Friends of the Earth Australia environment and population project
Friends of the Earth (FoE) Australia has launched a population and environment project. This project seeks to bring together existing FoEA work in the areas of climate justice, trade, sustainability and international solidarity campaigning.
FoEA is keenly aware of the fact that concern for ‘the environment’ is sometimes used as a rationale for opposing further immigration to Australia. Through this project FoEA seeks to expose the use of these arguments by racist organisations and also encourage broader debate about what the key threats are to the ecosystems of the Australian continent. FoEA believes that over consumption of resources (and corresponding over production of greenhouse gases and other wastes) rather than population growth are the key issues relating to environmental sustainability in Australia. It is not rational to see a direct linear relationship between immigration numbers and environmental deterioration In terms of short-term campaign objectives, FoEA supports an end to mandatory detention of asylum seekers and recognises that there is an onus on Australia to increase its immigration levels and foreign aid.
FoEA also recognises that the Australian community needs to have a debate about what may constitute a sustainable human population for this country. This debate needs to occur with full recognition of the responsibilities that come with being the highest per capita producer of greenhouse gases of any nation on the planet, the need to address the rising numbers of environmental refugees, and international perspectives that involve global equity in terms of access to resources.
In this debate, FoEA acknowledges on-going sovereignty of Australia by Indigenous peoples and the need to fully involve Indigenous communities in developing a common vision about what would constitute an optimum level of human population for long term sustainability.
Contents:
Material for the Friends of the Earth Australia environment and population project can be divided into 10 sections – FoEA materials, Asylum seekers, Environment & population, Environment & consumption, Environmental refugees, Ecological debt, Borders, Environment & racism, Campaign groups & initiatives in Australia, and Useful links & resources.
Contact details for the campaign can be found here.
FoEA materials:
> Environment and population position paper
> Boundless plains to share? An opinion piece from Chain Reaction, the FoE Australia national magazine
> FoEA policy on asylum seekers
> Green groups sign-on letter on asylum seekers and population
> Overpopulation shifting the blame
> Article from FoE Melbourne newsletter
> Attention Letters Editor – An opinion piece from the Friends of the Earth Australia National Liaison Officers
> An Open Letter On Refugees
> Open letter on Ali Bhaktiari / asylum seekers
> Introductory leaflet on environment and population
> Introductory leaflet on environment and population (In Spanish)
Asylum seekers:
Adrift in the Pacific.
The Implications of Australia’s Pacific Refugee Solution.
Oxfam Community Aid Abroad.
http://www.caa.org.au/campaigns/refugees/pacificsolution/index.html
Do we need detention centres? http://www.refugeecouncil.org.au/alternative.htm
Environment and population:
> A response to Tim Flannery¹s Australia day speech
UNFPA State of World Population Report
This report covers both population and the environment and can be viewed in full online at http://www.unfpa.org/swp/swpmain.htm
> A statement from the Political Ecology Group, USA
> Sierra Club position on immigration (USA)
Book: How Many Americans? Population, Immigration & the Environment.
By Leon F. Bouvier and Lindsey Grant, ISBN: 0-87156-385-1
Available from the Sierra Club. http://www.sierraclub.org/books/catalog/ (see book review below).
Sustainable Population Australia
SPA (formerly Australians for an Ecologically Sustainable Population – AESP) was formed in 1988 by people who felt that the issue of population numbers was overlooked, or regarded as too contentious, by many of those striving to preserve Australia’s ecological heritage. Note: this group advocates for low immigration rates.
Environment and consumption:
The Inequity divide: some new numbers
The Centre for Science and Environment, India. From their magazine, Down to Earth, Vol 10, No 14 December 15, 2001
http://www.cseindia.org/html/dte/dte20011215/dte_stati.htm
EcoEquity
“EcoEquity is a new organisation aimed at advancing the principle of equal rights to global common resources. More immediately, we’ve founded EcoEquity to fill the need for a U.S.-based organisation focused on clarifying and promoting the principles of equity necessary for a just and effective climate treaty”.
http://www.ecoequity.org/
Global population and environment
A ‘consumption factsheet’ from the Sierra Club (USA):
http://www.sierraclub.org/population/reports/consumption.asp
Contributions to global warming (map)
Produced by the World Resources Institute (USA).
http://www.wri.org/climate/contributions_map.html
Redefining Progress
RP is a US-based organisation that develops policy and tools to re-orientate the economy so it will value people and nature first. Great resources on the genuine progress indicator, ecological footprints and community indicators for sustainability.
