Catalyst for Change: Progress Within India Regarding Female Empowerment and Equality

Although sexual violence and inequality towards women in India is not an emerging issue, more alarming cases have currently surfaced and have inspired an awakening of recent social transformations. Particular cases, like that of the fatal gang rape around New Delhi, have brought not only worldwide attention but also a domestic movement for the status of Indian women. Citizens, mainly of the younger generations, are coming together to challenge the social norms and attitudes placed upon them regarding actions such as child marriage or legal injustices such as discriminatory family codes. Through growing awareness and collective efforts towards united change, the Sexual Assault Law of March 2013 capitalized on this momentum and was designed to prevent sexual violence against women. The law declares trafficking, stalking, acid attacks, and voyeurism as criminal offenses and even also accepts the death penalty as a legal course of action if a certain sexual assault case results in death of a victim (more on Sexual Assault Law of March 2013). However, it is not uncommon for cases to go unreported which is a major setback for government support. The Human Rights Watch claims that India’s “lack of accountability” ultimately helps cultivate human rights violations. Even with greater recognition for the equality of women, there are further actions that are needed to guarantee implemented prevention of sexual violence against women in India.

One of these further actions, for example, is a broader recognition of the underlying nature of rape within India as a product of a widely patriarchal society. The country has experienced previous issues with gender inequality and due to recent awareness of brutal rapes, India is also familiarizing itself with many forms of protests and backlash. The difficulty of eradicating such long standing ideas is being countered by immense involvement of the Indian media covering this issue. With this force, especially due to media and it’s huge place within the Indian community, the ultimate idea is to use anti-rape movements to adapt certain aspects of Indian culture. In a society where women tend to be perceived as second class citizens, there is a sentiment of pervasive fear. Then, in order to eradicate that, changing the mindset of the masses becomes a lofty task even for such an influential force such as media relevance. For example, one of these strong vocal movements is how women can be seen holding “My Skirt Is Not Your Business” signs. Additionally, PSA media campaigns such as “Dekh Le” regarding men and excess staring help to bring about broad attention to treatment of women as a whole. A prominent issue though is how many of these protests take place in the larger cities of India. India is an extremely large country where most of the population resides in rural areas where mindsets are often very different. Some solution that village leaders are suggesting is lowering the marriage age to stop rape. That idea in itself is an issue and doesn’t truly address the problem at hand. While anti-rape protests within big cities have planted the seed for change, in order to see progress Indian society needs ultimate persistence in empowerment and education.

Another aspect that describes why this mentality has been embodied relates to India’s history and it’s differing cultural relativism than that of other Westernized states due to imperial forces. Indian law has been greatly shaped by many years of colonialism and skewed aspects of the common practiced religion of Hinduism. India’s diverse cultural and religious backgrounds reflect a varied inclination to sexism and men are often viewed as leaders and essential “bread-winners” of the household while women are expected to stay home. A large part of this is reflected in a “dowry tradition” where a bride’s father gives her groom money, land, or other items that represent her social standing. Though this was made illegal in 1961 it is extremely hard to enforce and is still commonly practiced today. The “dowry tradition” puts women in India at a great disadvantage to be seen as a man’s property. Women are taught from birth that they are inferior to men, sons are cherished and favored, fathers pick whom their daughters marry, and exchange them as property and women are expected to live with their new husbands. While this mentality is pretty far gone in urban areas of the country, within village life such ideals still remain relevant. This intense gender gap in India has made legal rights for women a tough road. Rape historically has been viewed as a woman's own fault for “being too provocative” or “a bad wife” rather than a victim. And, legislation such as Section 375 states that rape is “penetration without consent” referring to a woman’s vagina penetrated by a man. Nonetheless momentum is growing and with small victories arising in 1972 the rape of a 16 year old girl started the first public movement for legal reform. Last year the government passed the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Bill which sets up a separate court for juvenile rape victims. While many laws still favor men and ignore the needs of the rest of the population, this is slowly changing and the pressing issue of rape is becoming a nation wide movement.

