in every
case been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.
Because Global Spotlight is
intended for nonprofit educational purposes, we believe
this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of
any such copyrighted material
as provided for in section 107
of the U.S. Copyright Law.
Contact us at kalyango@
ohio.edu if needed.
The struggle of Pakistan’s tribal youth against extremism
By Sagar Atre
J
an Muhammad was born
in war-torn Balochistan,
but he is now a speaker
at global youth forums for peace
at 22. Jan was part of a training
workshop organized by the College
of Youth Action and Development.
Jan believes, “There is a lack of
educational facilities and jobs.
Extremist groups provide an
income, and hence youngsters
often turn to violence.”
Residents of Balochistan, the
federally administered tribal areas
(FATA) and Khyber-Pakhtunkhuwa,
all bordering Pakistan’s northern
fringe, have seen conflicts in
quick succession; the Soviet
invasion, Islamic insurrections,
tribal conflicts, and American drone
strikes. Conflicts have destroyed
basic infrastructure, farms and
factories. Due to a porous border,
effects of conflict in Afghanistan are
severely felt.
Raziq Fahim, founder of CYAAD,
says, “These youth do not have
opportunities or resources to create
opportunities. This vacuum is
exploited by extremists, who promise
money and martyrdom. We work to
turn them away from violence by
reducing their bitterness.” CYAAD
runs training programs teaching
civic rights, community building,
conflict resolution and peace. Six
hundred youth have attended these
workshops, most now work in the
development sector.
Dr. Muhammad Taqi, a columnist,
states, “Persuading a religiously
indoctrinated, poor and angry
young man towards extremism
for a monthly salary is easy.
Disillusionment, anger, economic
problems and helplessness are a
perfect mix for extremists.”
Sadiq Khan, senior faculty
member at the Institute of
Development studies and practices,
(IDSP), states, “Our programs
focus on giving youth a basic sense
of religion, local politics and the
individual’s role in development.
However,
their
devastated
infrastructure and economic poverty
must end. The responsibility of
providing them opportunities of
earning and working must come
from the government.”
Extremists, including the Taliban,
recruit boys as young as nine.
Dilawar Khan, a CYAAD faculty,
says, “I was a possible recruit, I
lived in a rural region called Pishin.
I knew who they were and how
they recruited my compatriots.
But my parents instilled in me a
strong dislike of violence. Many
of my friends were embittered by
their losses. We at CYAAD talk to
them as friends. Showing them
a different, more optimistic and
peaceful side of life changes them.”
The
Baacha
Khan
Trust
Education Foundation (BKTEF) has
established schools and developed
curricula which mix academic
learning with practical skills.
Dr. Khadim Hussain, Managing
Director, BKTEF, says, “We work
on school and college levels. Our
curricula focus on cultural, critical
and analytical skills, and other
facets of education. We emphasize
peace and a better, more detached
understanding of religion. For
youth, we conduct dialogues and
workshops. We are working with the
government to realize the need of
economic investment and aid. We
want to create a sustainable model
to empower the coming generations
psychologically, economically and
professionally. We want tribal areas
without poverty and violence.”
Youth in tribal areas are now
involved in various constructive
activities. When last contacted,
Jan Muhammad was on his way
to Egypt, to talk to youth there.
Change in the tribal areas is slowly
coming, but maybe not as quickly
as it should.
Asia
6
Malaysians unite to “Stop Lynas”
By Heather Farr
O
n the morning of Feb 19, 16 protesters in
Kuantan, Malaysia publically shaved their
heads. As he watched his hair fall, resident
Winson Ooi felt a deep sense of injustice, anger and
disappointment overwhelm him.
“In our tradition, shaving all of our hair off is a highly
symbolic and serious act to show one’s strong feelings.” Ooi said. “I have to do this for my family.”
Ooi is acting out against the construction of the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) in Kuantan. The
Australia-owned plant will process rare earths shipped
from Lynas’ Mount Weld in Australia.
Lee Tan, a consultant for the Climate
Justice Program, was
working in Australia
when she heard about
the Lynas project. A
native of Kuantan, Tan
felt it was her duty to
come back and fight
the company she says
could put farmers,
seafood
producers
and residents at risk.
“The location of the
plant is within 30 kilometers of a population
of 70,000 people – my
family and friends among them. The waste water will
be discharged into a natural river, which is a major seafood production area,” Tan said.
Despite public concerns, the Malaysia Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) granted Lynas a temporary
operating license. Similar plants have been closed in
Papan, California and Bautou due to pollution of river water used for farming and links to lung cancers in
workers, among other things. Thirty years ago, Mitsubishi operated ARE, in the nearby city Ipoh.
“Like Lynas, ARE had no long-term waste management plan, and ad hoc arrangements eventually led to
a situation of indiscriminate, clandestine dumping of
radioactive thorium-containing wastes in and around
Ipoh city,” Chan Chee Khoon, professor at the University of Malaysia, said. “The greater Kuantan community similarly faces the prospect unknown number of
dump sites…if Lynas does not come up with a plan for
long-term waste disposal.”
Dr. Jayabalan, a toxicologist at the National Toxicology
Centre in Malaysia, was involved in the research of ARE.
“We looked at the issue of young, healthy mothers
living close to the plant experiencing miscarriages. We
noted offspring born with congenital defects. Beyond
that, we found at least eight cases of leukemia -- seven
of which were acute lymphoblastic leukemia. One of
the known causes of this type of leukemia is ionizing
radiation,” Dr. Jayabalan said.
According to Cameron Morse, external affairs coordinator for Lynas, it is inaccurate to compare Lynas with
plants like Bukit Mehra
because the companies
process different products. Morse adds that
the International AELB
reviewed LAMP in 2011
and affirmed its compliance with the highest
health and safety standards.
Ionizing radiation is
a concern of citizens
because rare earth elements often found in
conjunction with radioactivity. According to
the Lynas website, the
mineral concentrate used by LAMP is classified as
“safe, non toxic and non hazardous by all international
standards.” According to Dr. Jayabalan, however, there
is no “safe” level of ionizing radiation.
“If it were safe, they wouldn’t transport the materials thousands of miles to Malaysia, they would build in
Australia,” Dr. Jayabalan said.
