Environmental Justice/Biodiversity

[Tom Chao <tchao@mail.arc.nasa.gov>]

According to an earlier United Nations Environmental Program summary 'the global ecosystem is threatened by [imbalances] in productivity and in the distribution of goods and services' and 'the world is undergoing accelerating change, with environmental stewardship lagging behind economic and social developments' and '[environmental] gains from new technology and policies are being overtaken by population growth and economic development.' I think that this statement establishes a need for more environmental justice/biodiversity laws.

Note that any model should allow for considerable conflict & uncertainty [or maximum entropy].  And with virtual environment (computer network) implementation, there are two basic rules:  (1) For survival you need to be able to turn off the system most of the time and (2) You need to program for energy efficiency. 

Laws need to be implemented at the local or state level. [Note AB_1553, Keeley, Environmental Justice: Guidelines-- Would require the California Office of Planning & Research to adopt guidelines for addressing environmental justice in city and county general plans providing for the element of land use.] I hypothesize that 'EJ' inverts the government pyramid and protects the rights of indigenous peoples as a part of the biodiversity law.  Since any large monopoly agency could be considered detrimental to the environment according to the current theory on government, the policy makers could consider re-engineering to allow for more exchange revenue, and setting up private-enterprise 'Greening' 'virtual' corporations in parallel with pacts with the 'native peoples.' Perhaps, a separate 'exchange system' for biodiversity problems can be developed in addition to 'virtual cash flows,' since in theory land can not be capitolized. [Public Trust concept] International fair trade under strong environmental laws, protecting labor rights and empowering the community, nuclear disarmament, and international peacekeeping are part of both the local and global solution, I think.