|
 |
| Home | About Us | News | Resources | Services | Forum | Search | |
Services for Environmental Journalists from South Eastern Europe |
|
 | |
| |
 |
|
||||||
 |
|
|
SEE ENVIRONMENT WATCH Information for journalists interested in the Environment of South Eastern Europe November 5, 2002 * Volume 1, Number 2 |
|
|||
|
|
|
* * * GREENPEACE PROTESTS PLANS FOR GIANT PIT MINE IN ROSIA MONTANA ROSIA MONTANA, Romania, Oct. 30 - Greenpeace has announced that activists from four countries have been staging peaceful demonstrations in front of the office of the Rosia Montana Gold Mining Corporation, to protest plans to build a huge open-pit gold mine in this historic village. Setting up the mine would involve relocating 800 homes and 2,000 residents, according to reports. Greenpeace said that the mining operation would use of cyanide, much like the operation in Baia Mare, Romania, where a January 2000 spill at a tailing pond released cyanide that decimated the fish stock and ecosystems in the Tisza River. The open-pit mine would be the largest of the kind on the continent, and it would have a cyanide tailing pond 10 times larger than the one that spilled in Baia Mare, according to Greenpeace. The organisation said that 500 grams of cyanide would be used to extract one gram of gold, and that left-over cyanide would sit in the tailing pond. "Concentrations of 0.03 milligrams of cyanide per litre of water is lethal for sensitive fish. At concentrations above 3 milligrams, a river is dead and no life is possible," said Greenpeace campaigner Herwig Schuster. The concentration in the Rosia Montana tailing pond would be up to 50 milligrams per litre. Schuster said that the World Bank has already decided against lending funds to this project. "It's unacceptable that now, even after the World Bank Group has decided against the project, because of social and environmental concerns, the company still wants to go ahead," he said. Greenpeace said it is concerned about the level of public consultation that would take place before a decision is made about resettling 2,000 residents. They said that public hearings should be held according to European Union legislation, which would not allow involuntary resettlement for a private enterprise. To ensure sufficient public input, Greenpeace has been campaigning for a regional referendum on the proposed project. In a recent interview on the subject, Margot Wallstrom, the European Commission commissioner for the environment, said that adequate public consultation, as well as a detailed environmental impact analysis, are of particular importance for the Rosia Montana proposal. Greenpeace said it has organised the demonstrations in solidarity with Alburnus Major, a local group that is opposing the mining operation, and Patrir, a Romanian non-governmental organisation from Cluj. Aside from concerns about environmental impacts, others have expressed concerns that the project will destroy historical landmarks. For example, the village is said to be the site of important ruins from Roman times, which would reportedly be destroyed by the mining project, and a group of Catholic priests recently came to Rosia Montana because of the planned destruction of historic churches there. The government of Romania reportedly holds a 20 percent interest in the project and will receive a 2 percent gross production royalty. --Csaba Mezei, Greenpeace * * * BELGRADE RESIDENTS WANT TO BE RELOCATED FROM ASBESTOS BUILDINGS BELGRADE, Oct. 20 - A group of 140 families living in 28 buildings in the southern part of the capital city, about nine kilometres from central Belgrade, have been protesting for almost 10 years in an effort to be relocated from their homes, which have been constructed with asbestos. The buildings were built as temporary dwellings in 1966, and they are in poor repair, so that the asbestos in the walls, which is known to become cancerous after 20 years, circulates freely in the air as a dangerous dust, according to residents. The city sold the residents their flats about 10 years ago, but they did not inform of the asbestos hazard, the residents said. Some residents have already died from lung cancer, and "there is no one in the buildings who does not have breathing difficulties," according to Dragan Milovanovic, 26, a former member of the residents' organisation. He added that "among every generation of children there are frequent cases of asthma." Government officials have been slow to acknowledge the problem, according to residents, and one visiting official reportedly told complaining residents: "Give me one piece of asbestos, and I'll eat it myself." The European Union classifies asbestos as a "Type 1 Carcinogen" and the World Health Organization recognises that inhaling asbestos fibres from out-of-date asbestos material causes asbestosis and different forms of lung cancer. The fibres from exposed asbestos in the buildings are therefore very dangerous for inhabitants, residents said. The residents also said that, in case of a severe storms or an earthquake, the