On Sunday, Feb 25, an estimated 20,000 Malaysians came together to “Stop Lynas.” According to
Wong Tack, organizer of the rally, this is the first time
an environmental issue has caused Malaysians to take
to the streets in such large numbers.
“They are taking advantage of our corrupt system
and of a non-functioning administration. They are coming in from the back door and attempting to use us as
a dumping site,” Tack said. “The people of this country
will not accept it.”
Live with Big Tiger
By Bixi Tian
Russian Felix Cheremnykh spends several hours
drawing, sketching, learning English and working out in
Bang Kwang Prison. He still has 30 years to go.
Bang Kwang is a men’s prison in Nonthaburi Province, Thailand, 7 miles north of Bangkok. It is also
known as “the big tiger”.
Housing 8,000 inmates, Bang Kwang has a capacity
of 4,000. Each cramped cell houses 20 inmates. Each
inmate has only enough space to lie flat. Every meal is
white rice and soup; the only bucket in the corner of the
cell serves as toilet. Inmates spend 15 hours locked in
cells. Contagious diseases spread easily, and it is said
that one in ten inmates has mental issues.
But Cheremnykh is still sane and reasonably happy.
Cheremnykh started talking to British and American inmates to practice English and began working out every
day. But what he is most proud of is his art.
With papers and pencils provided by visitors, Cheremnykh sketches and draws prison scenes. He is now
trying to sell his art to earn money.
In Bang Kwang, every inmate has an account, and
uses money to buy necessities from the prison shop.
Some earn money by working for the guards.
Cheremnykh can sell his art thanks to Heather LunaRose, a Canadian single mother who started a website
called Luna-Rose Thailand prisoner support, seeking
donations.
Luna-Rose visited Bang Kwang seven years ago with her daughter. She talked to a Dutch-Canadian inmate
serving a sentence for possession of drugs. She kept returning and talked to more inmates until she ran out of
money.
She now works hard for 8 months and spends the rest of the year in Bang Kwang, bringing both material and
mental comforts to her “Bang Kwang guys”. When not around, she writes to them every week.
“You still have value as a human,” She said, “no matter what you’ve done “
Prison conditions are widely covered in both western and domestic media, but for different reasons. Western
media focus on criticism, Thai media use the coverage as a deterrent.
Dan White is a British freelance writer in South-east Asia. Despite all the media coverage, situation in Thai
prisons has not improved much. He says, “The Thai authorities like to advertise their jails. Prison stories are on
sale in the bookshops.”
Many in Bang Kwang are international tourists imprisoned for drug-related cases. Some countries have treaties with Thailand to extradite nationals back to their own countries. America is one of them. Most western offenders thus come home to serve much lighter sentences.
But not all people consider Thai prisons grisly. Kriengsaks Chareonwongsak is among those. Having received
his bachelor and doctoral degree in Australia, a master’s degree at Harvard, and a post-doctoral degree at Oxford, Chareonwongsak thinks western media coverage on Thai prisons is dramatic.
“It is similar to western prisons, but it is crowded. There are too many drug criminals, and it is certainly not a
deterrent. About mistreatment, again, it prevails like any other prison.”
7
Sixty years on,
People in India remain fiercly independent
By Amber Skorpenske
Telangana – a fiercely
independent region within
the central Indian state of
Andhra Pradesh continues
to feel deprived even in this
present day.
After the state of Andhra
was pushed to merged with
Telangana in 1953 the marriage, resulted in hardship for
the population of Telangana,
including political, economic
and even cultural problems
(many people in Telangana
speak Telugu). But even
though this union happened
over 50 years ago, today
there still continues to be
mass demonstrations and
even suicides by those protesting the merger. It is important to remember that it is
not the people of Andhra that are against a Telangana
state. It is the “very few” elite Andhra politicians and
businessmen who are against it. They are holding this
merger because of their vested interest in “real estate”
in the capital city of Hyderabad.
Many groups exist throughout the region that attempt to promote the Telangana movement and appeal
for a non-violent protest. One of these is the Telangana
Development Forum, a not-for-profit organization that
sponsors seminars and community events to bring
people together to discuss problems faced by Telangana people.
Vai Jalajam, a member of this organization says, his
struggle began with his grandfather being persecuted
after the merger of the states because of his inability to
speak Urdu. Jalajam says, “My grandfather was a very
successful businessman. After the merger he was left
with nothing. He was a college grad and he still had no
employment. My uncles, the second generation, had
no access to higher education and employment.” It is
very important to Vai Jalajam to help in the cause and
to have Telangana secede, as it’s own state. He says.
“It is most important that we are no longer colonized by
Asia
TeleguOne gathered some statistics from the Bureau of Economics and Statistics to give viewers a better understanding of the Telangana situation. Dilip Kumar Chowdary says, “The scenario in Andhra Pradesh is different
than other states.”
It’s true. Telangana is the most densely populated and the healthiest region in India with the biggest economy
and most productive agriculture sector.
The report compiled by Chowdary suggests that there is no reason why Telangana wouldn’t be able to sustain
itself, as a separate state.
However, there is also a opposition from both Andhra Pradesh government officials and residents of Hyderabad that think things are fine just as they are. Of course the population must take into account how this will affect
other regions that are trying to secede. With India having such a large and diverse population with many cultures
it is important to think of all the reactions and effects a big decision like this could mean.
Korean tradition challenged as mixed marriages soar
By Phil Barnes
some elite Andhra capital and power lobbyists.”
While groups that fight for secession insist that their
cause is non-violent movement, reports from citizens
who live in areas like Hyderabad tell a different story. Leigha Garcia-George an American who recently
moved to Hyderabad says, “When I go to work in the
morning there have been several times I have seen
buses on fire, protests in the streets and even suicides
from university students. It seems like a normal way of
life around here and it’s taken some getting used to.”
When confronted with the claim that the succession struggle includes violence Jalajam stresses other
methods of protest such as hunger strike camps, students marching against police brutality and industrial
action by miners. He then goes on to say that many
students have “self immolated” and died protesting the
cause.
