Flowers, Diamonds, and Gold: The destructive public health, human rights and environmental consequences of symbols of love Martin Donohoe.
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Transcript Flowers, Diamonds, and Gold: The destructive public health, human rights and environmental consequences of symbols of love Martin Donohoe.
Flowers, Diamonds, and Gold:
The destructive public health,
human rights and environmental
consequences of symbols of love
Martin Donohoe
Overview
Flowers
Diamonds
Gold
Alternatives/Solutions
“Say it with flowers”
Flowers
Long
history of religious, folk,
heraldic and national symbolism
Gifts of love, friendship and filial
devotion
St. Valentine’s Day
Mothers’ Day
The Floriculture Industry
$30 billion cut flower industry
Major producers: Holland, Columbia,
Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ecuador, India, Mexico,
China, Malaysia
World’s largest producer: Dole Fresh
Flowers
The Floriculture Industry
Largest import markets: U.S. and
Germany
Only 1/3 of cut flowers sold in U.S. are
domestic
Most from CA
The Floriculture Industry
190,000 workers in developing countries
Ecuador and Columbia account for ½ of
flowers sold in U.S.
Most profit flows to large, multinational
corporations, headquartered outside
producing countries
Small amount reinvested locally
Floriculture and Women
Predominantly female workforce
Low wages
No benefits
Short contract cycles
Child labor, dismissal for
pregnancy, unpaid overtime
common
Floriculture and Labor
Labor organizers harassed, workers
fired for trying to organize unions
Third party contractors shuffle
workers from plantation to plantation,
avoiding payment of social security
and inhibiting union organizing
Floriculture and the Environment
Floriculture displaces crops grown for local food
consumption
Contributes to malnutrition and increased
local food costs
Requires large quantities of irrigation water
120 liters/dozen roses
Contributes to drop in water tables
Floriculture: Toxic Exposures
Flowers = most pesticide-intensive crop
Greenhouses increase ambient levels of
pesticides
1/5 of pesticides banned or untested in
U.S.
Carcinogens, persistent organic
pollutants/endocrine disruptors
Floriculture: Toxic Exposures
Flowers carry up to 50X the amount
of pesticides allowed on foods
USDA inspects for pests, but not
pesticides
Floriculture: Health Effects
Over 50% of workers have symptoms of
organophosphate pesticide exposure
(cholinergic symptoms)
Other common health problems:
Allergic reactions, heat stroke, pneumonitis,
RSI, cellulitis, UTIs, neuropathies, mental
health problems, cancers, reproductive
problems (low sperm counts, spontaneous
abortions, fetal anomalies, etc.)
Floriculture: Health Effects
Labeling, handling, and storage problems
rampant
Protective gear often lacking, not working
Reuse of pesticide-saturated greenhouse
plastic for domestic purposes not
uncommon
Workers wash / bathe children in same
sink
Floriculture: Health Effects
Local physicians poorly-trained, lack
resources to manage pesticiderelated health problems
Many providers employed by
floriculture company
Conflict of interest
Diamonds
Symbols of wealth, power, love, and magical powers
Created from carbon early in the earth’s history under
extreme temperature and pressure
Industrial uses: cutting, chemically inert, transmits
many wavelengths of light, can be tweaked to hold
an electric charge
Discovered in India around 800 B.C.
Commercial mining began in 1866 in South Africa
World Diamond Production (1995-2011)
Diamond Production
Antwerp, Tel Aviv, New York and Mumbai
(Bombay) major trading centers
Most cutting done in Surat (India), Tel
Aviv, Antwerp, Mumbai, New York and
Thailand
Major retail markets U.S. and Japan
The Diamond Market
Annual retail sales = $50 billion (2010)
2008: Christie’s sells 36-carat diamond for
$24 million
World’s Largest Diamond: 40-carat Hope
Diamond at Smithsonian
Kimberley Mine, SA
Yielded 3 tons of diamonds, Closed 1914
Mirny Diamond Mine, Siberia
Largest open diamond mine in the world
The Diamond Engagement Ring
Diamond engagement ring introduced in
1477 (Archduke Ferdinand → Mary of
Burgundy)
De Beers Mining Company
Founded by Cecil Rhodes in 1888
Responsible for 40%-45% of worldwide
diamond production and sales
Cecil Rhodes
(Rhodesia, Rhodes Scholarship, DeBeers Mining
Company)
“We must find new lands from which we
can easily obtain raw materials and at the
same time exploit the cheap slave labour
that is available from the natives of the
colonies. The colonies would also provide
a dumping ground for the surplus goods
produced in our factories.”