asbestos fibres might travel as far as five or six kilometres. Milovanovic noted that there is a water filtering system just 100 metres away from the buildings. A similar situation was reported in "Majstor" a Croatian magazine about new technology. According to a piece by editor-in-chief Tomislav Toth, in Vranjica, Croatia, asbestos waste from nearby hills is being carried by the wind, and local people have started to complain about serious health problems. Because they could not find help from authorities, the locals are reportedly thinking of finding justice in the international court in Strasbourg. The residents of the "asbestos buildings" in southern Belgrade may be obliged to take similar action. For more information about the situation, see the residents web site, in Serbian and English, at www.azbest.8m.com. -- Ekoforum (ekoforum@eunet.yu), Jugoslavija * * * MACEDONIA OPENS ITS FIRST OFFICE ON PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS SKOPJE, Oct. 25 - The Macedonian Ministry of Environment and urban planing announced that it has opened the first Office on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), designed to help eradicate 12 of the most troublesome pollutants existing on the earth today. By opening this office, Macedonia begins its efforts to comply with the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, which the country signed in May 2001. According to outgoing Environment Minister Marjan Dodovski, the new office was approved by the Global Environment Fund (GEF) in November, and Macedonia has acquired the right to utilise GEF funds intended for developing and transition countries. The chemicals listed under the POPs convention are dangerous substances that persist in the environment, because they do not break down easily. Because POPs can spread through water or air, the entire ecosystem is threatened by these substances. The 12 POPs are: - Pesticides: aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, mirex and toxaphene. The Stockholm Convention includes measures for reduction and elimination of POPs, and every member country is obliged to organise training on the management of these chemicals, develop monitoring and exchange of information about these chemicals. Macedonia's new POPs office will spend the next two years registering all the equipment that used these dangerous chemicals, in order to develop an estimate of the costs for replacing existing technology, according to Dodovski. He said the office will also recommend ratification of the Stockholm Convention by the Macedonian Parliament. With this project, Macedonia will meet the requirements of Stockholm Convention and will establish a base for implementing the convention in the country, thus enhancing the national capacities for POPS management, Dodovski said. --Environmental Press Center, ecopress@ecopresscenter.org * * * 6TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL BLACK SEA DAY MARKS RESTORATION EFFORTS BUCHAREST, Oct. 31 - This day marks the sixth International Black Sea Day - a time to remember the urgent need for concerted action to restore and preserve the unique environment of this remarkable water body. The Black Sea, which went from a healthy sea to a heavily polluted body of water over the past 30-40 years, is beginning to get cleaner, thanks to unusual international cooperation by the countries that border the sea - Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine. Six years ago on Oct. 31, these countries signed the "Strategic Action Plan for the Rehabilitation and Protection of the Black Sea." This plan was developed after an extensive assessment of the sea showed that its vitality had drastically declined over the previous three decades. The plan forms a comprehensive guide for practical work to bring about real improvements and reverse the sea's deterioration. The Black Sea is a very large basin, virtually isolated from the world's oceans, into which 17 countries from Germany to Georgia contribute water and waste from a drainage area of about 2,000,000 square kilometres. Europe's second, third and fourth-largest rivers - the Danube, Dnipro and Don - all empty into this sea. The sea is remarkably young, being formed a mere 7,000-8,000 years ago, when Mediterranean water broke through the Bosphorus Valley to fill a vast freshwater lake, which was dozens of metres below the prevailing sea level. Though not very biologically diverse, the Black Sea has developed some remarkable ecosystems, particularly in its expansive north-western shelf and the adjacent Azov Sea, where the waters are relatively shallow. A particularly unique ecosystem evolved, based on the bottom-dwelling red algae, phyllophora. This ecosystem covered a vast area equivalent in size to Belgium and The Netherlands combined. Despite its uniquely fragile physical and chemical characteristics, the Black Sea ecosystem appears to have been relatively stable until the second half of the 20th century. The first indication of significant ecosystem deterioration was the marked