Category: Environment Watch

Of dead androids, toxic cocktails

mcmangahas Leave a comment

By Cong B. Corrales

WHERE do dead android phones go? Most certainly, not to android heaven.

Dead androids and other e-waste typically get dumped in the wasteland of developing nations,the Philippines included. The problem is, such waste generate toxin cocktails that are not without risks to human health.

A recent study by the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) titled “Global E-waste Monitor 2014″ posited that if left unregulated, e-waste will pose a serious threat to human health and the environment.

INFROGRAPHICS by Cong B. Corrales

INFROGRAPHICS by Cong B. Corrales

Based in Tokyo, Japan, UNU-IAS is an autonomous unit of the UN General Assembly dedicated to generating and transferring knowledge and strengthening capacities relevant to global issues of human security, development, and welfare.

E-waste, the study said, refers to all items of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and their parts that have been discarded by their owners as waste, without the intent of using these again.

There are six categories of e-waste, namely:

1. Temperature exchange equipment: refrigerators, freezers, air conditions, heat pumps

2. Screens, monitors: television, computer monitors, laptops, notebooks, and tablets

3. Lamps: flourescent lamps, high intensity discharge lamps and LED lamps

4. Large equipment: washing machines, clothes dryers, dish washing machines, electric stoves, large printing machines, copying equipment, photovoltaic panels

5. Small equipment: vacuum cleaners, microwaves, ventilation equipment, toasters, electric kettles, electric shavers, scales, calculators, radio sets, video cameras, electrical and electronic toys, small electrical and electronic tools, small medical devices, small monitoring and control instruments

6. Small IT and telecommunication equipment: mobile phones, GPS, pocket calculators, routers, personal computers, printers, telephones

Photo by Angelica Carballo-Pago

Photo by Angelica Carballo-Pago

In 2014 alone, the study estimated the total amount e-waste that the world churned out to be a monstrous 41.9 million metric tons.

The “intrinsic material value” of the e-waste generated last year is at least 48 billion euro. It further postulated that by 2018, the total volume of e-waste will rise to 50 metric tons.

In 2014, the world generated e-waste that consisted of:

* 1.0 metric tons of lamps,
* 6.3 Mt of screens
* 3.0 Mt of small IT (such as mobile phones, pocket calculators, personal computers, printers, etc.)
* 12.8 Mt of small equipment (such as vacuum cleaners, microwaves, toasters, electric shavers, video cameras, etc.)
* 11.8 Mt of large equipment (such as washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers, electric stoves, photovoltaic panels, etc.) and * 7.0 Mt of cooling and freezing equipment (temperature exchange equipment).

“The annual supply of toxins from e-waste is 2.2 Mt of lead glass, 0.3 Mt of batteries and 4 kilo tonnes (kt) of ozone-depleting substances (CFCs),” the study said.

In addition, “a cocktail of other toxic substances such as mercury, cadmium, chromium, arsenic, selenium, among others, which can stream into the environment when not properly managed. Health problems associated with such toxins include impaired mental development, cancer, damage to liver and kidneys, miscarriages, and even death,” the study added.

 

The Philippines reportedly generated 127 kilo tons (kt) of e-waste, or about 1.3 kilogram per Filipino on average.

An environmental group BAN Toxics (BT), however, noted that since the Philippine Congress has yet to approve laws on e-waste regulation, the country is highly susceptible to e-waste dumping from richer countries.

Photo by Angelica Carballo-Pago

Photo by Angelica Carballo-Pago

“As a developing country, the Philippines is very vulnerable to e-waste dumping of richer countries and the poor are taking the brunt of this phenomenon. Our government should ensure proper safeguards are in place to prevent this looming catastrophe of e-waste dumping in our country,” said Angelica Carballo-Pago, BAN Toxics! media and communications manager, in an online interview last week.

A point in case, Carballo-Pago added, is the continuing presence of 50 40-footer container vans of garbage from Canada which also contains e-waste among used adult diapers.

“Money lost on storage and demurrage is P144,000 per day, and it has been more than 700 days since it first arrived here in Manila port,” he said.

A Waste Assessment and Character Study (WACS) on the Canadian imported wastes by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) at the Manila International Container Terminal Yard conducted on November 10, last year decided that there is nothing wrong in disposing the wastes here in the Philippines.

It should be noted, however, that the DENR opened and inspected only three (ZCSU 821145, 819370, 842595) of the 50 container vans, Carballo-Pago said.

“The trend does not show any signs of slowing down and most wastes do end up in a landfill of a poor country such as ours. We call on government to strictly enforce existing laws against waste trade and to act on the Basel Ban Amendment.” - PCIJ, May 2015

Of dead androids, toxic cocktails

mcmangahas Leave a comment

By Cong B. Corrales

WHERE do dead android phones go? Most certainly, not to android heaven.

