Japan Aff Michigan
Download 1.23 Mb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- Coral Reefs KT Populations
AT: Strict StandardsThe federal government has failed to apply adequate environmental standards on the military bases in Japan despite strict domestic ones. Issues and Controversies, 10- In-depth investigation of today's top issues (n.d., Issues & Controversies, “Military Bases Abroad Spark Environmental Concerns (sidebar),” http://www.2facts.com/icof_story.aspx?PIN=ib150285&term=okinawa+coral+reef ) Environmental activists have expressed concern that the hundreds of U.S. military bases abroad are endangering the ecosystems and public health of host countries. According to Foreign Policy in Focus (FPIF), a Washington, D.C., think tank, "The U.S. military has left behind a legacy of environmental problems throughout the world, giving rise to a multitude of complaints by host governments, community groups and environmental organizations." The closure of military bases has reportedly led to local communities having to deal with toxins in the drinking water, residue from explosives and artillery, nuclear waste and other environmental contaminants. While bases in the U.S. are governed by strict environmental regulations, military installations overseas are often subject only to vague international laws, primarily because many overseas base contracts were signed before environmentalism grew into a powerful political movement in the late 20th century. FPIF criticizes the military for failing to apply its rigorous domestic environmental standards to U.S. bases abroad. According to FPIF, "Operating without clear legal obligations, the Pentagon has chosen to implement the most minimal environmental program possible…. Overseas, DOD [the Department of Defense] hides behind a veil of secrecy and refuses to clean up most contamination generated by its activities." According to the think tank's report, such a cleanup would cost the military billions of dollars, but Congress has failed to allocate the appropriate funds. Environmental activists have urged the DOD to research and more effectively publicize the environmental impact of its overseas bases, and chronicle the progress of any cleanup projects. Furthermore, environmentalists have called on the DOD to negotiate contracts with host countries ensuring U.S. aid in cleanup efforts after base closures. Otherwise, critics say, the U.S. would be guilty of applying a double standard with respect to environmental issues affecting communities surrounding U.S. military bases, with those in foreign countries being significantly short-changed. Clark Air Base in the Philippines, for example, has been closed for almost 20 years, but the Philippine government has had a hard time coping with the environmental repercussions of the base's previous decades of active use. In February 2010, Stars and Stripes, a newspaper for the military community, reported that military personnel at Clark Air Base had pumped toxic waste into waterways and landfills before the base closed. In 1991, many Filipino families took refuge at Clark Air Base to escape the eruption of a nearby volcano; later, an abnormally high proportion experienced skin disease, miscarriages, birth defects, cancer, heart ailments and leukemia. A 2000 report by the Philippine government linked those health problems to exposure to the toxic contaminants left behind on the closed base. The DOD claims that the military has gradually become more sensitive to environmental concerns all over the world. In 1992, according to the DOD, the military produced only half as much hazardous waste as it had produced in 1986. Addressing the 1996 Asia Pacific Defense Environmental Conference, then Defense Secretary William Perry said, " There is a great benefit when militaries of the world do their part to protect and preserve their environments…making the world a cleaner and safer place." Coral Reefs KT PopulationsCoral reefs are critical to island populations. Ogden, et al., 96- director of Florida Institute of Oceanography (John C., 1996, Terence J. Done, Dr. William J. Wiebe, professor emeritus at the University of Georgia, B.R. Rosen, PhD. Professor in Radiology at Harvard Medical School Director, “Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function of Coral Reefs,” http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:c38hm1PKMbIJ:www.icsu-scope.org/downloadpubs/scope55/scope55-ch15.pdf+coral+reef+biodiversity&cd=9&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a ) Coral reefs provide essential services to humans (UNEP/IUCN 1988). Large human populations live on islands built solely by coral reefs (e.g. atoll nations of the Indian and Pacific oceans) or by coral reefs in conjunction with other marine sediments (e.g. the Florida Keys). To many coastal and island communities, particularly in the developing countries of central America, the Caribbean, Africa and Asia, coral reef biota are important sources of food and of reef limestone, sands, rubble and blocks for use as building materials. The physical barriers provided by coral reefs protect coasts from erosion by storm waves. Tourism associated with coral reefs provides many countries with significant foreign exchange earnings. For example, in Queensland, Australia, tourism associated with the Great Barrier Reef is the State's second largest industry sector and valued at around $1.5 billion per annum. Beyond these perhaps obvious benefits, coral reef plants, animals and microbes are rich in unusual organic compounds, including antitumor compounds whose potential is just now beginning to be defined (Guan et al. 1993) Directory: files files -> Answer True False 2 points Question 2 files -> Integer programming and game theory files -> 4 Integer Programming files -> Bpa vehicle Window Repair Scenario #1 task: Procure vehicle window relacement. Objective files -> Pop Warner History files -> North Carolina Inclusion Initiative Mapping Where Children with ieps are Being Served Purpose files -> Fall 2013 Spring 2014 Program Data: Standard 1 Exhibit 4d files -> Hanban – asia society confucius classrooms network 2010 request for proposal files -> Northern England’s set-jetting locations Download 1.23 Mb. Share with your friends:
|