Alsadiq Siddiq Adam Abdullah - kidnapped - UAE

The Environment - How can you help protect it?
Our planet is in trouble! Almost every day we seem to hear of yet another problem affecting the environment - and what a list of problems! - pollution, acid rain, global warming, the destruction of rainforests and other wild habitats, the decline and extinction of thousands of species of animals and plants....and so on. Nowadays, most of us know that these threats exist and that humans have caused them. Many of us are very worried about the future of our planet and unless we can find a way of solving the problems we have made then the environment will suffer even more. It all sounds so depressing - but we certainly mustn't despair! Every one of us, whatever age we are, can do something to help slow down and reverse some of the damage. We cannot leave the problem-solving entirely to the experts - we all have a responsibility for our environment. We must learn to live in a sustainable way i.e. learn to use our natural resources which include air, freshwater, forests, wildlife, farmland and seas without damaging them. As populations expand and lifestyles change, we must keep the World in good condition so that future generations will have the same natural resources that we have. Here are just a few examples of the threats to our environment and some ideas to help you to do something about them. Waste We humans create such a lot of rubbish! Each household in Britain produces about 1 tonne of rubbish every year! Most of this is taken away by dustmen and buried in enormous landfill sites or burned in incinerators - both of these actions can be dangerous for the environment. Is all our rubbish really rubbish? If you think about it, much of what we throw away could be used again. It makes sense to recycle and not just to solve the problemof where to put the rubbish. Much of our waste is made up of glass, metal, plastic and paper. Our natural resources such as trees, oil, coal and aluminium are used up in enormous amounts to make these products and the resources will one day be compl etely used up. We must cut down on energy use. Ideas to Help Sort out your rubbish. Organic matter e.g. potato peelings, left over food, tea leaves etc. can be transferred straight to a compost heap in the garde and used as a good, natural fertiliser for the plants. Aluminium cans, glass bottles and newspapers etc. can be taken to bottle and can banks and wastepaper skips. Find out where they are by asking your local council or library. Use recycled paper to help save trees. Everyone in Britain uses about 6 trees worth of paper every year. Chlorine bleach is usually used to make newspapers and this pollutes rivers. Its better to use unbleached, recycled paper whenever you can. Take your old clothes to charity shops. Some are sold, others are returned to textile mills for recycling.   Try to avoid buying plastic. It's hard to recycle. One way to cut down on plastic is to refuse to use carrier bags offered by supermarkets and use strong, long lasting shopping bags instead, or re-use plastic bags over and over again, until they wear out. Don't buy over-packed goods. Many things we buy have unnecessary amounts of plastic and paper around them.   Rainforests Rainforests are valuable habitats. About half of all the species of animals and plants in the world live in rainforests. Thousands of rainforest plants contain substances that can be used in medicines and the tribal people of the forests have great knowledge of them. Rainforests are being cut down to make way for 'civilised man', to grow crops and graze cattle, and provide timber. An area almost the size of Britain is burnt every year. Rainforests help to regulate the world's climate and atmosphere.
Ideas to Help Never buy products made up of tropical hardwoods e.g. mahogany and teak. It is better to buy only pine, oak, ash or beech because they can be replaced. Garden and flower shops sometimes sell rainforest orchids that have been imported. If you buy an orchid, check that it has been grown in Britain. Some parrots and macaws are unfortunately still imported. If you want a parrot as a pet, make sure it has been hatched in Britain. Eating a beefburger may be helping to destroy the rainforest! Most burgers in Britain are made from European cattle. However, the cattle are often fed on soya bean and a lot of that comes from Brazil where large areas of forest have been destroyed to make soya fields. Before buying a burger, ask where the cattle came from and what they were fed on. Try a veggie burger for a change!
Pollution The air, water and soil of habitats all over the world have been, and are still being,polluted in many different ways. This pollution affects the health of living things. Air is damaged by car and lorry fumes, and power stations create acid rain which destroys entire forests and lakes. When fossil fuels i.e. oil, gas and coal are burned to provide energy for lighting, cooking etc. they form polluting gases. Oils spills pollute sea water and kill marine life; chemical waste from factories and sewage works, and artificial fertilisers from farmland, pollute river water, killing wildlife and spreading disease. The careless or deliberate dumping of litter in the environment is not only unsightly but dangerous too. Ideas to Help Use less energy by switching off lights when rooms are not in use, not wasting hot water, not overheating rooms and not boiling more water than necessary when making a cup of tea! Use a bicycle or walk instead of using a car for short trips.   If you spot pollution, such as oil on the beach, report it to the local council. If you suspect a stream is polluted, report it to the local Environmental Health Officer If you use chlorine-based bleach or detergents containing phosphates you are contributing to water pollution. Try to buy 'environmentally-friendly' products.