Diamond Rings
1939: DeBeers hires N.W. Ayer and Company to
make diamonds “a psychological necessity…the
larger the diamond, the greater the expression
of love.”
Secret engagements promoted (men spend more
than women)
By 1942, 80% of engagements in U.S.
consecrated with diamond rings (still true today)
Diamonds first worn by stars to the Oscars in
1942
Diamond Rings
1947: “A diamond is forever” slogan born
Jewelers instructed to tell (pressure?)
men - who buy 90% of all diamonds –
to spend at least 2 months salary on the
ring
Diamond Rings
DeBeers promotes surprise proposals
Men spend more than when women involved
in selection process
Later: Anniversary diamonds
Diamond Rings
1999: Advertising Age magazine declares
“A Diamond is Forever” slogan the most
effective of the 20th Century
Recognized by 90% of Americans
1999: De Beers chairman Nicky
Oppenheimer – “Diamonds are intrinsically
worthless, except for the deep
psychological need they fill”
Diamond Rings
2003: De Beers begins to market
diamonds to single women
“Your left hand says ‘we,’ your right hand
says ‘me.’”
Pet Jewelry:
The Diamond Dog Collar
Diamonds: Profits and Losses
144 million carats rough diamonds mined
for jewelry per year
Worth approximately U.S.$15 billion
1 carat diamond retails for $4,000-$7,500 in
the U.S.
Cost less than $2 billion to extract
Ultimately sell for over $50 billion
Diamonds: Profits and Losses
Workers desperately poor but hoping to
strike it rich in “casino economy”
1 million in Africa
Work under dangerous, unhealthy conditions
for pittance
Diamonds may be embedded in asbestos
Workers suffer from cancer, leukemia,
silicosis
Diamonds: Profits and Losses
Middlemen,
diamond dealers and
exporters earn the lion’s share of
profits
Most foreign nationals
Very little profit re-invested in
local communities
Diamonds: Profits and Losses
2008: DeBeers settles several class action
lawsuits over anti-trust violations, unfair
competition, and consumer-protection
laws related to monopolizing supplies,
conspiring to fix/raise/control prices, and
disseminating false and misleading
advertising
Over $300 million plus prohibitions/oversight
DeBeers admits no wrongdoing
Diamonds: Human Rights Abuses,
Conflict and Terrorism
Mine owners violate indigenous
peoples’ rights via destruction of
traditional homelands and forced
resettlement
Mining hastens environmental
degradation of ecosystems already
under severe stress
Diamonds: Human Rights Abuses,
Conflict and Terrorism
Diamonds have been used by rebel armies in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola,
Liberia, Zimbabwe, and Sierra Leone to pay for
weapons used to fight brutal civil wars
3.8 million deaths
Child soldiers
Forced labor
Sex slavery, HIV
Terrorize local populations (e.g., RUF in Sierra Leone
killed and mutilated thousands via amputations with
machetes and axes in 1990s)
Diamonds: Human Rights Abuses,
Conflict and Terrorism
Al Qaeda and Hizbollah have used
diamond monies to:
Fund terror cells
Hide money targeted by financial
institutions
Launder profits from criminal activity
Convert cash into a commodity that is
easily transportable and holds its value
Diamonds: Human Rights Abuses,
Conflict and Terrorism
Smuggled
and illicit conflict
diamonds may amount to as
much as 10-15% of diamond
jewelry sold worldwide
U.S.
State Dept.
20%
Global
Witness
Gold
Dominant
role throughout
history in the growth of
empires and the evolution of
the world’s financial
institutions
Uses of Gold
80-90% of gold mined today turned into
jewelry
10-20% used by industry
Special properties: malleable, ductile, good
thermal conductivity, durable, and resistance
to corrosion
Used by Catherine de Medici as poison
and by physicians to treat rheumatoid
arthritis
History of Gold
4000 B.C.: gold first fashioned into
decorative objects
By 1500 B.C.: the standard medium
of exchange for international trade
Mid-1800s: Gold Rushes in California
and South Africa
Gold Production
Top producers: China, Australia, United
States, Russia, South Africa, Peru
2500 tons mined each year
Valued at $21 billion
Typical piece of gold jewelry sells for at
least 4 times the value of the gold itself
The Wedding Ring
Formulated from a variety of minerals
throughout history
As with diamonds, aggressive
marketing has played a significant
role in popularizing the gold wedding
band
Where is the Gold?
