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Martin Donohoe

Flowers, Diamonds, and Gold: The destructive public health, human rights and environmental consequences of symbols of love. Martin Donohoe. “Say it with flowers”. The Floriculture Industry. $30 billion cut flower industry

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Martin Donohoe

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  1. Flowers, Diamonds, and Gold: The destructive public health, human rights and environmental consequences of symbols of love Martin Donohoe

  2. “Say it with flowers”

  3. The Floriculture Industry • $30 billion cut flower industry • Major producers: Holland, Columbia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ecuador, India, Mexico, China, Malaysia • Only 1/3 of cut flowers sold in U.S. are domestic - most from CA • World’s largest producer: Dole Fresh Flowers

  4. The Floriculture Industry • 190,000 workers in developing countries • Ecuador and Columbia account for ½ of flowers sold in U.S. • Most profit flows to large, multinational corporations, headquartered outside producing countries • Small amount reinvested locally

  5. Floriculture and Women • Predominantly female workforce • Low wages • No benefits • Short contract cycles • Child labor, dismissal for pregnancy, unpaid overtime common

  6. Floriculture and Labor • Labor organizers harassed, workers fired for trying to organize unions • Third party contractors shuffle workers from plantation to plantation, avoiding payment of social security and inhibiting union organizing

  7. Floriculture and the Environment • Floriculture displaces crops grown for local food consumption • Contributes to malnutrition and increased local food costs • Requires large quantities of irrigation water • 120 liters/dozen roses • Contributes to drop in water tables

  8. Floriculture: Toxic Exposures • Flowers = most pesticide-intensive crop • Greenhouses increase ambient levels of pesticides • 1/5 of pesticides banned or untested in U.S. • Carcinogens, persistent organic pollutants/endocrine disruptors

  9. Floriculture: Toxic Exposures • Flowers carry up to 50X the amount of pesticides allowed on foods • USDA inspects for pests, but not pesticides

  10. Floriculture: Health Effects • Over 50% of workers have symptoms of organophosphate pesticide exposure • Other common health problems: • Allergic reactions, heat stroke, pneumonitis, RSI, cellulitis, UTIs, neuropathies, mental health problems, cancers, reproductive problems (low sperm counts, spontaneous abortions, fetal anomalies, etc.)

  11. Floriculture: Health Effects • Labeling, handling, and storage problems rampant • Protective gear often lacking, not working • Reuse of pesticide-saturated greenhouse plastic for domestic purposes not uncommon • Workers wash / bathe children in same sink

  12. Floriculture: Health Effects • Local physicians poorly-trained, lack resources to manage pesticide-related health problems • Many providers employed by floriculture company • Conflict of interest

  13. Diamonds • Symbols of wealth, power, love, and magical powers • Created from carbon early in the earth’s history under extreme temperature and pressure • Discovered in India around 800 B.C. • Commercial mining began in 1866 in South Africa

  14. World Diamond Production (1995-2011)

  15. Diamond Production • Antwerp, Tel Aviv, New York and Mumbai (Bombay) major trading centers • Most cutting done in Surat (India), Tel Aviv, Antwerp, Mumbai, New York and Thailand • Major retail markets U.S. and Japan • Annual retail sales = $71 billion (2011)

  16. Kimberley Mine, SAYielded 3 tons of diamonds, Closed 1914

  17. Mirny Diamond Mine, SiberiaLargest open diamond mine in the world

  18. The Diamond Engagement Ring • Diamond engagement ring introduced in 1477 (Archduke Ferdinand → Mary of Burgundy) • De Beers Mining Company • Founded by Cecil Rhodes in 1888 • Responsible for 40%-45% of worldwide diamond production and sales

  19. Cecil Rhodes(Rhodesia, Rhodes Scholarship, DeBeers Mining Company) “We must find new lands from which we can easily obtain raw materials and at the same time exploit the cheap slave labour that is available from the natives of the colonies. The colonies would also provide a dumping ground for the surplus goods produced in our factories.”

