May Advocacy Focus on the Environment

Those of us who take the time to celebrate Earth Day might also want to take a few minutes to consider the consequences of war, genocide and conflict on the environment.  OMB’s May advocacy focus will be on the environmental devastation that results from conflicts around the world, and from the poor environmental practices perpetuated by the worldwide desire for gems, minerals and other resources. While there’s not so much specific to genocide, there is plenty of information about war, conflicts and spectacularly bad environmental practices that are perpetuated to appease the worldwide desire for gems, minerals and other resources.

The following is excerpted from a longer article.

“Rwanda is stunning. Its terraced hills are covered in a patchwork quilt of greens - the dark green of banana plants, the neon green of bean fields, the lighter green of sorghum stalks. This is the most densely populated country in Africa, and it seems like every inch of land is cultivated. The quilt drapes over the mountaintops and falls to within an inch of the tar roads and to the stoop of every house. It covers the hilly green islands that speckle cobalt blue lakes.

I kept wondering, when the slaughter started, did anyone notice the view?

We were in Rwanda to explore the connections between conflict and environment, and how these intersecting forces affect Africans, a huge percentage of whom rely on natural resources for day-to-day living.

We had realized by now that few people focus on environment during war - in large part because it seems unimportant compared with human concerns such as hunger, death and homelessness. But we were also finding that environmental devastation inflicted during conflict often has a long-lasting impact on an area's chances for recovery.”

  “What Follows Genocide”              Stephanie Hanes

Let us know what you think of this topic, and if you have questions you’d like us to look into for you. And check back often.  The blog posting schedule should be back on track for Monday, Wednesday and Friday.