The Ozone Layer Fifteen to thirty miles above the Earth lies the stratosphere, a broad band of gases and one of these gases is ozone. It's only a small part of the stratosphere but very important because it prevents too many of the sun's ultra violet rays from reaching us. Too many ultra violet rays can give us skin cancer and destroy plankton, the important microscopic life in the sea. In the 1980s it was discovered that 'holes' were appearing in the ozone layer above the Antarctic and Arctic. CFCs, chlorofluorocarbons, gases used in the manufacture of aerosols and fridges, are believed to be responsible for destroying the ozone layer. Ideas to Help Don't buy aerosols containing CFCs. Actually, it's not a good idea to buy any aerosols. Even 'ozone friendly' aerosols may contain harmful chemicals and spray cans are difficult to dispose of - they cannot be recycled. Pump-action sprays are a much better alternative. A lot of packaging e.g. fast-food cartons, are polystyrene 'blown' with CFCs. Try to avoid items packed with this polystyrene. If you know of anyone getting rid of an old fridge, tell them that the CFCs can be drained out and recycled - contact the local council and they will dispose of the fridge safely. New fridges can be bought with less CFCs in them.
Certain gases in the atmosphere, mainly carbon dioxide, methane and CFCs, act like the glass in a greenhouse, allowing sunlight through to heat the Earth's surface but trapping some of the heat as it radiates back into space. Without this the Earth would be frozen and lifeless. However, owing to Man's activities,'greenhouse gases' are building up in the atmosphere, causing a greater amount of heat to be reflected back to Earth. The result is an increase in average world temperatures and in the future this could lead to the flooding of cities world wide and more hurricanes etc.
Ideas to Help Don't waste electricity. Electricity is produced by burning coal, oil and gas and this action gives off carbon dioxide. Car fumes produce carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide - so try to cut down on car journeys if possible. Use a bike or walk - it's good exercise for you too! Recycle as much of your waste as you can. Methane, the most effective 'greenhouse gas', is released into the air as the rubbish in landfill sites rots.
Endangered Habitats and their Wildlife Wild habitats all over the world are fast disappearing. Forests are being cut down, rivers and seas polluted, heathlands built on, hedgerows pulled up, ponds filled in - the destruction seems endless. As the habitats decrease, so do their communities of animals and plants. Habitat destruction is one of the main reasons why many species face extinction. Other reasons include the hunting of animals and collection of plants. There are now more than 5, 000 species of animal and about 25,000 species of plants threatened with extinction. During the last 200 years more than 200 species of mammals and birds have become extinct i.e. disappeared from the earth forever. It is possible that we are losing one species of animal or plant every day! Ideas to Help In many countries souvenirs made from rare wildlife are available - never buy shells, coral or things made from elephant ivory, rhino horn or cat skin etc. Remember that British habitats and wildlife are under threat too. The destruction of wood land, pollution of rivers and ponds, the use of pesticides and herbicides have all contributed to the reduction in the amount of wildlife in Britain. Many animals and plants are endangered e.g. red squirrels, otters, barn owls, golden eagles, natterjack toads, many species of butterflies and dragonflies, orchids - to name just a few. If you have a garden at home, you could transform it into a mini nature reserve for wildlife. The same could be done in your school grounds. Here are just a few ideas to create a wildlife garden:-
Make a pond. Even A small pond will attract frogs and toads etc.. Birds and foxes may use it for drinking. Make a wildflower meadow. Wildflower plants and seeds may be bought from garden suppliers and, if planted correctly, a colourful meadow will result, attracting birds, butterflies and other insects. Provide logs and stones and allow a few autumn leaves to remain lying around. These provide shelter for minibeasts and perhaps small mammals such as shrews and mice. An over-neat garden will not be attractive to wildlife. Feed the birds during winter and put up nest boxes for robins and blue tits etc. to use in spring.   If your garden is big enough, you could plant a small wood. Always grow native trees such as oak, ash or birch - these attract more insects than foreign trees. Hedgehogs are useful to have in the garden as they eat slugs. Encourage them to stay by providing them with tinned cat or dog meat, water and a safe place to hibernate in winter, such as a pile of logs, stuffed with hay and leaves. Avoid using chemical sprays in the garden - some of these can be poisonous to wildlife. It's best to let the birds eat the cabbage-munching caterpillars, the hedgehogs and toads deal with the lettuce-loving slugs and the ladybirds dine on the rose-ravaging greenfly!