Regarding other forms of legislation regarding this issue and following the events of the New Delhi Rape Case of 2012, many actions were taken to change laws in order to protect women. Although these laws were put into effect to “stem sexual violence against women” (Messinger, Huffington Post, 2013), women are still vulnerable to the “gendered-based” (Messinger, Huffington Post, 2013) abuses caused by spouses and India’s National Security Forces. The law put into place by the Indian Government can only be seen on a legislative level. On the ground these laws are not being put into effect the way they should be and because of this issue many grassroots organizations, “local political organizations which seek to influence conditions not related to the working situation of the participants and which have the activity of the participants as their primary source” (Gundelach, Acta Sociologica, 1979), have developed in India to ensure that everyone, including women and young girls of all backgrounds in India, “have access to education, jobs, healthcare, physical protection, and emotional safety” (Messinger, Huffington Post, 2013). Two grassroots organizations that have sprouted in India are Awaaz-e-Niswaan (AEN) and the Shaheen Resource Center for Women. After the New Delhi rape case, AEN organized protests and vigils and provided a safe haven for Muslim girls and teenagers and teaches them about their rights, along with helping them “develop a network of peer support and how to access government and nongovernment services” (Messinger, Huffington Post, 2013) to defend and safeguard their rights. AEN understands the connection between poverty, discrimination, and rape, and because of that they are able to give these women and girls much more than just support. AEN has given Muslim women and girls a voice in defending their rights. AEN has also given a voice to the once ignored sex workers and LGBT groups who have experienced abuse and violence that was considered illegitimate by the Indian government. The Shaheen Resource Center for Women also came about following the New Delhi rape and they not only provide leadership and development to Muslim communities, but also legal counseling. They teach women and girls to be independent and self sufficient through “livelihood skills”, as well as teaching them about their bodies so they “can value themselves” and not “normalize violence that may seem commonplace in their communities” (Messinger, Huffington Post, 2013). Through grassroots organizations like these women have found the strength to advocate for themselves and begin the process of stopping the cycle of violence they have had to endure.

Through these groups, attempted reforms at legislation, media influence, and broadened education regarding the place of women in Indian society and its direct correlation to rape prevention, it is evident that there is progress being made. Simultaneously, however, it is also prevalent that many actions and paths towards equality have led to dead ends or complexified situations. It is through continued effort and increasing awareness within India, by Indians, and for Indians themselves that we are seeing continued effort and emphasis placed on such a vital cause for the future of the country as a whole.

By: Taylor, Monica, Adriana, Jacklyn and Tiffany




Works Cited

Government of India, Ministry of Home Affairs. (2001).Census data. Retrieved from website: http://censusindia.gov.in/Census_And_You/religion.aspx

Gundelach, Peter. Acta Sociologica.. Sage Publications Ltd., 1979. 187. Print.

Messinger, Ruth. "Seeking Transformative Justice in the Aftermath of the New Delhi Rape Case." Huffington Post. 9 Oct. 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ruth-messinger/seeking-transformative-ju_b_4072019.html>.

Jamil, Faiz. (2013, January 4) Can India’s anti-rape movement change a culture? CBC news. Retrieved March 25, 2014 from http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/can-india-s-anti-rape-moment-change-a-culture-1.1321430

Khalsa, Guruamrit. Khambatta, Persis. (2013, March 6). New Sexual Assault Laws in India: Only the Beginning. The Asia Foundation. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from http://asiafoundation.org/in-asia/2013/03/06/new-sexual-assault-laws-in-india-only-the-beginning/ .

New Threats to Free Speech, Annual Review Spotlights Justice. (2014, January 21). India: End Violence Against Women, Children, Minorities. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/01/21/india-end violence-against-women-children-minorities.

Women's situation in india. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.saarthakindia.org/womens_situation_India.html

Wright, T. (2013). A short history of indian rape-law reforms. The Wall Street Journal, Retrieved from http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2013/01/09/a-short-history-of-indian-rape-law-reforms/

Iran Nuclear Talks: The Latest Report

Iran Nuclear Talks: The Latest Report

            As mentioned in the previous blog, in late of January 2014, Iran and the U.N. Security Council made an interim agreement in regards to Iran's nuclear program; whereby, Iran complied to the demands of the Western Powers by decreasing their original amount of enriched uranium.  Recently, on March 18th, a U.N. meeting was held in Vienna to discuss the current status of the parties' temporary indenture that will be ending as of June 20th.  Reporters from USA Today as well as the New York Times, have both concluded that the outcome of the Vienna Conference was positive and "hopeful" (Madhani).  The International Atomic Energy Agency, which overlooks Iran's nuclear production, has confirmed that the middle-eastern nation was meeting its commitments under the six-month deal.  "The report said that the enrichment of uranium to [medium levels] had stopped, and that a part of Iran's stockpile of that uranium [is being down-blended, and the remainder is being converted to uranium oxide,] as the deal requires" (Senators).  The March conference in Vienna was considerably successful, and a follow-up meeting is scheduled for April 7th.

