CHAPTER VI
A Climate of Injustice
Seefeld – Spires and Mountains in the Tyrol Austria has to rank high as one of the most beautiful countries in Europe and the locals know how to look after it – Austria is impeccably lean and re‐cycling is taken very seriously. The Tyrol arguably provides the most familiar images Of Austria with jagged peaks, snow‐capped mountains, green pastures and onion‐domed churches. Although temperatures in the mountains are a little lower than in the valleys, May through September is respectably warm. Moving around Austria is easy as the roads are very good with autobahns that all have a single toll charge, and a train service that is very punctual service.
The gap between the developed and developing world is widening
54 nations are poorer now than in 1990 20 of these countries are in Sub‐ Saharan Africa
Half of humanity lives on less than £1.50 a day
In the UK the average person spends £300 at Christmas
Seefeld Seekirche In the heart of the Austrian Tyrol the village of Seefeld occupies a high mountain plateau and offers unrivalled alpine vistas. With grassy pastures carpeted in wild flowers, forested slopes and rugged peaks it is hard to think of a more tranquil destination. Activities around Seefeld include lake swimming, mountain biking and paragliding. Hiking opportunities are endless and access into the mountains is made easy by way of the many cable cars and the funicular. For those more adventurous the ‘Stubaier Hohenweg’ is of the finest multi‐day tours of the Alps, and good white‐water rafting can be organised from Imst in the Inn Valley.
Food consumption
790 million
the number of people in the world malnourished
45 the percentage of the total meat and fish consumed in the world
by the people of the wealthier nations, who account for only 20% of the world’s population
30
the percentage of people in the developed world who are obese, food consumption in the developed world continues to increase
If all the hot dogs & hamburgers eaten in Disney World each year were lined up
they would stretch from Orlando to Philadelphia
140,000 The number of gastric bypass operations performed by surgeons in US every year
Krimmler Falls Away from the Tyrol, central Austria has much to offer and the best base from which to explore this region is Zell am See. This charming resort has its own lake, which is suitable for swimming, and lift system for access in to the mountains. Close by can be found one of Austria’s most popular tourist attractions, the Krimmler Falls. The best way to get to the falls from Zell am See is on one the six daily trains that run along the Pinzgaubahn. The train stops 4km short of the falls, from where a beautiful hike or bus takes you the rest of the way. The main rafting and kayaking in the area can be organised from Taxenbach. Summer skiing is available on the Kitzsteinhorn.
Waste The amount of waste produced in the developed world has tripled in the last 20
years
700K The amount of waste produced by an average US citizen per year
Walt Disney World
produces 70 tonnes of waste a day 99 the percentage of items purchased in the UK that are disposed of within 6 months 73 the percentage of all waste in the UK that ends up in landfill ‐ 90% of this could be recycled, composted or used for energy
Retail Therapy A term used to describe a spending spree to makes us feel better
‐ unfortunately, the more we spend the more of our world we destroy
Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse The Hohe Tauern National Park is in striking distance from Zell am See. The park was created in 1971 in order to protect some of Austria’s highest mountains from human encroachment. Tourist offices in Zell am See and Heilingenblut offer good advice about hiking and other activities in the park. The main wildlife to look out for is the Chamois and Marmot. One trip that must not be missed is the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse. This spectacular toll road is open from mid May to late October, and affords fabulous views of Austria’s highest peak, the Grossglockner. If you do not have your own transport a daily bus service runs from Zell am See.
Water
Earth is the water planet It contains an almost unimaginable 1.4 billion cubic kilometres
However, 95% of it is seawater, which we can’t drink
Water consumption in the developed world 680 litres a day – an average New Yorker
250 litres a day ‐ an average French citizen, of which < 0.5% is for drinking 150 litres a day – an average English citizen
Water consumption in the developing world
4 litres a day an average Kenyan
The average person in the developing world uses the equivalent in a single toilet flush
40
the percentage of the world’s population that has scarce water supply. This figure is likely to increase to 65% by 2025
Heilenglenblut At the eastern end of the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse lies Heiligenblut, one of the most attractive in the Alps. The village is dominated by the impressive spire of the Pfarrkirche St Vinzenz, while in the background lies the 3798 metre snow‐clad summit of the Grossglockner.
Health and Education
1/5 of the world’s people have no modern healthcare system
11 million
the number of children aged under 5 that die each year from treatable disease
In 1854
John Snow removed the handle from the pump on London’s Broad Street, which resulted in the discovery of the mode of transmission
of Cholera
In 2010 over 2 million children will die from diarrhoeal disease such as
Cholera – this need not be the case
Hallstatt Although Austria is blessed with many beautiful lakes, the prime lake‐land area is the Salzkammergut. The main lakes within this region are the Wolfganagsee, Traunsee, Mondsee and Hallstattersee. All of the lakes have their own attributes but without doubt the jewel in the crown is Hallstattersee. The lake is surrounded on all sounds by towering mountains, and even the village of Hallstatt lies directly under a cliff face. On the south side of the is the lake is the village of Obertraun from where a cable car provides public access to the very impressive Dachstein Caves. The same cable car system continues upwards to some stunning hiking areas. The Hallstattersee is also famed for its salt mines and is a good spot for a swim.
10% of the money spent on health research is spent on the health of 90%
of the world’s people
In order to improve our own healthcare the developed world is poaching doctors from abroad
In Ghana – 9 doctor’s to every 100,000 patients
Mozambique has only 500 doctors for a population of 18 million To satisfy all the world’s sanitation and food requirements would
cost only US $13 billion ‐ roughly the same amount that the people of the US & European
Union spend on perfume a year
And what about education? It would cost $6 billion a year, on top of what is already spent, to
put every child in school ‐ that is < 1% of what the world spends on weapons each year
The Dachstein Range The Salzkammergut region can simply be enjoyed for its stunning scenery or you may wish to get into the mountains themselves. Freytag & Berndt produce numerous walking maps. Hikes are marked on maps as blue if easy, red intermediate and black difficult. In the northern part of the region the Wolfgangsee offers excellent opportunities for hiking and mountain biking. The lakes also offer good opportunities for water sports in the way of sailing, windsurfing and in some areas water skiing.
Energy consumption
The developed world is primarily responsible for climate change
60% of the world’s energy is used by the 20% of the world’s population that live in develop
countries
40% of the world’s population has no electricity
Yet it is the developing world that is most at risk
Climate change could cut food production in developing counties by up to 25% in the next 50 years. 98 % of deaths resulting from ‘natural disasters’ occur in developing countries
The USA
has 5% of the world’s population but produces 25% of world’s greenhouse gases
A quote from President George W. Bush in March 2006 explaining why the US pulled out of the Koyoto agreement
‘It would gravely damage the US economy’
President Barrack Obama has pledged a new era of cooperation and progress in climate change from the US – much hangs on these words
Lake Gosausee and the Dachstein Range One of the less well‐known lakes in the region is the Gosausee, which lies approximately 15km from Hallstatt. An easy walk around the lake affords spectacular views of the Dachstein range. Summer skiing is available on the Dachstein Glacier.
Ecological footprint
‘The ecological footprint’ of the US is double that of Europe and 7 times that of Asia or Africa
An average person uses 2.28 hectares of land/year in terms of resources
US ‐ the figure is 9.7 UK – the figure is 5.35
Mozambique – the figure is 0.47 1/3 of the world’s biodiversity has been annihilated in the past 35
years
We are consuming the Earth’s resources 30% faster than it can replenish them
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