EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
ENVIRONMENT POLICIES
EVOLUTION
Part 14
António Gonçalves Henriques
2002
Prestige oil spill
Galicia, Spain
• The Prestige oil spill was largest
environmental disaster in Spain's
history.
• The Prestige was an oil tanker that
ruptured a tank on November 13,
2002 off the Galician coast and then
broke a part on November 19, 2002.
• The spill polluted thousands of
kilometers of coastline and more
than one thousand beaches on the
Spanish and French coast, as well as
causing great damage to the local
fishing industry.
• The spill released over 77,000 tones
of oil.
• Clean up costs were estimated at
over 12 thousand million USD.
António Gonçalves Henriques
2015-11-10
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EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
2002
Prestige oil spill
• On November 13, 2002, one of its twelve tanks burst during a storm off Galicia, in
northwestern Spain.
• Fearing that the ship would sink, the captain called for help from Spanish rescue workers,
with the expectation that the vessel would be brought into harbor.
• However, pressure from local authorities forced the captain to steer the embattled ship away
from the coast and head northwest.
• After pressure from the French government,
the vessel was once again forced to change its
course and head south into Portuguese
waters in order to avoid endangering France's
southern coast.
• Fearing for its own shore, the Portuguese
authorities promptly ordered its navy to
intercept the ailing vessel and prevent it from
approaching further.
• With the French, Spanish and Portuguese
governments refusing to allow the ship to
dock in their ports, the integrity of the singlehulled oil tanker was quickly deteriorating.
2002
Prestige oil spill
• At around 8:00 a.m. on November 19, the ship split
in half. It sank the same afternoon, releasing over
76 000 m3 of oil into the sea.
• The oil tanker was reported to be about 250
kilometers from the Spanish coast at that time.
• After the sinking, the wreck continued leaking oil.
It leaked approximately 125 tons of oil a day,
polluting the seabed and contaminating the
coastline, especially along the territory of Galicia.
• The affected area is not only a very important
ecological region, supporting coral reefs and many
species of sharks and birds, but it also supports the
fishing industry.
• The heavy coastal pollution forced the region's
government to suspend offshore fishing for six
months.
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EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
2002
Prestige oil spill
• Damage to fishing and related economic sectors,
tourism, and the natural heritage along 3,000km of
coastline polluted by the spill may last for over a
decade and cost approximately €5 billion, with
society at large paying 97.5 percent of it.
• Around 30,000 people in the fishery and shellfish
sectors have been directly affected. After the
fisheries were reopened some local fishermen's
organizations have reported an 80 percent drop of
their normal catch.
• The large quantity of oil that sank onto the bed of
shallower coastal waters raises serious risks of
contamination by toxic pollutants.
• Contaminants on the sea bed can enter the food
chain through organisms that ingest sediments,
and eventually end up in products of commercial
value, such as sea bass, octopus, crab, and shrimp.
2002
Prestige oil spill
• 662 beaches affected of 1064 in Spain (437 in Galicia, 119 in Asturias, 51 in Cantábria, 44
Euskadi and 21 in the Islas Atlánticas National Park). In France at least 18.
• More than 25 km of floating barriers have been placed. In France more than 12 km have
been used.
• 16 special ships and hundreds of small ones, thousand of volunteers&soldiers working on
the cleaning tasks in Spain.
• Cleaned more than 40 000 tons in the Spanish beaches and more than 20 000 m³ in the sea.
• Fishing not allowed along 798 km (the galician coast has 1121 km).
• 16 140 fishermen, and 6619 boats of the Galician fishing fleet remained inactive.
• On the first anniversary of the Prestige disaster, 100,000 people take to the streets of the
Galician capital, Santiago de Compestela, organized by a new environmental movement
called Nunca Mais ("never again") in Gallego.
• Five years later after the cleaning activities, a study found that people participating in the
cleaning activities, many of them volunteers, suffered several health problems, such as
pulmonary, cardiovascular, and chromosomal diseases. This was found among a study of 800
involved Spanish Navy personnel.
