View Larger Map

• Cleanest Cities: Green
• Most Polluted Cities: Red

In early September, the Blacksmith Institute published their annual survey of the World’s Most Polluted Places. I really like this type of survey and enjoy reading their conclusions. However, personally I also like being able to contrast this type of information with the other end of the spectrum, so I also looked up Forbes most recent publishing of the World’s Cleanest Cities.

As you may have suspected, the most polluted cities are found in the developing world, with emerging markets such as China, India, and Russia, being the main culprits (each contributing 2 cities to the list). As for the cleanest cities in the world, those were all found in the United States, Canada, Europe, and one from Japan.

Obviously, the results of both of these surveys are debatable, and are largely influenced by researchers opinions. However, as I compare those cities on the cleanest list with those on the most polluted list, I find it really amazing to see all that we are capable of as humans–both good and bad.

To see a place like Calgary, the fastest growing city in Canada and fossil fuels center, as the number one cleanest city in the world is really inspiring. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, cities like Linfen, China, where over 3 million people can’t even put their laundry out to dry as it will be covered in coal and soot from abysmal air pollution, shows us that we still have a long way to go (Time).

World’s Cleanest Cities:		World’s Most Polluted Cities:
1. Calgary, Canada		1. Linfen, China
2. Honolulu, United States		2. Tianying, China
3. Helsinki, Finland		3. Sukinda, India
4. Ottawa, Canada		4. Vapi, India
5. Minneapolis, United States		5. La Oroya, Peru
6. Oslo, Norway		6. Dzerzhinsk, Russia
7. Stockholm, Sweden		7. Norilsk, Russia
8. Zurich, Switzerland		8. Chernobyl, Ukraine
9. Katsuyama, Japan		9. Sumgayit, Azerbaijan
10. Berne, Switzerland		10. Kabwe, Zambia

Photos:

• World’s Cleanest Cities: Forbes.com
• World’s Most Polluted Cities: Times.com

7 comments

Earlier this week marked the anniversary of Ernesto “Che” Guevara’s death in Bolivia, on October 9th, 1967. Recent years have seen elevated interest in the Argentine rebel, in an ideological sense as well as in pop culture. People around the world seem to connect with the romantic Guevara image for everything from high gas prices to failed democracy. Guevara seems to represent many different things to many different people, but in essence is a symbol of rebellion and defiance.

The Che Effect:

The Economist recently did a piece on the “Che effect” in which they explain “Why the Che myth is bad for the left”.

It’s an interesting article, which after studying and living in Latin American countries for the past 7 years or so, I tend to agree with. The Guevara image is a romantic one, and I fully understand it’s appeal. However, when put into policy it does little more than polarize citizens through populist claims.

My current country of residence, Ecuador, is a good example of this. The new president Rafael Correa is working in the name of some “greater good” to rewrite the constitution, dissolve the majority of congress, and give his position of president more power over the country. He does this with vast support from the general population who hold a romanticized notion of Che Guevera-esque revolution, and believe these types of reforms are more important than working within the system in the promotion of traditional leftist policies for improved education, labor conditions, and healthcare.

Origins of the Word Che:

So which came first the interjection or the rebel? After traveling through Argentina many foreigners misunderstand the widespread use of the word “Che” as a sort of tribute to the fallen icon, Ernesto “Che” Guevara.

However in reality the word “Che” has been a common colloquial interjection among Argentineans since before Guevara was even born. The word itself can be used as an expression of surprise or a slang term similar to “man”, “dude”, or “mate” in English. For example, “What’s up man?” could effectively be translated to “Que tal che?” in an Argentine setting.

So how did Guevara come to be known as “Che”? When Ernesto Guevara was traveling across Latin America during his 20’s, he made many new friends throughout the region. Though all shared the same native language of Spanish, Guevara’s use of the expression “che” was unique to Argentina. Therefore, many of his new friends had never heard the expression before and consequently nicknamed him “che” in playful jest for his habitual use of the word. The nickname spread and Ernesto Guevara quickly became known and will forever be known as the “Che”.

No comments

* Cishore (flickr)

Part of being a responsible traveler is knowing what’s going on in the world around us. We’ve all heard about the recent protests in Burma, but what is it actually all about. What are the historical precedents, and what has led the country, it’s government, and it’s people to this point?

I am certainly not an expert on Burma, but I have spent some time attempting to better inform myself on the country’s current plight. I have put together a brief summary of the Burma’s modern history, which describes the current situation of the country, and what it’s people are protesting and fighting for. Read on for more information regarding the Burmese struggle:

1948 / Burma becomes an independent nation:

On January 4th, 1948, the Union of Burma (as it was then called) gained independence from the British Empire. The country formed an independent and democratic republic, that even supplied the United Nations with it’s first “non-Western” Secretary General, Pantanaw U Thant.

1962 / The end of democracy and the beginning of military rule:

In 1962, General Ne Win led a successful military coup of the democratic government, and assumed power transforming Burma into a military dictatorship. He led the country down the “Burmese Way to Socialism”, an isolationist path focused on self-sufficiency and the nationalization of practically all private industry.

Nationalized companies are managed or rather mismanaged by military personnel, who slowly run them into the ground creating mass inflation, and leading the country to the brink of economic collapse by the late 1980’s.

1988 / More mismanagement, and the first strike back:

Economic troubles were exacerbated in 1987 by a highly questionable move made by Burma’s leader General Ne Win. Ne Win decided, “he wanted only 45 and 90 kyat notes in circulation. This was because they were divisible by nine, which he considered a lucky number” (BBC News).

He decided to cancel all other monetary notes, and consequently stamped out many Burmese’ life savings overnight.

