1. Conflict Between Economic Development and Environmental Protection Jim Ryan SPC

2. An Irish Case Study n Conflict in Ireland (Local) n The Mayo Gas Terminal Development n Highlights the need to manage the development of our natural resources and protect the environment and the safety of the local population

3. Background n Corrib Gas Field - 70 km offshore from Mayo coast n Will provide a lifetime of aprx. 20 years and aprx. 60% of Ireland’s gas needs n Will reduce the amount of gas we need to import from areas such as North Sea (Interconnector with UK)

4. Processing The Gas n The owners of the Gas Field - Shell Cosortium want to process the gas onshore in Mayo n Need to get out impurities and add odour for safety n Investing 900 Million Euro in processing plant n Gas will be pumped ashore near Rossport and be piped to the terminal at Bellanaboy

5. Processing n It will be processed and added to the National Gas Pipeline Grid n The Construction is creating 500 jobs in an area which has very little employment n 50 Permanent jobs will be created in the terminal when finished

6. Conflict n Jobs may not go to locals n Safety of pipeline for local n Safety of pipeline for environment n Accidents n Safety of Processing Plant n Destruction of Natural Habitats n Resulted in long court battles/picketing of site/violent assaults/local feuding

7. Concerns of Locals n High Pressure Pipeline close to residences and roads n Proposed pipeline only 70 metres away from some homes - International guidelines state should be 750 metres n Locals want it processed at sea and sent ashore in lower pressured pipelines n Excavation of peat from area for the terminal could cause landslides

8. Why Not Process at Sea? n Too Expensive n Delays n Weather Issues n Would not provide jobs to locals

9. Rossport 5 n 2005 Five local landowners jailed for blocking access to the site - spent 90 days in jail - inflamed the situation n Highlighted the way Irish Government were granting licences to foreign MNC’s rather than keeping the resource for Ireland n People believe these licences have not benefited locals only make MNC’s richer - Inefficient use of Natural Resource - Unlike oil in Norway (Statoil)

10. Resolution n International team of inspectors carried out a safety review and reported to Irish Government n Mediator appointed to help locals and gas company resolve their differences n 2006- Gas Company offered to re-route the pipeline n They also offered to pay over 1.3 Million Euro into a Community Fund - to be used to create local employment and develop local business

11. Resolution? n In 2007 the Company was granted a licence by the EPA with 85 conditions - It stated that under these grounds the terminal would not adversely affect the health of the locals or the local environment n Further objections were raised by the local objectors and An Taisce n The terminal is now almost complete but has created great divide within the community and between the Gas Company and the Community

12. International Case Study Deforestation - Amazon Rainforest

13. Background n 40% of World’s remaining Tropical Rainforest n Vital role in maintaining Biodiversity/Climate/Water Cycle n A Global Sink for Carbon Dioxide - absorbs it from the atmosphere as it grows n Vital resource for food for local tribes n Protects the soil against soil erosion and landslides/mudflows n Critical resource for medicines

14. Advance Brazil n 2001 - Announced by Brazilian Government n $40 Million plan n Replace much of rainforest with: n 10,000km of roads/HEP Dams/Reservoirs/Power Lines/Mines/Gasfields/Oilfields/Canals/Ports/ Logging Concessions/Industry

15. Conflict n The damage that will be done has been predicted by scientists using satellite imaging n In 20 years they predict the following damage: n 42% of region will be totally deforested n Less than 5% of the land will be pure forest n Forest destruction could be permanent n Loss of rainforest will more than likely affect Global Warming due to decrease in Global Sink n Brazil is a developing country and needs to develop its economy - Developed countries have always exploited raw materials

16. The Future? n The Advance Brazil plan is a means for speeding up Brazil’s development n The plan may be overly ambitious so - may not be as destructive as predicted n The plan has helped stop previous government policy of re-settling people in the rainforest which has been a major cause of deforestation n The plan has been submitted to an Independent Environmental Impact Assessment by local Brazilian protestors and the International Community - They fear the global damage it could cause

17. Global Concerns n Lungs of the World being destroyed n Deforestation causes poverty n Deforestation causes mass movements of people - Refugees n Destruction of Natural Habitat/Indigenous People n Climate Change n Destruction of possible Medical Remedies