Now onto a developing issues related to the environment and Peruvian-U.S. foreign relations.

In addition to a temor in Lima yesterday, there are new rumblings emerging over president Alan García’s environmental policies before the U.S.-Peruvian Trade Promotion Agreement (FTA) takes effect in January 2009.  The U.S. trade representative has voiced concern in a confidential communication about the recent backward trend of environmental measures in Peru.  This contradicts what the FTA was supposed to accomplish in terms of promoting environmental responsibility in such free trade agreements.

This past spring and summer, the Peruvian Congress passed 99 measures to bring the country into accord with the FTA.  In August, a showdown occurred between García and Congress over Decree 1064, which had eased restrictions on oil exploration in indigenous land.  Congress would eventually vote to revoke the measures after an intense lobbying campaign over the summer by Indian rights groups.  Now the issue is the protection of Peru’s Amazonian forests, which are second only to Brazil in area.  Decree 1090 effectively excludes 60% of Peruvian jungle from the national forest protection system, and U.S. trade officials are asking that such forest issues be returned to the authority of a public forest conservation body, as had been the case previously.

A laundry list of objections to 1090 have been offered up by opponents, including concerns for weaker protection for sustainable forest use, increased threats for the development of virgin forests, and the legalization and sale of illicit lumber from the Peruvian rainforest.  Additionally, there are questions about the constitutionality of 1090 in respect to the jurisdictional power over forests between the national and regional governments.

There may be yet further revisions made to the 99 decrees as 2009 approaches.  As Milagros Salazar writes in an article covering this issue for IPS News, “Peru’s new Prime Minister Yehude Simon has recognised that some of the decrees should be reviewed. The orders for implementation of decree 1090, which the executive branch is drawing up, could be just the time to do so.”

If that is the case, it should be interesting to see how García reacts.  The president was adamantly opposed to the congressional vote in August, and it would be reasonable to assume that he is of the same mind this time around.  Now, however, both the U.S. and the prime minister are advocating reforms and more environmental sensitivity.  Still far from popular, García may be forced to keep quiet.

Operations in Block 64 were conducted in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. Sound industry practices have been implemented to minimize potential impacts on the local ecosystem. No access roads were constructed during the exploration program. All equipment and personnel were transported to the area using helicopters and barges. In addition, local indigenous community members have been consulted extensively by the operator since 2001 and continue to participate in various aspects of the exploration program.

It would seem that the indigenous community no longer wishes to participate.  On Tuesday, Inca Kola News published a translated quotation from Cesar Zúñiga Butuna, leader of the indigenous Achuar federation:

We as the indigenous people reject the Canadian company Talisman. We do not want them working in our territory, we want the Peruvian state to respect us, and the armed forces must stop supporting the company…

If they do not want to leave we will force them out; this is the agreement that has been coordinated with the Awajún brother (people) and the Huambisas of the Amazon. It is time that the government listens to us and we will make them respect us…

We have proof that pollution already exists, damage to nature and to indigenous people in the communities where petroleum activities are developed. For 37 years in the Achuar brother communities of the Corrientes River, petroleum has not brought any development to them; on the contrary they are sick and poverty stricken.

According to the Reuters article referenced above, a Talisman spokesman responded that the company will not be packing up and leaving Loreto anytime soon.  The same article also points out that Talisman has been criticized by human rights advocates for its involvement in Sudan where oil has been one source of severe conflict for the past decade.

There appears to be no mention of the indigenous plight in Peru’s major news sources, so it will be interesting to see how the indigenous groups proceed with their campaign to kick out the Canadians.  If Butuna & Co.’s intention is to fight Big Oil, the army and the national government all at the same time, the balance is certainly not going to be in their favor.

Clearly the situation remains dire for many; a more equitable share of running water for Limeños will require improved water management, better government regulation and a willingness among all citizens to conserve water in everyday use.  That RPP produces a blog to inform citizens about water issues demonstrates that there is a consciousness here, but one does not need to go far in residential Lima to find poor water practices.  For now, the expansion of municipal water into Puente Piedra can represent a big improvement in the quality of living for the residents there.  If this is a part of Alan Garcia’s “Water for All” program, then he can claim at least one success story.

An article in Peru’s El Comercio quotes the leader of a regional water defense group who voices his concern about the threat posed by testing 44,000 tons of arsenic-intensive copper to the local water supply.  Apparently some civilians remain unconvinced by assurances from Rio Tinto that the operations in Chiclayo will not carry ecological consequences.  In response to the protests, authorities requested that Rio Tinto cease construction and are advocating dialogue between the company and concerned citizens to resolve the latter’s concerns.