Dead androids and other e-waste typically get dumped in the wasteland of developing nations,the Philippines included. The problem is, such waste generate toxin cocktails that are not without risks to human health.

A recent study by the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS) titled “Global E-waste Monitor 2014″ posited that if left unregulated, e-waste will pose a serious threat to human health and the environment.

INFROGRAPHICS by Cong B. Corrales

INFROGRAPHICS by Cong B. Corrales

Based in Tokyo, Japan, UNU-IAS is an autonomous unit of the UN General Assembly dedicated to generating and transferring knowledge and strengthening capacities relevant to global issues of human security, development, and welfare.

E-waste, the study said, refers to all items of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and their parts that have been discarded by their owners as waste, without the intent of using these again.

There are six categories of e-waste, namely:

1. Temperature exchange equipment: refrigerators, freezers, air conditions, heat pumps

2. Screens, monitors: television, computer monitors, laptops, notebooks, and tablets

3. Lamps: flourescent lamps, high intensity discharge lamps and LED lamps

4. Large equipment: washing machines, clothes dryers, dish washing machines, electric stoves, large printing machines, copying equipment, photovoltaic panels

5. Small equipment: vacuum cleaners, microwaves, ventilation equipment, toasters, electric kettles, electric shavers, scales, calculators, radio sets, video cameras, electrical and electronic toys, small electrical and electronic tools, small medical devices, small monitoring and control instruments

6. Small IT and telecommunication equipment: mobile phones, GPS, pocket calculators, routers, personal computers, printers, telephones

Photo by Angelica Carballo-Pago

Photo by Angelica Carballo-Pago

In 2014 alone, the study estimated the total amount e-waste that the world churned out to be a monstrous 41.9 million metric tons.

The “intrinsic material value” of the e-waste generated last year is at least 48 billion euro. It further postulated that by 2018, the total volume of e-waste will rise to 50 metric tons.

In 2014, the world generated e-waste that consisted of:

* 1.0 metric tons of lamps,
* 6.3 Mt of screens
* 3.0 Mt of small IT (such as mobile phones, pocket calculators, personal computers, printers, etc.)
* 12.8 Mt of small equipment (such as vacuum cleaners, microwaves, toasters, electric shavers, video cameras, etc.)
* 11.8 Mt of large equipment (such as washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers, electric stoves, photovoltaic panels, etc.) and * 7.0 Mt of cooling and freezing equipment (temperature exchange equipment).

“The annual supply of toxins from e-waste is 2.2 Mt of lead glass, 0.3 Mt of batteries and 4 kilo tonnes (kt) of ozone-depleting substances (CFCs),” the study said.

In addition, “a cocktail of other toxic substances such as mercury, cadmium, chromium, arsenic, selenium, among others, which can stream into the environment when not properly managed. Health problems associated with such toxins include impaired mental development, cancer, damage to liver and kidneys, miscarriages, and even death,” the study added.

 

The Philippines reportedly generated 127 kilo tons (kt) of e-waste, or about 1.3 kilogram per Filipino on average.

An environmental group BAN Toxics (BT), however, noted that since the Philippine Congress has yet to approve laws on e-waste regulation, the country is highly susceptible to e-waste dumping from richer countries.

Photo by Angelica Carballo-Pago

Photo by Angelica Carballo-Pago

“As a developing country, the Philippines is very vulnerable to e-waste dumping of richer countries and the poor are taking the brunt of this phenomenon. Our government should ensure proper safeguards are in place to prevent this looming catastrophe of e-waste dumping in our country,” said Angelica Carballo-Pago, BAN Toxics! media and communications manager, in an online interview last week.

A point in case, Carballo-Pago added, is the continuing presence of 50 40-footer container vans of garbage from Canada which also contains e-waste among used adult diapers.

“Money lost on storage and demurrage is P144,000 per day, and it has been more than 700 days since it first arrived here in Manila port,” he said.

A Waste Assessment and Character Study (WACS) on the Canadian imported wastes by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) at the Manila International Container Terminal Yard conducted on November 10, last year decided that there is nothing wrong in disposing the wastes here in the Philippines.

It should be noted, however, that the DENR opened and inspected only three (ZCSU 821145, 819370, 842595) of the 50 container vans, Carballo-Pago said.

“The trend does not show any signs of slowing down and most wastes do end up in a landfill of a poor country such as ours. We call on government to strictly enforce existing laws against waste trade and to act on the Basel Ban Amendment.” - PCIJ, May 2015

Beyond the territorial dispute in the South China Sea

Julius Mariveles Leave a comment

Earl G. Parreno

THEY are some of the most destructive land reclamation projects in the country. But unlike other planned developments that have become controversial because of their adverse impact on the environment, these are all taking place almost under the radar. China’s land reclamation projects on reefs, islets and rocks in the Spratly Islands—and their impact not just on the country’s national, but more significantly, food security—are hardly catching the public’s attention.

