An international coalition of NGOs – including a group representing more than 300 Brazilian indigenous groups – has called for the European Union (EU) to end its complicity in the assault on indigenous rights and the destruction of the Amazon, on Jair Bolsonaro’s one-hundredth day in office.

Since President Bolsonaro became leader of the world’s fourth largest democracy on 1 January, his government has dismantled environmental protections, incursions by armed invaders on Indigenous Peoples’ lands have surged, and deforestation rates in the Amazon have risen.

The EU provides a huge market for Brazilian soy and beef, which drives deforestation and human rights abuses in Brazil on a vast scale. The EU is also Brazil’s second largest trading partner, and together its Member States are Brazil’s largest source of foreign direct investment.

Unfolding destruction 

The coalition is calling for tough new EU laws guaranteeing that products sold in the EU do not cause deforestation and human rights abuses in Brazil.

Nicole Polsterer, Forests and Consumption campaigner at Fern, the forests and rights NGO, said: “The EU already has laws to stop illegally logged wood, illegally sourced fish and conflict minerals entering its markets.

“The unfolding destruction in Brazil show the glaring need for similar laws for agricultural goods. The EU must clean up its [agricultural] supply chains, make them transparent, and use its enormous economic leverage to reduce the threat Brazil’s Indigenous Peoples face.” 

Sônia Guajajara, coordinator of Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil (APIB ) which represents more than 300 Brazilian indigenous groups, reinforced this call for EU action: “The first 100 days of Bolsonaro’s presidency are the latest chapter in a long war of attrition against Brazil’s Indigenous People.

“The crimes that are being committed today are happening in the name of agricultural production. The EU must not evade its responsibility for this.” 

Economic leverage 

Guajajara added: “The EU must use its consumer power to ensure our rights are protected and our forests are preserved.” 

The international call for EU action coincides with the release of a new Fern briefing, 100 Days of Bolsonaro: Ending the EU’s role in the assault on the Amazon, which details the dizzying speed at which environmental laws have been eroded, and land grabs and attacks on indigenous communities have accelerated in the first three months of Bolsonaro’s presidency.

In January 2019, deforestation in the Amazon reportedly rose by 54 perent compared to  the same month in 2018.

The report calls for a new EU law preventing commodities being sold on the EU market which have caused deforestation or the violation of human rights. It also calls the EU to use its economic leverage to protect Brazil’s forests and Indigenous Peoples by suspending its talks for a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement with the Mercosur trading bloc – of which Brazil is the largest and most powerful member – until Brazil renews its commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement, and the deal’s Sustainability Impact Assessment is released publicly and its findings taken into account.

The Mercosur deal should also include binding, enforceable provisions to end deforestation and respect customary tenure rights.

Forest defenders 

The report also argues that the European External Action Service (EEAS) should strengthen the implementation of the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy and include more proactive consultation with Brazilian civil society organisations.

The EU should also monitor and respond to human rights violations and strengthen human rights defenders’ protection mechanisms.

For those most at risk, including Indigenous Peoples and environmental defenders, the EU should provide direct, urgent support where required, including through political representations. 

Perrine Fournier, Fern’s Trade and Forests campaigner, said that signing the Mercosur trade deal as it stands, would exacerbate an already dangerous situation: “The EU says it supports values based trade. Bolsonaro is the litmus test for this.

“Signing the Mercosur deal as it stands would mean renouncing the EU’s commitment to end deforestation by 2020, sacrificing indigenous rights and forests on the altar of trade.” 

This Author 

Marianne Brooker is content editor for The Ecologist. This article is based on a press release from Fern. 

Image: Marcelo Camargo, Wikimedia. 

A large number of people in Tanzania still live below the poverty line, and we are seeing the devastating effects of climate change, including more frequent and intense droughts and unpredictable rainfall.

This week, I’m attending the World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington DC with a message for World Bank officials from my home country: it’s vital that the World Bank, under its new president, keeps its promises to tackle climate change and becomes a real champion.

