The Global Intelligencer - Exploring individual, social and global transformation
Visit our user forums The Arts Science Technology Society Environment Business
Life & Health Fringe Editorial Subscribe to The Global Intelligencer Advertise with The Global Intelligencer Archives About The Global Intelligencer

Breakthrough on Mystery of Vanishing Bees

by Am Johal

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (IPS/IFEJ) - Over the past year, honey bees have been dying across North America in unprecedented numbers and, until this month, no one seemed to be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt what the cause may have been.

What has been dubbed "colony collapse disorder" can work through a honey bee colony in a matter of weeks. Bees fly off to collect pollen, but never return -- or simply weaken and die in the hives. Beyond the larger effects on the food chain, the economic implications of these deaths are immediate because honey bees are integral to the pollination of tens of millions of dollars of cash crops in North America.

Scientists from Penn State University say they have found a connection between Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus (IAPV) and colony collapse disorder. In a conference call last week, researchers argued that the virus, in conjunction with other stress factors, is likely the cause of the disorder, which has resulted in a loss of 50-90 percent of North American bee colonies. It was originally discovered in Israel in 2004, the same year that Australian bees were imported in to the United States.

Colony collapse disorder has also been observed in Poland, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, and unverified reports have surfaced in Switzerland and Germany. Cases have also been reported in India and Brazil.

David Hackenburg, a beekeeper near Tampa Bay, Florida, lost nearly 2,000 of his 3,000 hives in a matter of weeks last winter. He has since been raising the issue with university researchers, bureaucrats at state agencies and elected politicians. He has told a number of media outlets that new synthetic nicotine-based pesticides known as neonicotinoids, or neonics, are the major contributing factor. Researchers told IPS that further studies will include these pesticides as possible contributing factors. Some large environmental groups, like the Sierra Club, also believe that genetically modified food production could be a contributing factor. A comprehensive British study found that genetically modified crops in conjunction with powerful chemicals were harmful to bees, butterflies and birds.

Researchers from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and other U.S. states have been conducting geographic database tests to understand the magnitude of the problem and whether linkages exist with colony collapse disorder. But other scientists argue that there is scant evidence that the Bacillus thuringiensis toxin produced by genetically modified crops is a factor in the mass deaths of bees.

According to Science Daily, a team of scientists from Edgewood Chemical Biological Centre and the University of California at San Francisco have identified a virus and a parasite that are likely culprits in the recent deaths.

Penn State University's Colony Collapse Working Group had drawn no clear conclusions as to what the causative factors may be until this week. In July 2007, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a "Colony Collapse Disorder Action Plan" which states, "The current strategy for addressing the CCD crisis involves four main components: 1) survey and data collection; 2) analysis of samples; 3) hypothesis-driven research; and, 4) mitigation and preventative action."

Dr. Mariano Higes, a scientist based in Guadalajara, Spain, has concluded that European honey bees suffering from colony collapse disorder fell victim to Nosema ceranae, a micro-sporidian fungus. The research team led by Higes has been investigating the issue since 2000 and ruled out any other causes. U.S. scientists have stated that although it may be a factor, it is not the only cause of the disorder.

Eric Mussen, a University of California Davis apiculture expert, believes that small variations in weather caused by climate change could affect the water, nectar and pollen the bees rely on. Mussen also argues that bees have many viruses, but it is their weakened immune systems that are making them susceptible to death.

 

Let Sleeping Amazon Oil Lie

by Kintto Lucas

QUITO, Ecuador (IPS) - The innovative offer by the government of Ecuador to refrain from exploiting its largest oil reserve, in exchange for international compensation for nature conservation, is attracting increasing support.

While oil prices are soaring, Quito is adopting the civil society initiative calling for the Ishpingo-Tiputini-Tambococha (ITT) oil reserve, the country's largest, to remain untapped. The ITT reserve is located in Yasuní National Park, one of the most biodiverse areas in the world, in the Amazon region provinces of Pastaza and Napo.

The slogans "Yasuní Belongs to Everyone" and "Yes to Life, No to ITT," painted on the walls in Quito and other Ecuadorean cities in the last few days, are a sign that something new is happening in this country. The idea, set forth by local environmental organisations like Acción Ecológica, has been promoted by former minister of mines and energy Alberto Acosta, and was taken up by left-wing President Rafael Correa.

Quito has suspended oil drilling at ITT for one year, and has approached several foreign governments, international bodies and non-governmental organisations with the proposal that Ecuador be paid an indemnity in return for leaving the oil undisturbed, on the grounds that this would prevent environmental damages that would affect humanity as a whole. Correa told IPS that society is being encouraged, nationally and internationally, to contribute to the Ecuadorean state in order to keep the crude underground.

The hope is to raise some 350 million dollars a year, equivalent to 50 percent of what the state would earn from the extraction of the ITT crude. The envisaged procedure is that the state would issue bonds for the crude that is to remain untapped, on the undertaking that it will never be extracted, and that the Yasuní National Park, declared a Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in 1989, will be protected.

Ecuador is basing its proposal on four key arguments: the need to combat climate change, the importance of curbing the destruction of biodiversity, protection for the Huaorani, Tagaeri and Taromenane indigenous peoples, and the desirability of transforming the country's economy by adopting a new development model.

