Debt for Nature Swaps and Home canning

EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: What are so-called “debt-for-nature swaps” and how do
they work?
-- Howard W., via e-mail

A debt-for-nature swap is an agreement by which a wealthier, developed nation
like the United States forgives debt owed to it by a developing country in
exchange for a promise to use some or all of the money instead to preserve
critical environmental areas. Typically, such deals are brokered by international
non-profit organizations like The Nature Conservancy or Conservation
International, which sometimes contribute additional funds to provide grants to
local community organizations participating in the projects.

One of the largest debt-for-nature swaps to date occurred just recently, in
October 2006, when the U.S. agreed to forgive $24.4 million in debt from
Guatemala to free up the money for use in forest conservation efforts there. The
Nature Conservancy and Conservation International were instrumental in putting
that deal together, and each committed $1 million toward Guatemalan
conservation initiatives as well. A similar deal will allow Botswana to repurpose
$8.3 million in debt payments owed to the U.S. for conservation and restoration of
its tropical forests in the Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park regions.

To date, the U.S. has arranged a dozen debt-for-nature swaps (one under
President Clinton and the rest under George W. Bush), forgiving $135 million
worth of loans for conservation’s sake from not only Guatemala and Botswana,
but also Bangladesh, Belize, Colombia, El Salvador, Jamaica, Panama, Paraguay,
the Philippines and Peru. Under the terms of the Tropical Forest Conservation
Act, enacted in 1998, developing countries with a tropical forest of global or
regional significance, a democratically elected government and plans for economic
reform are eligible for debt forgiveness from the U.S. as long as they are willing to
undertake conservation efforts accordingly. They also must cooperate with the U.
S. on international narcotics control measures while neither supporting terrorism
nor violating human rights.

While the U.S. has been the leader in encouraging debt-for-nature swaps, other
developed countries are starting to get in on the act as well. Germany has
forgiven tens of millions of Euros owed it by the governments of Indonesia and
Bolivia, among others, for the benefit of the environment. And last June, France
joined the fray by forgiving $25 million in debt from Cameroon in the name of
protecting still pristine stretches of the Congo River Basin, the world's second
largest tropical forest after the Amazon.

Debt-for-nature deals have not all taken place without some controversy.
According to the Uruguay-based World Rainforest Movement (WRM), last
September Canada forgave $680,000 in debt from Honduras in exchange for that
country’s establishment of tree planting and forest conservation programs.
Arranged primarily within a debt-for-nature framework, Canada will actually get
credit in the deal toward the greenhouse gas emissions reductions it promised
under the international Kyoto Protocol. Says WRM, “The powerful hand of
industry is behind this project… this allows a major carbon dioxide-producing
country…to be able to avoid implementing real measures to either reduce carbon
emissions at their source or to implement the conservation of its own forests.”

CONTACTS: Conservation International, www.conservation.org; The Nature
Conservancy, www.nature.org; World Rainforest Movement, www.wrm.org.uy.

EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: My grandmother was a home canner, and I'm interested in
getting involved myself. Where do I learn about the benefits to my health
and to the environment?
-- Sylvia Fragiband, Indianapolis, IN

For more than a century, home canning has been a popular way to preserve and
enjoy homegrown fruits and vegetables, not to mention fresh-caught seafood and
other delicacies. One of the key benefits of home canning is limiting exposure to
the chemicals and pesticides used on most commercially available produce and
seafood. Also, most commercially prepared spreads and sauces contain added
sugar, salt and preservatives which are unnecessary in most diets and can even
be harmful for people suffering from health problems like diabetes or hypertension.

Also, by preserving produce when it is at its peak of ripeness, home canners can
indulge in flavorful spreads and sauces all year long, even if the backyard harvest
is just a distant memory. And according to Jennifer Wilkins, a nutritional scientist
in Cornell University’s Life Sciences department, foods at peak ripeness offer
superior nutritional advantages, even when preserved. She cites the example of
Vitamin C content in tomatoes increasing when the vegetables are allowed to fully
ripen on the vine.

Yet another benefit of home canning is self-reliance. “If there is a natural disaster
and supplies are short, you will have your own food,” says master gardener and
home canner Connie Densmore, who teaches an online course in home canning
through the UniversalClass.com website. She adds that home canned foods can
last for years without refrigeration (especially useful if the power goes out) while
retaining the same taste as the day they were harvested.

Prior to the days of widespread use of food preservatives and refrigeration, home
canning was one of only a few ways to safely preserve foods from decay at the
hands of naturally occurring microorganisms. The home canning techniques
developed in the late 1800s to prevent enzymes, mold, yeast and bacteria from
spoiling foods and causing botulism and other illnesses are still effective and in
wide use today.

Those looking to learn how to home can should consult the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s “Complete Guide to Home Canning,” available free online. The guide
details the principles of home canning as well as how to select, prepare and can a
variety of foods. The website HomeCanning.com also offers a wealth of
information as well as lots of recipes for canning fruits, vegetables and meats.
The site is produced by Jarden Home Brands, one of the leading suppliers of
home canning jars and equipment. Some other leading purveyors of home canning
supplies include the Canning Pantry and Home Canning Supply and Specialties.

For more hands-on instruction, would-be home canners should check out the
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension’s “So Easy to Preserve” video
series. Eight shows, each 20 to 35 minutes long, contain the most up-to-date
recommendations for home canning, pickling and making jams and jellies.

CONTACTS: Canning Pantry, www.canningpantry.com; Home Canning Supply &
Specialties, www.homecanningsupply.com; “So Easy To Preserve,” www.uga.
edu/setp; “Complete Guide to Home Canning,” www.uga.
edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html.

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