Jalajam still believes that this is a peaceful movement, saying, “Violence is relative. Yes there have
been buses that were burnt and Andhra leaders statues were demolished. Again, I could go on and on
about this but there never was a movement more nonviolent and peaceful than the Telangana movement.”
A member of a Telangana based TV station,
Every morning, after boarding Seoul’s bustling subway, Lara Tosh casually waited for a stranger to ask the
question. She never had to wait long.
“Uh, excuse me Miss, are you a Russian prostitute?”
Thirteen years later, Tosh (who is actually Canadian-born) laughs at the old routine. “The question” isn’t
asked much anymore – Tosh is now in her 40s and
thinks that old age may have
something to do with it. But she
is quick to point out another,
more prevalent reason: South
Korea’s homogeneous culture is
quickly becoming more colored.
According to the Korean National Statistics Office, foreigners living in South Korea totaled
390,000 in 1997. In 2009, there
were over 1 million expatriates
in the country (120,000 from the
U.S.).
Year after year, the number
keeps climbing. Dr. Jinseng
Park recently opened the doors
of his Seoul-based psychotherapy clinic to foreigners in order to
compensate for their rapid population growth.
“Korean society has been the same for 5000 years,”
he says. “Many of us aren’t used to seeing any color.
But it’s certainly changing here.”
And with diversity comes acceptance…slowly but
surely. Expatriates, whether from China, Vietnam,
Canada, or the U.S., are becoming part of the family,
and a once strict adherence to “minjok” (pure blood lineage) is losing its grip.
There were 35,098 marriages between foreigners
and Koreans in 2010, a sharp increase from a mere
12,300 reported ten years prior.
Six years ago, Lara Tosh married Korean Y.B. Ahn.
He is from a conservative family, and initially, Tosh’s
relations with his parents were shaky to say the least.
“When I met with my future husband’s in laws, there
was 20 minutes of non-stop screaming and crying,”
Tosh says.
Tosh’s relationship with her in laws has improved,
but she still experiences culture shock. Ahn’s age gives
him priority due to his family’s hierarchal structure,
and Tosh often finds herself baffled over resulting
responsibilities.
“I actually had to name
my newborn nephew,” she
says. “It was very strange
-- but stuff like this makes
it fun and interesting to be
married to a man of another culture. I definitely see
more couples like me now,
too. It’s on the rise.”
Andrew Eungi Kim, a
professor and intercultural
specialist at Korea University, predicts that bi-ethnic/bi-racial enrollment will rise
to 16 percent in 2118 and to more than 870,000 (26
percent) in 2050. If this proves to be the case, Koreans’
progression of accepting other ethnicities will be put
into overdrive.
Dr. Park knows that the Korean social order is
changing – but it could all be happening too fast. While
holding hands with her husband in public, Lara Tosh’s
eyes still meet the suspicious gaze of older Koreans –
but now, she sets her own rules.
“Even though my husband is twenty days older than
me, I’m still the boss of the house. What I say goes.”
Africa
Ivorian boy finds soccer in the city
By Adam Flango
Walking through the neighborhoods of Harlem and
Washington Heights in New York City does not evoke
thoughts of soccer. But squeezed in between black
tops and roads are enough open fields where children
can learn to love the game or to simply try to fit in—
children like Moses.
After immigrating to the United States from Ivory
Coast, Mohamed did not quite fit in. He did not speak
any English, just the French he grew up speaking. His
parents did not aid the language barrier either. But on
the pitch, the language of soccer is louder and more
distinct than any dialect or accent. Moses had grown
Image courtesy of Uptown Soccer Academy
up playing in the dirt fields in his native Ivory Coast.
David Sykes was born in the soccer country of more serious players, like Mohamed, it has helped to
England. He adapted a passion and proficiency in the be a feeder system to club teams around the city.
game and was soon playing and coaching across the “We now just run it as a training program,” said
Sykes. “We have training four times a week.”
world.
“Everywhere we went, especially in West Africa, The academy also provides scholarships or financial
everyone was playing,” Sykes said. “It was amazing aid to kids that wish to play club soccer but cannot
afford it.
for us to see the length people will go to play.”
There are, however, still some soccer academies that But for Mohamed, the academy offered much more
produce top-level talent in Ivory Coast. The Académie than that. The ten-year old had only been in the country
Sportive des Employés de Commerce Mimosas, often a few weeks when his cousin, who had already been at
referred to as ASEC Mimosas, has had an advanced the academy, brought him to the academy.
and successful system in place since 1948. ASEC has “He didn’t speak any English,” said Sykes. “He knew
soccer vocabulary English
produced current Ivorian
before regular English.”
national
team
starters
“...players
left
their
country
with
their
The game was also
Gervinho, Salomon Kalou
and Yaya Toure, the 2011 families in hopes of starting anew. instrumental in helping
African Footballer of the But in the United States, where soccer transition Mohamed from
Year.
takes a very far back seat to other his home country to New
York,
Sykes
said
that
sports, it can be difficult.”
“Soccer is more than just
Mohamed’s cousin and
playing a sport for him,”
other worried about being
sent to the football clubs in Europe. They had heard said Sykes. “It was instrumental in helping him feel
stories about different players being shipped away and comfortable in a new environment.”
losing all contact with their families with no guarantee Mohamed had found a home, a place where he can
play the game that he loved. In sports, respect is often
of soccer fame or glory.
Other players left their country with their families in earned based solely on your performance. Mohamed
hopes of starting anew. But in the United States, where had skills that were highly developed compared to
soccer takes a very far back seat to other sports, it can other players.
“He was immediately one of the stronger players,”
be difficult.
So when Sykes came over to the United States to Sykes said. “Kids always respected that.”
earn his master’s degree, he simultaneously started Now Mohamed has transitioned from the Uptown
the Uptown Soccer Academy. It is a soccer academy Soccer Academy to club teams in New York. It’s a far
for children primarily ages 7-14. For some players, it is cry from Ivory Coast, but it is an opportunity to play the
simply a way to enjoy the game and exercise. For the beautiful game.
