Here is the third and final part of Louise Selisny's report on the cotton industry in Muynak in Uzbekistan. The second part was published last week.
Graham
Cotton, Cotton Everywhere so not a Drop to Drink…Part 3/3
It was clear to me that the people of Muynak share the fighting spirit of the Karakalpak region and with assistance from the international community they are taking steps to address the environmental problems that have been thrust upon them. One of the most exciting projects is that funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. They sponsor the German Society for Technical Cooperation to work in conjunction with Uzbek scientists to strategically plant bushes and fodder plants, including the Black Saxaul, Salsola Richteri and Calligonum Caput-Medusae. This dedicated coalition has so far covered 27000 hectares with vegetation. Zinovy Novitsky is the project’s scientific adviser and he explained how, “forests create oxygen, kill microbes, and improve climate and landscape.” The main improvement in the case of the Aral Sea bed is that the roots of the shrubs grow parallel to the ground, thereby binding the mass of sand, dust and salt. The body of the shrub growing above ground helps to prevent erosion and also operates as windbreaker, decreasing wind velocity on the surface by up to 70%. Put simply, these shrubs and trees act as a barrier line of defence against the toxic dust storms and the debilitating diseases they bring with them.
This initiative also brings vital jobs to the area and workers assisting with the planting earn about $80 US dollars a month. It is estimated that to make a lasting difference the team will need to cover about 600,000 hectares – with limited funds the team are currently working at a rate of about 30,000 hectares a year. It is hoped that within 5 years or so the shrubs with produce seeds that will be spread by the wind thereby making the task much easier as man and Mother Nature work together. The project is costing about $150-200 per hectare in monetary terms but will doubtless pay immeasurable dividends on completion.
So it can be seen that the little town of Muynak is not so hopeless, but hoping. Hoping that the international community will follow the German vanguard and pledge assistance where it can before all is consumed by and lost to the desert forever. Its hope is shared by other towns and villages in the Karakalpak region of Uzbekistan. There is so much that can be done to help such as assisting the government to create a national strategy to repair and replace outmoded irrigation systems. We could also work with the government to encourage the production of organic and fair trade standard cotton thereby reducing the use of agrochemicals and improving labour standards – but this includes all of us playing our part by voting with our wallet and purchasing cotton products that are organic and fair-trade where we can and demanding our shops supply us where we can’t. It is a simple case of being part of the problem or part of the solution – it really is that black and white – there is just some dirt that even Daz can’t clean.
Louise Selisny
Monday, 26 October 2009
Friday, 16 October 2009
Cotton, Cotton Everywhere so not a Drop to Drink…Part 2/3
Here is the second part of Louise Selisny's report on the cotton industry in Muynak in Uzbekistan. Part 1 was published on Saturday.
Graham
Cotton, Cotton Everywhere so not a Drop to Drink…Part 2/3
Perhaps one of the most poignant facets to this crisis is that it was man-made. Unlike most countries which have rivers that lead to the sea, Uzbekistan has rivers that flow towards and drain into the interior. The Syr Dar’ya and Amu Dar’ya Rivers feed into the Aral Sea - which is not in fact a sea but a large freshwater lake. In the 1960s Soviet Planners began to divert these watercourses in order to irrigate cotton crops. The Environmental Justice Foundation estimates that on average 20,000 litres of water is extracted to produce 1 kilogram of cotton – or 14,000m3 per harvested hectare. The effect of the diversions has been catastrophic, causing the once world’s forth largest body of water to haemorrhage 90% of its volume and nearly 75% of its surface area. The Aral Sea now covers fewer than 18,000 square kilometres - less than a tenth of its original size. The water that does remain is both hyper-saline and heavily polluted by toxic agricultural chemicals used in cotton cultivation. The World Bank also highlighted the bitter irony which sees almost 60% of the diverted water lost in the maze of inefficient, decrepit and broken irrigation systems – neither reaching its intended destination or the thirsty plains of the Aral desert.