 

Oil-linked inflation destabilizes Africa, Middle East (http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/mar2008/infl-m05.shtml) (http://www.wsws.org/) By Alex Lantier 5 March 2008 Use this version to print | Send this link by email | Email the author Writing in 1845 in The German Ideology, the young Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels noted, “It is certainly an empirical fact that separate individuals have, with the broadening of their activity into world-historical activity, become more and more enslaved under a power alien to them [...] which has become more and more enormous and, in the last instance, turns out to be the world market.” The economic instability and social struggles breaking out in large parts of Africa and the Middle East over price inflation bear out this famous analysis. The financial shockwaves spread by the crisis of US imperialism—the fall of the dollar amid the US mortgage crisis, and the explosion of the world market price of a barrel of oil from $23 in 2002 to the present $103, after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq—are shaking the entire region. Not only are fuel prices affected, but the rise in petroleum prices is pushing up food prices, which are closely dependent on the prices of energy, transport, and fertilizers, the component parts of which are produced from natural gas, the prices of which are in turn heavily affected by oil prices. The origins and effects of this inflation should be noted: investors and firms in key areas of the economy (notably the oil sector) are responding to increased economic uncertainty by rapidly bidding up the prices for their goods. They are attempting to deal with the world financial crisis by placing the burden on the backs of the working class. As workers struggle to get by with fewer goods while working more jobs, these investors and firms are carrying out a huge transfer of real wealth away from the working masses. For oil-importing countries, state budget deficits have increased dramatically, as the cost of providing national fuel subsidies has risen with oil prices. On February 8 the Jordanian parliament voted to eliminate fuel subsidies and subsidies on certain grains, such as barley. According to the Jordan Times, the elimination of subsidies would help decrease a budget deficit of $1.3 billion (7.1 percent of GDP) by $983 million. The government promised to distribute $427 million to “poorer Jordanians” to help them deal with the price increases. Domestic fuel and kerosene prices jumped 76 percent upon passage of the law. In the month since the law was passed, the prices of several basic foodstuffs have doubled. Ratings agency Standard and Poor’s predicted that Jordan’s 2008 inflation rate would be around 10 percent, as fuel prices increase the cost of living. A February 25 New York Times article, “Rising Inflation Creates Unease in Middle East,” noted, “Officials or business owners artificially inflate prices or take a cut of such increases.” The Times interviewed former Economy Minister Samer Tawil, who said: “Oil, cement, rice, meat, sugar: these are all imported almost exclusively by one importer each here. Corruption is one thing when it’s about building a road, but when it affects my food, it’s different.” A clothing store employee in Amman told the Times, “No one can be in government now and be clean.” Describing the doubling of potato and egg prices, he said, “These were always the basics. Now they’re luxuries.” Neighboring Syria is also considering abolishing fuel subsidies. Its official inflation rate last year was 5.5 percent. However, according to a February 2008 report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, prices for key fruits and vegetables have doubled over the last year, with rents also rising quickly. It quoted a Syrian civil servant who explained that his monthly costs had roughly doubled to 20,000 Syrian pounds (US$400) over the last two years. Oil-producing countries also face spiraling inflation, due to both global and local factors. Most of those countries’ oil is sold in dollars, but most of their trade is conducted with European and Asian countries whose currencies are rising against the US dollar. Also, the unequal division of oil revenues between the ruling classes and the rest of the population in these countries aggravate financial difficulties. Large portions of the new oil revenues languish in the inflated bank accounts of various kings and dictators, squeezing the masses’ purchasing power. Inflation in Iran has oscillated between 12 and 17 percent since 2003 and has become an important issue in the March 2008 legislative elections. President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad told the press, “Over the last 18 months, the rise in oil prices has increased national revenues but in the same period world prices have increased. And our economy is greatly dependent on imports.” He added the price of Iranian imports had increased by 16 percent over the last year. The United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Khaleej Times cited Iranian Central Bank director Tahmasb Mazaheri: “When the country’s objectives are based on an inflation rate of 8 percent, reaching 20 percent, for which the country is unprepared, it is worrisome. [...] Liquidity injected into the economy has led to increased inflation rather than rising employment.” Inflation has also grown rapidly in the Persian Gulf monarchies, notably Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Arab Times recently reported that rising Saudi inflation hit an annualized rate of 7 percent in January 2008, its highest point since 1981. There has been a 17 percent increase in rents over the last year along with large-scale price hikes in food, of which Saudi Arabia must import 65 percent of its consumption. According to the UAE-based Arabian Business, 2007 inflation in the UAE was 11 percent—with food prices jumping 8 percent and