[sustran] Re: China building highway up Everest

[ciclored]

Just to make some balance, last weeek the President of Ecuador launched a 
very interesting proposal: to raise funds in order to avoid oil explotation 
in  Yasuni National Park.



The (good) news below (in spanish)



Carlos Cordero







Ecuador lanzó campaña para evitar explotación petrolera en Yasuní

Quito, 6 jun (PL) El presidente ecuatoriano, Rafael Correa, anunció hoy una 
campaña de recaudación de fondos para evitar la explotación petrolera en el 
parque nacional Yasuní, en la Amazonía.

El plan, considerado como inédito en el planeta, persigue cooperar en la 
reducción de emisiones de carbono a la atmósfera con la no explotación del 
campo Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tiputini (ITT), ubicado en Yasuní, resaltó Correa.

Ante un grupo de personas reunidas en el Palacio de Carondelet (sede del 
Gobierno), el mandatario destacó la disposición de mantener el crudo 
represado en el subsuelo, pero si el país recibe a cambio una compensación 
financiera.

Con la puesta en marcha del ITT, Ecuador ganaría cada año 700 millones de 
dólares, pero por mantener el entorno y cuidar el planeta, el gobierno 
requiere de unos 350 millones para enfrentar proyecto sociales, agregó.

"Para Ecuador indudablemente dejar el petróleo en tierra significa un 
inmenso sacrificio e implica dar un beneficio al planeta y lo que estamos 
pidiendo a la comunidad internacional asumir parte de esta responsabilidad", 
recalcó.

Entre los posibles apostadores mencionó organizaciones multilaterales, 
gobiernos amigos, organizaciones no gubernamentales y donantes, entre otros.

No se descartó asimismo la posibilidad de que a cambio de no explotar el 
ITT, alguna nación quiera condonar su deuda con esta nación.

Con esta propuesta se persigue sensibilizar a la comunidad nacional y 
mundial sobre la importancia de no explotar el ITT, cuyas reservas se 
estiman en mil millones de barriles.

Voceros del ministerio de Economía señalaron que se analiza la creación del 
"Fondo ambiental", un fideicomiso encargado de recaudar los aportes de los 
diferentes interesados en no envenenar más los bosques.

Hasta el momento, el gobierno nacional ha recibido manifestaciones de apoyo 
de organizaciones no gubernamentales, de Trudy Styler, esposa del cantante 
Sting, y de Noruega pgh lgo PL-263



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lee Schipper" <schipper at wri.org>
To: "'Global 'South' Sustainable Transport'" 
<sustran-discuss at list.jca.apc.org>; <lwright at vivacities.org>; 
<carfree_cities at yahoogroups.com>
Cc: "Ramon Munoz" <ramon.cmr at gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2007 4:31 PM
Subject: [sustran] Re: China building highway up Everest


> What is the opposite of Ecotourism? Terro-tourism?
>
>>>> "Lloyd Wright" <lwright at vivacities.org> 6/19/2007 3:55:28 PM >>>
> A really bad idea...
>
> http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/06/19/china.highway.ap/index.h
> tml
>
> China to build highway up Everest
>
>
> POSTED: 1332 GMT (2132 HKT), June 19, 2007
>
>
> BEIJING, China (AP) -- China will build a $20 million blacktop highway
> on Mount Everest as part of the route for the Olympic torch relay, state
> media reported Tuesday.
>
> Xinhua News Agency said the construction would turn a rough, 67-mile
> road stretching from the foot of the mountain to a base camp at 17,060
> feet, into a paved "highway fenced by undulating guardrails."
>
> Mount Everest, the world's tallest mountain, is 29,035 feet tall.
>
> It said construction would start next week and would take about four
> months, and the new highway would become a major route for tourists and
> mountaineers.
>
> In April, organizers for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics announced
> ambitious plans for the longest torch relay in Olympic history -- an
> 85,000-mile, 130-day route that would cross five continents and scale
> Mount Everest.
>
> Taking the Olympic torch to the top of the mountain, seen by some as a
> way for Beijing to underscore its claims to Tibet, is expected to be one
> of the relay's highlights.
>
> China says it has ruled Tibet for centuries, although many Tibetans say
> their homeland was essentially an independent state for most of that
> time. Chinese communist troops occupied Tibet in 1951 and Beijing
> continues to rule the region with a heavy hand.
>
> Copyright 2007 The  <http://edition.cnn.com/interactive_legal.html#AP>
> Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be
> published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
>
> Lloyd Wright
> Executive Director
> Viva
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> Quito
> Ecuador
> Tel. +593 2 255 1492
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>
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>
>
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