This would demonstrate the bank’s leadership on climate change and investments in clean energy, like off-grid solar power to reach the poorest.

Solar lamps

One billion people still live in the dark, without any electricity. Energy poverty is particularly stark in rural and remote regions in Africa.

In Tanzania, less than a fifth of people in rural areas have access to electricity. Off-grid renewables, like small solar systems, often reach rural communities more quickly and cheaply than a central grid, and are safer and cleaner than local alternatives like kerosene.

The Christian Council of Tanzania saw the benefit of this approach, and is working with Tearfund to pilot off-grid renewable projects and to advocate for greater government support. These kind of projects can improve people’s health, education, gender equality and income generation.

For example, solar power has also enabled basic computer classes to be held and has improved teacher retention rates in Tanzania’s rural areas. We have similarly seen how hydro mini-grids have improved health facilities, which with a reliable electricity supply can use microscopes and refrigerators for medicine storage.

A network of women entrepreneurs in Tanzania have substituted kerosene with solar lamps, using the savings for school fees, farming inputs and investment in businesses.

Investment

Rachel is a farmer and tailor in Makutupora in central Tanzania who bought a solar panel with a loan from a self-help group supported by Tearfund. Now that she has a solar light, she can work in the evenings, making clothes to sell to people in the village.

By working three or four hours each evening, she has increased the family’s monthly income from 70–80,000 TZS ($31–35) to sometimes as much as 150,000 TZS ($66).

Off-grid renewables can help support small businesses, enabling them to open longer hours and thereby reach a higher number of customers, increasing profits.

Ali, from the Dodoma region of central Tanzania, has used solar light to open his kiosk in the evenings, selling cattle medicines to farmers when they return from the fields. He’s seen his income more than double, enabling him to buy a plot of land on which he intends to build a house for his family.

We need to see much more investment in initiatives like this in Tanzania and scale them up. Business as usual won’t ensure that the poorest have clean energy.

Energy for all

The World Bank has made steps to increase their investments in off-grid renewables to $600m in 2018, but this is still a small proportion of their overall energy budget.

We need the World Bank to develop a roadmap on how it will ramp up its investments to meet the demand for clean energy in African countries like mine and mainstream off-grid renewable energy into its energy portfolio.

For example, the African Development Bank has set an ambitious strategy to achieve electricity access by 2025.

The World Bank’s investments send a crucial signal to other investors so it must set the direction to clean energy and energy for all.

This Author

Emmanuel Kimbe represents the Christian Council of Tanzania, a Tearfund partner. This Article first appeared at Climate Home News.

Protesters plan to block traffic at four London locations “around the clock” to force the Government to take urgent action on climate change and wildlife declines.

Campaign group Extinction Rebellion said it will take to the streets at Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, Waterloo Bridge and Parliament Square from Monday April 15 to cause disruption and force the Government to act.

Thousands of people will converge on the four busy locations, peacefully blocking traffic and creating a “festival” of action including people’s assemblies, performances, talks, workshops and food, the group said.

Stand up

Extinction Rebellion is calling on the Government to declare a climate and ecological emergency, to act to halt wildlife loss and bring greenhouse gases to net zero by 2025, and create a citizens’ assembly to deliver action on the environment.

Coaches will bring people from around the country to the protest, where they will be joined by cyclists and marchers who have travelled to the capital by bike and on foot.

The direct action campaign calling for governments to urgently tackle the “climate and ecological emergency” has spread into an international movement and is backed by celebrities, academics and writers.

Actress and activist Dame Emma Thompson said: “Our Government has signed agreement after agreement and broken every single promise they made with staggering regularity.

“It is time to stand up and save our home. There will be talks, politics, music, arts. It’s gonna be a lot of fun, but be prepared to stay. Because now’s the time to save the planet. As we all know, there is no planet B. Be there.”

Families

Jayne Forbes of Extinction Rebellion warned that the window to reduce carbon emissions and halt the “sixth mass extinction” was closing rapidly.

“Extinction Rebellion calls on everyone, regardless of your political or religious or cultural beliefs, to join us as we peacefully disrupt for the future of humanity and for all life on Earth.

