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I'd like to begin by saying that I loved the meeting we had with the Canadian students from the 6th and 7th grades of White Rock Elementary. They were well organized and their presentation was very clear. I could learn a lot about their case, which was about the expansion of the Kinder Morgan pipeline, located in British Columbia. With their case study, I noticed how many similarities our cases had, even though the issues weren't the same. While theirs was related to the expansion of a pipeline and how it affects the local community, ours was about the Harvard’s Endowment Fund and the acquisition of land in states where there’s the Cerrado biome, one of the most important biomes to our ecosystem.
Some of the similarities are:
- Both cases are associated with large companies from a foreign country (USA) making some change in nature: Kinder Morgan is one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America, and the Harvard’s Endowment Fund is one of the largest investors in Farmland.
- In both cases, the affected areas have high biodiversity and important water sources. The pipeline was constructed through untouched wilderness in BC’s Temperate Rainforest and Mountains. So the oil spilled from the pipeline threatens biodiversity on land and in the Ocean and can poison the water table. Regarding Brazil’s case, the deforestation in the lads acquired by Harvard threatens the Cerrado biome, which is a tropical savanna with high biodiversity and river systems. Also, the pesticides used on those lands poison farmland and crops.
- Affect human health: There is a concern about toxins from oil products and by-products, specifically, Bitumen because it is harmful to human life. Furthermore, spills poison important water sources, and fumes are considered a health risk. About the Harvard's Endowment Fund, the pesticides used on the lands acquired by the university are not healthy for humans since they can cause chronic diseases. Also, the agrotoxins poison drinking water and hamper food growth.
- In both cases, the current Government is more worried about the economy than about this type of issue. In British Columbia, although many groups have protested and Indigenous groups have denied access to the land, the government bought the pipeline from Kinder Morgan and is determined to finish construction. There is a feeling that the jobs created and the ability to transport oil for export outweigh the environmental risks. In Brazil, agrobusiness is 21/1% of the Brazilian GDP. Therefore, it's very unlikely for the government to take a stand since the acquisition of land by Harvard University provides money in taxes to the Government.
- Lastly, in both cases, the protests are restricted due to Covid-19
The differences between the cases are related to the type of climate issue. While the Pipeline expansion is associated with oil extraction and transportation, the Harvard's Endowment Fund is related to deforestation and the deterioration of the soil.