This ecological disaster is particularly affecting the people of Muynak and the Karakalpak region as a whole as the Aral Sea once tempered the climate in the area. Due to the massive reduction in the Aral Sea the local climate has been dramatically altered. Today the crop growing season has reduced by two whole months, the winters are much colder and the summers much hotter and drier. This has created a negative feed-back cycle. Hotter summers create more heat that evaporates more of the remaining water. What’s more, the waters have begun to stagnate, with deeper saltier water being unable to mix the less salty top water. Consequently, the top water is bearing the brunt of the sun’s heat and thus being evaporated even more quickly. So the climate gets even hotter and growing seasons further reduce. This has led to an increase in the number of cattle in the region as local farmers attempt to mitigate the situation they find themselves in. This is increasing soil erosion as the already sparse vegetation is being overgrazed and consumed. This both reduces soil productivity and increases the amount of toxic dust that is blown over the region as there is less vegetation left to bind the fragile earth. People get sicker and the land more degraded. And, lest we forget, this is all a man-made problem – the rivers upstream are being diverted to irrigate thirsty cotton crops. Cotton that is then sold cheaply to make low-cost products for sale in countries like the UK. So how is that cotton shirt you a wearing feeling now? A little dirtier perhaps?
However, although there is much destruction and disease in the region there is also much hope. The little town of Muynak is not dead and nor have its inhabitants given up, quite the contrary in fact. I was lucky enough to be invited to the annual Independence Day celebration. My day began with an offering of peace and a handshake from a three year boy who was intrigued by my fair skin and western clothes. The whole community was congregated in the banner bedecked town square. Women dressed in their finest attire with golden thread that glistened in the sun chattered in groups as children flew kites and ate ice-cream. Everyone took their turn to dance in splendid traditional costume – particularly striking were the little girls who stole the show with their charming choreography and outfits fashioned from the Uzbek flag. Children teemed around me in order to practise the English they were learning in school as well as laugh at my flailing Uzbek. It was a wonderful day completed with a visit to the Nukus Museum of Art, a veritable treasure trove, containing a spectacular assortment of 1920s and 1930s avant-garde Russian and Uzbek art. Wondrous antidotes to the Communist inspired School of Socialist Realism grace every inch of space and reflect a people of passion, vibrancy and expressionism.
Louise Selisny
Graham
Cotton, Cotton Everywhere so not a Drop to Drink…Part 2/3
Perhaps one of the most poignant facets to this crisis is that it was man-made. Unlike most countries which have rivers that lead to the sea, Uzbekistan has rivers that flow towards and drain into the interior. The Syr Dar’ya and Amu Dar’ya Rivers feed into the Aral Sea - which is not in fact a sea but a large freshwater lake. In the 1960s Soviet Planners began to divert these watercourses in order to irrigate cotton crops. The Environmental Justice Foundation estimates that on average 20,000 litres of water is extracted to produce 1 kilogram of cotton – or 14,000m3 per harvested hectare. The effect of the diversions has been catastrophic, causing the once world’s forth largest body of water to haemorrhage 90% of its volume and nearly 75% of its surface area. The Aral Sea now covers fewer than 18,000 square kilometres - less than a tenth of its original size. The water that does remain is both hyper-saline and heavily polluted by toxic agricultural chemicals used in cotton cultivation. The World Bank also highlighted the bitter irony which sees almost 60% of the diverted water lost in the maze of inefficient, decrepit and broken irrigation systems – neither reaching its intended destination or the thirsty plains of the Aral desert.
This ecological disaster is particularly affecting the people of Muynak and the Karakalpak region as a whole as the Aral Sea once tempered the climate in the area. Due to the massive reduction in the Aral Sea the local climate has been dramatically altered. Today the crop growing season has reduced by two whole months, the winters are much colder and the summers much hotter and drier. This has created a negative feed-back cycle. Hotter summers create more heat that evaporates more of the remaining water. What’s more, the waters have begun to stagnate, with deeper saltier water being unable to mix the less salty top water. Consequently, the top water is bearing the brunt of the sun’s heat and thus being evaporated even more quickly. So the climate gets even hotter and growing seasons further reduce. This has led to an increase in the number of cattle in the region as local farmers attempt to mitigate the situation they find themselves in. This is increasing soil erosion as the already sparse vegetation is being overgrazed and consumed. This both reduces soil productivity and increases the amount of toxic dust that is blown over the region as there is less vegetation left to bind the fragile earth. People get sicker and the land more degraded. And, lest we forget, this is all a man-made problem – the rivers upstream are being diverted to irrigate thirsty cotton crops. Cotton that is then sold cheaply to make low-cost products for sale in countries like the UK. So how is that cotton shirt you a wearing feeling now? A little dirtier perhaps?