“If even a small part of you is sitting at home wondering what to do about the climate and ecological emergency, this is what we need to do. This is the best shot we have, we can’t get a new planet.”

She urged people to book at least two weeks off work, if possible, and bring their tents and families to “rebel for life on Earth”.

This Author

Emily Beament is the environment correspondent for the Press Association.

Protesters plan to block traffic at four London locations “around the clock” to force the Government to take urgent action on climate change and wildlife declines.

Campaign group Extinction Rebellion said it will take to the streets at Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, Waterloo Bridge and Parliament Square from Monday April 15 to cause disruption and force the Government to act.

Thousands of people will converge on the four busy locations, peacefully blocking traffic and creating a “festival” of action including people’s assemblies, performances, talks, workshops and food, the group said.

Stand up

Extinction Rebellion is calling on the Government to declare a climate and ecological emergency, to act to halt wildlife loss and bring greenhouse gases to net zero by 2025, and create a citizens’ assembly to deliver action on the environment.

Coaches will bring people from around the country to the protest, where they will be joined by cyclists and marchers who have travelled to the capital by bike and on foot.

The direct action campaign calling for governments to urgently tackle the “climate and ecological emergency” has spread into an international movement and is backed by celebrities, academics and writers.

Actress and activist Dame Emma Thompson said: “Our Government has signed agreement after agreement and broken every single promise they made with staggering regularity.

“It is time to stand up and save our home. There will be talks, politics, music, arts. It’s gonna be a lot of fun, but be prepared to stay. Because now’s the time to save the planet. As we all know, there is no planet B. Be there.”

Families

Jayne Forbes of Extinction Rebellion warned that the window to reduce carbon emissions and halt the “sixth mass extinction” was closing rapidly.

“Extinction Rebellion calls on everyone, regardless of your political or religious or cultural beliefs, to join us as we peacefully disrupt for the future of humanity and for all life on Earth.

“If even a small part of you is sitting at home wondering what to do about the climate and ecological emergency, this is what we need to do. This is the best shot we have, we can’t get a new planet.”

She urged people to book at least two weeks off work, if possible, and bring their tents and families to “rebel for life on Earth”.

This Author

Emily Beament is the environment correspondent for the Press Association.

Protesters plan to block traffic at four London locations “around the clock” to force the Government to take urgent action on climate change and wildlife declines.

Campaign group Extinction Rebellion said it will take to the streets at Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, Waterloo Bridge and Parliament Square from Monday April 15 to cause disruption and force the Government to act.

Thousands of people will converge on the four busy locations, peacefully blocking traffic and creating a “festival” of action including people’s assemblies, performances, talks, workshops and food, the group said.

Stand up

Extinction Rebellion is calling on the Government to declare a climate and ecological emergency, to act to halt wildlife loss and bring greenhouse gases to net zero by 2025, and create a citizens’ assembly to deliver action on the environment.

Coaches will bring people from around the country to the protest, where they will be joined by cyclists and marchers who have travelled to the capital by bike and on foot.

The direct action campaign calling for governments to urgently tackle the “climate and ecological emergency” has spread into an international movement and is backed by celebrities, academics and writers.

Actress and activist Dame Emma Thompson said: “Our Government has signed agreement after agreement and broken every single promise they made with staggering regularity.

“It is time to stand up and save our home. There will be talks, politics, music, arts. It’s gonna be a lot of fun, but be prepared to stay. Because now’s the time to save the planet. As we all know, there is no planet B. Be there.”

Families

Jayne Forbes of Extinction Rebellion warned that the window to reduce carbon emissions and halt the “sixth mass extinction” was closing rapidly.

“Extinction Rebellion calls on everyone, regardless of your political or religious or cultural beliefs, to join us as we peacefully disrupt for the future of humanity and for all life on Earth.

“If even a small part of you is sitting at home wondering what to do about the climate and ecological emergency, this is what we need to do. This is the best shot we have, we can’t get a new planet.”