Sustainability the facts
New Internationalist magazine, #329, November 2000.
http://www.newint.org/index4.html
United Nations Population Fund’s Publication page
http://www.unfpa.org/publications/pubmain.htm
Environmental refugees:
> Environmental refugees
Environmental refugees: some basic figures
Red Cross/ Red Crescent World Disasters Report 2001. Published annually since 1993, the World Disasters Report brings together the latest trends, facts and analysis of the world’s ever-growing humanitarian crises. “In many cases, nature’s contribution to ‘natural’ disasters is simply to expose the effects of deeper, structural causes – from global warming and unplanned urbanisation to trade liberalisation and political marginalisation. The effects of man’s action are often evident – many natural catastrophes are un/natural in their origins.”
http://www.ifrc.org/publicat/wdr2001/
Warming to cause 150 million environmental refugees by 2050 http://archive.greenpeace.org/~climate/database/records/zgpz0401.html
Rising sea level forcing evacuation of Island country of Tuvalu
An article by Lester Brown
Pacific Islanders flee rising seas. Paani Laupepa is assistant secretary of Tuvalu’s Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Environment. He told BBC News Online: “While New Zealand responded positively in the true Pacific way of helping one’s neighbours, Australia on the other hand has slammed the door in our face”.
Pacific islanders flee rising seas
By BBC News Online’s environment correspondent Alex Kirby
Tuesday, 9 October, 2001
The Pacific nation of Tuvalu has secured New Zealand’s agreement to accept an annual quota of its citizens as refugees. They want to leave Tuvalu because they say rising sea levels are driving them out. Tuvalu says the cause of the rise is climate change, which it blames for other environmental problems. And it has condemned Australia for refusing to follow New Zealand’s example.
http://www.foe.org.au/nc_ep_bbc1.htm
Europe Pacific Solidarity Bulletin
http://www.antenna.nl/ecsiep/bulletin/indexbul.htm
Portfolio on environmental refugees and ecological restoration
Stuart M. Leiderman, University of New Hampshire
http://www.foe.org.au/nc/nc_ep_port1.htm
Portfolio on environmental refugees and ecological restoration
Stuart M. Leiderman, University of New Hampshire
http://www.foe.org.au/nc/nc_ep_port1.htm
Friends of the Earth UK
http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/climate/
Ecological debt:
See the FoE Australia ecological debt campaign.
Borders:
No one is Illegal.
A Melbourne based collective acting to question borders in all their forms. http://antimedia.net/nooneisillegal/
Globalisation? Our struggles are as global as capital
Article available at: http://antimedia.net/xborder/index.html?contents.html&1
Border Environmental Justice Campaign (Mexico USA border): http://www.environmentalhealth.org/border.html
European noborder network
http://noborder.org/
Voices without frontiers. Radio network. http://www.amarc.org/vsf/vsf_anglais/index.htm
Environment and racism:
Black Shirts in Green Trousers
http://www.monbiot.com/dsp_article.cfm?article_id=507
The Global Rise of Right-wing Ecology
By Jonathan Olsen, from Earth Island Journal (USA), Summer 2000, Vol. 15, No. 2
http://www.earthisland.org/eijournal/sum2000/fe_sum2000rightwingeco.html
How many Americans?