However, although there is much destruction and disease in the region there is also much hope. The little town of Muynak is not dead and nor have its inhabitants given up, quite the contrary in fact. I was lucky enough to be invited to the annual Independence Day celebration. My day began with an offering of peace and a handshake from a three year boy who was intrigued by my fair skin and western clothes. The whole community was congregated in the banner bedecked town square. Women dressed in their finest attire with golden thread that glistened in the sun chattered in groups as children flew kites and ate ice-cream. Everyone took their turn to dance in splendid traditional costume – particularly striking were the little girls who stole the show with their charming choreography and outfits fashioned from the Uzbek flag. Children teemed around me in order to practise the English they were learning in school as well as laugh at my flailing Uzbek. It was a wonderful day completed with a visit to the Nukus Museum of Art, a veritable treasure trove, containing a spectacular assortment of 1920s and 1930s avant-garde Russian and Uzbek art. Wondrous antidotes to the Communist inspired School of Socialist Realism grace every inch of space and reflect a people of passion, vibrancy and expressionism.
Louise Selisny
Saturday, 10 October 2009
Cotton, Cotton Everywhere so not a Drop to Drink…by Louise Selisny
Over the next couple of weeks we'll be presenting a 3 part report from Louise Selisny looking at the cotton industry in Muynak in Uzbekistan. Part 1 is below.
Graham
Cotton, Cotton Everywhere so not a Drop to Drink…Part 1/3
What are you wearing right now? If it’s a cotton garment then there is a strong chance that it was produced using cotton grown and picked in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan is the world’s second largest exporter of raw cotton and the picking season is now well underway. Most people will associate the Uzbek cotton industry with forced child labour and unfair monopoly practises – important issues both – but often under reported is the enormous environmental impact our quest for ever cheaper cotton is having.
Karakalpakstan is an autonomous region in the west of Uzbekistan and is home to the Aral Sea. The Aral Sea was once heralded as the ‘fish basket of Central Asia’ and could reliably account for 20% of the annual catch of the Soviet Union. The now dusty little town of Muynak was formerly the proud focal point of this great epicentre. As well as being a strategically important launching post for Soviet Union Allied Forces in the Second World War, Muynak was also once a thriving fishing port. It harboured an active fleet of 300 fishing vessels and supported the employment of around 10,000 workers in one fish canning factory alone. What’s more, the inspirational beauty of Muynak constituted a mecca for many significant Soviet Union artists and writers, including the Ukrainian rebel poet Taras Shevchenko who crafted some of his most important works whilst overlooking its bountiful shore.
Now, whilst many fishing centres across the world have witnessed a decline or loss in fish, Muynak has witnessed a loss of its sea. The Aral Sea has quite literally fled its shore and has left a sad twisted row of metal giants slowly rusting in a ships graveyard. To get a glimpse of the Aral now you have to use a ‘good strong Russian’ jeep and drive nearly 160km over sun scorched sea-bed. The only signs to evidence the once mighty waves are tiny sea-shells that now lie scattered and stranded across the yawning desert gulf. This pained earth belches forward over 43 million tonnes of dust each year and is responsible for a raft of respiratory related illnesses in the region including drug resistant Tuberculosis.
As well as the dust from the sea-bed, toxic chemicals make their way to Muynak via what’s left of the incoming waterways. Leached agrochemicals, including those banned in most other countries, washes into Muynak every day. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has found significant levels of organochlorines, including PCBs, dioxins and DDT in everyday samples of beef, fish, eggs, milk, potato and rice. The NATO Science Programme found that this toxicity has led Karakalpaks to have DNA mutations 3.5 times the average as well as the highest rate of oesophagus cancer in the world. The people of Muynak have a life expectancy over ten years lower than the national average. The Secretariat for the Complex Social Protection of Family, Mothers and Children states that the region has the highest rate of infant mortality in the country and a Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) report highlighted direct links with the environmental pollution and escalating cases of people suffering with hypertension, heart disease, anaemia, various cancers and kidney disease. It can be seen that both internal and external independent bodies concur that pollution caused by the cotton industry is literally killing Karakalpaks.