She urged people to book at least two weeks off work, if possible, and bring their tents and families to “rebel for life on Earth”.

This Author

Emily Beament is the environment correspondent for the Press Association.

Protesters plan to block traffic at four London locations “around the clock” to force the Government to take urgent action on climate change and wildlife declines.

Campaign group Extinction Rebellion said it will take to the streets at Marble Arch, Oxford Circus, Waterloo Bridge and Parliament Square from Monday April 15 to cause disruption and force the Government to act.

Thousands of people will converge on the four busy locations, peacefully blocking traffic and creating a “festival” of action including people’s assemblies, performances, talks, workshops and food, the group said.

Stand up

Extinction Rebellion is calling on the Government to declare a climate and ecological emergency, to act to halt wildlife loss and bring greenhouse gases to net zero by 2025, and create a citizens’ assembly to deliver action on the environment.

Coaches will bring people from around the country to the protest, where they will be joined by cyclists and marchers who have travelled to the capital by bike and on foot.

The direct action campaign calling for governments to urgently tackle the “climate and ecological emergency” has spread into an international movement and is backed by celebrities, academics and writers.

Actress and activist Dame Emma Thompson said: “Our Government has signed agreement after agreement and broken every single promise they made with staggering regularity.

“It is time to stand up and save our home. There will be talks, politics, music, arts. It’s gonna be a lot of fun, but be prepared to stay. Because now’s the time to save the planet. As we all know, there is no planet B. Be there.”

Families

Jayne Forbes of Extinction Rebellion warned that the window to reduce carbon emissions and halt the “sixth mass extinction” was closing rapidly.

“Extinction Rebellion calls on everyone, regardless of your political or religious or cultural beliefs, to join us as we peacefully disrupt for the future of humanity and for all life on Earth.

“If even a small part of you is sitting at home wondering what to do about the climate and ecological emergency, this is what we need to do. This is the best shot we have, we can’t get a new planet.”

She urged people to book at least two weeks off work, if possible, and bring their tents and families to “rebel for life on Earth”.

This Author

Emily Beament is the environment correspondent for the Press Association.

Developers must take more care to protect wildlife during building work, the Government has said, amid concern over netting trees to stop birds nesting.

Communities Secretary James Brokenshire has written to leading developers reminding them of their legal obligation to consider the impact of projects on local wildlife and the need to take action to protect habitats.

The move comes after members of the public and conservationists raised concerns over netting being placed over trees and hedgerows ahead of building work near housing developments.

Voles

Taking, damaging or destroying active nests is against the law but covering vegetation before the nesting season can prevent birds nesting in the first place.

Conservationists, who say the practice can be used to prevent delays in development by allowing trees and shrubs to be removed during the nesting season, have criticised it for showing an “alarming disregard” for wildlife.

The Woodland Trust said it blocks birds from finding a place to nest, can trap other wildlife that relies on hedgerows such as voles and hibernating hedgehogs, and allows the removal of valuable natural features.

A parliamentary petition to make netting hedgerows to prevent birds from nesting a criminal offence has received more than 225,000 signatures.

In his letter, Mr Brokenshire emphasised that birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 and mitigation plans will need to show how developers will avoid or manage any negative effects on protected species during building work.

Sustainable

He has not ruled out further action to protect nature if developers do not follow their obligations, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said.

Mr Brokenshire said: “Whilst building new homes is vital, we must take every care to avoid unnecessary loss of habitats that provide much-needed space for nature, including birds.

“Developments should enhance natural environments, not destroy them.

“Netting trees and hedgerows is only likely to be appropriate where it is genuinely needed to protect birds from harm during development.

“I hope developers will take these words on board and play their full role to make sure we can deliver new communities in an environmentally sustainable way.”

Neighbourhoods

Martin Harper, the RSPB’s director for conservation, said: “We cannot keep trying to squeeze nature into smaller and smaller spaces or demand that wildlife fits in with our plans.

“Across the UK wildlife is vanishing at an alarming rate, and our planning system must play a vital role in not just reversing this decline but helping nature to recover.”

