JUSTICE FOR LAND AND ENVIRONMENT

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JUSTICE FOR LAND AND ENVIRONMENT

• Social Justice Week
• 2007

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• The existence of extreme poverty and
  environmental destruction in our world are not
  natural forces, nor acts of God, but result from
  human behaviour.
• That behaviour is driven by values, priorities
  and decisions which do not see human life as a
  paramount concern.

New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference
Environmental Justice statement, 2006
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(No Transcript)
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What has all this to do with us?
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Check out your clothes, electronics, peanut
butter and canned peaches Where are they from?
Why do we buy them?
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Two years ago, Datong, Chinas coal capital, was
branded one of the worlds most polluted cities.
Since then, the air quality has only grown worse
the pollution is worst during the winter, said
Ji Youping, a former coal miner who now works
with a local environmental protection agency.
Datong gets very black. Even during the
daytime, people drive with their lights
on.Pollution From Chinese Coal Casts a Global
Shadow, The New York Times, 11 June 2006
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• China has now pulled ahead of the United
  States as the worlds biggest carbon dioxide
  polluter.
• It opens the equivalent of two coal-fired power
  plants each week and its industrial landscape is
  booming. Why? Because its labour costs are so
  low, it can sell all its manufactured goods
  cheaper than those from anywhere else, and even
  Western companies outsource their manufacturing
  there.
• If our appetites for cheap and plentiful goods
  keeps growing, China will keep polluting to keep
  up with demand.
• So, whose fault is the pollution?
• adapted from And Theyre Off China
  overtakes United States as worlds biggest
  polluter, Grist Magazine Environmental News and
  Commentary, www.grist.org
• Whats our responsibility here?

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Planning to fill up your petrol tank soon? When
global oil falls from peak production, how will
we drive cars and fly planes?

• As the world searches for ways to replace our
  dependence on burning fossil fuels with more
  sustainable options, there has been a rush into
  biofuels development. The United Nations
  warned in April 2007 that unless this is managed,
  it could result in widespread food shortages and
  displacement of indigenous people and small
  farmers.
• United Nations, Sustainable Bioenergy A
  Framework for Decision Makers, 2007

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Oil palm plantations in Papua New Guinea would
mean the clearing of native forest. Most native
plant and animal species would not survive. The
clearing of land to plant oil palm results in
erosion of top soils with the rains. Further,
oil palm sucks enormous amounts of nutrients from
the soil. Large amounts of fertilizer would have
to be used for the second generation of oil
palms, and then the land will have to be
abandoned, leaving it useless for other plants.
Without native forest, the growing, collecting
and hunting of food which is an important part of
PNG culture will be impossible. Families would
become dependent on the wage from the plantations
to buy food from expensive supermarkets. After
the oil plantations use up the soil fertility,
the people will have nothing. PNGs oil palm
industry is dominated by foreign business and
much of the profit made on PNG land disappears
offshore.adapted from Australian Conservation
Foundation, www.acfonline.org.au
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Native forest in Laos being cleared for oil palm
plantations
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• Corn prices have rocketed, which caused 75,000
  protesters to march through downtown Mexico City
  against dearer tortillas a few months ago. It
  has also made animal feed dearer, which has
  helped push up the cost of pork for the Chinese.
  China saw the price of its staple meat rise 43
  percent in the first three weeks of May alone.
  By adopting biofuels, politicians in rich
  countries effectively avoid taking harder,
  unpopular decisions, such as limiting
  consumption, either with tighter caps on
  emissions or higher taxes. They effectively
  push the problem of dealing with environmental
  damage onto the shoulders of the poor.
• adapted from Fuelling price rises, The
  Guardian, 5 June 2007, http//environment.guardian
  .co.uk
• Prevent, if possible, and never collude in, the
  destruction of the Souths forests and depletion
  of its soil for growing crops for biofuels for
  our cars.
• Edward P Echlin in Live Simply, 2007
• What can Kiwis do about fuel and biofuel?

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The tapu nature of whenua signals recognition of
the need for respect and protection. Whenua is a
whanaunga relative and as such is entitled to
all the privileges of such a relationship.Acknowl
edging whenua as their lifeline, Maori in
different areas developed tikanga for the use and
treatment of its resources. Whether seafood,
flax or birds, the kaitiaki of that aspect of
creation was acknowledged, addressing the tapu of
creation and Atua God as the source of that
tapu.
TIAKINGIA WHENUA, TIAKINGIA TANGATA
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Loss of whenua for some iwi has meant ancient
forms of conservation to protect whenua have also
been lost. Many of the food-gathering areas such
as repo (swamps) considered wasteland by Pakeha
have been drained for development. This has left
Maori bereft of important food sources, and
destroyed the natural environment of fishes,
birds and insects.National parks, schools,
hospitals, churches and some religious
congregations are on gifted tribal lands. A
number of churches have in recent years searched
titles to lands they occupy to validate their
right of use.adapted from Tui Cadogan, A
Three-Way Relationship God, Land, People A
Maori Woman Reflects, Land and Place, He Whenua,
He Wahi
Return of Mowhanau Beach property to Tamareheroto
by Sisters of St Joseph (see pp24-25, Founded on
Rock)
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The Church will support the cause of all
indigenous peoples who seek a just and equitable
recognition of their identity and their rights
and the aspiration of indigenous peoples for a
just solution to the complex question of the
alienation of their lands.Pope John Paul II,
Ecclesia in Oceania
Do any of us know the history of the land our
homes, parishes, educational institutions or
workplaces are built on? How could we find
out? Why should we find out?
Photo Adrian Heke
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Youve heard of the low-carb diet - heres the
low carbon diet!