  20. Diamond Rings • 1939: DeBeers hires N.W. Ayer and Company to make diamonds “a psychological necessity…the larger the diamond, the greater the expression of love.” • By 1942, 80% of engagements in U.S. consecrated with diamond rings (still true today)

  21. Diamond Rings • 1947: “A diamond is forever” slogan born • Jewelers instructed to tell (pressure?) men - who buy 90% of all diamonds – to spend at least 2 months salary on the ring

  22. Diamond Rings • 1999: Advertising Age magazine declares “A Diamond is Forever” slogan the most effective of the 20th Century • Recognized by 90% of Americans • 1999: De Beers chairman Nicky Oppenheimer – “Diamonds are intrinsically worthless, except for the deep psychological need they fill”

  23. Diamonds: Profits and Losses • 144 million carats rough diamonds mined for jewelry per year • Worth approximately U.S.$15 billion • 1 carat diamond retails for $4,000-$7,500 in the U.S. • Cost less than $2 billion to extract • Ultimately sell for over $71 billion

  24. Diamonds: Profits and Losses • Workers desperately poor but hoping to strike it rich in “casino economy” • 1 million in Africa • Work under dangerous, unhealthy conditions for pittance • Diamonds may be embedded in asbestos • Workers suffer from cancer, leukemia, silicosis

  25. Diamonds: Profits and Losses • Middlemen, diamond dealers and exporters earn the lion’s share of profits • Most foreign nationals • Very little profit re-invested in local communities

  26. Diamonds: Human Rights Abuses, Conflict and Terrorism • Mine owners violate indigenous peoples’ rights via destruction of traditional homelands and forced resettlement • Mining hastens environmental degradation of ecosystems already under severe stress

  27. Diamonds: Human Rights Abuses, Conflict and Terrorism • Diamonds have been used by rebel armies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Liberia, Zimbabwe, and Sierra Leone to pay for weapons used to fight brutal civil wars • 3.8 million deaths • Child soldiers • Forced labor • Sex slavery, HIV • Terrorize local populations

  28. Diamonds: Human Rights Abuses, Conflict and Terrorism • Al Qaeda and Hizbollah have used diamond monies to: • Fund terror cells • Hide money targeted by financial institutions • Launder profits from criminal activity • Convert cash into a commodity that is easily transportable and holds its value

  29. Diamonds: Human Rights Abuses, Conflict and Terrorism • Smuggled and illicit conflict diamonds may amount to as much as 10-15% of diamond jewelry sold worldwide • U.S. State Dept. • 20% • Global Witness

  30. Gold • Dominant role throughout history in the growth of empires and the evolution of the world’s financial institutions

  31. Uses of Gold • 80-90% of gold mined today turned into jewelry • 10-20% used by industry • Used by Catherine de Medici as poison and by physicians to treat rheumatoid arthritis

  32. History of Gold • 4000 B.C.: gold first fashioned into decorative objects • By 1500 B.C.: the standard medium of exchange for international trade • Mid-1800s: Gold Rushes in California and South Africa

  33. Gold Production • Top producers: China, Australia, United States, Russia, South Africa, Peru • 2500 tons mined each year • Valued at $21 billion • Typical piece of gold jewelry sells for at least 4 times the value of the gold itself

  34. The Wedding Ring • Formulated from a variety of minerals throughout history • As with diamonds, aggressive marketing has played a significant role in popularizing the gold wedding band

  35. Where is the Gold? • Currently 3 times more gold sits in bank vaults, in jewelry boxes, and with private investors than is identified in underground reserves • Enough gold to meet current consumer demand for 17 years

  36. Gold Mining:The Myth

  37. Gold Mining:The Reality

  38. Mining:The World’s Deadliest Industry • 12 million adults, 1 million children work as miners worldwide • Tens of thousands killed mining gold and other minerals over the last century • 40 killed per day presently

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