He said tree and hedge removal should be completed outside of the nesting season.

“However, if there is absolutely no alternative, then netting must be used sparingly in line with the legal duties and responsibilities on developers, including regular checks to ensure wildlife isn’t getting trapped, injured or worse.

“We are pleased to see the secretary of state is acknowledging the concerns many people have about the use of netting, and how strongly we all feel about sharing our future neighbourhoods with nature rather than pushing it away.”

This Author

Emily Beament is the environment correspondent for the Press Association.

Europe’s rivers and canals contain more than 100 pesticides – including 24 that are currently banned, a study has found.

Researchers tested samples from 29 waterways in 10 European countries, including two in the UK. Every single river and canal was found to contain multiple pesticides. In addition, the study discovered evidence of 21 veterinary drugs.

Thirteen waterways held concentrations of at least one chemical that exceeded European safety limits.

Pesticides

A total of 24 pesticides that are not licensed for use in the European Union were detected. And 70 different pesticides were identified in one Belgian canal with the highest level of contamination.

Dr Jorge Casado, from Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter, said: “There is huge uncertainty about what effects these mixtures of chemicals could have on wildlife and human health. We know many of these individual pesticides are a cause for concern.”

The fact that unlicensed pesticides were found in the waterways does not necessarily mean they were used illegally, the researchers pointed out.

They could have been used lawfully before the bans came into force. Several pesticides were discovered in multiple rivers.

The fungicide chemical carbendazim, which is banned in the EU, was detected in 93 percent of samples – a finding the study authors described as “remarkable”.

Rainfall

Of the 103 pesticides identified, almost half were herbicides and the rest were fungicides or insecticides.

Most of the veterinary drugs that found their way into rivers and canals were antibiotics, said the researchers writing in the journal Science of the Total Environment.

Co-author Dr Paul Johnston, also from the University of Exeter, said: “This is not a case of us versus farmers or water companies.

“Farmers don’t want to pollute rivers, and water companies don’t want to have to remove all that pollution again downstream, so we have to work to reduce reliance on pesticides and veterinary drugs through more sustainable agriculture.”

Samples were taken from two UK waterways, the rivers Otter and Tale, both in Devon. Pesticide concentration in the Tale increased dramatically from 54.6 nanograms per litre (ng L) to 179.5 ng L between March 7 and July 2, 2018. This coincided with a big increase in rainfall between the two dates.

This Author

John van Radowitz is the science correspondent for the Press Association.

Rio Tinto (RT) has finally shared a report from a field investigation in which the company concedes that partner QIT Minerals Madagascar (QMM) mining activities extended into the adjacent Lake Besaroy during the construction of its so-called “berm”. 

A buffer zone breach was first raised in The Ecologist in 2017 and a study of the extent of the violation, commissioned by the Andrew Lees Trust (ALT UK), was published in 2018. RT promised the ALT UK last October that it would share its own findings.

Mine tailings

The berm was put in place to contain mine waste from entering the adjacent lakes and waterways. The company admits that this berm was constructed using mine tailings.

The mine tailings contain monazite, which contains radionuclides (uranium-238 and thorium-232). As a result, mine tailings would normally be buried at depths of approximately 15m according to Rio Tinto/QMM (Swanson, 2019).

The fact that mine tailings have been used for surface construction of the berm where the breach has occurred, means that they have entered the adjacent Lake Besaroy with the risk of toxic effects on local water sources.

Accidents happen

Rio Tinto/QMM is claiming the breach was an “unintended occurrence”. An accident by any other name requires serious attention and, when necessary, any remedial measures. 

Rio Tinto’s admission arrives just ahead of the release of the Andrew Lees Trust’s Independent Radioactivity Review conducted by Dr Stella Swanson, a radioactivity specialist with over thirty-five years of industry experience.

Using the only available data from QMM, Swanson’s study has identified elevated uranium levels in the local water as high as 50 times the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidance for drinking water quality in some places. 

