In Eastern Cape, South Africa there is a large area of titanium-rich sand.

This sand is a high demand area and has attracted a mining company from Australia, Mineral Commodities Resources. As they have tried to get consent to mine in the area they have run into many roadblocks. One might ask, what kind of consequences can mining an important resource be? In this particular area there is a village named Xolobeni. This village is home to indigenous tribes, who have lived on their ancestral land their entire lives.

Since the first proposition to obtain rights to mine in the area in 2008, the Australian mining company sparked a resistance in the Xolobeni villagers. They formed the Amadiba Crisis Committee to help prevent the mining company from taking over their lands. This mining proposal is a clear violation of the villager’s human rights

and it even violate environmental rights. In 2008, Mineral Commodities Resources were granted mining rights but several years later those rights were revoked due to the impacts the mining had on the environment. In 2015, the mining company was again rewarded mining rights to excavate 22 km of titanium-rich sand. But in 2016, all mining was halted when a leader of the Amadiba Crisis Committee was assassinated. When Mineral Commodities Resources applied for their mining rights for a third time, the High Court could not grant them a mining license without the consent of indigenous communities.

This mining extravaganza is the same issue that the Dakotas are going through in response to the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Keystone pipeline. The $3.7 billion Dakota Access pipeline would

stretch through four states; North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois. The proposal has been completed other than a portion that would go under Lake Oahe in North Dakota which is just short of a mile from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s reservation. The $8 billion Keystone Pipeline would stretch over many states including; Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Like the mining proposals of South Dakota, these pipelines propose environmental and human rights issues. Peaceful protests turned violent as police officers engaged the protesters shooting non-lethal rounds, tear gas, and other non-lethal tactics.

If the mining proposals in South Africa go through and the Australian mining company takes over, the Xolobeni tribes will face injustices to their human rights. The titanium mine is located between the tribes and the Eastern Cape coast. This presents are major issue of the villagers making their way to the coast. The land that the mine sits on is a large portion of their farmland. The Amadiba residents don’t just survive on their agricultural business but flourish from selling at the coast. If this land is taken away, their economy may drop as they will have to find new place to grow and new ways to sell their crops. One may suggest, “But what if they got jobs in the mines? The opening of the mines will provide them with jobs.” This is not the case. The Amadiba residents are not educated and mines are heavily machined operations. The opening of this mine would significantly decrease the value of life in these tribes.

The area in which Mineral Commodities Resources wish to mine, is labelled as a “transition zone”. A transition zone is an area of environmental transition between sub-tropical and temperature climates. This area is a biodiversity hotspot, where you can’t find the species of plants around the world. Power lines and plumbing are not a part of the Xolobeni region. You find drainage pits, a solar panel here and there, and water wells. Mines are sophisticated areas of work. Along with the minerals they are extracting, they produce toxic waste, greenhouse gas emissions, and destruction of the surrounding lands. Since there is no plumbing in the Xolobeni region, the toxic liquid waste would have one place to go… into the drainage ditches. Air pollution is a very large factor in the mining industry, as all methods of mining affect the air quality which affects the quality of life in the surrounding area. This once bio diversified area will be turned into the stomping grounds for a mineral exploration company if proposals are accepted.

 

Citations:

“Keystone and Dakota Access Pipelines: How Did We Get Here?” CNN, Cable News Network, www-m.cnn.com/2017/01/24/us/dapl-keystone-pipeline-environment-protesters-trump-order/index.html?r=https://www.google.com/.

Bega, Sheree. “’This Land Is Part of Our Identity’.” IOL News, ‘IOL’, 12 Feb. 2019, www.iol.co.za/saturday-star/this-land-is-part-of-our-identity-19255771.

“Ruling against Mining Company Is a Win for Xolobani Community.” Early Marriage and Harassment of Syrian Refugee Women and Girls in Jordan, www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/11/south-africa-ruling-against-mining-company-a-victory-for-marginalized-communities-across-the-country/.

Burke, Jason. “The Coastal Village, the Mining Giant and the Battle for South Africa’s Soul.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 11 June 2016, www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/12/south-africa-titanium-mining-giant-xolobeni.

Bennie, Andrew. “OP-ED: Mining Will Not Bring Jobs to Xolobeni.” Daily Maverick, Daily Maverick, 15 Jan. 2019, www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2019-01-15-mining-will-not-bring-jobs-to-xolobeni/.

Mtshali, Samkelo. “Titanium Mining Will Have ‘Devastating’ Effects on Livelihoods.” IOL News, ‘IOL’, 27 Sept. 2018, www.iol.co.za/mercury/business/titanium-mining-will-have-devastating-effects-on-livelihoods-17242799.

“How a Proposed Strip Mine Brought Conflict to South Africa’s Wild Coast.” Yale E360, e360.yale.edu/features/titanium-mine-conflict-south-africa-pondoland-rhadebe-caruso.

Pictures:

“The Keystone XL Pipeline Has Won Approval in Nebraska.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, 25 Nov. 2017, www.economist.com/united-states/2017/11/25/the-keystone-xl-pipeline-has-won-approval-in-nebraska.

South Africa Travel Blog, www.places.co.za/html/visualfind.html.

