Poverty, Injustice, and the Ecological Crisis Presentation by Jason White

Political Interaction Several influential people in the U.S. used their political power to instill a capitalist system most of the Global South E.g. the over throw of the democratically elected Guatemalan government in the effort to create a “Middle Class”

The new land was used to create export agriculture, especially cotton and sugar This meant that large quantities of forestation were destroyed to make room for the necessary farm land Many animals were permanently displaced during this process By the late 1970’s only 2% of the original rain forest remained This spread of capitalist ideals created what is called disarticulated development This means that the products grown do not help the population

The Ecological Cost of Disarticulated Development -Because these Global South countries are so dependant on the export of their goods, the country acts like a large corporation. -Because their economy cannot control the price of the good, so they must increase their production

This leads to improper and damaging use of the land Any land that is not owned by the corporation is not taken into the corporation’s external cost equation This includes not using proper water pollution control equipment This is one of the main causes for diarrheal diseases being the major killers in these countries

Coffee plantations are the main offender in this area which discharge high levels of boron, chlorine, and arsenic-laden wastewater In El Salvador, more than 200 coffee producers were found to have dumped these chemicals directly into the countries rivers and streams

Ecological Impoverishment of the Peasantry Because these countries need to keep their production costs low, this means that wage rates must be low The system keeps these costs low by maintaining the peasant subsistence sector They do this by giving the families of the subsistence workers small plots of land that they do not pay them for, thus justifying the lower wages

Ecological Collapse of Family Farms Central America’s peasantry are largely denied state funding projects that would encourage more sustainable farming techniques So, they need to exploit the land more and more as the size of their land decreases This includes wood, animal populations, water, and other natural resources There is growing evidence that the ecological systems on these small farms is on the state of collapse

Because of this crisis, food production on these farms has decreased by as much as 22%, making it almost impossible to sustain the peasant family on their small patch of land Because of the lack of nutrients in the soil, many workers are suffering from nutrient deficiency

Population dynamics and the Ecological Crisis The growing population is only adding to the crisis, as more children are surviving in families, thus stretching the resources of the small farms even more To add to this, more and more former farm owners are now subsistence farmers who survive by working on the large corporate fields

The population control methods have thus been ineffective, as there is both a lack of educational opportunities and a steady religious view that opposes some forms of population control Some population control methods have been effective in the past, although they are ethically questionable Such as sterilizing women

Ecological and Economic Damage to Capitol The loss of the normal chemicals in the soil is starting to make a loss of profit for the companies The companies need to use more and more fertilizers to compensate for the lack of minerals, which rises the overall production cost

Toward a Sustainable Future Many groups are seeking change in not only the agricultural system in South America, but a change in the overall economic situation A comprehensive overhaul is needed in both the ecological and the economic conditions in South America This needs to start with the governmental agencies changing their policies toward an ecological future