             The F5+1 (Britain, France, Russia, United States, China, plus Germany) and Iran have all benefited economically since the initiative was implemented in January.  In return, for respecting the requirements made by the U.N.; previous sanctions which have inhibited much of Iran's economic growth have been alleviated.  Over the past three months, Iran has been able to some of the $4.2 billion of restricted reserve funds, and if both sides remain compliant; the country will have access to the full sum by the end of Spring (Erlanger).  Due to the loosening of some trade restrictions in the petrochemical, precious metals, and auto industries; Iran will be expected to increase its GDP by 1% in 2015 (Madhani).  According to managing director of Turquoise Partners, Ramin Rabii, "If sanctions are reduced, it will open up this untapped market, one of the few untapped markets on the planet, to foreign investors.  There will be huge interest.  It's not clear of course what a deal will look like, but if there is a deal there will be a huge flow of investment in Iran" (Gewirtz).

            Petroleum is by far the most utilized fuel source on the planet, and Iran debatably, has roughly 10% of the world's oil.  Unbeknownst to most, the sanctions against Iran impact people on a global level currently. Economist researcher Trevor Houser, has detailed that in the scenario that all sanctions were lifted, the price of oil would drop significantly, however, the possibility of this happening soon is very unlikely.  Though the U.N. has initiated plans for new agreement after June 20th, many influencing parties are in opposition.  Some members of the United States Congress have expressed their criticisms of the international appeasement of Iran's sanctions, because they believe that with a better economy Iran will be less fearful in the future; if there were new the threat of economic sanctions.   

            Besides opposition in Washington, Israel has been an adamantly outspoken criticizer of the Iranian/U.N. sanction-appeasement agreement.  During the March 18th meeting, the Israeli government made a statement about Iran's current compliance, arguing that the interim agreement did not make "any change in Iran's nuclear program"(Erlanger).  The report concluded that, "for a civilian nuclear program there is no need for centrifuges and no need for a heavy-water reactor" (Erlanger).  Heavy-water reactors are a necessary component for cooling and moderating the nuclear power generated, while centrifuges turn uranium ore into uranium oxide.  In response to Israel's accusation that Iran is enriching uranium to create nuclear weapons; Iran  confirmed that no new heavy-water reactors have been built since the following year, which obeys the standards made during U.N. negotiations.  Iran has insisted that its nuclear power program is entirely for the purpose of alternative energy rather than nuclear weapons.  Two-thirds of the Iranian population urge for the continuation of the country's nuclear program (Gewirtz). 

            Although Israel takes a strong stance on the matter, not everyone's position is merely black and white. Russia for instance, although in favor of a slow approach to the removal of sanctions, has not expressed the worries presented by other nations.  Unlike the other powerhouse influences of the U.N., Russia did not impose additional sanctions other than what was already implemented by the Security Council (Maloney).  We must remember that the United States has a rocky history with Iran, considering that long ago, the U.S. eradicated Iran's first democratic process.  Russia's conviction, that in the hypothetical circumstance Iran creates nuclear bombs, the Eastern European nation will undoubtedly be upset but eventually accepting (Maloney).  Russia claims that their relationship with Iran is fairly neutral and similar to that of United States' relations with Pakistan. 

              Russia itself also sparks fears, as some American politicians are wary, that due to the recent discrepancies between the United States and Russia in the matter of the Ukraine, Russia will no longer be a supporter of U.N. sanctions of  Iran.  Fortunately, no such hostility surfaced during the meeting between the two Western nations as they consider the Iran-issue to be a separate conflict entirely.  In fact, sanctions are in the best interest of the Russian economy since the U.S. is more reliant on Russian oil rather than Iranian petrol (Maloney).    