Construction at the main site of the company’s La Granja project in Cajamarca will continue uninterrupted by the shutdown in Chiclayo.  La Granja mine is expected to produce between 4 to 8 billion tons of mineral for copper extraction.  Rio Tinto will spend about $700 million to realize the project.

Source: Wikipedia, fair use for commentary

Sencillo falso, or false coins, has become an increasing concern for me in my daily life here in Peru.  It began awhile back when, during a bus ride, an American friend of mine had her fare rejected.  Her Nuevo sol was no good, although no explanation was given despite our inquiry to the cobrador.  We examined the bad coin and decided that some Braille-like dots on it were evidence of its counterfeit.  No, it really was Braille.  Now, with a month’s experience behind me, I think I am better able to determine what is real and what might not be.  Counterfeit is basically a sloppy job.  The flaw in my approach is that the light-weight, brass Nuevo sol is fairly cheap, especially in comparison to the U.S. or European coin standards I am mostly familiar with.  Soles do not age well, and this to the counterfeit’s advantage.  As the intricate designs on the Nuevo sol wear away, it becomes much more difficult to distinguish between real and fake.

Counterfeit is a problem here in Peru, although most of the attention is given to paper money with its higher denominations.  The South American Explorers organization, of which I am a member, advises foreigners about methods to determine if a bill is fake: see if it rips under pressure, check if the paper is course, find a colored thread within the bill, or examine hidden watermarks with the bill held up to a light source.  Only once have I seen a bill rejected, due to an advanced stage of disintegration.  That said, as I open up my billfold for a quick examination, I see more potential failures of above tests than I care to explore.

I do not concern myself with bills as I do coins because my troubles thus far have been with coins.  Trying to sneak a counterfeit unit between legitimate coins has been my standby practice.  I’ve yet to have a cobrador nail me for this one (my time’s coming though).  Unlike me, Lon Haldeman preferred to separate the real from the fake, and he offers an amusing account of his sencillo experience in the Peruvian jungle.  Both of us, however, have found that Peru’s poorly regulated money is an annoyance, if not a problem.  Who its a problem for is fortunately a matter apart from me.

To learn more about Peruvian money, visit Lima easy’s money page.

1. Yehude Simon Munaro*, President of the Council of Ministers/Prime Minister
2. José García Belaunde, Foreign Affairs
3. Luis Valdivieso, Economy and Finance
4. Ántero Flores Aráoz, Defense
5. Rosario Fernández Figueroa, Justice
6. Remigio Hernani Meloni*, Interior
7. Carlos Leyton Muñoz*, Agriculture
8. Pedro Sánchez Gamarra*, Mines and Energy
9. Mercedes Aráoz, Foreign Commerce and Tourism
10. Jorge Villasante Aranibar*, Labor
11. Elena Conterno Martinell*, Production
12. Óscar Ugarte Ubillús*, Health
13. José Chang Escobedo, Education
14. Carmen Vildoso Chirinos*, Women and Social Development
15. Verónica Zavala, Transportation and Communication
16. Enrique Cornejo, Housing, Construction and Sanitation
17. Antonio Brack, Environment

I’m glad to have Mr. Brack still in the line-up.  He’s my guy.

Mr Wurzelbacher said the company earned $250,000-$280,000 (£144,800-£162,250) a year, and he challenged Mr Obama: “Your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn’t it?”

Mr Obama said that under his proposals, taxes on any revenue below $250,000 would remain the same, but that earnings above that level would be subject to a 39% tax, instead of the current 36% rate.

Mr Obama said that 95% of small businesses earned less than $250,000 and that he wanted to give those small businesses a tax cut.

Mr Wurzelbacher told Mr Obama that would mean he would be taxed more “for fulfilling the American dream”.

Wurzelbacher later said his wish was to corner a candidate with a question and with Barack Obama he “still got a tap dance… Almost as good as Sammy Davis Jr”.  Racial comments aside, the problem I see with Wurzelbacher is that either he himself, the McCain campaign or the national media is misrepresenting him.  He is not at risk of higher taxes under the Obama plan, but thinks the Democrat will raise taxes on Americans anyhow.  In other words, Wurzelbacher appears to believe Obama is less than truthful, or straight out lying.  Although he’s presented under the facade of an “undecided voter,” I think Joe’s allegiances are fairly obvious.