• A Low Carbon Diet could include reducing
  the use of red meat by 25 percent livestock
  production is responsible for 18 percent of
  greenhouse gas emissions world-wide and about 45
  percent of greenhouse gases in New Zealand. It
  would include sourcing all meat and poultry and
  most fruits and vegetables from New Zealand.
  Also, eat fresh foods, limit processed ones.
  Eighty percent of the energy used by the food
  system comes not from growing it, but from
  transporting it and processing it. Eating fresh
  is also healthier, because there are no
  additives.
• adapted from The Low Carbon Diet,
  www.localforage.com

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Every person and every family can and must do
something to alleviate hunger in the world by
adopting a lifestyle and consumption compatible
with the safeguarding of creation and with
criteria of justice for those who cultivate the
land in every country. Pope Benedict XVI,
Angelus, 12 November 2006
At a youth camp on the South Island, a young
woman named Nicki learned that some of the cocoa
in the chocolate she loves may have been produced
using child slaves. Her research confirmed this
possibility, but she says its not just about
slavery. Its also about farmers being paid a
fair price for their produce, so they can pay
fair wages to their labourers. Its about
corruption and civil war in some of these
countries, so children are the ones left to work
on the farms. Its about the abduction of some
children from bordering countries and most of all
its about poverty. Nicki has started a petition
to ask 60 Minutes to investigate. www.theshed.gen
.nz/chocolate/
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How might our lifestyles better contribute to
justice for developing countries (and to a
healthier global climate)?

• The proximity principle is the key to living
  simply. By restraining our meat consumption, we
  help our climate, soil and water, because meat is
  a resource and energy intensive food.
• The proximity principle means that, in general,
  it is better to
• consume foods that are grown near you.
• This is not only about air miles to transport
  food across the world it is about leaving the
  soil, water and mineral resources in developing
  countries for regional needs. It means leaving
  rainforests intact for indigenous people to
  harvest their traditional foods from, rather than
  clearing them for soy beans to feed our beef, or
  palm oil for our chocolate, detergents and
  lipsticks. It will also mean allowing developing
  countries to preserve precious water by not
  importing virtual water in, for example, wheat,
  rice, avocados, cotton, fruit and flowers. One
  ton of wheat requires 1,000 tons of water to grow
  The proximity principle reduces food and air
  miles climate abuse.
• adapted from Edward P Echlin in Live Simply, 2007

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Flying to WYD? On OE? For Business? What
about carbon offsets?

• The CarboNZero programme supports individuals
  and organisations to minimise their impacts on
  climate change. Events such as conferences,
  festivals, music concerts and sporting events
  usually generate significant amounts of CO2
  emissions. This is because of the large amount
  of travel required and energy use at the venue
  itself. Travelling, particularly air travel, can
  generate significant emissions. The CarboNZero
  programme currently sources the carbon credits
  used to offset your remaining unavoidable carbon
  costs from a portfolio of landfill gas projects,
  windpower projects and native forest regeneration
  projects.
• adapted from www.carbonzero.co.nz

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• Aircraft are the fastest growing source of
  greenhouse gas emissions as more of us are flying
  and more frequently. If aircraft emissions are
  not reduced significantly, climate change will
  only accelerate. Offsets do nothing about the
  very immediate impact of such emissions. Tree
  plantations at most provide temporary storage for
  carbon dioxide.
• Telling people to plant trees to solve climate
  change is like telling them to drink more water
  to keep down rising sea levels.
• adapted from If you go down to the woods
  today,
• New Internationalist, July 2006

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• John Paul II called the Church to an ecological
  conversion, and Pope Benedict XVI has built on
  this imperative.
• How seriously are WYD organisers and
  participants taking Pope John Pauls call to
  ecological conversion?
• Could pilgrims be engaged for a day in tree
  planting and awareness of ecological issues, as
  well as off-setting the carbon emissions from
  their travel and event attendance?
• adapted from Stefan Gigacz and others, World
  Youth Days ecological conversion opportunity,
• March 2007, www.eurekastreet.com.au

What do we do about flying, climate change, and
carbon offsets?
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Photo Acknowledgements Mary Betz, Catherine
Gibbs, Tara DSousa (Caritas Aotearoa New
Zealand) Koru - Adrian Heke PNG house and garden
Philip Gibbs World Youth Day -
www.passionist.com/2008_WYD.html Satellite New
Zealand sourced from Catholic Earthcare
Australia Mowhanau deed transfer Sisters of St
Joseph Water splashing over roadway from DVD,
Kiribati and Global Warming Cheese
www.cheeseboard.co.uk/cheese/cheddar.cfm?page...
Tomatoes David Sobotta, view from the mountain
blog Land in drought www.4million.org.nz