Citations

Senators urge Obama to stand firm over Iran nuclear talks. (n.d.). Retrieved   March 26, 2014,   from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/22/senators-barack-obama-letter-            iran-nuclear-talks

Maloney, S. (n.d.). Three Reasons Why Russia Won't Wreck the Iran Nuclear Negotiations.       Retrieved March 26, 2014, from http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/iran-at-         saban/posts/2014/03/22-russia-us-tension-sabotage-iran-nuclear-deal 

Rubin, A. J., & Gladstone, R. (2014, March 18). West Sees Unity on Iran Despite Crisis in        Ukraine. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from           http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/19/world/europe/iran-nuclear-talks.html?_r=0 

Erlanger, S. (2014, February 20). Iran and 6 Powers Agree on Terms for Nuclear Talks.              Retrieved March 25, 2014, from             http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/21/world/middleeast/iran.html 

Madhani, A. (2014, January 20). U.S., EU begin sanctions relief for Iran. Retrieved March 26,  2014, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/01/20/iran-sanctions-       relief-begins/4666765/ 

Gewirtz, J. (2014, February 21). Iran stocks are booming, and nuclear talks are why. Retrieved  March 26, 2014, from http://www.cnbc.com/id/101435858 

Davenport, A. (2013, August 2). The Empty Threat of Iran Sanctions. Retrieved March 26, 2014,            from http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2013/08/02/the-empty-threat-of-     sanctions-over-irans-nuclear-program 

Lakshmanan, I. A.R., & Loder, A. (2013, November 7). Iran Loses Nuclear Leverage as World I              Ignores Export Drop. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-07/ iran-loses-nuclear-leverage-as-world- ignores-export-drop.html 

Destruction Fueled by Difference

The conflict in the Central African Republic has been perpetually developing since our previous update in February of this year. Following the resignation of Pres. Djotodia on 10 January 2014, the balance of military and political power in the Central African Republic, especially in the capital Bangui, has shifted from the predominately Muslim Seleka to the overwhelmingly Christian and animist anti-balaka militia groups. As of March 2014, in approximate terms, the anti-balaka currently control Bangui while the Seleka have almost entirely retreated to the countryside. While the Seleka and anti-balaka have switched roles in terms of control over the capital and countryside, respectively, they both continue to commit widespread human rights abuses, including murder, torture, pillaging, and rape. Each group continues to target civilians who members believe belong to the opposite faith.In Bangui in particular, Muslim civilians continue to be heavily targeted in what is largely viewed as reprisal attacks for abuses committed by Seleka before their retreat from the capital in February of this year.

Just as in 2013, no group of people or entities has much meaningful economic, political, or social control over politics and internal affairs of the CAR. According to BBC News, the United Nations launched a human rights investigation into the violence in the Central African Republic. The UN Security Council ordered the inquiry in December to identify suspects who could be prosecuted for the violence.The most meaningful source of power at this point comes from 1,600 French and 6,000+ African troops currently stationed in the country as part of an EU-AU joint peacekeeping operation called African-led International Support Mission to the Central African Republic (MISCA). However, the impact of the peacekeepers thus far on the ground has been limited in Bangui and practically non-existent outside the capital, where various militias and armed groups continue to attack civilians on a daily basis with total impunity

The short and long-term outlook for the CAR is grim to say the least, according to a March 24^th article by Human Rights Watch: “Thousands of civilians are in dire need of immediate protection and assistance in the Central African Republic. One year after a coup by the Seleka rebel coalition, international efforts to address the crisis remain woefully inadequate. There is particularly an urgent need to end impunity for ongoing abuses and ensure accountability for crimes committed by all parties.” Prior to the coup that ousted Pres. Francois Bozize from power in March 2013, the CAR was already one the poorest and most underdeveloped countries in Africa. Hence, the situation has only gotten progressively worse since then.While a transitional government is currently in place, its’ control over the country is tenuous at best. Interim President Samba-Panza has appealed for the end of the bloodshed with little success. Inquiry head Bernard Acho Muna said he hopes the presence of investigators would influence to stop making what he calls "hate propoganda". “I think it is in our mandate to see how one can stop any advances toward genocide.”

(Full Documentary: The Devil Tried to Divide Us: War in the Central African Republic)

Politics, more specifically Identity Politics, is the foundation for the emergence of genocide in the Central African Republic. Looking at the definition of identity politics we see that the majority Christian population in CAR is determined to place Muslims outside of society. The chair of the UN Genocide investigation, Bernard Acho Muna states “genocide starts always with propaganda, convincing the population that this group of people is evil, they are bad, they should be eliminated." This type of propaganda resonates with the Christian’s goal to “cleanse” the CAR.  Identifying who is Christian and who is Muslim benefits only one group, the Christians. More and more Muslims are being killed, tortured, and forced out of the country, less than 1,000 of the 100,000 Muslim population are still living in the capital. This shines light on another underlying issue, Human Rights. While the United Nations is launching an investigation, there is no doubt that genocide is in place. The basic human right of life is being threatened and the UN has shown no force in protecting this right. Regardless of what you identify yourself as, we are all human and that holds more power than the different Gods we choose to worship.