In its response to the findings, Rio Tinto/QMM claims the water has “naturally elevated levels of uranium” due to the pre-existing high background radiation levels in the area.

However, there is insufficient data to clarify what is natural background level and what is QMM related, in order to substantiate their assertion. 

Indeed, Swanson’s review highlights serious failings in QMM’s monitoring of radionuclides in the environment, and the resulting uncertainty enough to “trigger additional investigation”.

In particular, Swanson’s study finds QMM’s lack of monitoring of ingestion pathways such as water, soil, and fish, to be “unacceptable”.

Direct impacts 

The buffer zone’s purpose is to protect the local waterways from harmful impacts of mining activity; any breach can have a direct impact on local people.

There are some 15,000 people living around the Mandena mine site area and according to available data,only one quarter of all households in the Mandena area were reported to have access to drinking water in 2009 (ATW 2009).

This means a sizeable proportion of the population is harvesting water directly from untreated water bodies. 

Local people in rural Anosy are entirely dependent on local natural resources for their survival and livelihoods. The waterways and lakes next to the mine are also used for fishing, washing and gathering reeds for weaving. 

Therefore, rather than dismiss the concerns around uranium levels in the water, the Swanson review points to the need to identify and manage the source of toxicity. 

It also encourages Rio Tinto/QMM to provide safe drinking water for local people in the communities around the mine site.

Local people 

The recommendation comes at a time when civil society in Anosy has been concerned about and pressing for drinking water.  

Following local TV coverage in January that reported dead fish in Lake Ambavarano, situated adjacent to Lake Besaroy and the QMM mine, a local civil society platform demanded water testing by the National Centre of Research for the Environment (CNRE), a state body in the Ministry of Scientific Research.

According to local sources, a meeting was held on the 4 April to disclose the results of the research, but was not openly advertised. Some locals who attended the meeting found the presentation “very scientific” and difficult to understand, and documents were not shared.

The presentation by the CNRE did include recommendations for more water monitoring, including “rigorous” monitoring of the level of concentrations of heavy metals in the mining basin, which could impact the natural environment.

Meanwhile, the civil society platform has demanded  that the Malagasy President himself, Andry Rajoelina, assure drinking water, in line with his election promises.

QMM has installed water pumps in other villages for mine affected villagers (e.g. those displaced by the building of the nearby port for QMM’s mineral export), but not those most immediately affected by the mine itself.

Sustainability agenda

Provision of safe drinking water sources falls in line with Rio Tinto/QMM’s sustainability agenda and water targets, as well as fulfilling UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

So too does the requirement for effective engagement with local communities.

Alongside her recommendations for improved monitoring of radiation, the Trust supports Swanson’s demand for robust communications about radioactivity at community level. 

Both Swanson’s experienced guidance, together with an advisory paper from the Trust, has offered Rio Tinto direction on how to approach this challenge; participatory community monitoring of water quality has also been suggested.

Community monitoring is in line with International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) guidance on best practice for an industry setting out not just to do well, but “to do good”.

So far, Rio Tinto/QMM is making no commitments about the provision of safe drinking water to the communities next to its Mandena site.

Environmental regulation 

At the same time, it appears the company will face no sanctions or penalties for the breach of the buffer zone. 

According to Rio Tinto/QMM, Madagascar’s environmental regulator, the National Office for the Environment (ONE), has determined QMM’s violation of the buffer zone to be “negligible.” 

Such status fails to acknowledge that the breach violates legal agreements with the Malagasy state, national laws that protect the public domain (e.g. water bodies), and the risk of exposing local waterways to radionuclides from QMM’s mine tailings.

In contrast, when locals took to the streets in 2018 to protest against QMM’s inadequate compensation for their lost lands and livelihoods, and they blocked access roads to the mine site, QMM’s response was to take legal action resulting in the imprisonment of protestors (CRAAD-OI & TANY, 2018).

It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that there is no even playing field in Anosy.

Long overdue

Rio Tinto/QMM has told the Anosy citizens for more than twenty years that there is no risk of radioactivity from the mine.