10
Refugees rebuilding lives in Tanzania
By Katie Donaldson
Story” video project. According to
Tanzania has been an asylum Kizito’s testimony for the project,
nation for more than 60 years, taking he was raised in Somalia by Italian
in almost a million refugees from missionaries. He shares the Bantu
nations all over Africa. Refugees in culture with many Tanzanians, but
Tanzania are encouraged to return his ancestors were trafficked to
home if it is safe, but more and Somalia by Arab slavers.
more are wishing to change their When civil war broke out in
loyalty to the country that housed Somalia, Kizito made arrangements
for his wife and children to find
them when no one else would.
One such individual is Osman safety in Tanzania. While they were
Mwale Macheremu (who goes able to cross to safety, Kizito chose
by the name Kizito). The United to remain in Somalia to care for
Nations High Counsel of Refugees his parents who were incapable of
(UNHCR) considers Kizito one making the journey.
of the bravest refugees to seek Kizito did not see his family for
nine years, ultimately waiting for
sanctuary in Tanzania.
While Kizito’s story was never his parents to pass away before
widely known, the UNHCR spread searching for his family. Once he
his tale through their “1 Life: 1 arrived in Tanzania, he was not
only able to reunite with
his family, but also to
obtain full Tanzanian
citizenship. “I was among the first
to request Tanzanian
citizenship despite the
fact that I was one of
the last to arrive,” he
told the UNHCR. “But I
felt this is my real place,
where I have to live, do
or die. Outside here I
would die.”
When he finally did
receive the citizenship
document, Kizito kissed
the paper and fell to his
knees out of joy.
The population
numbers in Tanzania
are always increasing
because of growing
families and violent
situations
appearing
across the continent,
according to Jerome
Image courtesy of UNHCR and L. Taylor Seregni the Assistant
External Relations Officer at the
UNHCR’s office in Tanzania.
The only time refugees leave
is if their home countries are safe
again. The UNHCR’s operations in
the nation are substantial; several
sectors are needed to manage all
aspects of the situation. They work
with the Tanzanian government and
the refugees to determine when
people can leave and if specific
individuals require protection and
new citizenship. The UNHCR also
offers social services to the refugee
settlements, including food, water,
educational programs and health
care.
The health options are so
advanced that many Tanzanian
citizens travel to the settlements to
take advantage of them.
Seregni says the organization
has two major solutions in mind
for this year: allowing refugees to
return home if it is deemed safe
and integrating all of the newly
naturalized citizens into Tanzanian
life and culture.
While the refugee situation in
Tanzania will continue for years,
there is great hope for those who
make their home in the country.
Many could look at the situation
and see a country economically
and spatially burdened by the plight
of others, but Jerome Seregni says
the partnership between Tanzania
and the refugees is, and has always
been, incredibly positive: “The
citizens are always willing to help.
They are making a huge step in this
region and its gaining international
recognition”.
The refugee numbers are now
in a steady rate of decline, but
Tanzania has created a permanent
place of protection and shelter for
those who seek it.
11
Miners in Senegal poisoned by
methyl mercury exposure
By Brendon Butler
Tenkhoto was once a quiet agricultural village in
southeastern Senegal. But the unceasing rise in the
price of gold on world markets has changed all that.
In the past three years, the town has become an
outpost replete with all the problems associated with
boomtowns: prostitution, STDs, alcohol and violence.
But perhaps the biggest problem associated with the
increase in independent mining is the low-tech method
that miners employ to retrieve gold, which involves the
use of mercury. Martin van Den Berghe, a geological
engineer stationed in Senegal with the Peace Corps,
has been designing an education program to combat
contamination that results from this cheap extraction
method.
The process is illustrated in the story of Kassi
Cissokho, one of tens of thousands of young men who
have arrived in the area seeking fortune.
Every day Kassi descends a dozen meters into a
dark, shoulder-wide shaft to scrape out bagfuls of soil
and rocks. Each worker is paid for his labor in raw soil,
but must process that soil himself to retrieve the gold.
If he is lucky, a young man like Kassi can earn twice
as much by gold mining than he can as a farmer.
“There’s not much opportunity in this area. If you’re
a farmboy, there’s not much choice but to head to the
mines once the rains stop,” says Van Den Berghe.
Up to this point, Kassi’s exposure to mercury has
Image courtesy of Martin Van Den Berghe
Van Den Berg says any metal worker in the area can
build one using recycled materials such as teapots or
tin cans.
“It’s just a matter of convincing the people,” he says.
“This is, as usual, by far the hardest. Changing habits
is sadly always the hardest part of development, no
matter where you are or who you deal with.”
Although the Senegalese government is aware of
the problem, Van Den Berghe says, it isn’t equipped to
deal with it.
Africa
“The government really doesn’t exist in this part of
the country,” he says. “There’s no roads; there’s no infrastructure. Gold mining is not a dynamic profession; it
doesn’t provide long term solutions for the people. But
they have no other choice at this point.”
Young men like Cissokho have to find ways to survive. But the gold mines won’t be there forever, and if
the price of gold should fall again, many miners will be
left with health problems and a polluted environment
with little to show for it.
After more than 40 years of cooperation
China-Zambia relations at a crux point
By Matt Pentz
Image courtesy of Martin Van Den Berghe
been relatively minor. But it is during the final stage of
recovering gold when the real harm occurs.
Gold is extracted through evaporation, which creates
methyl mercury smog. When this heavy metal toxin
enters the miners’ lungs, it can damage the nervous
system and cause behavioral disorders such as
nervous ticks, memory loss, and mood instability.
According to the United Nations Industrial
Development Organization, for every 10 ounces of gold
recovered, the miners use up to 8 ounces of mercury.
Rains wash the toxins into the Gambian river watershed,
poisoning fish, fowl and humans downstream.
Van den Berghe is teaching the miners to use a retort, a simple metal container that costs less than $5,
to condition the elemental mercury for reuse rather
than evaporation
unrealistic, but that’s politicking.
“That was just pure politicking.”
Zambia’s close relationship with China dates back For all the promises, little has change on the ground.
to the early 1970s. The African nation had been cut off “What the PF and the others expected (at first) was
from Western investment as punishment for supporting that the Chinese investors, like any other investors,
independence movements elsewhere on the continent, would adequately pay their workers,” the journalist
and China stepped in with the funds it needed to from the Copperbelt said. “They were also expected
to address issues of safety in their operations, which
survive.
