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Conflict Between Economic Development and Environmental Protection

Conflict Between Economic Development and Environmental Protection. Jim Ryan SPC. An Irish Case Study. Conflict in Ireland (Local) The Mayo Gas Terminal Development

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Conflict Between Economic Development and Environmental Protection

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  1. Conflict Between Economic Development and Environmental Protection Jim Ryan SPC

  2. An Irish Case Study • Conflict in Ireland (Local) • The Mayo Gas Terminal Development • Highlights the need to manage the development of our natural resources and protect the environment and the safety of the local population

  3. Background • Corrib Gas Field - 70 km offshore from Mayo coast • Will provide a lifetime of aprx. 20 years and aprx. 60% of Ireland’s gas needs • Will reduce the amount of gas we need to import from areas such as North Sea (Interconnector with UK)

  4. Processing The Gas • The owners of the Gas Field - Shell Cosortium want to process the gas onshore in Mayo • Need to get out impurities and add odour for safety • Investing 900 Million Euro in processing plant • Gas will be pumped ashore near Rossport and be piped to the terminal at Bellanaboy

  5. Processing • It will be processed and added to the National Gas Pipeline Grid • The Construction is creating 500 jobs in an area which has very little employment • 50 Permanent jobs will be created in the terminal when finished

  6. Conflict • Jobs may not go to locals • Safety of pipeline for local • Safety of pipeline for environment • Accidents • Safety of Processing Plant • Destruction of Natural Habitats • Resulted in long court battles/picketing of site/violent assaults/local feuding

  7. Concerns of Locals • High Pressure Pipeline close to residences and roads • Proposed pipeline only 70 metres away from some homes - International guidelines state should be 750 metres • Locals want it processed at sea and sent ashore in lower pressured pipelines • Excavation of peat from area for the terminal could cause landslides

  8. Why Not Process at Sea? • Too Expensive • Delays • Weather Issues • Would not provide jobs to locals

  9. Rossport 5 • 2005 Five local landowners jailed for blocking access to the site - spent 90 days in jail - inflamed the situation • Highlighted the way Irish Government were granting licences to foreign MNC’s rather than keeping the resource for Ireland • People believe these licences have not benefited locals only make MNC’s richer - Inefficient use of Natural Resource - Unlike oil in Norway (Statoil)

  10. Resolution • International team of inspectors carried out a safety review and reported to Irish Government • Mediator appointed to help locals and gas company resolve their differences • 2006- Gas Company offered to re-route the pipeline • They also offered to pay over 1.3 Million Euro into a Community Fund - to be used to create local employment and develop local business

  11. Resolution? • In 2007 the Company was granted a licence by the EPA with 85 conditions - It stated that under these grounds the terminal would not adversely affect the health of the locals or the local environment • Further objections were raised by the local objectors and An Taisce • The terminal is now almost complete but has created great divide within the community and between the Gas Company and the Community

  12. International Case Study Deforestation - Amazon Rainforest

  13. Background • 40% of World’s remaining Tropical Rainforest • Vital role in maintaining Biodiversity/Climate/Water Cycle • A Global Sink for Carbon Dioxide - absorbs it from the atmosphere as it grows • Vital resource for food for local tribes • Protects the soil against soil erosion and landslides/mudflows • Critical resource for medicines

  14. Advance Brazil • 2001 - Announced by Brazilian Government • $40 Million plan • Replace much of rainforest with: • 10,000km of roads/HEP Dams/Reservoirs/Power Lines/Mines/Gasfields/Oilfields/Canals/Ports/ Logging Concessions/Industry

  15. Conflict • The damage that will be done has been predicted by scientists using satellite imaging • In 20 years they predict the following damage: • 42% of region will be totally deforested • Less than 5% of the land will be pure forest • Forest destruction could be permanent • Loss of rainforest will more than likely affect Global Warming due to decrease in Global Sink • Brazil is a developing country and needs to develop its economy - Developed countries have always exploited raw materials

  16. The Future? • The Advance Brazil plan is a means for speeding up Brazil’s development • The plan may be overly ambitious so - may not be as destructive as predicted • The plan has helped stop previous government policy of re-settling people in the rainforest which has been a major cause of deforestation • The plan has been submitted to an Independent Environmental Impact Assessment by local Brazilian protestors and the International Community - They fear the global damage it could cause

  17. Global Concerns • Lungs of the World being destroyed • Deforestation causes poverty • Deforestation causes mass movements of people - Refugees • Destruction of Natural Habitat/Indigenous People • Climate Change • Destruction of possible Medical Remedies

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