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Nicaragua Hosts World Environmental Conference

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Parent Issue
Month
July
Year
1989
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Creative Commons (Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share-alike)
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Agenda Publications
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NICARAGUA HOSTS ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE

by Scott Chaplin

MANAGUA- In mid-June, over 1,200 people from over 70 countries gathered here for the Fourth Biennial Congress on the Fate and Hope of the Earth. Participants met to discuss environmental problems such as global deforestation, the greenhouse effect and toxic waste dumping and how these problems relate to the development of the "under-developed" countries.

Much of the discussion at the conference focused on the relationship between environmental and peace issues. A quest for limitless economic growth, expansion of the military industry, and consumption of luxuries rather than basic needs, in both capitalist and socialist countries, were blamed by many, as the primary sources of the most serious environmental problems on the planet.

Testimony was given by many conference participants. Omar Ovalles of Venezuela said that, in an effort to pay their international debts, many Third World countries have been required to adopt development policies which encourage dirty industries and austerity measures which make preservation of natural resources and protection of the environment, very difficult.

Martin Khor, of Malaysia noted that the human rights, and consumer goods available in many developed countries are often directly related to the lack of them in Third World countries. Consumerism and the throw-away culture of the North, as well as, the importation of technologies and companies which, due to stricter environmental regulations, cannot operate in the North, have led to serious pollution problems in the Third World. Martin added that while 20% of the world's people use 80% of the world's resources, half of the world's people go to bed hungry.

The final declaration of the Congress called for a ban on ocean dumping or burning of nuclear or other types of wastes; an end to all nuclear activities including uranium mining and nuclear energy for both military and civilian purposes; demilitarization of the world; future development projects based on environmental sustainability and meeting basic needs such as food and adequate shelter; empowerment of women and other oppressed groups; increased environmental education; a cessation of the treatment of the Third World as a dumping ground for wastes from developed countries; and the right to self determination for all peoples of the world.

The conference was sponsored by the World Rainforest Movement, the United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service, the Rainforest Action Network, the Swedish International Development Agency, the American Iridian Movement, Greenpeace, Earth Island Institute and others. The next Congress will be held in Zimbabwe in 1991.

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