• On 13th November 2013 the Spanish court dismissed the compensation claims by the
French and Spanish States for damages valued at around €4 thousand million, because it
could not formally establish any criminal responsibility.
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EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
2005
Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development (DESD) - UNESCO
• The Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD)
was adopted in 2002 by the United Nations General Assembly
for 2005 to 2014.
• UNESCO has the task of promoting the Decade, which aims to
promote sustainable skills and behaviour, inspired by creative
and critical ways of thinking, in order to encourage the
resolution and management of problems that stand in the way
of sustainable development.
• The four priority areas of action for the Decade of Education for
Sustainable Development aim to:
 Promote basic education.
 Reorient and revise education programs.
 Develop public understanding and awareness.
 Provide practical training.
2005
The 2005 World Summit
UN Headquarters, New York
In the 2005 World Summit, 150 Heads of State and Government, proclaimed:
• “We reaffirm our faith in the United Nations and our commitment to the purposes and
principles of the Charter and international law”.
• “We believe that today, more than ever before, we live in a global and interdependent world.
No State can stand wholly alone.”
The outcome document expressed strong and unambiguous commitment by all governments, in
donor and developing nations alike, to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
Some other highlights of the outcome document:
• Environment – recognition of the serious challenge posed by climate change and a
commitment to take action through the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
• International Health – scaling up responses to HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria. Support for the
Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network of the World Health Organization (WHO).
• Humanitarian Assistance – Improving the Central Emergency Revolving Fund.
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EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
2005
Hurricane Katrina
US Southeast Coast, New Orleans
•
Hurricane Katrina was the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest
hurricanes, in the history of the United States.
•
When the storm made landfall it brought sustained winds of 160–230 km/h (maximum
1-minute sustained: 280 km/h) and stretched some 650 km across.
•
The storm itself did a great deal of damage, but its aftermath was catastrophic. Levee
breaches led to massive flooding, and many people charged that the federal government
was slow to meet the needs of the people affected by the storm. Hundreds of thousands of
people in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were displaced from their homes.
•
Overall, at least 1 245 people died in the hurricane and subsequent floods, making it the
deadliest United States hurricane since the 1928 Okeechobee hurricane.
•
Total property damage was estimated at 108 thousand million (2005 USD).
2005
Hurricane Katrina
•
The tropical depression that became Hurricane Katrina formed over the Bahamas on
August 23, 2005, and meteorologists were soon able to warn people in the Gulf Coast
states that a major storm was on its way. By August 28, evacuations were underway
across the region. That day, the National Weather Service predicted that after the storm
hit, “most of the [Gulf Coast] area will be uninhabitable for weeks…perhaps longer”.
Hurricane Katrina at peak strength on
August 28, 2005
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EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
2005
Hurricane Katrina
Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale
TS
1
2
3
4
5
Wind speeds
Rising sea level
(km/h)
56–117
119–153
154–177
178–210
211–249
> 249
(m)
1,2–1,6
1,7–2,5
2,6–3,8
3,9–5,5
> 5,5
Atmospheric
pressure at
sea level
(hPa)
> 980
965–979
945–964
920–944
< 920
Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale
TS
Sustained
wind speeds
Rising sea
level
Atmospheric
pressure at
sea level
(km/h)
56–117
(m)
-
(hPa)
-
2005
Types of Damage due to Hurricane Winds
Furacão Katrina
-
1
119–153
1,2–1,6
> 980
Very dangerous winds will produce some damage: Well-constructed frame homes could
have damage to roof, shingles, vinyl siding and gutters. Large branches of trees will snap
and shallowly rooted trees may be toppled. Extensive damage to power lines and poles
likely will result in power outages that could last a few to several days.
2
154–177
1,7–2,5
965–979
Extremely dangerous winds will cause extensive damage: Well-constructed frame
homes could sustain major roof and siding damage. Many shallowly rooted trees will be
snapped or uprooted and block numerous roads. Near-total power loss is expected with
outages that could last from several days to weeks.
3
178–210
2,6–3,8
945–964
Devastating damage will occur: Well-built framed homes may incur major damage or
removal of roof decking and gable ends. Many trees will be snapped or uprooted,
blocking numerous roads. Electricity and water will be unavailable for several days to
weeks after the storm passes.