Lousie Selisny
Graham
Cotton, Cotton Everywhere so not a Drop to Drink…Part 1/3
What are you wearing right now? If it’s a cotton garment then there is a strong chance that it was produced using cotton grown and picked in Uzbekistan. Uzbekistan is the world’s second largest exporter of raw cotton and the picking season is now well underway. Most people will associate the Uzbek cotton industry with forced child labour and unfair monopoly practises – important issues both – but often under reported is the enormous environmental impact our quest for ever cheaper cotton is having.
Karakalpakstan is an autonomous region in the west of Uzbekistan and is home to the Aral Sea. The Aral Sea was once heralded as the ‘fish basket of Central Asia’ and could reliably account for 20% of the annual catch of the Soviet Union. The now dusty little town of Muynak was formerly the proud focal point of this great epicentre. As well as being a strategically important launching post for Soviet Union Allied Forces in the Second World War, Muynak was also once a thriving fishing port. It harboured an active fleet of 300 fishing vessels and supported the employment of around 10,000 workers in one fish canning factory alone. What’s more, the inspirational beauty of Muynak constituted a mecca for many significant Soviet Union artists and writers, including the Ukrainian rebel poet Taras Shevchenko who crafted some of his most important works whilst overlooking its bountiful shore.
Now, whilst many fishing centres across the world have witnessed a decline or loss in fish, Muynak has witnessed a loss of its sea. The Aral Sea has quite literally fled its shore and has left a sad twisted row of metal giants slowly rusting in a ships graveyard. To get a glimpse of the Aral now you have to use a ‘good strong Russian’ jeep and drive nearly 160km over sun scorched sea-bed. The only signs to evidence the once mighty waves are tiny sea-shells that now lie scattered and stranded across the yawning desert gulf. This pained earth belches forward over 43 million tonnes of dust each year and is responsible for a raft of respiratory related illnesses in the region including drug resistant Tuberculosis.
As well as the dust from the sea-bed, toxic chemicals make their way to Muynak via what’s left of the incoming waterways. Leached agrochemicals, including those banned in most other countries, washes into Muynak every day. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has found significant levels of organochlorines, including PCBs, dioxins and DDT in everyday samples of beef, fish, eggs, milk, potato and rice. The NATO Science Programme found that this toxicity has led Karakalpaks to have DNA mutations 3.5 times the average as well as the highest rate of oesophagus cancer in the world. The people of Muynak have a life expectancy over ten years lower than the national average. The Secretariat for the Complex Social Protection of Family, Mothers and Children states that the region has the highest rate of infant mortality in the country and a Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) report highlighted direct links with the environmental pollution and escalating cases of people suffering with hypertension, heart disease, anaemia, various cancers and kidney disease. It can be seen that both internal and external independent bodies concur that pollution caused by the cotton industry is literally killing Karakalpaks.
Lousie Selisny
Monday, 28 September 2009
Why the Lib Dems were mostly right
Last week the Lib Dems proposed a tax on £1million homes plus and a rise at the rate at which people start paying income tax to £10,000.
It is difficult to argue that a tax based on property value is ever truly fair but the outpouring of angst from the media and others over the Lib Dems proposal is an indicator of how wrong our priorities are. What should have grabbed the headlines was the proposal to lift around 4 million of the poorest people out of paying tax altogether, ending the ridiculously unfair situation in this country whereby people barely struggling to survive on low incomes and relying on tax credits, find a large slice of their income being swallowed up by income tax.
The benefits seem obvious to me. We know that less well off people spend disposable income locally (whereas the richer someone is the less likely they are to spend their money locally and the greater the likelihood they will spend it abroad). Most of all we know the massive impact inequality and poverty has on life chances and a whole range of poverty indicators. Raising the income tax threshold would presumably lift a big chunk of people out of poverty and go someway to narrowing the gap between the top 20 per cent and bottom 20 per cent in our country.
