Scorched earth in Latin America

Network of effects on the scorched earth syndrome in Latin America

Scorched Earth in Latin America describes the use of scorched earth as a tactic in the drug conflict in Latin America . It was mainly used in Mexico and Colombia . The processes are treated as a key problem in the syndrome approach .

Waters

The waters are particularly heavily contaminated by the wars and conflicts caused by drug trafficking, which is widespread in Colombia, for example. Because of the contamination, the animals and plants lose species. They also cause damage to health and thus increase the number of deaths.

The chemical compound glyphosate is used for alleged weed control and is said to have low toxicity for mammals. But many biologists have doubts here. In a test with rats, it was found that the surfactant sebum amine oxyethylate is significantly more toxic than glyphosate itself. It is approximately 22 times more toxic to humans than to a rat. These defoliants are used to reduce drug production and trafficking. The success so far has been clear, however, and these agents also contaminate the nearby waters, which can then also contaminate the groundwater. The population who ingests this water is poisoned with it and then suffers from diseases of the respiratory organs. Animals in the contaminated waters often die, especially the Houston toad, which is a very endangered species. In water, the toxicity of glyphosate increases with higher water temperatures and high pH values. The atmosphere and the soil are also damaged by the use of poison.

Soils and rocks

Due to the increased demand for drugs in South America, they are being grown more and more there. The measures that the government has taken lead to the inevitable contamination of the soil. Various chemicals such as POEA , which is supposed to increase the adhesion of glyphosate to parts of plants, lead to this. In the years between 2000 and 2003, around 380,000 hectares of land were sprayed, which is around 8% of the total arable land. But the chemicals are not only sprayed on the plants, the rain also gets them into the soil and even into the groundwater. Among other things, the animal world, which is probably unique, also suffers from the serious circumstances. This leads to a loss of wildlife and the destruction of the rainforest. The measures lead to wars and conflicts that harm the population. Agriculture is also exposed to severe damage. As the agricultural land is destroyed, the refugee rate increases.

the atmosphere

The drug trade in South and Central America has, among other things, a strong negative impact on the atmosphere , because in order to be able to grow drugs at all, part of the rainforest has to be cleared. According to the national authority for protected areas, the Laguna del Tigre protected area also lost 60 percent of its original area. But the rainforest plays an important role in our ecosystem . It converts carbon dioxide into oxygen, which is vital for us. The clearing of the rainforest to create growing areas for drugs therefore contributes to global warming ( greenhouse effect ). The release of trace gases (CO ₂ ) by military vehicles also contributes to this. In addition, the use of pesticides such as glyphosate with the wetting agent tallow fatty amine oxyethylate or tallow alkyl amine ethoxylate in the Colombian drug war resulted in severe pollution of the atmosphere and the environment. The harmful gases lead to increased species loss and health problems among the population.

population

The drug wars in South America not only affect the environment, but also the population, which is heavily exploited, poisoned and often killed. Colombia's two main guerrilla groups (FARC and ELN) controlled more and more territories in the 1990s, levied taxes on coca fields, and kidnapped and killed many citizens. Attempts by US troops to destroy or sterile drug fields with poisons come with many risks. Innocent people are poisoned and often die too. Many people from the people go to the rebels, as a result of which they are getting stronger and the state army, in contrast, getting weaker. This fact in turn strengthens the rebels in drug trafficking and cultivation, which means that they cut down more rainforest to expand the drug plantations. To counteract this, the United States launched Plan Colombia in 2000 .

animals and plants

In the second half of the 1990s, the US government changed its policy towards Colombia and increasingly relied on its own commitment and transfer payments. In 1999, Colombia received US $ 289 million in aid against drug cultivation. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia FARC and the Liberation Army (ELN) control more and more areas for the cultivation of cocaine, opium poppies, coca and heroin, which made the situation increasingly hopeless for the Colombian government. The rebel groups often deliver the drugs to the USA. The government fights the drug organizations every day, and this armed conflict in Colombia often results in many deaths on both sides. In 2000, the United States tried to use state-of-the-art helicopters to fight drug organizations. They also sprayed highly toxic chemicals on the illegal plants. 380,000 hectares of land were contaminated by the poison. There is also damage to the health of the population and the groundwater is poisoned. Glyphosate (herbicide) is used against drug-producing plants and is sprayed over vast areas. Vegetation, which provides habitats for animals threatened with extinction, is destroyed in the process. Although the toxicity of glyphosate for mammals and birds is relatively low, the complete destruction of plants and trees, such as in the rainforest, also robs them of their habitat and in the worst case can even lead to the extermination of an entire species. The invertebrates and the fish are also strongly negatively affected. Glyphosate is the second most dangerous herbicide for soil organisms, bacteria, fungi and yeast.