4
211–249
3,9–5,5
920–944
Catastrophic damage will occur: Well-built framed homes can sustain severe damage
with loss of most of the roof structure and/or some exterior walls. Most trees will be
snapped or uprooted and power poles downed. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate
residential areas. Power outages will last weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will
be uninhabitable for weeks or months.
5
> 249
> 5,5
< 920
Catastrophic damage will occur: A high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed,
with total roof failure and wall collapse. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate
residential areas. Power outages will last for weeks to possibly months. Most of the area
will be uninhabitable for weeks or months.
António Gonçalves Henriques
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EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
2005
Hurricane Katrina
2005
Hurricane Katrina
•
New Orleans was at particular risk.
•
Though about half the city actually lies above sea level, its average elevation is about six
feet below sea level–and it is completely surrounded by water.
•
Over the course of the 20th century, the Army Corps of Engineers had built a system of
levees and seawalls to keep the city from flooding. The levees along the Mississippi River
were strong and sturdy, but the ones built to hold back Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Borgne and
the waterlogged swamps and marshes to the city’s east and west were much less reliable.
•
Even before the storm, officials worried that those levees, jerry-built atop sandy, porous,
erodible soil, might not withstand a massive storm surge.
•
Neighborhoods that sat below sea level, many of which housed the city’s poorest and most
vulnerable people, were at great risk of flooding.
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EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
2005
Hurricane Katrina
2005
Hurricane Katrina
Storm impact
•
As Katrina made landfall, its front-right quadrant, which held the strongest winds, slammed
into Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi, devastating both cities. A large storm surge ranging
from 3 to 8 m devastated coastal areas across southeastern Louisiana and coastal
Mississippi.
•
The surge and battering waves smashed into levees, which collapsed, causing extensive
flooding throughout the New Orleans region. Ultimately, 80 percent of New Orleans and
large portions of nearby parishes became flooded, and the floodwaters did not recede for
weeks.
•
The National Guard was called in to help with evacuations. Thousands sought refuge in the
New Orleans Convention Center and the Superdome, which were overwhelmed.
•
It was one of the largest displacements of a population since the Great Depression,
according to the NOAA. According to The Data Center, an independent research
organization in New Orleans, the storm displaced more than 1 million people in the Gulf
Coast region.
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EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
2005
Hurricane Katrina
2005
Hurricane Katrina
António Gonçalves Henriques
2015-11-10
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EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
2005
Hurricane Katrina
2005
Hurricane Katrina
António Gonçalves Henriques
2015-11-10
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EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
2005
Hurricane Katrina
2005
Hurricane Katrina
António Gonçalves Henriques
2015-11-10
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EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
2005
Hurricane Katrina
2005
Hurricane Katrina
António Gonçalves Henriques
2015-11-10
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EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
2005
Hurricane Katrina
THE AFTERMATH
•
Many people acted heroically in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
•
The Coast Guard, for instance, rescued some 34 000 people in New Orleans alone, and
many ordinary citizens commandeered boats, offered food and shelter, and did whatever
else they could to help their neighbors.
•
Yet the government, particularly the federal government, seemed unprepared for the
disaster. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) took days to establish
operations in New Orleans, and even then did not seem to have a sound plan of action.
•
Officials, even including President George W. Bush, seemed unaware of just how bad things
were in New Orleans and elsewhere: how many people were stranded or missing; how
many homes and businesses had been damaged; how much food, water and aid was
needed.
•
Katrina had left in her wake what one reporter called a “total disaster zone” where people
were “getting absolutely desperate.”
2005
Hurricane Katrina
The political storm
•
The rescue and recovery efforts following Katrina became highly politicized, with federal,
state and local officials pointing fingers at one another.
•
Critics blamed an aging and neglected federal levee system and a slow state and local
response following the disaster for the high loss of life and damage.
•
Many residents did not heed initial warnings to evacuate, putting a severe strain on rescue
operations.
•
After initially receiving praise from then-president George W. Bush, Michael D. Brown, the
director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), was forced to resign, as
was New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Eddie Compass.