Currently 3 times more gold sits in
bank vaults, in jewelry boxes, and
with private investors than is
identified in underground reserves
Enough gold to meet current
consumer demand for 17 years
How Gold is Used
(In Tons)
2400 = jewelry
461 – industrial and dental
445 = retail investment
253 = exchange-traded funds
Gold Mining:
The Myth
Gold Mining:
The Reality
Mining:
The World’s Deadliest Industry
12 million adults, 1 million children
work as miners worldwide
Tens of thousands killed mining gold
and other minerals over the last
century
40 killed per day presently
Mining:
The World’s Deadliest Industry
500,000 abandoned mines in U.S.
alone
Estimated cleanup cost: $32-$72
billion
Union-busting / human rights abuses
help maintain cheap labor force
Mining:
The World’s Deadliest Industry
Local communities suffer
environmental damage, pollution,
dislocations
STDs rampant, spread by miners to
wives and children
FGC
The Resource Curse
Gold Mining:
Artisanal (10-15 million people)
Corporate (few major corporations)
½ of gold produced worldwide between 1995
and 2015 has or will come from indigenous
peoples’ lands
Dependence upon gold mining slows/reverses
economic growth, increases poverty, and
encourages governmental corruption
The Resource Curse
Benefits go to corrupt central
governments and overseas corporations
Little returned to local communities
Casino economy
Rural and indigenous peoples evicted
without prior consultation, meaningful
compensation, or the offer of equivalent
lands elsewhere
Environmental Destruction
¾
of active gold mining and
exploration sites overlap with
regions of high conservation
value, such as National Parks and
World Heritage Sites
U.S. Gold Mining
Mining Law of 1872
Archaic law
Mine purchase price between $2.50 and $5.00
per acre
Generous government subsidies
Cheap fuel
Road building and other infrastructure
Reclamation and cleanup
U.S. Gold Mining
Local communities stuck with multimillion to multi-billion dollar
environmental cleanup costs when
mines declare bankruptcy or move on
Native Americans’ rights violated
Gold Mining
Gold = Cyanide + Mercury
At least 18 tons of mine waste
created to obtain the gold for a single
3 oz., 18k ring
Gold leached from ore using cyanide
Cyanide paralyzes cellular
respiration
Gold Mining
Gold = Cyanide + Mercury
Mercury used to capture gold particles as an
amalgam
Mercury converted to methylmercury in
environment
Significant neurotoxin
Minimata Disease
China, Brazil (Amazon)
30% of global mercury pollution due to gold
mining (major source = coal-fired power plants)
Minimata Disease
W Eugene Smith
Gold Mining
Gold = Cyanide + Mercury
4000
tons used to purify gold
during 19th-Century Northern
California Gold Rush
Fish in Sacramento River and San
Francisco Bay still show elevated
levels
Gold Mining:
Environmental Damage
Contaminated groundwater often sits
in large toxic lakes held in place by
tenuous dams
Release of cyanide and mercury into
local waterways kills fish, harms fisheating animals, and poisons drinking
water
Gold Mining:
Environmental Damage
Gold and lead sometimes found
together
Mining releases lead into soil and air
Epidemic of lead poisoning in Nigeria
Gold Mining:
Environmental Damage
Omai gold mine in Guyana (one of the
largest open-pit mines in the world):
Tailings dam failed in 1995
3 billion cubic liters of cyanide-laden
tailings renders downstream 32 miles of
Omai River, home to 23,000 people, an
“environmental disaster zone”
Gold Mining:
Environmental Damage
Baia Mare gold mine in Romania
Tailings dam broke in 2000
100,000 metric tons of toxic wastwater spilled
Fish killed, other animals harmed, drinking
water of 2.5 million people in Danube River
watershed
Coastal dumping of gold mine waste
elsewhere damages estuaries and coral
reefs
Gold, Mercury and Malaria
Mercury pollution contributes to the
spread of malaria:
Mercury may lower immunity to malaria
Still pools of water serve as mosquito
breeding grounds
Migrant miners import new strains, infecting
indigenous peoples
E.g., Thousands of Yanomami Indians killed in
Brazil in late 1960s / early 1970s
Gold: Other Health and
Environmental Harms
Gold smelting uses large amounts of
energy and releases SO2, nitrogen
dioxide, and other components of
acid rain
Contributes to asthma, skin ailments
Gold: Other Health and
Environmental Harms
