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  • Introduction
  • 2004 Tsunami
  • AIDS
  • Poverty in India

Introduction

Environmental disasters, both natural and manmade, often most severely strike those living their lives in the balance.

There are the large events that capture the world’s attention.

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami held the world’s attention for its overwhelming devastation of people, with more than 225,000 killed, and devastation of place, with nothing but traces, if that, left of many villages along the coasts of countries such as Indonesia and Sri Lanka.  Whole communities and their inhabitants were disappeared, save isolated trees or single structures.

Hurricane Katrina in 2005 submerged much of the city of New Orleans, flooding 80 percent of the city and forever changing its economic and racial make-up as the poorest section of the city, the Lower Ninth Ward, bore the brunt of the damage.

Most recently, the 7.0 earthquake just miles off the coast of Port au Prince, Haiti is estimated to have caused up to 200,000 deaths.  Three million people in this small island nation were affected, with 90 percent of some neighborhoods collapsed and hospitals, churches, army barracks and national symbols such as the presidential palace and the national cathedral destroyed. 

The poverty rate in rural Aceh was double that of Indonesia overall.  The national poverty rate in Haiti had been 85 percent.

Questions that arise are: How much of these events are inevitable natural disasters? And how much of these events can be attributed to poorly conceived government policies and government inaction?

There are also quieter environmental disasters happening that often evade sustained publicity or any notice at all.

The continued burning of the Amazon rainforest in areas equivalent to the size of Greece.  Chemical and oil spills from Ecuador to Alaska. Water polluted from industrial waste and metals from Nicaragua to Nigeria.  Nuclear waste contamination.  Toxic dumps.  Mining.

What are the implications for the planet of our current policies? Will Man vs. The Environment become a zero-sum game? And who speaks for the vulnerable?

Through their images, the photographers of VII have sought to tell these stories and show their consequences, for people and for the planet.

Links to VII Essays relating to Environment:

2004 tsunami

Giant forces that had been building up deep in the Earth for hundreds of years were released suddenly on December 26, shaking the ground violently and unleashing a series of killer waves that sped across the Indian Ocean at the speed of a jet airliner. The tsunami claimed 228,000 lives in 13 countries from the coast of Africa to Indonesia in the space of a few hours, among them tens of thousands of children. It displaced 2 million more. The tsunami destroyed towns, villages and livelihoods. Half a million houses were damaged or destroyed. Fields and wells were poisoned with saline water. It obliterated lives and upset the entire composition of societies.

While 9,000 foreign tourists died in seaside resorts around the Indian Ocean, the biggest victims by far were the host communities, in particular in Indonesia's Aceh and Northern Sumatra, where 167,000 people died.

The scale of the destruction led to an unprecedented outpouring of support from the international community. More than $13 billion was pledged, half of which went to Aceh, allowing more than 800 NGOs, multilateral agencies and donor countries to go there and begin rebuilding.

From:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/12/1227_041226_tsunami.html
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/indonesia/091226/tsunami-anniversary-fragile-peace
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/23/2004-tsunami-five-years-on

TIMELINE

26 Dec 2004
At 12.59 am, a 9.0 earthquake occurs in the Indian Ocean off Sumatra, Indonesia. Stations in Australia alert the NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center of the earthquake and potential tsunami threat, but at the same time, an Indonesian radio also reports the death of nine villages as a result of a tidal wave. A massive tsunami has been triggered off, and the waves next hit Sri Lanka, Thailand and many other countries. For a more detailed timeline of the events on this morning, go to http://science.howstuffworks.com/tsunami5.htm

27 Dec
The UN mobilizes its biggest relief operation ever. Villages have been wiped out, and millions are homeless and lack access to clean water and sanitation. The threat of an outbreak of disease increases the urgency for aid. Countries around the world pledge money, personnel and supplies to the international aid effort. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4129203.stm

28 Dec
As relief workers recover more bodies from beaches and collapsed buildings, the true extent of the devastation becomes clearer, the known death toll reaching 50 000. With so many dead, hospitals and mortuaries are unable to cope. In Indonesia, thousands of troops are drafted to northeastern Aceh to dig mass graves. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4154791.stm

29 Dec
The US forms a quake coalition with Australia, Japan and India to lead aid efforts. The known death toll jumps to 77 000.

30 Dec
Aid begins to reach tsunami victims in remote areas of Indonesia. A total of 138, 631 people have been confirmed dead, but the figure is not exact as it excludes all the nameless fishermen who were washed away at sea. http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/31/asia.quake/

31 Dec
Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has declared this a day of national mourning and the government urges the people to put aside divisions to rebuild the country. Although Sri Lankan officials say they are coordinating with the Tamil Tigers to get supplies to rebel-controlled areas, rebel leaders have accused the government of neglect. http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/12/31/asia.quake/

1 Jan 2005
Thoughts for tsunami victims temper New Year festivities. Celebrations are replaced by memorials and prayers in Indonesia, and candlelight vigils are held all over the world. Several major cities cancel their New Year’s Eve parties; Australia and New York observe a minute of silence. http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/01/01/quake.newyears.tears/

2 Jan
UN warns that the death toll is likely to top 150 000. In Indonesia where whole communities were wiped out, officials stopped counting the number of corpses. From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4154791.stm

5 Jan
US Secretary of State Colin Powell visits the Aceh province to see for himself the devastation caused by the tsunami. He says it is unlike anything he has seen before. From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4154791.stm

6 Jan
An international aid conference is held in Jakarta. World leaders discuss how to get aid to the millions affected by the disaster, promise to rebuild the shattered communities and agree to build an early warning system in the Indian Ocean to guard against any future disasters.
From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4154791.stm