Despite this, rather than focus on the 4 million people who are amongst those that need help most in our country the focus was predominantly on the 250,000 or so people in the UK (largely in the South East and London) who would be affected by a tax on £1million properties. Yes some of these people may be unfairly punished because they’ve seen the value of their house rocket over the last ten years, but are we really saying that many of these people desperately can’t afford to pay a bit more tax? Are we really suggesting that some of these people fall into the same category as the 4 million, the same category as those working on a minimum wage that is blatantly too low. One of the arguments against the ‘mansion tax’ proposal put forward by the Tories and many in the media was that it would disproportionately affect London and the South East. Good. Most of the well off people in this country live in that part of the UK so any tax that disproportionally affects better off people in that part of the UK is ticking a progressive box as far as I’m concerned. A harsh conclusion maybe, but not as harsh as a media who all too readily forget the interests of the poorest and remember those of the richest time and again.
Graham
It is difficult to argue that a tax based on property value is ever truly fair but the outpouring of angst from the media and others over the Lib Dems proposal is an indicator of how wrong our priorities are. What should have grabbed the headlines was the proposal to lift around 4 million of the poorest people out of paying tax altogether, ending the ridiculously unfair situation in this country whereby people barely struggling to survive on low incomes and relying on tax credits, find a large slice of their income being swallowed up by income tax.
The benefits seem obvious to me. We know that less well off people spend disposable income locally (whereas the richer someone is the less likely they are to spend their money locally and the greater the likelihood they will spend it abroad). Most of all we know the massive impact inequality and poverty has on life chances and a whole range of poverty indicators. Raising the income tax threshold would presumably lift a big chunk of people out of poverty and go someway to narrowing the gap between the top 20 per cent and bottom 20 per cent in our country.
Despite this, rather than focus on the 4 million people who are amongst those that need help most in our country the focus was predominantly on the 250,000 or so people in the UK (largely in the South East and London) who would be affected by a tax on £1million properties. Yes some of these people may be unfairly punished because they’ve seen the value of their house rocket over the last ten years, but are we really saying that many of these people desperately can’t afford to pay a bit more tax? Are we really suggesting that some of these people fall into the same category as the 4 million, the same category as those working on a minimum wage that is blatantly too low. One of the arguments against the ‘mansion tax’ proposal put forward by the Tories and many in the media was that it would disproportionately affect London and the South East. Good. Most of the well off people in this country live in that part of the UK so any tax that disproportionally affects better off people in that part of the UK is ticking a progressive box as far as I’m concerned. A harsh conclusion maybe, but not as harsh as a media who all too readily forget the interests of the poorest and remember those of the richest time and again.
Graham
www.martynsibley.com
My friend Martyn Sibley works for one of the big disability charities, is active in the disability world and most important of all, is a very nice chap! He’s recently started his own blog. Martyn is mostly blogging about his experiences as a wheelchair user but his videos offer a thought provoking insight into what being in a wheelchair can mean if you are a social, active and outgoing person. He is even braving the odd political post !
Please do have a look at Martyn’s blog. It is extremely well presented and designed and provides a number of resources for people interested in disability issues.
Graham
Please do have a look at Martyn’s blog. It is extremely well presented and designed and provides a number of resources for people interested in disability issues.
Graham
Not in Brighton
I’ve had a few texts and emails over the last few days from people asking if I am in Brighton. No I’m not. I’m in Manchester and mostly in my office in Burnage.
Having never got into the habit of attending conference (I’ve had a pass twice), I’m always surprised that people manage to find the money/time to get there year after year. I suppose it’s about your work situation and your priorities.
If I was desperate to go I’d find a way but I’m not that enthused by a week discussing the internal machinations of the Labour Party. I know that isn’t all the Labour Party Conference is about and when I have been I’ve loved the fringe (and the drinking) opportunities - debates on a range of issues with impressive speakers and much informed opinion. So let’s hope for more of the latter and less of the former when the Party is in Liverpool and Manchester over the coming years. I’m sure I’ll find a way to attend when the conference is on my doorstep !
Graham
Having never got into the habit of attending conference (I’ve had a pass twice), I’m always surprised that people manage to find the money/time to get there year after year. I suppose it’s about your work situation and your priorities.
If I was desperate to go I’d find a way but I’m not that enthused by a week discussing the internal machinations of the Labour Party. I know that isn’t all the Labour Party Conference is about and when I have been I’ve loved the fringe (and the drinking) opportunities - debates on a range of issues with impressive speakers and much informed opinion. So let’s hope for more of the latter and less of the former when the Party is in Liverpool and Manchester over the coming years. I’m sure I’ll find a way to attend when the conference is on my doorstep !