This undecided voter business has always annoyed me.  The term is manufactured; I don’t believe such people genuinely exist, but rather choose to present themselves as such.  When they make it before television cameras (CNN gave a group of so-labeled individuals from Ohio a soapbox after each debate) they profess uncertainty, yet their ideological persuasion is instantaneously apparent.  It’s likely that most seek the attention.  I blame the media for this.  Ever since the 2000 campaign, the media has basically proclaimed undecided voters as America’s presidential kingmakers.  I do not fault such individuals for basking in the free attention, but I find it sleazy that the media stands by such transparent theatrics.  If a truly undecided voter did exist, it would be because they are uninformed, and I question the value in allowing them a vote at all.  Democrary is participatory, and that transcends a mere pull of the lever.  It certainly doesn’t describe our friend Joe.

Read a full examination of Mr. Samuel J. Wurzelbacher at The New York Times.

Source: ANDINA

After seven days on holiday in the Gringo-trodden highlands, I’m back in Lima, back under a blanket of dreary cloud cover and and back to the research.  What I really want to know is where spring already!?  While I wait for an ounce of sunshine, here is a compilation of some stories that happened while I was climbing Machu Picchu.

• Everybody out!  The biggest news last week was undoubtedly the most recent development in the Discover Petroleum bribe scandal with the entire national cabinet resigning.  As expat blogger Levi Novey points out, “Perhaps the biggest loss is that of Antonio Brack, Peru’s Minister of the Environment. Having been recently appointed in the earlier part of this year, he was charged with helping Peru to combat problems associated with climate change and the environment.”  While I have previously questioned whether or not Brack had the clout to achieve anything, he was a visible and outspoken advocate of environmental causes in the national government.  A new cabinet will be announced shortly, and I do hope Brack is returned to his role.

• It’s the reason I’m here in the first place: Peru, for good and bad, is a global focal point for climate change.  In my case it’s the receding Andean glaciers that caught my attention, but rain forest deforestation and changing oceanic temperatures are also gaining the world’s attention.  Returning again to Levi Novey, here is a review of the hot spot called Peru in this modern era of climate change.

• Staying on that same topic, a EU-Latin American Forum on the environment and economic growth occurred last week which included this accurate assessment from Pamela Cox, World Bank Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean:
  

  Countries in the region and its citizens– and particularly the extreme poor– are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. It is cruel and ironic that those people who are the least responsible for causing the problem are also the most vulnerable and the ones with least resources to adapt.

  World Bank assistance to the countries confronted by severe glacier retreat (Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador) will come in the form of programs to promote the only thing people really can do: adaptation.

• Uncle Sam lurking behind Presidente García:  An analysis from the Council on Hemispheric Affairs opines that the 2007′s acclaimed U.S.-Peru Free Trade Agreement has failed to ensure the very environmental and labor regulations that made it noteworthy in the first place.  The cause?  Alan García has flown the coop and used the agreement as cover for deregulation and economic development.  While most Americans assuredly have not taken much notice, the free fall that is García’s public approval rating suggests that many Peruvians are less than pleased with the changes (admittedly in addition to a number of other circumstances).  Although it would appear to me that the major culpability lies with the energetic Mr. García, there would be something good worth saying for the U.S. if it were to assure that Peru adheres to the standards the two countries agreed upon.

Source: MINCETUR

Saturday, September 27, Peru’s ministers of Foreign Trade and Tourism (MINCETUR), Mercedes Araoz, and the Environment (MINAM), Antonio Brack, the Deputy Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and presidents of the regional governments of Peru congregated in Lima to observe World Tourism Day 2008, whose theme was “Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change.”  With Lima serving as this year’s host for the international day of tourism, the attendees created a think tank to discuss the opportunities for change presented by climate change capped off the gathering with the signature of an agreement [esp], titled “Tourism and the Environment: Policies in Regional Management” (El Acta Perú).  The act emphasizes environmental consciousness in the tourism industries in each of Peru’s regions.  The cornerstone of this document is a regional program for climate change, through which MINCETUR and MINAM will coordinate with the regional governments to advance measures that improve the environmental standards in Peru’s tourism.

According to Araoz (my translation), “These measures will be related to the reduction and limitation of rising emissions; the promotion for the greater use of and improvement in the competitiveness of sources of renewable energy; improvement in energy efficiency; the development of bio fuels and the reforestation of forests.”

Further reading on El Acta Perú can be found, in Spanish, here at ANDINA where it is reported that the private sector was also involved in the strategy sessions of the conference.  This could be rather significant considering the economic importance of tourism in Peru.  Advancing environmental standards through industry is a potentially effective method for instilling environmental consciousness to the society at large.