Oct 2009
The first comprehensive test of the newly installed tsunami early warning system takes place. In a mass drill named ‘Exercise Indian Ocean 09’, sirens wail and crowds flee in coastal areas of Indonesia to the coast of South Africa. Five years after the tsunami, coastal areas have been rebuilt and livelihoods are returning. Scientists and governments are still working to reduce risks and cut losses from such future similar disasters. From: http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/disaster/Indian-Ocean-Tsunam-5-Years-Later-79164577.html

Links to VII Tsunami Photo Essays:

More resources and links:
http://www.mapreport.com/years/2004/countries/tsunami_disaster.html
http://www.tsunami2004.net/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/tsunami2004

AIDS

1984
First AIDS case reported in Thailand. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2866780?

June 1985
First AIDS case reported in China. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1935434/#R2

1986
First AIDS case reported in India. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20081116/delhi.htm#4

December 1, 1988
The first World AIDS Day is held to break down the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS globally. http://www.worldaidsday.org/

1991
Thai Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun starts efforts to greatly reduce the prevalence of AIDS in Thailand and increase awareness with regular television commercials and condom campaigns. The projects are continued throughout the next decade and successfully reduce the spread of AIDS through the sex industry and increases treatment for patients with HIV / AIDS. In 2007 1.4% of the population is living with AIDS. http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/HIVData/GlobalReport/2008/
and http://www.avert.org/aidsthai.htm

August 24, 2002
China’s most prominent AIDS advocate Dr. Wan Yanhai is jailed by Chinese State security for posting about failures in the health system leading to the spread of AIDS in Henan province. In three weeks China released Dr. Yanhai after international pressure. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/21/world/china-frees-aids-activist-after-month-of-outcry.html?pagewanted=1

Links to VII Photo Essays about AIDS:

Poverty in India

Even more than 50 years since its independence, the issue of poverty within India remains a prevalent concern.  Despite government efforts at poverty reduction and a remarkable economic growth in recent years, there were nearly 220.1 million people living below the poverty line in 2007. Nearly 21.1% of the entire rural population and 15% of the urban population of India exists in this difficult physical and financial predicament. The situation can be attributed to many reasons, including an unfavorable climate, a high population growth rate, a wide economic disparity between the wealthy and the poor, as well as a high illiteracy rate.

http://www.economywatch.com/indianeconomy/poverty-in-india.html

TIMELINE

1950
At the time India got its Constitution, over 45% of her people were officially below poverty line – an estimated 162 million people. This was much due to the backbreaking burden that the colonial masters imposed on the people for over 200 years in the form of a yearly tribute.  In the first half of the 20th century, India’s GDP grew at a negligible rate of about 0.1% per annum. 

Broadly speaking, development of state economic policy since 1950 passed through three phases. The first phase was that of the state-sponsored building of infrastructure, industrialization, expansion of food production and provision of basic rights like education, health and civic amenities. It was in this phase that the great steel plants, hydroelectric dams and highways were built under the Five-Year Plans. The share of government expenditure in GDP tripled from a measly 5% in 1951, to almost 15% by 1965.

1960
Despite efforts, economic policies were floundering. There was perpetual foodgrain shortage. Imports of grain reached 10 million tonnes in 1966. Economy was crawling at a slow rate of 3-4%, with little trickle-down. This saw heavier government intervention in economic affairs, with several populist trappings to legitimize it.

1964
The most significant development of this second phase was the Green Revolution, which boosted foodgrain production by 8 million tonnes within a span of four years between 1964 and 1968.

1974
India became self-sufficient in food grain, largely due to the Green Revolution. This was championed as a nation-wide success in terms of economic policy. There followed a series of policy measures directed at mobilizing resources and insulating India from vagaries of international pressure like the nationalisation of banks, formation of the Monopoly & Restrictive Trade Practices commission, enactment of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, etc. 

1970s and 1980s
Huge political upheavals occurred in the country. Some attempts were made to liberalise the economy in the mid-Eighties, however these eventually failed miserably.

1991
The results of the economic policies of the 1980s saw the government pledging 46 tonnes of gold to European banks in order to repay its debts. A huge loan was negotiated with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to ease the crisis-ridden Indian economy. 

1992
The current, third phase began when then finance minister Manmohan Singh presented a budget which initiated a series of measures for opening up the economy to foreign capital and goods, slashed protective duties, eased the rigid license-permit raj to attract investment and generally deregulated the economy to some extent. This period has been marked by a withdrawal of the state from several economic functions, mostly in the nature of regulatory ones, but also from several social welfare measures. 

Present day
One of the biggest changes is that from a largely agriculture-dependent economy in 1950, India has now become an economy mostly driven by service sector. Despite this, agriculture continues to be the mainstay of incomes for over 60% of India’s population. Agricultural production has largely been stagnating for the past decade, leading to a burgeoning crisis — diminishing returns in agriculture, making it unviable for cultivators.

The crisis in agriculture lies at the core of several problems that confront India’s economic system, and that has politicians and policymakers alike wringing their hands. Because of the gross poverty that inflicts much of rural population, domestic demand is constrained. This leaves industry with limited options — either cater to a small proportion of society, the upper middle and higher classes, or try out the cut-throat export market.

The inevitable fallout of this situation is that employment creation too is not really taking off, especially in rural areas. Absorption in services is not as much possible as needed and with opportunities in organized industry stagnating, or even declining, large sections of the people continue to saturate agriculture at low wages, or take to petty trade.

Links to VII Photo Essay about Poverty in India:

Other Links
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-rising-falling-stumbling-speeding/articleshow/5496684.cms
http://www.indianchild.com/economic_development_in_india.htm

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