Graham
Friday, 25 September 2009
Omar Salem for Fabian Exec
Message from Omar below.
Graham
Dear Manchester Fabian Meber, As Fabian members, I know we share a pride in the Fabian contribution to the Labour movement: - idealistic yet practical responses to challenging social problems which resulted in the founding of the welfare state.
Today, Britain and Labour face new challenges—and the Fabians have a vital contribution to make. I am standing for the Fabian Executive because I am passionate about making sure we rise to this challenge. My manifesto is available online here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/20186485/Elect-Omar-to-the-Fabians
Fabian members like us should be at the heart of the society’s efforts. The Fabians should provide a platform for ideas developed, and argued for, by a progressive movement of people. In short, the Fabians should be a movement, not just a think tank.
If elected to the Fabian executive I will push for:
-Involving members More participatory approaches to Fabian events, with space for members to develop ideas. I will push for a national Fabian discussion network based around monthly themes or publications, supported through the Fabian website and toolkits in every Fabian publication.
-Supporting local societies, the Fabian Women's Network and Young Fabians Promote local societies, the Fabian Women’s Network, and the Young Fabians, including developing the Fabian website to help local groups promote their activities. I’ll also consult local societies, the Fabian Women’s Network, and the Young Fabians on what they want done.
-Practical ideas for a progressive future Developing practical ideas for national and local government and research how to get more people involved in Labour’s activities—including a hard and detailed look at the pros and cons of primaries.
-Openness and transparencyTo promote greater openness around the work of the Executive and the Society as a whole, including the financing of the Fabians, I will personally send out regular reports of Executive meetings, so you are kept informed.
-Reaching out Push for the Fabians to reach out beyond the ‘Westminster bubble’, drawing new members into progressive politics, and building on the excellent example of the Young Fabians’ Schools project. I stood for election last year and got 166 votes - as whisker from being elected.
I hope that this year with your support I can get elected and start bringing the above changes
about.
I will be an energetic and hard working executive member- keeping in touch with you. You can get in touch now at omarsalem@gmail.com.
Best wishes,
Omar Salem
Graham
Dear Manchester Fabian Meber, As Fabian members, I know we share a pride in the Fabian contribution to the Labour movement: - idealistic yet practical responses to challenging social problems which resulted in the founding of the welfare state.
Today, Britain and Labour face new challenges—and the Fabians have a vital contribution to make. I am standing for the Fabian Executive because I am passionate about making sure we rise to this challenge. My manifesto is available online here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/20186485/Elect-Omar-to-the-Fabians
Fabian members like us should be at the heart of the society’s efforts. The Fabians should provide a platform for ideas developed, and argued for, by a progressive movement of people. In short, the Fabians should be a movement, not just a think tank.
If elected to the Fabian executive I will push for:
-Involving members More participatory approaches to Fabian events, with space for members to develop ideas. I will push for a national Fabian discussion network based around monthly themes or publications, supported through the Fabian website and toolkits in every Fabian publication.
-Supporting local societies, the Fabian Women's Network and Young Fabians Promote local societies, the Fabian Women’s Network, and the Young Fabians, including developing the Fabian website to help local groups promote their activities. I’ll also consult local societies, the Fabian Women’s Network, and the Young Fabians on what they want done.
-Practical ideas for a progressive future Developing practical ideas for national and local government and research how to get more people involved in Labour’s activities—including a hard and detailed look at the pros and cons of primaries.
-Openness and transparencyTo promote greater openness around the work of the Executive and the Society as a whole, including the financing of the Fabians, I will personally send out regular reports of Executive meetings, so you are kept informed.
-Reaching out Push for the Fabians to reach out beyond the ‘Westminster bubble’, drawing new members into progressive politics, and building on the excellent example of the Young Fabians’ Schools project. I stood for election last year and got 166 votes - as whisker from being elected.
I hope that this year with your support I can get elected and start bringing the above changes
about.
I will be an energetic and hard working executive member- keeping in touch with you. You can get in touch now at omarsalem@gmail.com.
Best wishes,
Omar Salem
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