Conflict Between Economic Development and Environmental Protection

Jim Ryan

SPC

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

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)

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

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

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

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

Why Not Process at Sea?

Too Expensive Delays Weather Issues Would not provide jobs to locals

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)

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

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

International Case Study

Deforestation - Amazon Rainforest

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

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

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

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

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