Effects on the rainforest:

Many nature reserves are occupied and destroyed by coca traders who mostly pose as cattle breeders. For example, according to the Ministry of the Environment, the country of Guatemala lost 23,000 hectares of original rainforest in 2007 and 2008. But above all the Petén, one of the largest rainforest areas (as big as Bavaria), is particularly endangered. Actually, the cleared areas are not used for cattle breeding and agriculture, but for drug cartels and laboratories for the production of cocaine and heroin.

society

The society in the countries of South America affected by the drug war is very much shaped by conflict and social inequalities. In addition, the state does not provide enough aid, so that one can even speak of a political failure that is caused not only by the domestic governments but also by the failure of foreign powers. This failure and the "war support" of drug trafficking mostly triggers wars and conflicts. These lead to considerable damage to nature; Above all, soil, water and the atmosphere are contaminated. This leads to a loss of species of animals and plants. In addition, the war kills a lot. There are also refugees who are leaving the country because of the catastrophic circumstances. Furthermore, diseases spread through the contamination of soils, water and the resulting harmful gases. These factors increase the misery of the residents and the social inequalities, which increases poverty. Due to the powerlessness and the failure of the state, the help of non-governmental organizations is needed, which support the state, but also directly support those in need.

technology

Technology plays an important role in drug cultivation in Mexico. The US strategy to destroy the coca fields involves troops from the Colombian army equipped with Black Hawk helicopters. In December 2000, the advance to Putumayo began, where chemicals were sprayed from the air on coca fields. These toxic chemicals destroyed around eight percent of the usable area of ​​Colombia in Putumayo by poisoning the soil and groundwater . The population is also struggling with it because they got health problems and therefore had to move to other parts of the country to continue their drug cultivation there. It is not possible to judge precisely whether the transfer of weapons to the participating countries tends to increase the conflict, because the government's clout is strengthened, but the better weapons also increase the destruction. Non-governmental organizations focus on the destruction of the rainforest, social inequalities, a weak state or political failure and the transfer of weapons technology through independent perspectives on the core problem.

economy

The drug trade is strongly favored by the economically weak states of Latin America , as many people see no other way out than to grow drugs or to flee the wars, which are almost omnipresent. Because of the large number of refugees , social inequality is increasing and poverty prevails. Social inequality also creates wars and conflicts, which are not only responsible for many deaths. For example, the arable land is destroyed, the soil is contaminated, there are many injuries and - encouraged by the contamination - other health problems. In addition, drug trafficking is increasing sharply. The government has tried to combat drug trafficking for several years by spraying toxins on plantations with the help of airplanes, but the soil and air have been contaminated again. In addition, as a result of the destruction, the plantation owners are creating additional, new fields for cultivation and thus the rainforest is cut down.

literature

• Cornelius Friesendorf: Colombia: Drugs, War and Drug War. (= World trends. 49). Univ.-Verlag Potsdam, Potsdam 2005, ISBN 3-937786-43-0 , pp. 47-60.

Web links

• [1] . Mexican Drug War, Waves of Violence. In: The Economist Blogs. November 22, 2012, accessed May 22, 2014
• Cecibel Romero: [2] . Drug cartel threatens the jungle. February 1, 2010, accessed May 22, 2014
• PAN UK: [3] . Glyphosate Fact Sheet. In: Pesticides News. September 1996, pp. 28-29, accessed May 22, 2014
• PAN UK: [4] . Aerial spraying devastates Colombian communities. In: Pesticides News. September 2001, p. 9, accessed May 22, 2014

Individual evidence

1. ↑ pan-uk.org ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Aerial spraying devastates Colombian communities. accessed on May 22, 2014. 
2. ↑ pan-uk.org ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Aerial spraying devastates Colombian communities. accessed on May 22, 2014. 
3. ↑ taz.de . Drug cartel threatens the jungle. accessed on May 22, 2014.
4. ↑ pan-uk.org ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Aerial spraying devastates Colombian communities. accessed on May 22, 2014. 
5. ↑ Cornelius Friesendorf: Colombia: Drugs, War and Drug War. 2005, p. 48ff.
6. ↑ pan-uk.org ( Memento of the original from August 23, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Glyphosate Fact Sheet. accessed on May 22, 2014. 
7. ↑ taz.de . Drug cartel threatens the jungle. accessed on May 22, 2014.
8. ↑ pan-uk.org ( Memento of the original from August 23, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Glyphosate Fact Sheet. accessed on May 22, 2014. 
9. ↑ pan-uk.org ( Memento of the original from August 23, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Glyphosate Fact Sheet. accessed on May 22, 2014. 
10. ↑ pan-uk.org ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Aerial spraying devastates Colombian communities. Retrieved May 22, 2014. 
11. ↑ pan-uk.org ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Aerial spraying devastates Colombian communities. accessed on May 22, 2014. 
12. ↑ pan-uk.org ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Aerial spraying devastates Colombian communities. accessed on May 22, 2014. 
13. ↑ pan-uk.org ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Aerial spraying devastates Colombian communities. accessed on May 22, 2014. 
14. ↑ pan-uk.org ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Aerial spraying devastates Colombian communities. accessed on May 22, 2014. 
15. ↑ Cornelius Friesendorf: Colombia: Drugs, War and Drug War. 2005, p. 55 f.
16. ↑ pan-uk.org ( Memento of the original from August 23, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Glyphosate Fact Sheet. accessed on May 22, 2014. 
17. ↑ taz.de . Drug cartel threatens the jungle. accessed on May 22, 2014.
18. ↑ Cornelius Friesendorf: Colombia: Drugs, War and Drug War. 2005, p. 48 ff.
19. ↑ Cornelius Friesendorf: Colombia: Drugs, War and Drug War. 2005, p. 55 f.
20. ↑ pan-uk.org ( Memento of the original from September 24, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Aerial spraying devastates Colombian communities. accessed on May 22, 2014. 
21. ↑ taz.de . Drug cartel threatens the jungle. Retrieved May 22, 2014.
22. ↑ Cornelius Friesendorf: Colombia: Drugs, War and Drug War. 2005, p. 55f.
23. ↑ Cornelius Friesendorf: Colombia: Drugs, War and Drug War. 2005, p. 48 ff.
24. ↑ Cornelius Friesendorf: Colombia: Drugs, War and Drug War. 2005, p. 48ff.