The economic crisis spurred protests by Burmese students, who were then joined by other citizens and the highly revered Burmese monks, all of whom were fed up with the incompetent and seemingly quack policies of the Burmese military regime. They protested for the dismantling of the military government, and the embracing of democracy.

Protests continued until the 18th of September when, as anticipated, the government decided they had had enough, and broke up rallies by firing on a crowd of protesters and carrying away others - never to be seen or heard from again.

The BBC reports that human rights groups estimate at least 3,000 people were killed in the government led attacks on protesters.

1989-2007 / False reform and widespread poverty:

Following the 1988 protests, Burma’s military government attempted to appease protesters by opening up the economy to market forces. However, the reform was far from genuine as government officials limited actual change by shrouding privatized industry with bureaucratic red tape and by transferring the most important industrial sectors (food production/distribution) to military run companies.

Despite the hollowness of these economic reforms, protest settled down and the country passed quietly through the next decade and a half. However, while the rest of Southeast Asia was experiencing historical economic growth, Burma’s leaders seemed incapable of lifting the country out of poverty. While the government seems content spending roughly half it’s budget on the armed forces, UN reports show that government spending on healthcare and education are among the lowest in the world. 31.8% of children under 5 are malnourished and the average income is under $300 per year - 70% of which goes toward the purchase of food.

Unphased by growing poverty, and increased costs of food staples such as rice, eggs, and cooking oil (up 30-40% by the end of 2006 - BBC News), the Burmese military regime continued to make highly questionable policy decisions. The country, rich with natural resources, has recently profited from rising oil prices and has received an influx of cash. However, the government seems unconcerned with reducing poverty or investing in the country’s infrastructure, and instead spends government funds purchasing nuclear reactors from Russia, and embarking on a high priced relocation of their nations capital to an inaccessible region of the jungle. The countries current head of state, General Than Shwe (who leads an extremely lavish lifestyle - See video of his daughters extravagant wedding), is even believed to take national policy advice from astrologers (who suggested he move the country’s capital out into the jungle).

August 15, 2007-present day / Dramatic raise in fuel prices, and the second strike back:

On August 15, 2007, in another questionable policy decision, the Burmese military government implemented a dramatic increase in fuel prices, and did so without any notice or warning. Petrol and diesel fuel doubled in price, while compressed gas increased by 500%. The tremendous price raise resulted in increased costs for public transportation and trickle-down price increases for food staples.

Again, frustrated by the government’s blatant disregard for public welfare, demonstrators took to the streets. The government took quick recognition of rising public unrest, and attempted to quiet protesters before the movement could build momentum. They used force and arrests to break up rallies across the country, until September 5th when at least 3 Burmese monks were injured as the military attempted to break up a rally in Pakokku. In Burma, where roughly 90% of the population is Buddhist, seeing three monks injured during peaceful protest was extremely upsetting. The monks gave the government until September 17th, 2007 to apologize for their brash actions.

September 17th came and went without any apology or admission by the Burmese government. This resulted in mass protests by monks across the nation. A highly revered and respected population among the general Burmese citizenry, the monks quickly gained support from the general citizenry who are tired of living under what they consider to be an oppressive and incompetent government.

All of this now leads us to today. The Burmese monks and citizens continue to protest for democracy, while the government continues to strike back, cutting internet and other communication links with the outside world and using arrests and violence to intimidate protesters.

Further Reading:

• NY Times: More Than Just a Fighting Force, Myanmar’s Military Is the Nation’s Driving Force
• BBC News: Should it be Burma or Myanmar?
• BBC News: Where the World Stands on Burma
• Brave New Traveler: Tales From the Road: Focus on Burma

Sources:

• BBC News: Q & A: Protests in Burma
• BBC News: The Hardship that Sparked Burma’s Unrest
• BBC News: Burma’s 1988 Protests
• BBC News: Burma’s Hardline Generals

5 comments

If you haven’t already heard of the 11th Hour, it’s a documentary, narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, being released across the United States today concerning the rapid and unsustainable environmental degradation our planet is currently facing. The documentary is meant to shock viewers with powerful images and statistics of all the damage we have already done, but in the end it’s goal is to inspire hope and action to really take control of our situation, and “become the the generation that changes the world”! The following description comes from the 11th Hour’s promotion team:

“The 11th Hour examines the human relationship with Earth from its earliest glimmers of innovation, to the challenges humanity faces in the present, to the possibilities of the future”. – 11thHourFilm.com

I think films like as this one are fantastic. Sure, we hear about global warming everyday on the news, and people have been preaching environmental degradation for the past 50 years. But films like the 11th Hour seem to be far more effective in motivating the masses.

It seems that global warming and environmental degradation are topics that have really captured everyone’s attention. A recent Worldchanging article even goes so far as to say that we have seen a global rebirth of community civic action similar to that in the United States during the 1960’s and 1970’s. I think they are right, and that’s a big deal! People coming together around the world (on their own mind you, often with little to no pressure by governments) to fight for the preservation of our planet!

My Concern:

My only problem with all the attention the media and society now pay to environmental issues in general, is what happened to all the other World Crises we used to be concerned with. What happened to:

• Darfur
• HIV in Africa
• Political instability in Africa
• World healthcare
• Continuous human rights infractions in countries like China
• Sweatshop labor
• Global economic disparities
• Poverty in general
• Fresh water rights
• The drug trade
• Rogue states such as North Korea and now Burma
• Global immigration

Have we already solved these global problems? Have we already marked them off our list of global crises and are now ready to move on to environmental degradation in our march to save the world?

Or is environmental degradation just the current “flavor of the week” in world crises, one that we’ll happily move on from in a couple of years when the buzz is dead and we realize that making any kind of dent in global crises requires decades of unfaltering attention?

1 comment