At Rio Tinto’s 2017 AGM, the CEO Jean-Sebastian Jacques said: “Water is constantly monitored and no pollution had been noticed. QMM also monitors radioactivity”.

In a July 2017 email Rio Tinto told the Andrew Lees Trust that: “Risk assessments and monitoring of the minerals has consistently indicated they (uranium and thorium) exist in the environment in concentrations which are orders of magnitude below any scientifically proven level to pose health risks.”

 Rio Tinto/QMM is yet to provide adequate data to substantiate its claims, even if its expectation is that incremental doses to the public will meet international exposure limits of 1 mSv/year.

The Swanson review concluded: “There is insufficient data to come to any confident conclusions in this regard, particularly with respect to ingestion. The dust inhalation pathway may also contribute to an important portion of total incremental dose.”

Improving standards

Rio Tinto has committed QMM to an action plan to verify the berm design and remedy any gaps in the design before the end of 2019. It has also committed to a new radiation study in 2019 in line with Swanson’s recommendations. 

It must now improve practices and radiation monitoring systems in the local environment, in line with international standards.

At the same time, QMM needs to build trust with local people through open communications, and by demonstrating that it is managing the mine’s radiation pathways effectively. 

QMM also has the opportunity to begin working with local and international water experts to immediately address the need for safe drinking water for its closest communities around the Mandena site.

These lessons and improvements must surely apply if the mine expands into St Luce and Petriky over the next thirty years.

This Author 

Yvonne Orengo is an independent communications practitioner and director of the Andrew Lees Trust, a British charity set up following the death of its namesake in Madagascar in 1994. Yvonne has followed the evolution of Rio Tinto’s QMM project for more than 20 years. She will be speaking at an event hosted by London Mining Network about Rio Tinto’s mine tailings, on Tuesday 9 April 2019 in London.

Image: Fishermen from Andrakaraka examine their catch. © Antonie Kraemer.

Right of Reply

A spokesperson for Rio Tinto provided the following statement to The Ecologist: “We note the independent report recently issued by ALT UK, which Rio Tinto and QMM supported, providing data and input as requested. The report makes a number of recommendations, many of which we have found to be constructive, and, we have begun an in-depth assessment of how best to address these.

“It is important to note that the report concludes that it is highly likely that exposures to naturally occurring radiation in the area surrounding the QMM mine do not exceed IAEA dose limits. We recognise that available monitoring data does not currently allow us to prove this conclusively, especially in terms of the ingestion pathway, and this is an area we are looking into. The safety of our employees and the communities in which we operate will always be our top priority.

“On the issue of naturally occurring uranium in community water sources, we recommended to ALT UK that they maintain the standard embodied in World Health Organisation guidelines when communicating about this issue, and have advised them to engage with the appropriate government agencies. It is disappointing that they appear to have chosen not to do so.

“It is critical to ensure that the sensitive issue of drinking water is managed appropriately to avoid encouraging any incorrect understanding among the local community that this report demonstrates a heightened health risk. We will meet with the regulator to support them in reassuring the communities and to take any appropriate actions – including any further monitoring or studies relating to the mine’s impact.”

Most people never consider that what they wear started life on a farm. But over 50 percent of the clothes sold in the UK are made of cotton, grown by the 100 million cotton farmers across the globe.

Every year they produce 29 million tonnes of cotton – the equivalent of 29 t-shirts for everyone on earth.

But not all cotton is created equal. A spotlight is being shone on an industry that contributes more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined, as the dark realities of the global fashion industry become harder to ignore. Change is on its way, and organic cotton is at the forefront.

A thirsty crop

Working with nature rather than fighting against it, the approach to organic cotton farming is fundamentally different to the damaging impact of conventionally produced cotton.

Cotton is a notoriously thirsty crop and about 3 percent of all water consumed globally is used growing cotton – it takes an estimated 10,000 litres of water to produce 1kg of cotton, often in countries where access to clean water is already limited. In contrast, a peer-reviewed life-cycle analysis found that organic cotton uses 91 percent less water, requires 62 percent less energy to produce, and overall results in 46 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than its conventionally grown counterpart.