Nearly half a century later, the two governments were very low.”
remain friends. The cracks, however, are beginning to A possible alternative is to look to the West for
investment, helping to diversify the economy and
show.
Recently, the Asian superpower has been ruthless eliminate some of the reliance on the Chinese.
in its pursuit of higher profits. In late 2010, Chinese The United States, in particular, is a strong candidate
mine managers shot 13 Zambian workers who were for a secondary trading partner, having invested heavily
in vital areas including better
protesting for better wages.
Tales of poor working conditions “It appears that the (mine) health care provision, and the
fight against diseases.
and low pay are also rampant.
investors
themselves
are
doing
Sata still carries the
“They are interested in
investing in Zambia to exploit little to invest in their workers.” popular support of the
Zambian people (due in
the resources,” said a Zambian
-Journalist, Copperbelt
large part to Internet and
journalist in the Copperbelt
infrastructure improvements),
region who asked not to be
but
undercurrents
of
dissent
are apparent, especially
named. “The Chinese are pushing hard to get the
major concessions in other areas where they can mine within trade unions.
“The cry is still there because people are not satisfied
the metal.”
The issue was turned into a political tool in recent with what they’re getting from the mines,” the journalist
elections. Presidential candidate Michael Sata and his from the Copperbelt said. “It appears that the investors
party, the Patriot Front, were hugely critical of what they themselves are doing little to invest in their workers.”
saw as an unfair balance of power between China and Without any indication of change, relations between
Zambia. Though Sata and the PF lost a contentious China and the Zambian people, may soon reach a
election in 2006, their popular message carried them breaking point. It is a relationship that many on the
continent will be watching closely. If even Zambia,
to power in 2010.
“During the run-up to the elections, the political party one of the current bright spots in the region in terms
had made certain promises,” said Kenny Makungu, of economic growth, cannot stand up and fight for
a senior lecturer at the University of Zambia. “But credible change, it sends a powerful message to the
the claims that they were giving, for me, were a bit rest of China’s African allies.
Europe
Belgian father speaks out against
10-year-old euthanasia law
By Taylor Pool
14
the Flemish speaking part of Belgium; 2 percent of all deaths were
by euthanasia and 1.8 percent were
without voluntary consent.
In the latter cases, physicians
always had intentions to hasten
death. These patients were not
involved because they were in a
coma or due to dementia, but family and caregivers were consulted.
Roosemont described this a “slippery slope.”
Dr. Philippe Mahoux, Socialist
Party head in the Senate and a proponent of the euthanasia law, said
the parliament debated about euthanasia in 2000 and passed it due
to demand.
The top three reasons for euthanasia requests: suffering without prospect of improvement, loss
of dignity and pain, according to a
study of euthanasia request by Dr.
Yanna Van Wesemael, psychologist and researcher.
A patient’s illness the treating
physician receives a concurrent
opinion from other consulting physicians and the case is heard by a review board and the patient is given
other options.
According to Wesmael’s study,
since 2002, 10 percent of the cases
were withdrawn during consultation,
23 percent died before administration and 5 percent were rejected.
Roosemont said, “It breaks my
heart to have to be so open about
what is happening at the moment in
Belgium.”
By Jenna Miller
land – with an estimated 72,000 exclusively for the celebrations. The
Scottish government plans to do it
again in 2014.
“It’s a great thing for Scotland and
the tourism industry, but it also reinforces people’s perception of Scotland internationally and encourages
investment,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell is the creator of a Scottish board game called Stramash,
what he calls “a combination of
Frustration, Sorry, and Ludo but
with playing cards instead of dice.”
Mitchell is looking at the 2014
homecoming as a debut for his
product and hopes to hold a massive competition for Stramash.
He’s already been in talks with
EventScotland to plan “clan playoff
games” and a final championship.
Although events for the year are
still in the works, themes for the year
have recently been announced.
Events will be focused around ancestry and the Scottish Government’s Year of Focus, which include
food and drink, active, creative, and
natural Scotland. New Homecoming Scotland Director Tom Chamber
from EventScotland will lead the
festivities and the Ministry for Enterprise, Energy, and Tourism has
already pledged to invest £3 million.
“I think it will grow and become
more institutionalized,” Mitchell
said. “If held every five years, it will
become a regular event which people will plan for and look forward to.”
The year 2014 will be a busy
one for Scotland, since along with
homecoming, it will also host two
big sporting events: The Commonwealth Games and The Ryder Cup.
And with an imminent vote on a
referendum for Scottish independence, Mitchell says he’s confident
the homecoming will concentrate
on “Scottishness,” but doesn’t necessarily see it swaying many votes.
“The people who are likely to be
involved in the homecoming will
probably be leaning towards an independence vote anyway,” Mitchell
said.
Mitchell says Scotland immigrants did an enormous amount for
developing countries abroad and
hopes the homecoming with fortify
an international Scottish identity.
Scotland to celebrate second homecoming
Tikvah Roosemont was born with 10 percent of the
cerebrum, no cerebellum, and 75 percent of the brain
stem. Doctors predicted she would die soon and advised an abortion.
Lionel Roosemont, a professional guide of World
War I, said he and his wife wanted to give his daughter
a chance. Today Tikvah is neither deaf, lame, blind or
dead.
Perfect strangers approached Lionel asking why he
did not euthanize Tikvah; however, that practice is still
illegal.
Euthanasia is legally defined by the law passed in
March 2002 as ‘causing death of an adult by medical
means voluntarily’.
“Now we know how people think,” he said.
Though he and his wife tried to remain out of the
media spotlight at first, they later decided to speak out.
“We have to testify about our lives and about the
worsening situation in Belgium today,”
Roosemont said, “I personally think about the atmo
sphere in Belgium before the euthanasia law and I
see similar signs in the US. There is more openness in
the US now.”
Dr. Kenneth Chambaere, sociologist and researcher
of End-of-Life diseases in Belgium says that 80 percent of Belgians disagree with Roosemont.
Activists for euthanasia such as Jacqueline Herremans, president of the French organization, Association for the Right to Die in Dignity, says that the choice
to die and escape your suffering is what matters.