Alongside attacks rooted in religious values, the children of the Central African Republic are facing disgusting and unprecedented brutality due to the current turmoil in their homeland. The impact of the conflict on children is dramatic, with unending reports of innocent children being brutally attacked, maimed, raped, killed, and beheaded. Furthermore, as many as 6,000 children are a part of the armed groups, likely by force. To grow up in the current conditions of the CAR is nothing any of us could understand, and it doesn't seem that the violence will be slowing down any time soon.

While the conflict in the Central African Republic is largely devastating to the lives of civilians, it is also hard on the country's economy. While rich in natural resources like timber, diamonds, and gold, the Central African Republic is mainly a subsistence farming nation, agriculture making up about 60% of the nations economy. Already unstable from poor economic policies and factional fighting, the recent violence in the CAR has decimated the economy. In the words of the head of FairMed, a Swiss NGO, Henry Babila "The economic system [of the Central African Republic] has completely collapsed.” The CAR now depends almost entirely on international donors, like the Islamic Development Bank whose board recently approved $1 million dollars in aid to refugees who have fled the country. And while the interim President Samba-Panza has sketched out some plan for the CAR’s economic future, without any source of revenue and little foreign economic aid, it is hard to see how the country can make any economic progress.

Overall, the genocide in the Central African Republic is more than just militant action or a war between religious groups, it is a massive, destructive force hurting each part of the country. Pushed forward by the differences between Muslims and Christians, this genocide looks as though it will continue through the end of our spring semester, and into the next year.

N/A. (2014, March 10). Central African Republic: UN launches human rights probe. Retrieved from BBC News: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26515759

N/A. (2014, March 18). The Central African Republic. Retrieved from CIA World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ct.html

N/A. (2014, March 25). Fresh violence erupts in Central African Republic. Retrieved from euronews: http://www.euronews.com/2014/03/25/fresh-violence-erupts-in-central-african-republic/

N/A. (2014, March 21). Central African Republic: Still a long way to go. Retrieved from The Africa Report: http://www.theafricareport.com/Central-Africa/central-african-republic-still-a-long-way-to-go.html

Nebehay, S., & MacSwan, A. (2014, March 10). U.N. inquiry aims to prevent genocide in Central African Republic. Retrieved from Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/10/us-centralafrican-un-inquiry-idUSBREA290I420140310

Got Pellets?

Got pellets?

     Climate change is an important issue in the world right now. Just about everyone is looking for a solution. Michel Foucault proposed his idea of governmentality as a way to solve political issues. We can apply this theory to environmental issues such as climate change (Edkins & Zehfuss, 2014, p.78). By applying the eco-governmentality perspective to environmental issues, it means that we should try to “look at specific, concrete practices and technologies that already surround us rather than trying to tackle really big questions of principle,” as suggested by Carl Death (Edkins & Zehfuss, 2014, p.79). The idea is to seek out solutions that were already proposed and practiced or “been done” in the world to try to counter climate change. One of the potential answers is to develop new energy sources such as biomass, specifically wood (in the form of pellets) which can reduce our dependency on coal and fossil fuels in order to generate electricity. Unfortunately, the negative impact on the environment of using wood pellets actually outweighs potential benefits. As Hammel (2013) reported in an article in Ecowatch, “the burning of whole trees in power plants actually increases carbon emissions relative to fossil fuels for many decades. It also emits higher levels of multiple air pollutants” (para.2). So in reality, biomass energy sources such as wood pellets are probably not a great alternative energy source to replace coal and oil.
     Despite these facts, due to high demand for biofuels in Europe, EU states are highly interested to import wood pellets from Canada to Europe (Magelli, 2009). Researchers Magelli et al. (2009) have reported that “about 7.2 GJ of energy is consumed for each tonne of wood pellets produced and shipped to Europe, representing about 39% of the total energy content of the wood pellets.” So the cost of production and shipping, including the long-term negative externalities amount for over a third of the long-term energy use. “Among those energies consumed over the life cycle, about 2.6 GJ is associated with long-distance ocean transportation. Ocean transportation is also the major contributor to negative environmental and health impacts, followed by the pellet production processes” (Abstract section). We know now that although wood pellets can be a better alternative energy in moderation compared to coal or other fossil fuels, the production combined with process and transportation of wood pellets actually contributes greater harm to the environment than the domestic fuel sources like oil and coal in the US. It is extremely costly for the EU to buy the US and Canada's wood and transport it, because of the oceanic transport necessary and cutting down these trees, particularly in old growth forests. Therefore, the production of wood pellets has serious detrimental impacts on the overlying ecosystem. Cutting these trees down leads to erosion and landslides, loss of nutrients in the soil and loss of the natural carbon “scrubber” – trees.
     There are other immediate issues to contend with when we talk about wood pellets. Two of the big ones, particularly here in the United States are economic growth, which goes hand-in-hand with jobs and corporate profit. This year Enviva LP, currently one of the largest producers of wood pellets, is on track to expand its operations. This means more jobs, in modern and profitable sectors at a time when the US economy is still struggling to recover from the recession. Currently, according to the company’s own estimates, their mills in Ashokie, North Carolina and Northhampton County, North Carolina (near Gaston) currently employ roughly 200 employees at an average salary of $35,000 annually. Both mills operate year round and around the clock to create over 850,000 metric tons of pellets per year. Most of these pellets are then loaded on trucks and shipped across the pond to Europe via Enviva’s own deep water port terminal on the Chesapeake Bay (Enviva).


