Juan Castaneda
ID# 43839730
ICS5: Collaborative Mapping Assignment
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Located in Southeast Asia the country of Laos is fairly small in population size compared to its neighbors Thailand and Vietnam, with a mere six million Laotians governing approximately 286,800 sq km of land. The Nation-state of Laos has gone through various governmental phases before it became the strict socialist regime that is known by today's world. Laos originated from the kingdom of Lan Xang, which existed in the fourteenth century but fell by the eighteenth century when Thailand overtook Laos. Soon after the French ceased the land in the nineteenth century but was handed over to communist Pathet Lao in 1975 where he finally enforced such socialist ideals (Central Intelligence Agency). Being a landlocked country it must rely on its natural resources in order to survive in this ruthless global economic world. The country relies on its agriculture by exporting poultry, vegetables, peanuts, and other goods such as cotton. Yet, it even relies more on exporting wood products, electricity, coffee, tin, gold, and such minerals; while primarily importing machinery, vehicles, and fuels (Central Intelligence Agency). Laos is a moderately young country with the average age of a person being about twenty one years of age and the elderly usually dying off around sixty-one. This can be due to the fact that Laos has many environmental issues that drastically affect the country as a whole. In order of importance I have deemed the following environmental issues most impactful; first there is the mass deforestation that is occurring on a daily basis, second there are landmines that litter the countryside, and third would be the Xayaburi Dam that not only affects Laos by its neighboring countries as well. There are many contributing factors that worsen the situation in Laos, yet through the use of IT and modern technology there is still hope for a brighter future for the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The ultimate goal is to be sustainable without having to continue ruining or harming the natural resources of Laos; and in order to reach sustainability there is usually the usage of IT or Information Technology that gives the ability to go through with such actions, it is the core of the entire process.
One of the most detrimental environmental issues that the Laotians must deal with is deforestation. Yes, it is necessary for the country to make revenue but it has many downfalls. A few of these concerns are "human health hazards-pollution, water source, erosion, endangered species, natural hazards-flooding, and drought" (Environment Issues in Laos). Currently there is a slight increase of hectares being cleared yet it is not enough to outnumber the amount of trees being cut down yearly, which is substantially greater. Seventy percent of the countries land is rainforest and if deforestation continues at this rate it can possibly endanger 1,100 different species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds live there (Environment Issues in Laos). Once again, this is all known because of research that has been done over the years with the help of IT. Whether it be from simple data collecting computers or massive technological instruments; it is all thanks to IT that we can even know such statistics.
The second environmental issue that affects Laos is a result of the aftermath from the Vietnam War which took place in 1955-1975. Thirty-eight years later in 2013 one can still find landmines scattered amongst the country of Laos. The U.S. was responsible for having dropped nearly 260 million cluster bombs on Laos during such a time period; of these 260 million cluster bombs 80 million did not detonate (U.S. Department of State). It is estimated that nearly fifty thousand people have died from such cluster bombs that did not explode, and for over fifty years "Laos still averages four new victims every week" (U.S. Department of State). This has led to MAG (Mines Advisory Group) which is slowly using IT to detect where this landmines are and destroying them one by one. It is a long path but no more Laotians should be dying weekly because they are simply harvesting their rice fields and accidently get blown up by a landmine.
As for the third environmental issue Laos is currently pushing forward with a multibillion dollar plan to construct a hydroelectric dam located on the Mekong River, it is also known as the Xayaburi Dam (Amatatham, Thomas). The objective of the dam is to give Laos an alternate solution to energy, yet this will also hinder the environment although it seems to be a good idea at first sight. Yes the Laos would get their energy, but at what cost? First this would endanger populations of fish that live in the Mekong River and push them to the brink of extinction. Also, not only would this cause internal issues but it would also cause external affairs because the Mekong River not only runs through Laos but Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam as well (Chambers, Andrew). That is why the construction of the Xayaburi Dam was put on hold because so many people of these countries depend of the river that it would put their livelihoods at risk. This is a quick example of where IT can be beneficial because Laos can look for alternate sources of energy such as solar panels. This would solve the issue and put less people's lives at risk.