A key practice in organic production that helps to reduce inputs is crop rotation. This is when different crops are grown each season to break cycles of pests and disease and to naturally boost soil fertility.

This helps to create vibrant, healthy soils, meaning that crops can cope better in floods and droughts – something which is becoming even more important as climate change brings more extreme and unpredictable weather patterns.

Crop rotation also means that farmers grow a diverse range of crops alongside cotton. These other crops, grown without hazardous artificial sprays, can be a vital source of food that’s safe for farmers and their families to eat, or it can be sold to provide an alternative income. Because of this, organic farming plays an important role in food security, something recognised by many NGOs, governments and the UN.

Climate change

Organic cotton also helps combat climate change. It all starts with the soil. Organic farmers plant crops that naturally fix the nitrogen from the atmosphere – they don’t rely on artificial nitrogen fertilisers that are highly energy intensive to produce and are damaging to soils.

Organic soils have been proven to be better at locking in carbon from the atmosphere, and in this way, farming organically has a lower impact on the ground as well as helping to mitigate climate change.

The majority of conventionally grown cotton globally is genetically modified. Despite the hype, however, GM has failed farmers around the world.

In India, the world’s largest producer of cotton, widespread crop failures have resulted from pest infestations because target pests have quickly become resistant to the GM crop, or other pests have attacked the cotton.

This has led to dire consequences, with widespread suicides after farmers become trapped in cycles of debt linked to the high cost of GM seed and the chemical treadmill needed to respond to the pest problems that GM was supposed to fix. This has had a devastating impact on families and rural communities across the country and is far too high a price to pay for our clothes.

Working conditions 

Farmers are at risk from toxic chemicals in the field – around 14 percent of all insecticides sold worldwide are used on cotton (despite cotton only using 2.5 percent of the world’s arable land). Many of these are hazardous to humans and wildlife and applied by people who can’t afford equipment to protect themselves.

And the problems within the textile industry don’t stop at the farmgate. Workers can also be subject to horrendous working conditions in garment factories, while toxic dyes and inks can seep into rivers and wells, poisoning drinking water and the natural environment.

But organic is different. The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) requires factory workers to be treated according to strict social criteria based on the International Labour Organisation conventions, including minimum wages, working hours, child labour and freedom from harsh of inhumane treatment.

Under GOTS, only low impact dyes and inks can be used, and all water needs to be treated before being released into waterways, protecting the living world and local communities.

At times, the scale of conventional cotton production can make the problems associated with it seem insurmountable. But change is happening across the textile sector.

Global initiatives 

Major brands like Superdry and Stella McCartney are committing to only using organic cotton and across the globe ground-up solutions are helping to improve the fashion industry’s impact on the environment and the communities that rely on it.

In the last few years, global initiatives have sprung up to find positive solutions to the challenges posed by the textile industry.

The Sustainable Cotton Challenge commits brands and retailers to source 100 percent sustainable cotton by 2025, and while there are a number of improvement and best practice schemes that fall under the banner of ‘sustainable’, already 10 percent of the brands signed up to the Challenge have reached their target of 100 percent organic cotton.

And for individuals wanting to reduce the impact of the global fashion industry, a huge step in the right direction is to buy organic cotton, preferably carrying the GOTS logo. GOTS is the gold standard for organic textiles globally, so by shopping for clothes with the GOTS logo, you can be sure you’re buying clothes with at least 70 percent organic cotton, manufactured using low impact dyes and inks and made in factories that meet strict social and environmental criteria.

The challenges posed by the global textile industry can appear daunting. But they can be overcome. Organic offers a positive solution that’s gathering momentum across the globe. By buying organic textiles, be it clothes, homeware, or personal care products, UK citizens can know that they are part of a solution that offers a kinder, cleaner and better future for people and the planet.

This Author 

Sarah Compson is International Standards Manager at the Soil Association, the UK’s largest organic food and farming charity, and has helped to shape international standards on organic cotton and textiles.