Category: Trade

Environment, taking care of our environment, Trade

Bolivia President’s “New Gold” Still Turning Amazon Forest into Ashes

Xamira Zuiderwijk / September 9, 2019

As fire rages on in Bolivia’s section of the Amazon Forest, many are looking closely into Bolivia’s new trade agreements with China, particularly in the supply of agricultural products. After all, China’s decision to stop buying agricultural products from U.S. farmers, resulted to the Asian country’s increased demand to the farmers of Bolivia.

 

 

About a decade ago, President Evo Morales did not have the support of farmers. Yet everything changed when he made good on his promise to increase Bolivia’s agricultural space; promising as much as 13 million hectares by 2025. It was obvious that the only way this is possible is by clearing out large sections of Bolivia’s part of the Amazon Forest for agricultural use.

Eventually, President Evo’s government became a staunch supporter of ranching and farming businesses, turning agricultural commodities into the “new gold” that will replace natural gas, as Bolivia’s key export product.

Starting with several government pardons on those charged with illegal deforestation, the pardons served as a sign of encouragement for farmers to push further into the deeper recesses of the Amazon. In fact only this year, the Bolivian president authorized the clearings in the Amazonian section that is still raging with fire.

 

Now as if not having had a hand in the widespread destruction of the forest, Morales tweeted concerns for “Mother Earth;” of how people cannot survive without her. This was Morales’s original political stance before his government started focusing on agriculture as the new solution for Bolivia’s economic prosperity.

Still No Signs of Remorse coming from Leaders of Agricultural Businesses

Morales’ latest tweet has made agricultural business leaders edgy, presumably fearing that the support that President Morales had given them previously will be taken away in light of local and international pressures. The agricultural business is urging the Bolivian leader not to give in, to demands of imposing a clamp down on their industry, despite the results of the wildfires created by their clearing operations.

 

 

Oscar Pereyra, president of Bolivia’s prominent cattle-growing association, defends the laws introduced by the Morales’ administration as well thought out, and that they should not be repealed. Pereyra went as far as saying

“We cannot kill the goose that lays the golden eggs for the agricultural industry”

Perhaps, they are hoping against hope that President Morales is merely saying what the G7 leaders led by French President Macron wanted to hear, as a concession to the $22 million financial aid raised in the G7 summit to help Bolivia put out the raging forest fires.

Environment, Trade

Plastic Surgery In An Eco-friendly Way

Agueda J. Quarles / August 23, 2019

People’s awareness of the environment in today’s time become more intense. Eco-friendly industries are also rising to meet the requirement of the environment. However, some businesses are totally in contrast with the eco-friendly concept. One of those businesses is the controversial industry of plastic surgery.

 

 

More and more individuals, either environmentalist or not, are seeking for the improvement of their physical appearance. Breast augmentation, body contouring, and anti-aging injections, most women even men, opt for these kind of procedures. Also, to include the plastic surgery tampa which is another type of cosmetic surgery. Men are also seeking for having a beautiful beard in every environment.

 

However, looking at the environment, many are raising their eyebrows on the concept of environmental surgical procedure of beautification. Thus, medical professionals confirm that plastic surgery can also be done in an eco-friendly way. Not to think of the debate regarding this issue, the path of plastic surgery is leading there.

 

The Movement to a More Eco-friendly Surgery

 

Along with the advancement of technology, plastic surgery also climbs up. Materials for breast implant are sourced from human tissues. This is one example showing that sources of materials utilized for some cosmetic procedures have rational and more humane ingredients.

 

Undergoing plastic surgery procedures need intensive planning. Looking beautiful entails number of ways without giving damaging effect to the environment. So, better to do a research first regarding the procedure and its materials.

 

ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY SURGICAL PROCEDURES

 

The main purpose of using fat fillers is primarily for the cheeks and lips to plump up. Plumping of the facial parts works by taking the required fat from other body area of the patient. After this, the fat is cleansed, refined, the injected in the area for filling. In this procedure, no artificial substance is injected inside the body. Thus, making the procedure eco-friendly.

 

Because of the increasing demand of the go-green drive, the medical field of plastic surgery is continuously striving to have procedures that cause lesser damage to the environment.

 

Equipment like the Velashape which is a medical remodelling tool became an alternative equipment. Requirement of such tool is the electricity and solar panels. However, since it is a weather-dependent equipment, this is not applicable to all countries.

 

Environment, Trade

Bolivia’s Hopes for Meat Boom via China Trade, Raise Deforestation Concerns

Xamira Zuiderwijk / July 10, 2019

Recently, Bolivia’s livestock farmers received news that the country will soon be exporting cattle meat to China. However, the news also raised environmental concerns that the new market will worsen the current state of deforestation in Bolivia, unless livestock farmers migrate to more sustainable methods of production.

In 2014, the Friends of Nature Foundation (FAN) published a report stating that the previous perception of agricultural expansion, particularly for soybean as being the main cause of deforestation, had changed. According to FAN Director, Natalia Calderón, from the years 2000 to 2013, their analyses showed that more than 60% of Bolivia’s deforestation was caused by livestock.

 

Ms. Calderon, who is an expert on conservation and climate change said that currently they are wary of the planned expansion of agricultural spaces intended for cattle raising, as they have recently detected a broadening of deforested areas as such those in the Charagua and Chiquitania regions in Santa Cruz. That is without considering that talks about incentives for cattle production, adequate monitoring and control, as well as technical assistance and technology, have yet to take place.

Bolivian Cattle Ranchers’ Projections to Meet the Forthcoming Meat Boom

Actually, in April 26, of this year, Bolivian Foreign Minister Diego Pary, and the Chinese Minister of Customs, Ni Yuefeng, had already agreed in writing to a protocol of opening China’s doors to Bolivia for its beef exports. Beef consumption among the 1.4 billion Chinese people has risen sharply, from which Bolivian cattle ranchers are hoping to gain huge benefits.

Gary Rodríguez, President of the Instituto Boliviano de Comercio Exterior (IBCE) expressed support for the beef exporters. He projects that the forthcoming beef trade with China will more than double, since they expect that in as short as half a year, cattle ranchers will be selling the equivalent of what they have been selling in the past 10 years. Rodriguez estimates that

“By the year 2020, we would be selling US$150 million to the world only for the export of cattle meat. However, the projection is to move from a cattle herd of 10 million to 17 million within a span of 10 years.”

In connection with this projection, cattle ranchers presented their goals to President Evo Morales in January, via the Livestock Development Plan 2020-2030, which includes planned expansions from the current 13 million hectares for livestock to 20 million hectares.

Bolivia’s cattle ranchers aim to export 20,000 tons of beef to China in the second half of this year. The projection will make roughly about US$75 million, or five times more than the entire amount generated in 2018, based on the figures furnished by the Bolivian Foreign Trade Institute (IBCE). Come 2020, the goal is to increase to 40,000 tons.

Benian Meat, the “Bolivia Natural Beef” Seen as a Model for Sustainable Beef Production

In Beni, farmers contend that their livestock industry is not a main cause of the country’s deforestation. Beni has extensive plains covered by pampas and savannas for cattle pasture enhanced by humid tropical forests located on gentle piedmont slopes.

Compared to Santa Cruz or Brazil, the clearing in Beni is only for cattle paddocks and are located in high places. Cattle ranchers in Beni assert that they take care of the environment, as they still follow the same system used by their grandparents, which is that of making a cattle ranch in the pampas.

Director Calderon of FAN upholds the sustainable method, confirming that in Beni, there is livestock but raised in natural pastures, which gives doubts to implications of deforestation. Still, she says that they would have to take precautions in everything that concerns management of soil and water.