Release of lead causes lead poisoning
Silica exposure causes silicosis
Increases risk of TB
Gold: Other Health and
Environmental Harms
40% of Western U.S. watersheds
affected by gold mining pollution
More than 25 mines (some still
active) on Superfund list
Mine pollution ruins farmlands and
strains local food resources
Gold: Other Health and
Environmental Harms
Water tables decline due to pumping of
enormous quantity of water to release
gold from ore
Toxic pollution from gold mines affects
100 million people worldwide
Living near a gold mine costs 12.7 DALY
loss (i.e., productive lifespan cut by 12.7
yrs)
Gold Mining Harms Women
By displacing agriculture (where women
play a major role), removes women from
labor force
Concentrates economic power in hands of
men
Diminishes women’s financial resources and
educational, political, and legal opportunities
Gold Mining Harms Women
Mining employs a few women in low-level,
clerical positions, where they face severe
discrimination, sexual harassment, and
firing for pregnancy
Women have to walk further to collect
water
Dowry-associated violence, esp. in India
Utilization of child labor
Gold Mining: Human Rights Abuses
Grassberg mine (world’s largest, owned by U.S.based Freeport-McMoRan)
On land seized from Amunge and Komoro peoples
Dumps tons of cyanide-laced waste into local rivers
each day
Operators implicated in forced evictions, murders,
rape, torture, extra-judicial killings, and arbitrary
detentions
Abetted by Indonesian military, which it has paid
millions of dollars
Gold Mining: Terrorism
Echo
Bay Mines Limited
purportedly paid off Abu Sayef
(affiliated with Al Qaeda) in
exchange for protection of its
Philippines-based gold mine
Gold: Markets vs. Morals
Mining industry maintains strong ties with
governments to maintain status quo
$32 million spent on lobbying in 2011 (largest
recipient = Mitt Romney)
Subsidies make it cheaper to extract new
gold than to recycle existing gold
Gold: Markets vs. Morals
U.S. government has 8,134 tons of gold
secured in vaults (worth approximately
$122 billion)
Federal Reserve and other major central
banks have agreed to severely restrict
sales from their reserves, offering, in
effect, a price support to gold
Gold: Markets vs. Morals
Gold mining supported by World Bank and
its profit-making arm, the International
Finance Corporation
Gold industry blocking International
Monetary Fund- and World Banksponsored debt-forgiveness package
Radio talk show hosts hawking gold from
Goldline International, others
Other Items With Similar Human Rights
and Environmental Health Issues
Conflict minerals – for cellphones,
electronics, missile guidance systems,
etc.
Chocolate
Symbols of Love: Alternatives and
Solutions
Flowers:
Grow your own
Potted plant
Symbols of Love: Alternatives
and Solutions
Flowers
Purchase locally- or internationally-produced, organicallygrown, labor-friendly bouquets
Farmers’ markets, Whole Foods, other upscale markets
http://www.LocalHarvest.org
http://www.proflowers.com
http://www.organicbouquet.com
http://FlowerPetal.com (contributes to carbon offsets)
1-800-Flowers (some)
Others
Symbols of Love: Alternatives and
Solutions
Flowers:
Consumer education
Pressure on supermarkets, florists
Boycotts → voluntary eco-labels in Europe
NGOs developing industry standards
Food First Information Action Network’s
Flower Campaign → voluntary International
Code of Conduct
Alternatives and Solutions
Flowers:
Veriflora Certification System:
Organic production with phaseout of pesticides
Water conservation
Safe waste management
Mitigation of previous environmental damage
Fair labor practices / fair wages / overtime pay /
right to organize
Unannounced audits ensure compliance
Alternatives and Solutions
Flowers:
Veriflora Certification System: Campaign focused on
Supermarkets (29% of U.S. flower sales, market
share increasing, 50 major companies)
Less focus currently on wholesalers (1200
nationwide) and florists (30,000, 47% of market
share)
Society of American Florists yet to endorse
Fair trade flowers
Symbols of Love: Alternatives and
Solutions
Diamonds:
Consider alternatives to traditional
engagement ring
Cubic zirconium
Synthetic/cultured diamonds – over 75,000 lbs
produced each year worldwide
LifeGems (diamonds created from carbon captured
during cremation of human and animal remains!)