     And that is just two mills – from one company – in one part of the US (the southeast). There are several other companies who are part of the wood pellet industry, not just in the US, but in Canada and even in Europe (though few and much smaller in scale). In the United States, corporations such as Riverside Holdings LLC are lining up to provide funding, while others, like Intrinergy, are bragging about partnerships with those in the emerging pellet market. All under the pretext of creating jobs and hefty corporate profits while simultaneously “saving the environment.” Enviva states on its website that its wood pellets are “manufactured from a mix of untreated raw wood, waste wood and residuals” (Enviva). This means they do use whole trees, but they claim those are only young trees from “thinning” of forests or diseased or weak growth trees. There are no current regulations in effect in the United States and no monitoring agency to prevent any pellet mill from using whole or old growth trees. Many companies rely on their supply chain to provide them with “sustainable” raw materials. Can any corporation be trusted to monitor themselves and their own supply chain?
     This issue of whether wood pellets are really a “green” energy is important to question. Recently the world’s communities have been working together to develop new renewable energy alternatives that actually can replace coal and fossil fuels. Presently the idea of biomass sounds like a great alternative, but is it really a smart choice? Yes, when burned, wood pellets produce less carbon into the atmosphere than coal. But, that doesn’t take into account how much carbon dioxide (and other hazardous emissions) are released during the process of making the pellets and then trucking and shipping them abroad. It also does not account for the effects of deforestation. Living trees actually filter carbon dioxide from the air during photosynthesis. So removing trees from the environment means there are less “carbon filters” and therefore more carbon in the atmosphere. Humans have already destroyed nearly 80 percent of the world's forest cover, which is vital to the health of ecosystems. Now we want to burn the rest? It will be a waste of technology, capital and resources for the EU to realize down the road that wood pellets aren't easily renewable and they have no better option than coal or oil again. Ultimately, taking into consideration the entire process of wood pellets, it is better if the use of wood pellets stays domestic and is regulated to prevent deforestation – not to be used as a quick substitution for coal in the EU so they can reduce their own domestic carbon footprint.


Sources:

Edkins, J., & Zehfuss, M. (2014). Global politics: A new introduction. (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.

Enviva LP. www.envivabiomass.com

Hammel, D. (2013, Sept 4). U.S. becomes largest wood pellet exporter, clear-cutting forests and destroying wetlands. Retrieved from http://ecowatch.com/2013/09/04/wood-pellet-exporter-clearcutting-forests-destroying-wetlands/

Leslie, A. (2014, January 1). How the EU’s green energy is hitting US forests. Deutsche Welle. Retrieved from http://www.dw.de/how-the-eus-green-energy-drive-is-hitting-us-forests/a-17393422

Magelli, F., Boucher, K., Bi, H. T., Melin, S., & Bonoli, A. (2009). An environmental impact assessment of exported wood pellets from Canada to Europe. Biomass and Bioenergy, 33(3), 434-441. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2008.08.016

Shankleman, J. (2014, March 12). Chris Huhne biomass firm licenses out wood pellet tech. Business Green. Retrieved from http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/2333615/chris-huhne-biomass-firm-licences-out-wood-pellet-tech