Of the three environmental issues previously mentioned the most impactful issue that currently affects Laos is that of the deforestation because a large portion of its economy relies on wood products that are being exported at a fast pace rate. Having it's GDP worth approximately 8.3 billion it is not as significant as compare to the United State's GDP of 15.09 trillion, yet it is still significant to the people of Laos (Central Intelligence Agency). Larger corporations are willing to go to any extant to fulfill external needs of foreign countries, which leads to Laos rainforest to nearly becoming endangered or extinct. Additionally, not only are certain tree species put in danger but it also causes erosion that leads to siltation of reservoirs, navigation channels, and irrigation systems that will eventually put certain fish endangered. In such cases as these IT must take a role in order to prevent further damage and that is when collecting data comes into play. Research has shown that "...Laos was one of eleven countries that used over 80% of the world's net carbon commissions in 1987" (Laos-Environmental Problems and Policy). It is unacceptable that Laos is allowing the destruction of its forest because in the long run they are committing self suicide. IT also involves the idea of planning for the future through the use of technology in hopes of maintaining sustainability. Sustainability being “Meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs” (Brundtland, 1987). In other words, deforestation can no longer continue. Deforestation contributes to the pollution of Laos which then causes safety hazards for its people, the waters of Laos are tainted through deforestation, and far too many species are put in danger all because large corporations of Laos do not look for alternate solutions. There is balance to be found between economic, social, and environmental parties because that is the core of sustainability. To continue with the idea of IT, governmental officials must deal with the problem by looking at the data and reality that they are confronted with and finding a solution. Such examples could include looking for alternate energy sources, limiting the amount of rainforest that can be cut down yearly, or limiting themselves to areas where there is no or minimal human interaction and where there are no endangered species. This requires a great deal of cooperation from such governmental affairs in order for anything product to even occur. It is a matter of doing what is right because if Laos is left without a rainforest then they are nothing but a bare landlocked piece of useless land. Strategic Essentialism is key when it comes down to deforestation because one must work together despite the differences. This has led to such plans by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to save 9.6 million hectares for forest protection, 2.4 million for wildlife reserves/national parks, and 5 million for production (Laos-Environmental Problems and Policy). Once again this all predetermined through the use of Information Technology that gives us such estimates and high hopes.
Through Information Technology (IT) or the usage of management computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware one can determine the damage that has been done and prevent any further damage. In essence Laos would be striving for environmental sustainability where they can improve human life, different aspects of the environment, and the quality plus functionality of society.
Works Cited
Amatatham, Thomas Fuller And Poypiti. "Laos to Proceed With Dam Project on Mekong River." The New York Times. The New York Times, 07 Nov. 2012. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
Chambers, Andrew. "From Laos to Libya, Landmines Still Take Their Toll on Civilians." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 30 July 0006. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.
"Central Intelligence Agency." CIA. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
"Environment Issues in Laos." Environment Issues in Laos. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
"Laos-Environmental Problems and Policy." Laos-Environmental Problems and Policy. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.
"Saving Lives in Laos: United States Leadership in Clearing Landmines and Unexploded Ordnance." U.S. Department of State. U.S. Department of State, 09 Nov. 2010. Web. 19 Feb. 2013.
Here is a list of my references:
References:
1.http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_946.html
2.http://www.heritage.org/index/country/laos
3.http://focusweb.org/node/348
4.http://www.heritage.org/index/country/laos
5.http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/EASTASIAPACIFICEXT/EXTEAPREGTOPENVIRONMENT/0,,contentMDK:20266320~menuPK:537827~pagePK:34004173~piPK:34003707~theSitePK:502886,00.html
Here is a list of my three tentative environmental issues:
1. http://www.internationalrivers.org/campaigns/xayaburi-dam
2. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/11/150696.htm
3. http://brittanybrown8.blogspot.com/