A book review by Penn Loh. Available at:
http://www.zmag.org/ZNET.htm
The Greening of the Anti-Immigrant Agenda
B y Cathi Tactaquin, from Network News, National Network for Immigrant and Refugees Rights (USA)
http://www.nnirr.org/news/archived_netnews/thegreening.htm
Blood and Culture: Ethnic conflict and the authoritarian Right
Nicholas Hildyard. Published by the Cornerhouse (England).
http://cornerhouse.icaap.org/briefings/11.html
The Malthus factor. Poverty, politics and population in capitalist development
Eric Ross. A briefing paper from the Cornerhouse (England).
http://cornerhouse.icaap.org/briefings/20.html
The Progressive Left’s Dirty Little Secret: Public Citizen, IFG and the Far Right
By Mark S, from the Resist website, May 2000.
http://www.tao.ca/%7Eresist/theleftsdirtylittlesecret.html
Confronting the eco-fascist tradition in the German experience
By Steve Chase, from Z magazine.
http://www.zmag.org/zmag/zarticle.cfm?Url=/articles/oct1999chase.htm
Commentary Women’s Health, Immigration, and Population
By Betsy Hartmann, from Network News, magazine of National Network for Immigrant and Refugees Rights (USA)
http://www.nnirr.org/news/archived_netnews/commentary.htm
Campaign groups and initiatives in Australia:
More to comeŠ
Call for the Australian Government to abide by International Human Rights and Refugee conventions
Petition to Mrs. Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights:
http://www.petitiononline.com/aliraqi/petition-sign.html
For a Royal Commission into the Commonwealth Government¹s Treatment of Asylum Seekers
In the past three months, the Australian government’s treatment of asylum seekers has caused outrage among many in the Australian and international communities. No other government has gone to such great lengths to close its borders to people fleeing repression and terror. No other government has turned away leaking boats full of asylum seekers and refused to take responsibility for the consequences. No other government has so openly violated its international human rights obligations.
For more information, contact [email protected] or Pip Hinman on 0412 139 968 or Sarah Stephens on 0421 326 987
To support the call for a Royal Commission, visit:
http://www.refugee-royal-commission.org/
Australians for Just Refugee Programs Inc
Australians for Just Refugee Programs Inc was launched on 20 February 2002. Go to www.justrefugeeprograms.com.au to find out more and register your support. Donations to the campaign work can be made by mail to: Australians for Just Refugee Programs Inc, PO Box 559 Surry Hills NSW 2010 Cheers Howard Glenn National Coordinator Australians for Just Refugee Programs Inc
http:// www.justrefugeeprograms.com.au
Postcards To Woomera
Fair Go for Asylum Seekers is calling on all concerned people to send postcards with personal messages of support to Hamed, the representative of the Iraqi detainees currently engaged in a hunger strike. This is a simple and quick way of showing the refugees that they are not alone and demonstrating to the Government that we do not support their policies. This initiative has been developed in consultation with people who have day to day contact with refugees in Woomera.
Postcards should be sent to the Woomera Legal Outpost 6 Gooyong Street Woomera South Australia 5720. They will deliver them to Hamed. Please urge other individuals and organisations to send postcards. Don’t forget that there are now many free postcards available so it is possible to send large quantities for a very low cost.
For more information call David Winderlich 0418 851 916
Some useful links:
Australia:
Ausnews Global Network and Justice for Refugees:
http://www.angelfire.com/film/ausnews/
Australia Cares:
http://www.australiacares.org/
Australians Against Racism:
http://www.australiansagainstracism.org/
Green Left Weekly (paper of the Democratic Socialist party):
http://www.greenleft.org.au
Refugee Council of Australia:
Refugee Action Collective, Vic:
http://www.rac-vic.org/
Rural Australians for Refugees:
http://www.ruralaustraliansforrefugees.org/
Spare Rooms for Refugees.
“Spare rooms for Refugees invites you to register your willingness to house a refugee or a refugee family in a house or flat of your own”
http://www.spareroomsforrefugees.com/
X border: Melbourne based organisation:
http://antimedia.net/xborder/contents.html
The Australian Reproductive Health Alliance:
“The ARHA runs youth conferences for high school students, where we have speakers on the issues of population, environment, development and reproductive rights and/or HIV/AIDS.”
http:// www.arha.org.au
International:
The National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (USA):
http://www.nnirr.org/about/about_mission.html
For more information on FoE Australia’s Environment and population project, contact:
Cam Walker
Ph (03) 9419 8700
Email: [email protected]
Suggestions for articles and links appreciated.