•
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin came under severe
scrutiny for not ordering mandatory evacuations sooner.
•
Blanco did not seek re-election in 2007.
•
Nagin left office in 2010. In 2014, he was convicted of bribery, fraud and money laundering
committed while in office before and after Katrina and is now serving a 10-year sentence.
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EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
2005
Hurricane Katrina
Environmental effects
•
Katrina had a profound impact on the environment.
•
The storm surge caused substantial beach erosion, in some cases completely devastating
coastal areas.
•
In Dauphin Island (a barrier island), approximately 140 km to the east of the point where the
hurricane made landfall, the sand that comprised the island was transported across the
island into the Mississippi Sound, pushing the island towards land.
The storm surge and waves from Katrina
also severely damaged the Chandeleur
Islands, which had been affected by
Hurricane Ivan the previous year.
•
•
The US Geological Survey has estimated
560 km2 of land was transformed to water
by the hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
The Chandeleur Islands, before Katrina (left) and after
(right), showing the impact of the storm along coastal areas.
2005
Hurricane Katrina
Environmental effects
•
The lands that were lost were breeding grounds for marine mammals, brown pelicans,
turtles, and fish, as well as migratory species such as redhead ducks.
•
Overall, about 20% of the local marshes were permanently overrun by water as a result of
the storm.
•
The damage from Katrina forced the closure of 16 National Wildlife Refuges. Breton
National Wildlife Refuge lost half its area in the storm. As a result, the hurricane affected
the habitats of sea turtles, Mississippi sandhill cranes, Red-cockaded woodpeckers and
Alabama Beach mice.
António Gonçalves Henriques
2015-11-10
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EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
2005
Jilin chemical plant explosions
Jilin, China
•
•
•
The Jilin chemical plant explosions were a series of explosions which occurred on November
13, 2005, in the Petrochemical Plant in Jilin City, Jilin Province, China, over the period of an
hour. The explosions killed six, injured dozens, and caused the evacuation of tens of
thousands of residents.
The blasts created an 80 km long toxic
slick in the Songhua River, a tributary of
the Amur. The slick, predominantly made
up of benzene and nitrobenzene, passed
through the Amur River over subsequent
weeks.
The explosion severely polluted the
Songhua River, with an estimated 100
tons of pollutants containing benzene
and nitrobenzene entering into the river.
2005
Jilin chemical plant explosions
•
Exposure to benzene reduces white blood cell count and is linked to leukemia.
•
An 80 km long toxic slick drifted down the Amur River, and the benzene level recorded was
at one point 108 times above national safety levels.
•
The slick passed first on the Songhua River through several counties and cities of Jilin
province, including Songyuan; it then entered the province of Heilongjiang, with Harbin,
capital of Heilongjiang province and one of China's largest cities, being one of the first places
to be affected.
•
Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang, one of China's biggest cities with nearly ten million urban
residents, is also dependent on the Songhua River for its water supply.
•
On November 21, the city government of Harbin announced that water supplies would be
shut off at noon November 22 for four days for maintenance, mentioning, later, that the
Jilin explosions were the reason for the shutoff.
•
The slick itself reached Harbin before dawn on November 24. On that day, the nitrobenzene
level at Harbin was recorded at 16.87 times above the national safety level, while the
benzene level was increasing, but had not yet exceeded national safety level.
•
Water supply in Harbin was resumed in the evening of November 27.
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EVOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
2007
Low Arctic Sea Ice
The Arctic ice pack is the ice cover of the
Arctic Ocean and its vicinity.
The Arctic ice pack undergoes a regular
seasonal cycle in which ice melts in spring
and summer, reaches a minimum around
mid-September, then increases during fall
and winter.
Summer ice cover in the Arctic is about
50% of winter cover.
The September minimum ice extent
trend for 1979–2011 declined by 12.0%
per decade during 32 years.
In 2007 the minimum extent fell by more
than a million square kilometers, the
biggest decline since accurate satellite
data has been available, to 4,140,000
km2.
Record Low Arctic Sea Ice in 2007,
showing the Northwest passage open
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