Roosemont said euthanasia should be illegal because it is against the beliefs of Belgian political parties. The Christian Democrats should oppose it for religious reasons, Liberal Democrats because it allows
misuse of the law to kill without consent (a fact confirmed by the health journal The Lancet) and Social
Democrats because euthanasia victimizes weaker
members of society.
In a 2007 End-of-Life decision study, Chambaere researched causes of deaths in Flanders hospitals,
“Scots have always been an emigrating society,” Tony Mitchell of Edinburgh, Scotland said. “We’re almost a kind of international nation.”
Scotland is famous for its massive emigration in the 19th and 20th
centuries. There are more people
from Scotland living abroad than
the total population of Scotland.
In an effort to bring home Scots
who immigrated to other countries,
Scotland celebrated its first homecoming in 2009. It encouraged
Scots to reach out to distant relatives and invite them to a year of
celebration with the “I Am A Scot”
campaign. The country hosted
events and festivals focused on culture, heritage, innovation, golf, and
whisky.
Funded in part by the Scottish government and managed by
EventScotland and VisitScotland,
it became the largest collaborative
tourism initiative in Scotland’s history. It generated over £50 million in
tourism revenue and attracted approximately 95,000 visitors to Scot-
15
Overcrowding kills in Irish hospitals
By Emily Bowman
Ireland is full of luscious landscapes, folk music and friendly citizens. Many citizens say the island
is a safe and welcoming community
to live and prosper… until you are
faced with a medical emergency.
Gary Gomringer wasn’t aware
of the overcrowded and diseasestricken conditions in local hospitals
-- until he needed medical care.
Last June, Gomringer arrived at
the Letterkenny General Hospital,
in Northern Ireland, where he had
an angiogram to evaluate the condition of his heart arteries. It wasn’t
until after the procedure however,
that he noticed a rapid decline in
his situation.
“I was taken into the recovery
room and told that in one or two
hours I would be ready for release,”
Gomringer said.
Instead, Gomringer watched in
horror as his already occupied room
filled with more and more patients,
flooding into the hallway, some not
even able to receive a bed.
“I heard a nurse say they were
short of beds for the patients,”
Gomringer said.
Gomringer waited patiently until he
was assisted by a nurse and released
from the hospital, about 10 hours behind schedule. Although his procedure was not critical, medical officials
say their biggest concern is for others
who need more serious treatment.
“The biggest problem exists in
the 15 largest hospitals in the country all of whom have Accident and
Emergency Departments,” said
Dave Hughes, Deputy General
Secretary of the Irish Nurses and
Midwives Organisation.
Ireland has battled hospital overcrowding since the late 1990s. It
came to a crisis level in 2002 be- leys were at record levels and are a
cause of the extreme congestion in daily reality in some hospitals that
A&E departments, the Irish term for have previously avoided this indigEmergency Room.
nity to patients,” Liam Doran, Gen“These hospitals experience a eral Secretary of the Irish Nurses
problem because they are open 24 and Midwives Organisation, said in
hours a day and are obligated to a press release.
accept all presenting accidents and
About 500 patients around the
acute medical emergency needs country are waiting on trolleys at a
of patients,”
given time,
Hughes said.
Ireland’s
The Presi- “The impact of overcrowding is main teleone of demoralisation.”
dent of the
vision netIrish Associawork RTE
- Dave Hughes
tion for Emerreported.
gency Medicine, Fergal Hickey, re“In two of the major hospitals
ported last summer that there are (trolleys) have become the norm
often as many as 350 deaths in and there is no significant decrease
Irish hospitals each year as a result in the number of trolleys waiting
of emergency unit overcrowding.
in their emergency departments,”
The issue has become so ex- Hughes said.
treme in many hospitals, that A&E
Although steps are being taken
patients are being forced to lie on to help decrease the overpopulatrolleys that line the hallways of tion, an end is not yet in sight.
emergency wards.
“The problem remains as bad
“The Irish Nurses and Midwife today as it was ten years ago,”
Organisation identified, in mid 2011, Hughes said. “The impact of overthat the number (of patients) on trol- crowding is one of demoralisation.”
Image courtesy of the Irish Echo
Europe
In earthquake zone, Turkish construction
firms skirt law
By Hilary Johnson
Turkey’s recent earthquakes have been very destructive, but the main concern is not the death toll, but
weak infrastructure.
“Weak buildings and debris kill people, not earthquakes. We need strict measures for constructions.”
said Dr. Nezih Orhon, Anadolu University dean.
The government has tried to enforce measures to
improve construction procedures, for public buildings.
“In 2007, we introduced a new building code; however,
even the modern concrete buildings collapse and are
damaged in earthquakes.” explained Erol Kalkan, engineer with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
The main problem is the builders’ use of cheap material and lack of enforcement of standards. Jonathan
Head, a Turkey-based BBC correspondent, said, “Enforcement is weaker in smaller towns because builders
work cheap and the local government’s lax attitude.”
He blames competition for this problem.
Sadık Mert Küçükkuzucu added, “They use beach
sands, a minimum number of concrete bars and cheaper material which weakens the construction.” Head has
seen this corruption and explained that companies use
beach sands because they are inexpensive. Sand contains salt, which corrodes the concrete.
The Turkish Ministry of Public Works and Settlement
is responsible for maintaining building regulations and
enforcing codes, and it is certainly to be blamed for not
enforcing proper standards.
Orhon revealed a shocking account almost two and
a half years ago. He lived in a ten-storey apartment
and noticed that there were no fire stairs outside, which
violates government building codes. He contacted the
manager and obtained the documents. “They were just
signatures given without a real inspection.” He and the
manager soon received calls from the construction
company asking them to “be careful.” Orhon suggested a nexus between officials and builders.
Citizens feel anger towards builders and the government, but there is also the need of a mentality change
among citizens. Mubin Kiyici, a Turk living in Athens,
OH said, “We have to learn from previous earthquakes.
People must be more open to finding safer alternative
locations, if that’s what the government demands.”
According to Orhon, who assigned his students
to speak with citizens after the 2011
earthquake in Van, people said they would support the
government if it asked them to relocate, but would not
move voluntarily.