No ring
Symbols of Love: Alternatives and
Solutions
Diamonds:
Purchase only verifiable conflict-free diamonds
cut, color, clarity, and conflict
Query jewelers, consumer education,
boycotts, protests, shareholder activism
Diamond industry prefers self-regulation
Symbols of Love: Alternatives and
Solutions
Diamonds: Kimberly Process Certification
Scheme
Requires rough controls to assure conflict-free
diamonds
Governments license miners
Diamond traders utilize sealed, tamper-proof
containers
Integrated computer databases in importing
and exporting countries catch discrepancies
Symbols of Love: Alternatives and
Solutions
Diamonds: Kimberly Process Certification
Scheme
Importing countries enact strict customs
regulations, backed by thorough inspections
and harsh penalties
Supported by diamond industry and UN
General Assembly
Involved countries (77) slow and often
ineffective in enacting Scheme
Symbols of Love: Alternatives and
Solutions
U.S. Clean Diamond Act of 2003
Mandates participation in Kimberly Process
Certification scheme
Money from fines (up to $10,000 for civil and $50,000
for criminal penalties) and seized contraband
earmarked for victims of armed conflict
Implementation slow
USA Patriot Act includes anti-money laundering
measures
Symbols of Love: Alternatives and
Solutions
Amnesty International/Global Witness
2006-2007 survey
½ of companies failed to respond
Only 38% of companies responding able to
provide a meaningful account of their policies
Helzberg Diamond Shops, Sterling (Signet),
and Tiffany and Co. have most
comprehensive policies
Safe Diamonds (?)
Symbols of Love: Alternatives and
Solutions
Gold:
No Dirty Gold Campaign:
Halt to production and sale of gold produced at
expense of communities, workers, and the environment
Mining companies not to operate in areas of armed
conflict
Companies representing 22% of US jewelry market
(accounting for $14.5 billion in sales) pledged
Take the pledge at http://www.nodirtygold.org
System similar to Kimberly Process
No Dirty Gold Campaign
Companies pledged include:
Zale Corporation
Signet Group (parent firm of Sterling and Kay
jewelers)
Tiffany and Company
Helzberg Diamonds
JC Penney
No Dirty Gold Campaign
Companies pledged include:
Cartier
Piaget
Van Cleef and Arpels
Fred Meyer
Wal-Mart
Jostens
No Dirty Gold Campaign
Companies pledged include:
QVC
Target
Sears
Pledging is just the first step
Alternatives and Solutions
International Labor Organization’s
Convention #169 Concerning Indigenous
and Tribal Peoples in Independent
Countries
Requires culturally-relevant consultation
before appropriation of indigenous peoples’
lands and that indigenous peoples participate
in benefits of mining
Signed and ratified by 19 countries (but none
of major gold mining countries)
Symbols of Love: Alternatives and
Solutions
Gold:
Consumer pressure, boycotts, shareholder
resolutions
Consider recycled/vintage gold, eco-friendly
gold, alternatives to traditional wedding
ring/class ring
Develop biological and chemical treatments to
decrease/destroy cyanide, mercury and other
mining contaminants
Safe Gold
Symbols of Love: Alternatives and
Solutions
Consider alternative tokens of affection
Homemade gifts (cards, photo collages,
videos, poems, meals, home improvement
projects)
Donations to charities
Eco-jewelry made from recycled materials by
indigenous peoples
Profits returned to local communities, providing
wide-ranging social and economic benefit
Conclusions
Cut flowers, diamonds, and gold as
symbols of love are cultural constructs
perpetuated in part by the persuasive
marketing efforts of multinational
corporations
Production involves significant damage to
local communities and the environment
and harms men, women and children
Conclusions
Production supports human rights abuses,
armed conflict, and even terrorism
Symbols of love should not be constant
reminders of death and destruction
Consider alternative symbols of love
Work for social justice and change
Paper/References
Donohoe MT. Flowers, diamonds, and gold:
The destructive human rights and
environmental consequences of symbols
of love. Human Rights Quarterly
2008;30:164-82. Available at
http://phsj.org/wpcontent/uploads/2008/02/symbols-of-lovehrq-pdf.pdf
Contact Information
[email protected]
http://www.publichealthandsocialjustice.org
http://www.phsj.org