GreenWatch

B. McPherson Dried soybeans On the surface the financial turnaround in Argentina is nothing short of miraculous but dig a little deeper and the true costs become apparent. A decade ago Argentina was bankrupt and defaulted on its international debts. Today it is solvent. Gone are the gauchos and cattle on the pampas. Here is huge industrial production of soy beans. 95% of the crop is exported for animal feed and for humans, a cheap source of protein. 98% or more of the vast soy plantations are made up of Monsanto’s genetically modified plants. The juggernaut of soy conversion has grown since the first introduction of the GM seeds in 1996. The current Argentine government, led by President Cristina Kirchner, is in full support of the cultivation of the cash crop. Currently over half the arable land in the north of the country is devoted to growing soy. Argentina is now the number one exporter of soybeans in the world. For each tonne of soybeans sold, the government get...

By B. McPherson An Indian court has ruled that the banned pesticide endosulfan can be exported in spite of the government’s ban on its manufacture, sales and usage. With a cavalier disregard to other people’s safety, one of the chief justices was quoted in the Environmental Justice Foundation web page: Chief Justice S H Kapadia said, “Our main concern is that we don’t want our people to suffer…Why should this material lie on Indian soil? If some countries are willing to import it, we should go for it.” Endosulfan was introduced to the world in the early 50s as part of the Green Revolution. It was widely used on food crops, potatoes and vegetables. India has been a major producer and user of this chemical but the government has recently instituted a complete ban on its use, manufacture or sale. The manufactures have unsold stocks of the pesticide and lobbied the courts to be able to send the poison to countries that are not respecting the ban. Canada and the US hav...