“A lot of work has been done by NGOs and the government to understanding all of this information and
educating people,” said Head.
Orhon hopes to shed light on this dilemma during
the International Conference on Global Health and
Crisis Communication Strategies hosted by Anadolu
University June 19-21, 2012. Invited organizations include the University of Iowa, Anadolu University and
the Turkish Health Ministry among others.
While it’s apparent that Turkish citizens should learn
from past mistakes, builders and government agencies
need to be held accountable for their own more serious
lapses.
south america
Pope makes second trip to Cuba
By Laura Straub
The eyes of the Catholic world
are on Cuba for the upcoming
weeks in anticipation of the first Papal visit since 1998. From March
23-29 Pope Benedict XVI will be
conducting an apostolic journey to
Mexico and the Republic of Cuba.
Many would expect the nation of
Cuba would be in a state of preparation, however, most of the excitement is contained in the Catholic
population.
“The churches are handing out
flyers and doing more activities than
usual, to at least try to give the people of Catholic denomination fervor,
but there are no great expectations
on the street, for many it is only the
visit of an international personality,”
says Henry Herida of Havana.
The lack of excitement can also
be due to the size of the Catholic
Church in Cuba.
“In general, the number of people
that go to mass in Catholic Churches is few,” says Miguel Rodríguez
of Havana. “I would say that in the
last ten or fifteen years an increasing and a huge number of people
are joining to Protestant religions.”
Rodriguez also says that although
there are about three Catholic
Churches in a relatively close distance, many people in his neighborhood are Jehovah Witness, Afro
Cuban or Evangelical.
The diminishing size of the Catholic Church could be a result of tensions that began during the Cuban
revolution.
“After 1959, the triumph of the
revolution, many Catholic priests
supported many actions and people
that were against the revolution,”
says Rodríguez.
It is also important to recognize the
Peter Pan Operation, an American
initiative that brought over 20,000
children from Cuba to the United
States. This operation helped the
children avoid the effects of the
revolution by eliminating paternal
authority, but also separated them
from their parents and families.
“Of course it is one of the saddest memories on Cuban history,”
says Rodrìguez, ”Things like those
caused a rupture of relations between religions and government in
Cuba, and somehow, since then,
any person that practiced any kind
of religions could be considered as
enemy of the revolution.”
Relations between the government and religions of all denominations have been on the mend.
In spite of the dramatic past between revolutionaries and religion
there are some government officials who are openly Catholic.
“Actually Fidel Castro was raised
as a Catholic and was trained by
Jesuits.” said Father Raymond
Sutter of Cleveland, Ohio, “There
have been rumors in the last few
weeks that he wants to return to the
Catholic faith. Political or real? Who
knows.”
There are other Cuban leaders who practice various religions,
however, Cuba is fairly secular and
they do not involve their religion
with their work. It is still very likely,
though, that Pope Benedict XVI will
meet with Cuban government workers during his visit.
It is clear that the Vatican has
been in contact with the government officials in planning the visit.
“He can‘t just say one morning, I think I‘ll go to Cuba. He has
to be invited, first by the Bishops
of the country and by the government leaders.“ Sutter said. His Papal Nuncio or ambassador in Cuba
would work closely with the Bishops
and government leaders of Cuba.”
Regardless, the interaction between religion and politics is inevitable at this point in Cuba and there
are hopes that this visit will continue
to mend any rift between the government and the Catholic Church.
18
In Brazil, teachers struggle for recognition
By Tina Kühne
The Brazilian Ministry of Education announced at the end of February that teacher’s minimum wage
would increase by 22 percent. This
is just one step in improving the
conditions for Brazil’s teachers.
Amelia Enrietti has been teaching English in private and public
schools in Brazil for 25 years. Apart
from being a teacher in the state of
São Paulo, she works with Teachers Without Borders. “Most teachers in Brazil have two jobs. We
need to work overtime to have a
good salary,” she said.
Enrietti added only one teacher
salary would not be enough to support a family.
“The new minimum salary is still
very low,” said Priscila Cruz, executive director of (Everyone For Education), a movement financed by
private initiatives. It wants to reinforce the importance of public education in the country.
She said solutions to improve
education in Brazil were salary increases, better career opportunities
and better teacher training.
Not all of the Brazilian states
have the budget to pay this minimum monthly salary of R$ 1,451,
which is about 820 US$.
Teaching is not an attractive profession in Brazil. The Organization
for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) conducted
a survey among teachers in different countries. This “Teaching and
Learning International Survey” (TALIS) 2008 showed that job satisfaction of teachers in Brazil was below
average.
“Only 15 % of teachers felt they
would be rewarded for improving
the quality of their work or for being
innovative in their teaching. That’s
quite a shocking statistic and well
below the average,” said Michael
Davidson from the Directorate for
Education in the OECD.
“There seems to be something
missing in the incentives and rewards aspect in teacher policy in
Brazil,” Davidson said.
The bad standing of teachers in
society and few career opportunities have an impact on the recruitment of new teachers.
“The good students in high
school want to be doctors, lawyers
or engineers but not public school
teachers,” Cruz said.
Enrietti decided to be an English teacher when she was 15 because her teacher encouraged her
to learn. She said her own students
told her they would never be a
teacher, partly because of the conditions they see in the classroom.
“I’m afraid the government has
been doing very little to encourage
students to become teachers at all,”
he said.
Nobre said some schools had to
hire people who were not qualified
as English teachers because there
was a lack of teachers.
“The biggest challenge that we
have in the country nowadays is
finding the people who have the
qualifications both in terms of methodology and proficiency in the language to actually teach,” he said.
English is a requirement in Brazil’s schools. With the growing
economy and two upcoming international events, the Soccer World
Cup 2014 and the 2016 Summer
Olympics, the importance for young
Brazilians to be able to speak the
language is increasing.
Brazil has set goals to achieve
the educational level of developed
countries until 2022 and has introduced new standards for student
assessment.
Nobre thinks the country should
be focusing on those who teach.
Enrietti said she had been very
demotivated because of many decisions made in the education system
in Brazil in the past decades.