Sunset on the South China Sea off M?i Né village on the south-east coast of Vietnam | Photo from en.wikipedia.org

Sunset on the South China Sea off M?i Né village on the south-east coast of Vietnam | Photo from en.wikipedia.org

Yet, China’s aggressive action in the disputed areas in the South China Sea may lead to a catastrophic collapse of marine biodiversity and fishery in this part of the globe.

“This issue goes beyond territorial dispute,” says Vince Cinches, Oceans Campaigner of Greenpeace. “Reclamation projects in biodiversity impact areas are irresponsible.”

Cinches says that China’s reclamation in the South China Sea, now estimated to have reached 311 hectares, are destroying some US$100 million a year of what is called the Coral Reef Ecosystem Services, quoting a study conducted by Emeritus Prof. Edgardo D. Gomez of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute.

Ecosystem services are direct and indirect contribution of the ecosystem to the survival and quality of human life. They include food and other raw materials the ecosystem provides, as well as its role in regulating climate and moderating ecological disturbances.

Concretely, the reclamation of 311 hectares would translate into a 20 percent reduction of fish catch in the area. It could affect more than 12,000 fishers in four provinces of the country namely, Pangasinan, Zambales, Bataan and Palawan. In 2014, some 21,186.8 metric tons of fish were harvested in the South China Sea, according to estimates by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). This could go down to just 17,000 metric tons this year, based on Greenpeace’s figures.

But China, which is claiming 85.7 percent of the 3.5 million-hectare South China Sea as its own, is planning to build bigger islands from the reefs and underwater rocks. This would mean greater destruction to the reef ecosystem in the area. For instance, in Mischief Reef (also called Panganiban Reef), just 112 nautical miles from Palawan and well within the 200 nautical miles exclusive economic zone of the Philippines, China has built an artificial islet that now measures around 3.2 hectares. Based on satellite photos, this reclamation project, which started only in January this year, can reach at least 500 hectares when done. China has reclamation activities on seven reefs in the Spratly’s at present.

View the lecture of Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio on the South China Sea issue below.

“Reefs are the breeding ground of fish,” says Cinches, “but the Spratly Islands is also important in larval dispersal.” He explains that when the eggs spawned by the fish on the reefs in the Spratly’s are hatched these are carried by the ocean currents to as far as Indonesia where they grow and mature.

“Destroying the reef ecosystem in the Spratly Islands affects the fish supply not just in our country but in the neighboring countries as well,” Cinches points out.

China contends that the reclamations are intended to “improve the living and working conditions of those stationed on the islands.” When it occupied Mischief Reef in 1995, it rationalized its action by saying that the reef will provide “shelter” to its fishermen. Several years on, however, Chinese troops stationed in the reef are shooing away Filipino fishers trying to make a living from the bountiful marine resources in the area. In fact, China has appropriated for itself the fishery resources in the whole South China Sea, with its heavily armed coast guard fleets patrolling the area.

Indeed, China’s aggressive action in the South China Sea is not only gobbling up Philippine territory. It is also eating up the country’s fish supply. A grave matter that the public should know, and act on.

What’s swimming in your soup?

Julius Mariveles Leave a comment

PAGE FROM THE PAST: We are reprinting this article originally published on November 27, 2007 in our i-Report page.

FISH IS our number one source of protein and, next only to rice, fish and other marine-based products like clams, seaweed, and prawns are the food we eat most often. Actually, we love seafood so much, we can no longer count the ways we enjoy eating what we harvest from the sea. We have fried tinapa paired with fresh tomatoes and garlicky sinangag (fried rice) for breakfast, sinigang na hipon or bangus (shrimps or milkfish in sour broth) for lunch, and steamed crabs for dinner. There are the reliable fish balls and prawn crackers for snacks, and perhaps even a sardine or tuna sandwich for those who have to have something heavier in between meals. When we drink with our friends, among the pulutan (bar chow) could be baked tahong (clams) and grilled tilapia.

Many of us, however, may lose their appetite for seafood if they knew what is also in the waters from which those good eats come. Says the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) in its National Water Quality Report for 2001 to 2005: “(Most) surface and coastal waters are under severe environmental stress from point sources of pollution. Human settlements, farming, and industry all contribute to pollution of water bodies.”

Click on the photo to read the full article.