rents accounting for about two-thirds of price increases. In a bid to contain discontent, the UAE announced a 70 percent raise in its public sector workers’ salaries in February 2007; Oman raised them by 43 percent. However, this does not address the difficulties of private sector workers. Price inflation is eating into the earnings of the massive numbers of foreign workers who power the highly strategic oil and construction sectors of the Gulf economies, and who send cash home to their families. Not only do workers face decreased earnings in local currencies due to inflation, but these currencies—pegged to the US dollar—are falling in value against their home currencies in India, Pakistan, etc. This has led to a sharp increase in militancy in these highly oppressed sections of the working class. In Dubai, a UAE emirate, construction of the Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world, has been interrupted in 2006 and 2007 by strikes and protests by workers demanding improved pay, housing, and conditions. Forty-five Indian workers were recently tried for organizing the protests. Unions and strike action are illegal in Dubai, and the workers face 6 months in prison, then deportation back to India. Strikes have also hit Bahrain, where 1200 mostly Indian workers won a wage increase after a weeklong strike. Jane Kinnimount of the Economist Intelligence Unit told the BBC: “The recent strike in Bahrain was essentially about low wages. [...] Some Indian workers are paid as little as $160 a month for a six or seven-day week, whereas the average national is paid seven times as much.” Workers complain of being worked so hard that several workers per work site suffer from heat exhaustion on a typical day. In December 2007, a group of 19 prominent Saudi clerics, including the prominent conservative Nasser al-Omar, addressed an open letter to the Saudi monarchy, criticizing it for its handling of inflation and in particular for pegging its currency to the US dollar. In repeated comments, however, Saudi Central Bank Governor Hamad al-Sayari reiterated his support for the peg of the Saudi riyal to the US dollar, criticizing “easy solutions” to the inflation problem. Underlying the Saudi Central Bank’s decision are complex geopolitical factors tied to the crisis of American capitalism. The riyal is pegged to the dollar because Saudi Arabia’s foreign currency earnings overwhelmingly come from oil sales, in markets currently denominated in US dollars. Removing the riyal’s peg to the dollar could only take place in the context of a decision by Saudi Arabia to denominate its oil sales in other currencies. Such a shift would have massive implications for the US. The American balance-of-payments deficit is financed largely by foreign investors, who use the dollars they buy on US debt markets to purchase goods and raw materials on dollar-denominated world markets for oil and other essential commodities. Absent the need to hold dollars for purchases on world markets, demand for US dollars would fall substantially, threatening a further collapse of the US dollar’s value and a crisis in the US’ ability to finance its foreign trade. The growing integration of Africa into world trade, particularly as a source of oil and metals, is increasingly producing social and financial effects in Africa similar to those in the Middle East. The International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) 2006 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa gives statistics detailing the remarkable dependency of oil-exporting African countries on their oil revenues. Among eight petroleum-exporting African countries (Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Chad, Gabon, Nigeria, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Equatorial Guinea) the percentage of real GDP generated by the oil revenues was under 5 percent for the Ivory Coast, but 10, 40, 50, 52, 55, 60, and 90 percent respectively for the remaining countries. Overall inflation in those countries was 13.5 percent in 2005. Violent demonstrations against price hikes rocked Cameroon and Burkina Faso last week. In Cameroon, strikes by taxi drivers and transport workers against fuel hikes turned into street battles against police and then army units, as President Paul Biya announced that he intended to modify the Constitution to allow him to remain longer in power. Strikes shut down Douala, the main port city on the Atlantic coast, and Yaoundé, the capital, as well as several smaller towns in western Cameroon. Twenty people were killed in the demonstrations, according to the government. The government denied widespread reports by eyewitnesses, published in the European media, that the victims had been shot by government troops. In Burkina Faso, February 28 demonstrations planned by the Popular Call for Democracy led to street violence and attacks on government buildings in the capital, Ouagadougou, as well as Bobodioulasso, Banfora, and Ouahigouya. The government carried out hundreds of arrests, but also announced that it would seek negotiations with local producers to bring down the price of sugar and cooking oil, which had increased by 10 to 65 percent in different parts of the country. The week before, violent demonstrations had led the government to announce a moratorium on import taxes of imported staples like rice, milk, flour, and salt. See Also: A superficial analysis of global capitalism The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism by Naomi Klein, Allen Lane: 2007 [28 February 2008] Mining firms impose huge price hike on Chinese steelmakers: a sign of global inflation [27 February 2008] Food prices continue to rise worldwide [25 February 2008] The world crisis of capitalism and the prospects for socialism [31 January 2008]     Top of page     The WSWS invites your comments.     Copyright 1998-2008 World Socialist Web Site All rights reserved

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