change in the composition of commercial fish species caught during the 1970s and 1980s. Another early sign of trouble was the introduction of several exotic animal species, which were brought by ships from other parts of the world and which flourished to the detriment of the Black Sea's fauna. Meanwhile, a gradual change was taking place on the coastlands of the Black Sea. Urban construction was going on, with little consideration for the environment. The Black Sea was an increasingly popular tourist venue, and this, together with competing demands for space from shipping, industry and coastal settlements placed increasing stress on coastal landscapes. Many cities on the coast had never had effective sewage treatment, but the increasing development put even more pressure on the Black Sea. This was made apparent by an increase in the frequency of outbreaks of waterborne diseases, such as cholera, and frequent beach closures due to unsanitary conditions. The countries bordering the Black Sea recognised the urgency of the situation. In an unprecedented act of international cooperation, they drafted the Convention on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution and signed it in Bucharest, in April 1992. That agreement provides a legal and diplomatic platform for joint action to protect the sea. A commission was established as a common regional decision-making body charged with implementing the convention. In May 2002, the Global Environment Facility launched the Black Sea Ecosystems Recovery Project. In June 2002 the Europe Aid Office of the European Commission initiated the third phase of its support for the Black Sea Environment Programme (BSEP). This will involve continued technical assistance to Ukraine, the Russian Federation and Georgia in implementing the Black Sea Strategic Action Plan. Restoring the vitality of the Black Sea requires the involvement of all major stakeholders, as implementation of the necessary tasks greatly exceeds the current capacity of public institutions to cope with the situation. The BSEP provides support to more than 25 environmental non-government organisations and helps build public awareness and promote education on Black Sea environmental issues. The efforts seem to be bearing fruit. In the spring of 1998, a large population of thousands of shellfish was reported on Romania's Black Sea coastline for the first time in 10 years. Other encouraging improvements have been noted. A sustainable future for the Black Sea is only possible if the people living in its drainage basin are aware of their role as polluters - and they deliberately join common efforts for pollution prevention and restoration of the environment. International Black Sea Day is part of that process. --Plamen Dzhadzhev, Executive Director of the Black Sea Commission - Permanent Secretariat * * * LOSS OF NATURAL SPRING A BLACK EYE FOR ALBANIA TIRANA, Nov. 1 - The people of the Bistricia region like to tell legends about their famous "Blue Eye," a beautiful natural spring, but lately the water their has turned grey, prompting locals to call it the "blind eye." According to hydrologists, the spring has not run dry, but it was instead blocked by masses of stone and mud that were dumped there by recent heavy rains. Now the water that used to go come up through the "Blue Eye" gurgles out of five new springs. Residents have called on the local government to take action to clean the old spring, which was to be the subject of investments from the Italian government. Some fear that the Italians may loose interest in that investment. The Albanian Divers Association has offered its assistance in removing the debris that is blocking the original spring. This would be a first step in restoring a natural treasure to Albania. --Xhemal Mato, Massmedia and Environment, xhmato@icc-al.org * * * SEE Environment Watch is an e-mail newsletter designed to keep journalists informed about interesting environmental stories developing in South Eastern Europe (SEE). This mailing is going out to everyone on the Green Horizon mailing list. SEE Environment Watch is published by the Regional Environmental Press Center, which has the goal of encouraging more press coverage of environmental issues in the SEE region by making sure journalists are well informed about these issues. This newsletter is designed to assist in that goal by disseminating information. The Press Center, which has an office in Skopje, Macedonia and correspondents in all the countries and territories of the SEE region, also publishes a website at <www.ecopresscenter.org> and answers individual journalist's queries sent to <ecopress@ecopresscenter.org>. The Regional Environmental Press Center is funded by the Government of the Netherlands. The project is being administered in cooperation with the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe. ********** Copyright 2002 by the Regional Environmental Press Center ********** | Home | About Us | News | Resources | Services |
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