THE FRESHEST catch from the sea in Guimaras, Western Visayas | Photo by Julius D. Mariveles

FISH, fresh from the sea, in Guimaras, Western Visayas | Photo by Julius D. Mariveles

Rights groups alarmed over WB revision

Julius Mariveles Leave a comment

Of its social and environmental safeguard policies

By Cong B. Corrales

International human rights groups have sounded alarm bells over a leaked draft of the World Bank’s proposed revision of its safeguard policies since it is seen to endanger local communities affected by the bank’s funded projects—specifically indigenous people’s communities.

The World Bank is currently revising its social and environmental safeguard policies. These are policies designed to prevent people and the environment from being harmed by Bank-funded projects.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed concern over the leaked draft policy because it includes a provision that would allow governments to “opt-out” of applying specific protections for indigenous peoples if the latter believes such requirement would raise ethnic conflict or contravene constitutional law.

“(It is) essentially rendering protections for indigenous peoples optional,” the HRW said in a press statement.

Human Rights Watch is a non-profit, non-governmental human rights organization made up of roughly 400 staff members around the globe. Its staff consists of human rights professional including country experts, lawyers, journalists, and academics of diverse backgrounds and nationalities.

While the intention of the World Bank in revising its safeguard policy may be good, it is the lack of consultation that has generated concern among local indigenous peoples.

In an online interview, National Anti-Poverty Commission for Indigenous Peoples Basic Sector Council Member Bae Rose Undag told PCIJ that she sees no problem with the World Bank revising its safeguard policy but it could have conducted consultations with the stakeholders.

“I think their intention is good, in particular with Land Bank because they mentioned that they respect the FPIC (Free, Prior, and Informed Consent) mechanism. But it would have been better if we were included in the consultations so that we could discuss collectively arrive in a more transparent process,” Undag said in the dialect.

However, she added that she will consult her members regarding the World Bank’s intention in revising its safeguard policy so they can come up with a collective stand on the issue.

A MOUNTAIN STILL STANDING GAZES at what could be its fate should mining operations resume in Sipalay City. At the foot of the mountain is the old millsite of the Maricalum Mining Corporation. What seems to be a lake is a former mountain, levelled then dug up by MMC. It is the open pit of the mine that has now filled with water. Estimated to be more than 20 hectares wide and more than a kilometer deep, this open pit mine is the source of copper of the mine for decades until its closure in the 90s. Image taken May 2011 in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental.

A MOUNTAIN STILL STANDING GAZES at what could be its fate should mining operations resume in Sipalay City. At the foot of the mountain is the old millsite of the Maricalum Mining Corporation. What seems to be a lake is a former mountain, levelled then dug up by MMC. It is the open pit of the mine that is now filled with water. Estimated to be more than 20 hectares wide and more than a kilometer deep, this open pit mine is the source of copper of the mine for decades until its closure in the 90s. Image taken May 2011 in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental.

“As far as I know this has already starting (revision of World Bank’s safeguard policy). This was one of the issues we discussed during the WCIP (World Conference on Indigenous Peoples of the United Nations) last September,” she said in the dialect.

Undag represented the country in the first World Conference on Indigenous Peoples which was held in New York City, September, this year.

The meeting was designed for delegates to share their perspectives and best practices on the realization of the rights of indigenous peoples. The discussions also included engaging the objectives of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

World Bank-funded projects in the Philippines include the Post Typhoon Recovery Loan, Cebu Bud Rapid Transit (BRT) Project, Philippine Rural Development Project, and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Implementation Project.

HRW also cited the Bank on Human Rights reiteration of the World Bank and its member countries’ obligation to ensure that investments in dams, roads, or other projects do not result in forced evictions, labor abuses, or other rights violations.

“Instead, the Bank appears to be moving to a blank-check system, where communities will have no clear protections and little ability to seek recourse if their rights are violated,” Gretchen Gordon, Bank on Human Rights coalition coordinator, said in its

“The release of the new draft safeguards has caused considerable concern. Despite some improvement, the new framework proposes to remove much of the procedural requirements and enforceability of the current safeguards, including critical protections for indigenous peoples and forest-dependent communities, and communities which may be resettled because of development,” the Bank on Human Rights said in its separate statement on the World Bank policy draft.

Bank on Human Rights is a newly formed global coalition of social movements, civil society organizations, and grassroots groups working to ensure that all development finance institutions respect human rights.

The HRW advisory quoted Forest Peoples Programme Director Joji Carino as saying that the indigenous peoples’ recommendations to strengthen World Bank standards and bring them into line with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples have fallen on deaf ears.

“World Bank pledges on ‘no-dilution’ of existing policies are being broken with this proposed ‘opt-out,’ despite advances made in other substantive areas of the new proposals,” HRW quoted Carino as saying.

Forest Peoples Programme was founded in 1990 in response to the forest crisis, specifically to support indigenous forest peoples’ struggles to defend their lands and livelihoods.