“Xolobeni Court Ruling Has No Effect on N2WCR Project.” SANRAL Stop Over, 7 Jan. 2019, stop-over.co.za/xolobeni-court-ruling-no-effect-n2wcr-project/.

US-China Trade War

 

In September 2018, President Trump imposed tariffs of 10% on billions of dollars of Chinese goods. These tariffs limit the amount of imports from China into our country, making it more feasible to produce products domestically. Another purpose of a tariff is to increase revenue for our government. The people who pay for these tariffs are retailers that import these products from China. The only option for retailers is to increase the prices of their goods or to take a hit on their profits. For example, a 10% tariff on a $20 item, would drop a profit $2. Now multiply that by how many of these items a retailer receives, it can get kind of hefty. If a retailer doesn’t want to take this kind of hit to their profits, then they will increase prices and the hit is now taken on by everyday shoppers. These kinds of numbers can have huge effects on our economy, positive and negative. This turns into a trade war as China feels the effects of tariffs on their products. In response to our President’s actions, China imposed retaliatory tariffs of their own on American goods. I am interested in this topic because this is an issue that we are all affected by. Although it may have some positive impacts on the economy, we will still feel pressure of increased prices and tensions over seas. These kinds of issues are building blocks that can act as a domino effect to tensions over seas and bigger issues.

         The European Union (EU) are the largest traders in the world and they strictly follow the World Trade Organization’s rules. The European Union imports to over 100 countries and has the largest single market area. They support the simplified system and it is large reason why they are so successful. Another thing that makes the EU so successful in trading is their free trade agreements. Part of the European Union’s trade policies are their strive to limit their effects on other global issues. These issues range from labor issues to environmental issues. When trading with countries of less wealth the EU joins their trade with development, increasing trade-led growth.

Ecuadorian imports rely heavily on the United States. The U.S. are the biggest exporters of Ecuadorian goods and the U.S. produce the most imports to Ecuador. Ecuador specializes in oil, banana, and coffee exports and mainly require vehicles and medicine as imports. Ecuador tax most all imports in groups. Firearms, tobacco, video games, and perfume are group one which range from 300% to 20%. Group 2 is comprised of vehicles ranging from a 35% tax to a 2% tax. Group 3 and 4 are miscellaneous items around 35% tax and group 5 is made up of beer (75%) and soda (10%).

The US was a strong supporter in establishing the World Trade Organization in 1995. Now in 2019, President Trump insists on differing from the path that some many followed us on. Unlike the EU, the US is on a bumpy road down the trade path of protectionism and nationalism. Trump neglected to confront to WTO on his 25% tariff on steel and aluminum, and his 10% tariff on half of Chinese imports. Maybe Trump’s decisions weren’t all a bad thing? It did expose the lack of rules and broken system of the WTO. But one thing for sure is the rising tensions between the US and those who voiced their opinions against Trump’s tariffs, like Mexico, Canada, and the EU. This brings us the effect of smaller countries like Ecuador. The tariffs that Trump has made may not produce a financial burden on countries like Ecuador, who count on the US for imports and exports, but it does strike fear into those countries. These countries may be too afraid to express their opinions on Trump’s tariffs as it seems too easy for him to propose the tariffs. If Trump was to elect tariffs on those countries trades it could cripple their economies. For example, the EU conducts trade with development for the small under developed countries they trade with. What if the US were to go along these lines? Although, it seems those have enough of their own taxes…

         As Trump has surfaced, the WTO has some serious problems. But also, Trump has some serious problems. First off, the 25% tariff on steel and aluminum negatively affects car companies in the US. OWorld Trade Organization’sne of the main reasons for these tariffs was to increase jobs, but I believe this tariff is anything but positive. Now onto the issue of the 10% tariff on Chinese products, I also believe there is a better way to approach these issues. Maybe a solution that doesn’t involve increasing tensions between multiple countries? Do I know of a solution? No. One thing we know for sure is that fixing the problems in the WTO is going to take a long time.

 

Citations:

• /pages/Jed-Graham/585664041477959. “What Is A Tariff, Who Pays, And What Is The Purpose Of A Tariff?” Investor’s Business Daily, Investor’s Business Daily, 13 Feb. 2019, investors.com/news/economy/what-is-a-tariff/.
• “Trade.” European Union, Publications Office of the European Union, 13 Nov. 2018, europa.eu/european-union/topics/trade_en.
• “Ecuador – Trade BarriersEcuador – Trade Barriers.” Korea – Distribution and Sales Channels, export.gov/article?id=Ecuador-Trade-Barriers.
• “Exports and Trade in Ecuador.” Ecuador.com – Ecuador Channel, ecuador.com/business/exports/.
• “US-China Trade Row: What Has Happened so Far?” BBC News, BBC, 18 Sept. 2018, bbc.com/news/business-44529600.

Pictures:

• Blazyte, Agne, et al. “Infographic: U.S. Trade Deficit with China Grows as the Trade War Heats Up.” Statista, Statista, 12 Sept. 2018, www.statista.com/chart/15419/the-us-trade-balance-with-china/.
• Fury over Alleged Toxic Leaks in North Mara Gold Mine, www.ippmedia.com/en/business/rising-global-trade-tensions-threat-african-economies-wto.