As glaciers melt, Chile's future uncertain

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Miami Herald/McClatchy

As glaciers melt, Chile's future uncertain
Chile's water supply and numerous industries are in jeopardy, experts say, as the Andean nation's glaciers melt and seasons of bygone days are forgotten.
Posted on Fri, Oct. 26, 2007

BY JACK CHANG
McClatchy News Service

SAN JOSE DE MAIPO, Chile -- With a population of 16 million people, Chile doesn't produce much of the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. But it's paying the price.

Giant glaciers are disappearing. Mudslides are becoming more common. Snow no longer falls in the spring, replaced instead by tepid rains.

In May, an entire lake in southern Chile disappeared practically overnight after the Tempano Glacier, which had acted as a dam, melted and destabilized.

And the changes aren't limited to Chile. Neighboring Argentina faces droughts near its side of the Andes due to dropping rain levels. Shrinking glaciers in Bolivia are threatening water supplies in some towns.
(snip)

Chilean researchers have found that more than half of the 120 glaciers they monitor are shrinking, with many disappearing at twice the rate recorded just a decade ago. That includes glaciers near the capital of Santiago that provide water to the city's 6 million residents.



Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/285037.html

[Lisa]

1. this could have a major impact on their economy

They'd have to draw more on groundwater resources, and after a while, those would decline or become unusable (especially by the coast, if the extraction rates were too high and they got saltwater infiltration). This is really bad news.

[Bobbieo]

2. a Canadian gold mining company has been polluting their glacial water supply

with cyanide from the tailings which is not helping!!!

[Judi Lynn]

3. That gold mining company is Barrick. George H. W. Bush's on their board of directors.

Barrick's Dirty Secrets: Communities Respond to Gold Mining's Impacts Worldwide

May 1st, 2007

Canadian-owned Barrick Gold, the world's largest gold producer, is exploring, building and operating huge, open-pit gold mines on nearly every continent on the planet.

On average, gold mining today produces 70 tons of waste for every ounce of gold, while also consuming and polluting massive amounts of water. An estimated 50 percent of these mining operations occur on native lands.

For many Indigenous peoples, who often rely on their environment for food and necessities, mining threatens not only their livelihood, but also their spirituality and traditional way of life.

These new "modern mining" projects leave thousand-year legacies of acid mine drainage, destruction of ecosystems, disease, and regional climate change. Riches in the form of gold, silver and copper are exported to first world shareholders, leaving behind poverty, dependency and pollution.
(snip/...)

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14466

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A look as previous Bush-Barrick connections:

General Suharto would make another concession on behalf of George Bush in 1996 when he allowed Bush’s favorite mining company, Barrick Goldstrike of Canada, owned by Peter Munk, to take over mining rights from geologist Mike de Guzman. De Guzman had announced the discovery of what was believed to be the world’s richest gold field. He was later told he would have to turn over 68 per cent of his claim to Barrick. Fortunately, De Guzman’s problems were solved when he fell out of a helicopter courtesy of Freeport-McMoRan Mining Company (owned by Louisianan Jim-Bob Moffett), who had his own stake in the deal. As for Munk, he was capitalized by Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi—a key supplier in Bush’s Iran-Contra pipeline. In 1996 Bush had a quiet chat with Mobutu Seko, then dictator of Zaire. Mobutu subsequently granted Barrick exclusive diamond mining rights. In a manner that would make General Suharto proud, Barrick’s operation in neighboring Tanzania was accused by Amnesty International of carrying out “extra-judicial killings.” Amnesty reports that 50 independent miners who refused to move off Barrick’s concessions were buried alive in the pits by company bulldozers. In 1992, in the final hours of the Bush Presidency, Barrick took control of U.S. government-owned property containing an estimated $10 billion in gold. For the works, Barrick paid the U.S. Treasury only $10,000. Barrick would subsequently reward Bush by donating $148,000 to the Republican Party while Bush was campaigning for President. (Gregory Palast, “Best democracy money can buy,” The Guardian , 11/26/00.)
(snip)

http://www.voxfux.com/features/bush_world_class_criminal.html

[Bobbieo]

4. I think Barricks has a gold mine in Nome, Alaska right now - or at least a

Canadian company.

[Judi Lynn]

8. Probably looking for any small pieces the first gold miners might have dropped!

a

[Up2Late]

5. This is odd, this story was first published (at McClatchy/Washington) on Tuesday?

<http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/20745.html>

Better graphic too!

[Judi Lynn]

6. Thanks for posting it. The graphic is scary, isn't it?

No doubt you've heard the right-wing clowns yammering about how the Antarctic is actually growing! Oh, SURE!

This graphic would tell us otherwise, beyond all doubt. It's getting WARMER, GODDAMMIT, down there! This place is just about as far south as it gets before you reach the Antarctic.

Just saw a distinguished clown, Senator James Inhofe on C-Span today gibbering about "hysterical" people who believe global warming is happening, and HE dragged out his stupid graphics to prove to his audience it's getting COLDER at the South Pole. Couldn't take it, had to turn it off.

Here's an article on his great scientific speech from today:

Sen. Inhofe Slams Gore and Climate Alarmism in Historic Two Hour Speech
By Noel Sheppard | October 26, 2007 - 17:14 ET

Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, delivered a startling and historic two hour speech on the Senate floor Friday about "recent developments which are turning 2007 into a ‘tipping point' for climate alarmism."

The Senator cautioned that bills being proposed by various members of Congress "come at a time when the science is overwhelmingly taking away the basis for alarm." These "so-called ‘solutions' to global warming...will have no measurable impact on the climate," and "will create huge economic harm for American families and the poor residents of the developing world who may see development hindered by unfounded climate fears."

In addition, Inhofe went right after the Global Warmingist-in-Chief Al Gore, as well as others in the media responsible for inciting all this hysteria (partial video of the speech available here):
(snip)

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2007/10/26/sen-inhofe-slams-gore-warm-mongers-historic-two-hour-speech

[Judi Lynn]

7. Oh, gosh! Sorry about my source. I just looked at it again and see it's

an anti-Democratic site! I went there in search of news on Inhofe's speech, didn't see what kind of foolish operation was running the website.