"The 350 million dollar contribution would be for 10 years, after which it would drop steadily, because an alternative source of income for the state would be developed, that could yield dividends indefinitely," said environmental activist Esperanza Martínez, an expert on oil issues. So far there have been over 100 expressions of interest in supporting Ecuador's proposal, from governments, international organisations and individuals. Among them is British musician Sting, whose wife, Trudie Styler, is active on behalf of those affected by pollution caused by the U.S. oil company Texaco in other areas of the Ecuadorean Amazon. Another is the government of Norway, one of the first to join the "great green crusade," as some environmentalists are calling it.

Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Raymond Johansen promised his country's support on a visit to Ecuador in April. For its part, Spain has committed four million dollars to researching sustainable management of the Yasuní National Park, and said it would be the first to contribute to the compensation fund if it was found that not exploiting the crude was a viable option. The U.S. environmental organisation The Pachamama Alliance also expressed interest in providing economic support.

Former minister Acosta suggested swapping Ecuadorean foreign debt against the country's commitment to protect its Amazon region, to be negotiated with the Paris Club, an informal forum of 19 creditor nations. Acosta was involved in negotiations for this exchange while he was a government minister, from January to June 2007, and said he believed it was feasible. "Ecuador's foreign creditors could reduce our payments or cancel debt, in exchange for the oil not being extracted," said Acosta. "We must beware of irresponsible exploitation of oil resources. To continue the policy of extracting crude in the Amazon, as has been the case until now, would be really irresponsible".

The non-governmental Acción Ecologica has invited international cooperation with the campaign, by "buying" the underground oil.

The proposal would ban commercial extraction of oil in the ITT in perpetuity, and explicitly recognise the right of traditional usage by indigenous people, particularly groups like the Tagaeri and Taromenane who live in voluntary isolation.

"The extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal worldwide cannot continue unabated, because carbon dioxide emissions are already double what the oceans, soils and new vegetation can absorb, and therefore atmospheric concentrations continue to rise," said Martínez, with regard to factors causing climate change. Studies by the state oil company Petroecuador indicate that the ITT block contains reserves of close to one billion barrels of heavy crude, with a ratio of 80 barrels of toxic water to 20 barrels of oil.

The Brazilian oil company Petrobras is already operating in the Yasuní National Park, in block 31, while the Spanish-Argentine firm Repsol-YPF and Canada's EnCana have concessions for two other reserves in blocks 17 and 18, respectively, which are located near the limits of the park, and impinge on it.

The Huaorani people live in an area of the Yasuní park close to the ITT. "We know what oil is. It does not benefit us, it has only brought pollution," said Huaorani leader Juan Enomenga. Sources at the medical centre in Coca, the capital of the Amazonian province of Orellana, report that after oil drilling began in the area the Huaorani people began to fall sick with gastrointestinal, respiratory and skin diseases.

In May 2006, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights granted precautionary measures in favour of the Taromenane and Tagaeri peoples, to protect the rights and survival of these groups.

The Yasuní National Park was created in 1979 with the aim of protecting its biodiversity. It has an area of 982,000 hectares, and more than 500 species of birds, 173 species of mammals, 100 amphibian species, 43 tree frog species and 100 reptile species, including 62 species of snakes, have been identified there.

For more information: Acción Ecológica (in Spanish) www.accionecologica.org. Translated here In English

printer friendly version

  








   
 
 
Rap Calls for 'Revolution Within the Revolution' - Hip hop speaks to the heart of Cuba’s problems PLUS Carl Schroeder reviews 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama; music reviews
 
 
Wiki washers and grave diggers - Confronting issues of identity, anonymity and authority on the Web PLUS Lynne McTaggart reports on training dogs to predicts epileptic seizures
 
 
Waldorf Schools educate the whole child an educational model overview PLUS columnist Ron Miller talks about how education can bring out the best in your child
 
 
You can change the world - by not identifying with negative states PLUS Deepak Chopra talks about Synchodestiny; how we lust for gods; how to de-power stress
 
 
Letting Sleeping Amazon Oil Lie Ecuador offers to refrain from exploiting its largest oil reserve PLUS Breakthrough on Mystery of Vanishing Bees Colony collapse disorder discoveries
 
 
Complementary Currencies for Social Change: Part II of an in-depth interview with international currency expert Bernard Lietaer PLUS The Liberty Dollar popularity grows fast despite controversy
 
 
It’s the architecture! Buildings hold key to mitigating climate change PLUS Burners without borders; easy steps to a better world; making a bread garden
 
 
The life death reveals - Near death experiences have life-altering impact on individuals PLUS Two NDEs from Beyond the Light reported by PMH Atwater
 
 
Changing the storyfield of the world - We walk into the stories we believe about ourselves, and it’s time to change the story PLUS The growing consciousness of humanity


Forums | The Arts | Living | Education | Science & Technology | Society & Health
Business | Environment | Fringe | Editorial | Subscribe | Advertise | Archives | About TGI

All content on this website, and the websites of our affiliate publications, is copyrighted and may not be used or duplicated in any fashion without express written and contractual consent of Global Intelligence Press. © 2006 Global Intelligence Press

Website design by MetaDesign and Shelly Lucus. Code by newdaydesign.com