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- Newsgroups: misc.activism.progressive
- Path: sparky!uunet!wupost!mont!pencil.cs.missouri.edu!rich
- From: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu (Rich Winkel)
- Subject: MILITARY LINK UNSAID AT UNCED
- Message-ID: <1992Aug23.082315.6715@mont.cs.missouri.edu>
- Followup-To: alt.activism.d
- Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
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- Nntp-Posting-Host: pencil.cs.missouri.edu
- Organization: PACH
- Distribution: na
- Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1992 08:23:15 GMT
- Approved: map@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
- Lines: 68
-
- POSITIVE ALTERNATIVES
- A Publication of the CENTER FOR ECONOMIC CONVERSION
-
- Published quarterly. Materials in POSITIVE ALTERNATIVES may be
- reprinted if this publication and the CENTER for ECONOMIC CONVERSION are
- credited and a copy is sent to CEC.
-
- ** Written 4:45 pm Aug 10, 1992 by dwalt in cdp:econconversion **
- MILITARY LINK UNSAID AT UNCED
-
- UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, opening the U.N. Conference
- on Environment and Development, acknowledged that security is "less and
- less a military matter. . . and is instead acquiring an economic and
- ecological dimension." Military spending, he said, "must be redirected
- towards planetary development projects." But such rhetoric was never
- translated into substantive language in Rio.
-
- In fact, language calling on governments to "ascertain that their military
- establishments conform to strict environmental norms" in the handling of
- hazardous waste was diluted in UNCED's action plan, Agenda 21. Now, it
- states that countries must conform to ambiguous "nationally applicable"
- norms. Other standards for handling radioactive waste and contamination
- in weapons production and war were also rejected.
-
- Unfortunately, the United States, concerned about bringing its own
- military fully under domestic environmental regulations, played the major
- role in keeping the military out of UNCED. This is despite the fact that ten
- to thirty percent of all global environmental degradation can be attributed
- to military activities, according to a report of the Science for Peace
- Institute at the University of Toronto. The world's armed forces are also
- responsible for more than two-thirds of the ozone-depleting CFC-113
- released into the atmosphere.
-
- Non-governmental groups that worked together to lobby UNCED are now
- discussing future projects. One proposal includes bringing environmental
- and development concerns to international disarmament negotiations.
- (Many governments argued at UNCED that military impacts should be dealt
- with in other forums.) Preparing a global environmental impact statement
- on the military and filing complaints before the newly-created
- Sustainable Development Commission are also being considered.
-
- "UNSAID at UNCED" a 30 page collection of proposed language on
- militarism for UNCED documents and other material prepared by the NGO
- working Group on the Military, the Environment and Development is
- available for $5 from the International Clearinghouse on the Military and
- the Environment, PO Box 150753, Brooklyn, NY 11215; 718-788-6071; e-
- mail: fbp@igc.org.
-
- ** End of text from cdp:econconversion **
-
- ******************************************************************
- THE CENTER FOR ECONOMIC CONVERSION
- 222 View St., Suite C, Mountain View CA 94041
- Tel: (415) 968-8798 FAX: (415) 968-1126
- Email: bdelson@igc.org
- The CENTER for ECONOMIC CONVERSION is a non-profit public benefit
- corporation dedicated to building a sustainable peace-oriented economy.
- Founded in 1975, the organization serves as a national resource center and
- a catalyst for conversion planning. CEC provides educational materials;
- speakers; organizing assistance to conversion activists; technical
- assistance to workers, managers and public officials confronting military
- cutbacks; and research on conversion issues.
-
- Beth Delson, Editor; Michael Closson, Executive Director; Joan Holtzman,
- Development Coordinator; Marie Jones, Conversion Planner; Susan Strong,
- Senior Research Associate; Rosemary Wick, Office Manager.
- ******************************************************************
-
-