Venezuela Environment Fact Sheet

This is the information regarding Venezuela's environment gains and plans i have accumulated for the Australia Venezuela Solidarity Network.

Venezuela's Environment Revolution

“We are now going to change all of the Venezuelans into conservationists.” Jacqueline Faría, Venezuelan Minister of the Environment, speaking at the inauguration day of Mision Arbol, in 2006.

Misiones

Mission Tree

• Plans: In 5 years, to collect 30 tons of seeds, plant 100 million plants, reforesting 150,000 hectares of land. They have already collected 15,000 bags of seeds and have 15 million seedlings growing in nurseries, under the second phase of the program.[1]
• With the collaboration of local communities and students, the first stage is the collection of seeds, the second is the construction of nurseries, the third is the planting of the germinated small trees and the fourth is the maintenance of plantations.[2]
• Between September 2005, 831 Conservation Committees have been formed with a total of 10,532 members across Venezuela. As of June last year, 468 community projects had been organized on nearly 8,000 hectares of land, beginning with seed collection, nursery plantation, education programs, and the planting of trees and agricultural products such as coffee and cacao. US$5 million has been allocated for these projects. [1]
• $23 million budget for the Reforestation Plan.[1]
  

Mission Guaicaipuro

• Launched in 2003, its aim is to make the 1999 constitution’s goal of restoring indigenous peoples’ rights a reality. Along with increasing the recognition and respect for indigenous history and culture, it also sets out new guidelines for the return of land to its traditional indigenous custodians.[3]
• Particularly this involves not engaging in extraction of natural resources without prior consultation with indigenous groups.[3]
• This program has led to the establishment of over 5,000 land committees representing 5 million Venezuelans (20 percent of the population).[4]
• In April 2007 the Government banned construction of all new coal mines on Indigenous land in the opposition controlled, major oil producing state, Zulia.[5]
  

Mission Energy Revolution

• Mission is aimed at reducing energy usage in Venezuela over the next five years.
• Some 53 million light bulbs in more than 5 million homes have been replaced with energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs[6]
• The next step is to substitute almost 27 million inefficient incandescent light bulbs by energy saving light bulbs in the official, industrial and commercial sectors.[7]
• The second phase of the mission, to be completed in 2009, aims at the promotion of alternative energy sources and encouraging the shift from petrol to natural gas-fuelled cars. The third phase, 2009-12, will involve a transition from diesel to natural gas.[6]
  

Mission Piar

• Part of the Integral Plan of Sustainable Development for Mining Communities advanced by Chávez. Executed by the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the Mission seeks to improve the quality of life of small-scale miners while promoting environmental sustainability.[8]
  

Gains

• Venezuela has ratified the Kyoto Protocol reducing greenhouse gas emissions.[9]
• Chavez Government has placed large rubbish bins throughout Caracas to deal with the huge waste problem.
• Built the largest waste recycling station in Guacara.[10]
• Constructing national train network and upgrading existing train lines in the major cities.[11] Three more extensions are being built to the Caracas Metro, with plans to extend it to the international airport.[12]
• In 2004, the Venezuelan Government halted plans by US GMO Company Monsanto from planting genetically modified soybean crops. They instead used the land to plant Yuca (an indigenous crop) and Chavez announced plans to form a seed bank facility to maintain indigenous seeds for peasants’ movements around the world.[13]
• In 2005 eliminated the use of lead-based gasoline.[14]
• PDVSA has been implementing an environmentally-friendly plan over the past few years that includes recuperating green areas, decontaminating rivers, lakes and land, and reducing emissions.[15]
• Added 10% ethanol to all petrol, to reduce green house emissions and as an alternative additive to methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) which has been banned in the US.[16] According to PdVSA, ethanol and sugar cane fermentation "cuts dependence on oil and promotes other economic activities."[14]
• Venezuela will commence construction of 15 sugar cane mills in 2007 and hopes to complete 21 distilleries by 2012. Chavez has pledged to invest $900 million to plant sugarcane and construct processing plants over the next several years. These will be turned into ethanol as an alternative fuel source to petrol. [14]
• Set up phone a 24 hour hotline 0800-AMBIENTE [Environment], that anyone can ring if they see any company or individual polluting Lake Valencia.[17]
  

Future Plans

• Chavez also said recently that he will raise gasoline prices to encourage Venezuelans to drive less, although he hasn't said by how much.[18]
• Chavez plans to open a solar energy research center to eventually produce solar panels "in massive quantities" to supplement hydroelectric dams and reduce the need for oil-fired power plants. It remains unclear when that project may begin.[18]
• The government plans a windmill farm to generate electricity on the Caribbean coast and is exploring more uses for cleaner-burning natural gas.[18]
• Long-term aim environment aims are to clean up the River Guaire that flows through Caracas and is currently little more than a sewage drain. Other aims include setting free the Arrau turtle, eliminating toxic rubbish, cleaning up Lake Maracaibo (home of Venezuela’s largest oil reserves), saving the Orinoco alligator and bringing drinkable water to all of Venezuela.[19]

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[1] http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1758#_ftn12

[2] http://www.greenleft.org.au/2006/674/6322

[3] http://www.greenleft.org.au/2007/696/36160

[4] http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1645

[5] http://www.greenleft.org.au/2007/706/36653

[6] http://www.greenleft.org.au/2007/708/36762

[7] http://www.cubanews.ain.cu/2007/0618chavez.htm

[8] www.geocities.com/embaven/misionesinglesfinal.doc

[9] http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1411

[10] http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1320

[11] http://www.greenleft.org.au/2006/688/35757

[12] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/4581402.stm

[13] http://www.greenleft.org.au/2004/581/32569

[14] http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1948

[15] http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1968

[16] http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=36823

[17] http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/articles.php?artno=1508

[18] http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/04/AR2007020400601.html

[19] http://www.greenleft.org.au/article.php/article.php?id=6322&__plain=1&__print=1