BLOG entry #4:
Earths Future and Iraq’s Environment
By: Kyle
Conway
After reading the chapter by Sheila
Watt-Cloutier, it is clear that global warming and that the way we treat our
planet is affecting people worldwide. This chapter was really interesting to
read because I had never heard a story about environmental issues from an
intuit, who basically lives and thrives in the snow, ice, and cold. I learned
from this reading that the intuit people in the arctic have been using the
environment for generations in their favor. They have observed the environment,
and accurately predicted the weather around them, enabling safe travel,
hunting, and life for people. All of these things are drastically changing
though, as human induced climate change, and other poisonings of the world are
changing the environment for people who have never seen such change in their
lifetime. These modifications in lifestyle and cultural ways are a huge change
for the Inuit people, who have struggled with it in many ways. As the climate
rises and the winter patterns become harder to observe and track, the harder
these peoples way of life becomes. With climate change comes unpredictable ice
patterns, where now, for the first time in years drowning is a main issue while
hunting. Along with the change in life,
a lot of Inuit people are being forced out of there homes because of the
dangers environmental impacts have had.
I think that as a
society we do have a moral obligation to take action to protect the future of
our planet. The overwhelming evidence of our changing environment, along with
stories like the one of the Intuit people in the arctic, should be the
motivation behind why we take action. If we don’t take action soon I am afraid
that the future of our world looks scary. The issue is that people don’t
necessarily care at this point because they don’t think environmental issues
will affect them, when in reality they are being selfish to the future of this
world and the next generations.
Iraq does not per say contribute to the
many environmental issues effecting our planet, but Iraq’s environment is definitely
effected and in turn effecting the people of Iraq. Iraq has been an epicenter
of war for the last decade and more, causing many devastating human and
environmental consequences. Other issues include government water control
projects that have drained most of the marsh areas and dried up or diverted
most rivers and streams that provide water to many people. The blockage of
these water-feeding lines prevents the people in the area to do everyday things
such as participating in agricultural movements, and even just having drinking
water. 
Water.org is an
environmental group formed to bring safe water and sanitation to parts of the
world that cannot access such luxuries. Water.org does not work in in the
Middle East, as most of the issues they are handling come from Africa, Asia,
and Latin America. Another reason for the absence of water.org may be because
of the dangers of going to the Middle East and the fact that war has been a
factor in this region for such a long time. One organization that is helping
with environmental issues in Iraq is the United Nations Environment Program
(UNEP) and Greenpeace, who actively opposes war and promotes non-violent
solutions to conflict. Greenpeace, which was founded in Canada and now
headquartered in Amsterdam, has five major reasons for why they oppose the war
on Iraq. The five reasons begin with the fact that war would have devastating
human and environmental consequences, going into detail stating that, “The last Gulf war killed two hundred thousand people and left
many of the survivors malnourished, diseased, and dying. Damage to ecosystems
in the area remained years after the war ended.” They go on to explain the rest
of their reasons saying war is an ineffective way to deal with weapons of mass
destruction, that bush is trying to gain control of Iraq’s oil, and that Iraq
should not be singled out when other countries have weapons of mass destruction
at there disposal. Although this list may be outdated, most still stand true to
the beliefs of Greenpeace, who still advocate for the end of military presence
in Iraq. An example of how Greenpeace tried to stop military attack on Iraq was
in 2010 when they blocked the a UK military supply vessel from leaving the port
by anchoring one of their ships in the way and sending crews in inflatable
boats with signs that read “No War.” (http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/greenpeace-cuts-military-suppl/) Greenpeace and the UNEP will be the biggest
advocates of ending war in Iraq as they see war having devastating human and
environmental consequences. 
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