“At some point I wished I hadn’t
decided to be a teacher.”
In less than a month she will start
a new project to train new teachers in modern teaching approaches
and to help improve their abilities.
18
El Salvador disease linked to chemicals
By Joe Barbaree
A sickeningly sweet industry might
be causing Central America’s widespread kidney disease epidemic.
And researchers at one unlikely institution could soon prove it.
News broke in the past year of
kidney disease rampantly affecting
countries in Central America, including El Salvador and Nicaragua.
Some 24,000 deaths were recorded after the year 2000. Many were
laborers in sugar cane fields.
Researchers are now trying to
spur government action to prevent further deaths after a plea for
help from El Salvador’s Minister of
Health.
Included in the efforts to solve
the mystery are researchers from a
small community in rural Ohio.
Dr. Dina Lopez, professor of geology at Ohio University in Athens,
is a native Salvadoran now in the
United States. Her research focuses on multiple environmental problems, including acid mine drainage
in El Salvador.
She is now leading an international investigation of soil conditions
in El Salvador to determine levels
of chemical pesticides in communities most widely affected by kidney
disease. There’s speculation that
the sugar cane industry is a primary
factor in the epidemic.
Collaborating with Lopez is Dr.
Carlos Orantes, a clinical health
physician in El Salvador. Orantes
studied the rural agricultural region
of Baja Lempa and found that one
in four men had kidney disease.
Most of them were not diabetic, a
common symptom of the disease.
After interviewing 775 locals, Orantes found more than 40% reported
exposure to numerous chemical
herbicides and pesticides.
Paraquat, glyphosate and he-
donal were most widely reported.
Orantes believes that exposure
to these products leads to health
problems among workers. Each
chemical is reported to have some
detrimental effect.
“These chemicals are banned
in the United States, Europe and
Canada, and they’re used here,
without any protection, and in large
amounts that are very concerning,”
said Orantes.
Spurred by Orantes’ study, Lopez
collected soil samples from the regions most affected by kidney failure in mid-2011.
Student researcher Darcy VanDervort is helping Lopez. They traveled
to El Salvador in August and collected soil samples, which they are
analyzing for chemical presence.
VanDervort’s primarily runs statistical analyses and maps data to
compare regions of sugar cane production with areas of kidney failure.
“My maps are showing that these
areas are overlapping – a lot,” said
VanDervort.
She is finding that the most concentrated areas are in the coastal
regions of the country and at the
border area between La Libertad
and La Paz. Northwest of San Salvador is also highly concentrated.
As many as 65 per 1,000 inhabitants in these regions are affected
by kidney disease.
Once Lopez and VanDervort conclude the statistical mapping and
soil analyses, they will send their
report to the Ministry of Health in
El Salvador.
But they can’t yet conclude that
the use of pesticides in the sugar
cane industry is solely to blame.
“We think it’s multi-factorial,” said
VanDervort.
For now, the fate of laborers in
El Salvador is a waiting game
until action is taken either by the
Salvadoran government or sugar
producers.
Until then, Lopez and VanDervort
will continue to explore the causes
of Central America’s deadly epidemic, whose roots remain elusive.
south america
Climate change spells trouble for
By Graylyn Roose
Argentine wine industry
Along the edges of the Andes
along the border with Chile, sit the
fields that provide Argentina with
much of its revenue. The fields
of grapes that cover the dry, arid
mountain ridges are grown to produce the wares of the fifth largest
wine industry in the world.
Yet on the outskirts of South
America there is another kind of
mountain; glaciers that developed
on the Andes range. Scientists
and environmental activists are
concerned about the effect that climate change might have on these
ice caps, which could threaten the
fragile conditions needed to sustain
Argentina’s viniculture.
Marcos Daviano is a professor
in the University of Buenos Aires’
School of Agronomy . Daviano said
that climate change could have an
impact on the quantity of the wine
industry in Argentina’s mountainous
regions.
“Not so much on the quality, but
probably on the yield,” said Daviano. “They do have a strategic plan,
if you will. I don’t think they’ve refreshed it over the last few years.
But they do have a plan.”
An article put out by the Pontificia Universidad Catolica Argentina, a university in Buenos Aires,
asserted that the temperature and
precipitation levels of the ChileanArgentine wine regions have already changed. In “South American
Viticulture, Wine Production and
Climate Change,” the authors note
that the region often experiences
wide swings in climate and weather
conditions, but predict that the average temperature of the region could
rise as much as two degrees Celsius by 2050.
Martin Cavagnaro is the coordi-
nator for the Argentine Intersectoral
Forum for Sustainable Viniculture
(FIAVIS) a group that works to raise
awareness about issues of sustainability and climate change.He also
said the grapes need just the right
amount of water to be right for wine
production.
Cavagnaro admitted that climate
change is producing changes in the
worldwide wine industry but said
he thinks the negative changes will
depend on how the effects are handled.
“Climate change is producing different responses in different wine
crops worldwide…but my personal opinion is that activity is not at
risk,” Cavagnaro said. “The degree
of threat will result from the ability
of each region to mitigate climate
change impacts.”
Enrique Maurtua is the head of
the Climate Change Department
at Fundacion Biosfera, an environmental organization based in Argentina. He is also the Regional
Coordinator for the Climate Action
Network of Latin America. He believes that if current policies do not
change, the world will see an increase of four degrees in average
world temperature by 2050.
Although concerned for the fate of
the wine industry if subtle temperature increases occur, Maurtua says
that agriculture is one small part of
the ecosystem.
“If the climate is changing, the
species can’t grow in this place
anymore,” Maurtua said, explaining
that the diversity of animals is vital
to the life cycle of seeds. “You need
that biological reserve to keep the
seeds [going].”
He says it’s tough to apply climate change policy to the agricultural industry because climate shifts
are so difficult to predict.
“It takes into account many data,”
Maurtua said. “This does not mean
you cannot do it. But climate change
is complex because you need many
variable factors.”
Maurtua says it’s important to
continue to take climate change into
consideration when planning the future of the wine industry and working with those who farm grapes.
The most important thing is to
keep working with them,” Maurtua
said. “They do know the climate is
changing and they want to keep
sustaining their work.”