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LET'S RETHINK ECONOMY BASED ON MINING AND LOOK TO A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
hetq
10:53, September 18, 2012
By Serj Tankian
The recent controversy over Hungary's transfer of a convicted killer
and his subsequent pardon and hero's welcome in Azerbaijan have really
worked to reinforce the international image of Azerbaijan as a nation
with a despotic leadership that promotes nonsensical violence. Their
only true ally besides Turkey is oil.
Armenia doesn't have an ally in oil. Nor does it need such ecologically
destructive, carbon-based allies. What Armenia needs is a carbon
neutral, ecologically sustainable, agriculturally diverse future as
its ally.
This is why I have been so outspoken about the current attention being
paid to mining, which is dirty and unsustainable, for its promise as
a form of so-called economic development in Armenia.
True progress and a solution to Armenia's economic, environmental,
and social challenges will be based on a coordinated effort to support
environmentally sustainable agriculture.
This would allow the country to produce all necessary food items,
both for domestic consumption and for export. This is strategically
important given Armenia's landlocked status and geopolitical isolation
caused by hostile neighboring countries.
Governmental support through tax credits and other subsidies for
programs that will contribute to sustainable development in Armenia
will create jobs and allow the youth of the country to remain in the
country instead of going abroad for labor.
These views are consistent with points I have made at a forum hosted
by Civilitas in 2011, in an interview on CivilNet.TV this year, and
in a recent video statement expressing concern about unsustainable
mining in Teghut Forest.
Further development of mining within our small country is a dangerous
and extremely short term solution to our economic woes. The long term
effects can best be described by experts from Armenia's own National
Academy of Sciences.
According to the head of the Center for Ecological-Noosphere Studies
(CENS), mining has been disastrous for Armenia in terms of public
health and the environment. Mine operators have failed to neutralize
dangerous contaminants which have been absorbed by soil. The pollutants
then pass from agricultural produce to humans, which is especially
dangerous for children.
Furthermore, the head of the CENS Environmental Geochemistry Laboratory
has stated that 57 percent of Yerevan's population may be living
in contaminated conditions due to ground pollution. The country's
rural fields are being irrigated with water flowing from contaminated
sources due to mining operations, she explains.
Farm produce from all of the towns with significant mining operations,
including Kapan, Kajaran, Alaverdi, and Akhtala, are laden with
heavy metals including mercury, arsenic, and cadmium, according to
CENS studies.
The risk was highlighted last month when mining waste poured out of
a damaged pipeline belonging to one of the largest copper molybdenum
mines in the country. This incident resulted in the release of toxic
chemicals for hours into a river in southern Armenia that is used to
irrigate farmland.
Given the reality outlined above, I would urge Armenia's government to
re-consider its granted license to develop open-pit mines in and around
Teghut Forest, which is one of the most biologically diverse forests
in Armenia, and refrain from issuing further mining licenses to the
detriment of our environment and sustainable development in Armenia.
hetq
10:53, September 18, 2012
By Serj Tankian
The recent controversy over Hungary's transfer of a convicted killer
and his subsequent pardon and hero's welcome in Azerbaijan have really
worked to reinforce the international image of Azerbaijan as a nation
with a despotic leadership that promotes nonsensical violence. Their
only true ally besides Turkey is oil.
Armenia doesn't have an ally in oil. Nor does it need such ecologically
destructive, carbon-based allies. What Armenia needs is a carbon
neutral, ecologically sustainable, agriculturally diverse future as
its ally.
This is why I have been so outspoken about the current attention being
paid to mining, which is dirty and unsustainable, for its promise as
a form of so-called economic development in Armenia.
True progress and a solution to Armenia's economic, environmental,
and social challenges will be based on a coordinated effort to support
environmentally sustainable agriculture.
This would allow the country to produce all necessary food items,
both for domestic consumption and for export. This is strategically
important given Armenia's landlocked status and geopolitical isolation
caused by hostile neighboring countries.
Governmental support through tax credits and other subsidies for
programs that will contribute to sustainable development in Armenia
will create jobs and allow the youth of the country to remain in the
country instead of going abroad for labor.
These views are consistent with points I have made at a forum hosted
by Civilitas in 2011, in an interview on CivilNet.TV this year, and
in a recent video statement expressing concern about unsustainable
mining in Teghut Forest.
Further development of mining within our small country is a dangerous
and extremely short term solution to our economic woes. The long term
effects can best be described by experts from Armenia's own National
Academy of Sciences.
According to the head of the Center for Ecological-Noosphere Studies
(CENS), mining has been disastrous for Armenia in terms of public
health and the environment. Mine operators have failed to neutralize
dangerous contaminants which have been absorbed by soil. The pollutants
then pass from agricultural produce to humans, which is especially
dangerous for children.
Furthermore, the head of the CENS Environmental Geochemistry Laboratory
has stated that 57 percent of Yerevan's population may be living
in contaminated conditions due to ground pollution. The country's
rural fields are being irrigated with water flowing from contaminated
sources due to mining operations, she explains.
Farm produce from all of the towns with significant mining operations,
including Kapan, Kajaran, Alaverdi, and Akhtala, are laden with
heavy metals including mercury, arsenic, and cadmium, according to
CENS studies.
The risk was highlighted last month when mining waste poured out of
a damaged pipeline belonging to one of the largest copper molybdenum
mines in the country. This incident resulted in the release of toxic
chemicals for hours into a river in southern Armenia that is used to
irrigate farmland.
Given the reality outlined above, I would urge Armenia's government to
re-consider its granted license to develop open-pit mines in and around
Teghut Forest, which is one of the most biologically diverse forests
in Armenia, and refrain from issuing further mining licenses to the
detriment of our environment and sustainable development in Armenia.