media advisory
friends of the earth international
new report blasts water and
biodiversity privatization
Porto Alegre (Brazil), January 28, 2005 --
A new report released today at the World
Social Forum documents the negative social
and environmental impact of water and
biodiversity privatization through
thirty-four stories from across the
globe.
The case against water privitization is
growing, according to the report published by
Friends of the Earth International.
"More and more people find themselves
priced out of privatized water markets, water
delivery and quality have hardly improved,
and water sources are being depleted
rapidly," said Tatiana Roa of CENSAT AGUA
VIVA/ Friends of the Earth Colombia speaking
in Porto Alegre.
The report also points out that in poor
countries Indigenous Peoples and local
communities are losing their forests, fish
and biodiversity at a rapid rate as their
lands are progressively handed over to
logging, tourism and private park management
companies. This trend is stimulated by the
growing market of so-called carbon parks that
are developed to offset the carbon emissions
caused by fossil fuel-addicted Northern
consumers. It is especially International
Financial Institutions like the World Bank,
which are promoting these market-based
approaches to biodiversity conservation.
The report also focuses on "biopiracy",
the privatization of biodiversity through
rapidly growing amounts of patents on life
forms and related traditional knowledge.
While most biodiversity and traditional
knowledge is found in developing countries,
the overwhelming majority of these patents
are in the hands of western transnational
corporations.
A group of so-called mega-diverse
countries with exceptionally high levels of
biodiversity, like Brazil and India, recently
announced their intention to establish an
international agreement to address
biopiracy.
However, as long as the World Trade
Organization (WTO) Agreement on Trade Related
Intellectual Property Rights forces
governments to permit the establishment of
patents and other intellectual property
rights on life, Friends of the Earth
International fears that such an agreement
will only legitimize and promote
biopiracy.
"Large corporations are pushing
governments within the WTO and regional trade
negotiations to establish even stronger trade
agreements that will make it impossible for
governments to protect their Indigenous
Peoples and local communities against this
corporate take-over of water and
biodiversity" added Simone Lovera of Friends
of the Earth International.
The full report is online:
In English at
http://www.foei.org/publications/link/privatization/index.html
In French at
http://www.foei.org/fr/publications/link/privatization/index.html
In Spanish at
http://www.foei.org/esp/publications/link/privatization/index.html
For more information call Friends of the
Earth International in Porto Alegre (Brazil)
:
Simone Lovera of Friends of the Earth
International +31-6-10897827 (Dutch mobile
number)
Tatiana Roa of Friends of the Earth
Colombia +55-51-91640663 (Brazilian mobile
number valid only until January 31)
|
