A new governmental report lists Brazil's land reform agency as the biggest culprit for illegal logging of Amazon rain forests.

By Andrew Downie| Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitorfrom the October 3, 2008 edition

São Paulo, Brazil - Brazil's environment minister announced yet another series of measures to halt deforestation of the Amazon this week, but their impact was weakened not only by the fact that destruction had increased sharply once again but that the government itself was among the worst culprits.

A federal agency charged with implementing agrarian reform and giving land to the poor filled the top six spots on a list of the nation's 100 worst deforesters since 2005, according to the list, published by the environment ministry on Monday. The top 100 deforesters cut down the equivalent of 160,000 soccer fields, said Environment Minister Carlos Minc.

"The numbers are terrible," he admitted to reporters. The statistics were a surprise and an embarrassment to Mr. Minc, who took office in May after his predecessor resigned, complaining that her hands were tied by a government more interested in economic growth than environmental protection.

Minc said the ministry would investigate all 100 offenders and open criminal charges against those responsible. It slapped the Agency of Land Reform (INCRA) with a fine of 264 million reais (about $137 million).

For the full article, please visit Christian Science Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/1003/p06s03-woam.html

Weekend Edition
October 3 - 5, 2008

Environmental Security and the Evolution of Military Green Think

By CINDY ELLEN HILL

Thousands of conservation leaders will convene in Barcelona Spain next week for the 2008 World Conservation Congress, an event which International Union for Conservation and Nature (IUCN) sponsors every four years. On October 6, a select few will meet with key military leaders at an invitation-only roundtable to spearhead a paradigm shift in thinking about the intersection of environmental issues and local, regional, and national security.

The IUCN Roundtable on Environment and Security will match representatives from the military (USA, Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, Nepal, Mauretania), NATO, and other members of the world's security community with key environmental leaders to explore strategies for waging an environmentally sustainable peace. 

Among those security leaders is Sherri Goodman, General Counsel for the Arlington, Virginia think thank CNA, and former U.S. Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Environmental Security. "Climate change is a national security threat. It is a threat multiplier for instability in fragile regions," says Goodman."We need to protect natural resources, food, water, forests, agriculture, as a matter of security."

From Suspicion to Alliances

In the past, discussion of the intersection of environmental and military concerns have focused on direct pollution and damage caused by armed conflict. For example, the U.S. media has recently turned its attention to the USEPA's failure to regulate perchlorate, a component of rocket fuel, which is found in groundwater near military bases and has potentially serious human health effects.

"War is the worst destructor of nature and the environment. Depleted uranium and other pollutants leave large tracts devastated," says Wouter Veening, director of the Institute for Environmental Security, one of the sponsors of the Environment and Security Workshop. "It uses tremendous amounts of fossil fuels, tremendous CO2 emissions from military operations. Seventy percent of what you bring to the battlefield is fuel."

For the full commentary, please visit CounterPunch at http://www.counterpunch.org/hill10032008.html

By David E. Mosher, Beth E. Lachman, Michael D. Greenberg, Tiffany Nichols, Brian Rosen, Henry H. WillisCopyright 2008 RAND Corporatio

To access the report visit: http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG632.pdf

Excerpt:

"Since 1991, the United States has engaged in military operations in the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa, Europe, the Pacific Basin, and
the Caribbean. In many instances, U.S. forces have remained in these areas far longer than was initially anticipated. As a result, U.S. forces have become closely involved in such activities as stability operations, reconstruction, and nation-building. Frequently, these activities are as important to accomplishing the long-term U.S. goals as the combat operations that may have preceded them.

The longer stays and involvement in post-conflict activities have elevated the importance of environmental considerations in U.S. military operations, for a variety of reasons. First, conflicts often occur in countries where the environment poses risks to U.S. forces. Disease, polluted air or water, or toxic substances may present a high risk when the troops remain in the country for only a short time, but a longterm presence greatly increases it. Second, the actions of U.S. forces with respect to the environment become more important because of their effect on the local populace and its support for U.S. goals, including return to local governance. Therefore, U.S. forces need to ensure that they do not contribute to environmental problems by disposing of waste improperly, failing to address environmental problems they create (e.g., fuel spills), or damaging important natural or cultural resources such as farmland and water supplies. Third, reconstruction projects and other activities that improve local environmental conditions can foster a positive attitude toward the United States and the host-nation government that it is supporting. This goodwill can have tangible benefits for U.S. national objectives: It can aid the economic and social developments necessary for long-term stability and improve cooperation with locals, which in turn can improve intelligence, lower security risks, and speed construction and transition to civilian government. Finally, environmental effects can easily transcend national borders, spilling over into neighboring or even distant countries. Given
the importance of other countries to U.S. global military activities, it is important to maintain good relations with them, and poor environmental practices can hinder that process."