Plant Pirates V.S. DVD Pirates

Question 6: Define biopiracy.  Give two historic and one modern examples of this practice and briefly explain the impacts of the plant ‘transfers’.

Stronger nations and peoples have historically prayed on weaker, or supposedly more naïve peoples. This has been the way of the world for thousands of years, and has manifested itself in many forms: territorial conquest, political - social - economic oppression, and plant transfers (or biopiracy). While the influence and impact of these practices have changed over the years, their core concepts don’t change. Bio-piracy has been couched in cushy terms, such as plant transfers, and described as being beneficial to mankind as a whole. It remains however “the commercial development of naturally occurring biological materials, such as plant substances or genetic cell lines, by a technologically advanced country or organization without fair compensation to the peoples or nations in whose territory the materials were originally discovered”.

Many historic cases of biopiracy were carried out by the British, and the British East India Company. For example, they stole tea from China to grow in India, and rubber from Brazil to grow in Malaysia. While people think of explorers, large wooden sailing ships, and the age of exploration when discussing bio-piracy, it still occurs in the modern era. For example, the Ayahuasca plant of the indigenous amazonian peoples. This plant is used for shamanic rituals and healing by the locals, and has gained a large following among the international community as a drug and “hallucinogenic drink”. However, the US government granted its “discoverer” a patent.

The impact of these actions is deep and far-reaching. Its consequences are two-fold. It damages cultural values and also the economic livelihood of the indigenous peoples. While the Ayahuasca plant impacts the South American cultural values, the theft of tea and rubber impact the economic status indigenous peoples. It takes away the local ability to control the prices and reduces the financial possibilities of the people. Biopiracy is just another example of the total disregard of indigenous peoples by the so called “advanced” western powers.

sources

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/biopiracy

http://sites.duke.edu/amazonbiopiracy/case-studies-of-biopiracy-3/

Images

http://www.blackagendareport.com/category/political-economy/biopiracy

http://simbahayan.tripod.com/B5-biopiracy01.html

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-I6y6gIgvR4aVDYhPzPM52656ItX9BPp_VVJJmvxtD-iJE-R8m9iTbx88ckOAxUWoHoFjEMtTUgPFzuCC9Uj7BfCrz4Bk921eVXPrD1gJ7TJ-Sbq6BgEb4yMAF_3YHqEr505kKhy7fo/s1600/piracy.png

What is Wood?

Question 5: Of those plants we have so far studied, which in your opinion has had the greatest impact on world history.  Justify and explain your answer.

From the mighty oak to the lowliest sapling, wood has wormed its way into our lives and become an integral part of human civilization. This can be seen in changes in transportation methods.

The first way that wood affected humanity was by aiding in transportation of goods and people. In the ancient world, wood was fashioned into wheels, rollers and, chariots. The wheels and rollers facilitated the movement of the giant blocks of stone used in construction projects like the great pyramids in egypt. Also the chariots, used by almost all ancient civil increased the mobility of larger armies and allowed for the formation and defense of empires on a scale hitherto unknown.

Wood’s effect on transportation didn’t stop there. The age of exploration was inexorably linked to this renewable natural resource. The dashing explorers, vicious pirates, and gallant naval officers all stood on decks of teak and sailed wooden ships across the vast oceans. These ships built of pine and oak from all across Europe and North America and the Levant dramatically increased the volume and speed trade. This trade caused the rise and fall of various nations.

Even when the venerable wooden ships bowed down to steel; wood had one last major hurrah, the railroad. While the railroads came to be known as the backbone of human civilization, it all rested on the lowly wooden rail ties. With an average of 3,249 ties per mile, 212,000 miles of tracks in America alone, there are around 689,974,000 wooden ties crisscrossing America. As the railroad expanded so did the transport of important ideas and events, both good and bad. From the deadly march to the nazi extermination camps to the transportation of goods to starving people in remote parts of the world.

While the import of all the plants we have discussed in class so far is flexible, wood has left the largest impact on human civilization.

Sources:

http://www.rta.org/faqs-main

Images:

http://blog.world-mysteries.com/mystic-places/the-great-pyramid-and-transport-of-heavy-stone-blocks/

http://www.cindyvallar.com/woodenships.html

http://www.pc.gc.ca/docs/v-g/pm-mp/lhn-nhs/kickinghorse_e.asp

A Not So Galactic Empire

Question 4: Draw together and explain the roles of cotton, tea and opium in the business and success of the British East India Company

The British East India Company (BEIC) is one of the few non-state entities to ever rule a country, employ a standing army, and to cause vast suffering for hundreds of thousands of people all while producing and moving millions of pounds of goods all across the world. In a time before modern globalization had begun, the BEIC conducted business in at least 5 continents and encompassed all of the world's oceans all on the back of three natural products, tea, cotton, and opium.

Initially the BEIC gained financial power by trading in cotton. Through skillful financial and political maneuvering the BEIC gained complete control of the Indian subcontinent. With its own private army, the BEIC kept the traditional Indian rulers under control and maintained favorable trading conditions.

The profits from the cotton trade, allowed the BEIC to expand its operations into spices which brought the company to Chinese shores. While they did not find spices in China, they discovered tea. However, severe restrictions were placed on european traders by the Emperor of China. This sparked the BEIC's involvement in the opium trade.

Because the Chinese government required vast quantities of raw silver as payment for the tea, the BEIC was forced to procure silver in dubious ways. The major one being the production and sale of opium. In India, they had the perfect eco-system for growing poppies (and opium) which they sold both directly and indirectly to the Chinese. The increases in opium imported into China from 1775 to 1839 is simply staggering. The BEIC exports of Indian opium rose from 75 metric tons in 1975 to more than 2500 metric tons in 1839 (more than a 33 fold increase!).

After dealing with China’s extremely restrictive and xenophobic trade policies, and growing so much opium, the British engaged in a slight bit of biological piracy. The BEIC managed to bring tea plants to India. Because the cotton trade gave control of India the BEIC, they created huge plantations in which the indigenous Indians toiled in virtual slavery producing vast quantities of tea well into the 19 century. This circumvention of Chinese tea allowed the BEIC to reap huge financial gains.

Sources:

http://www.unodc.org/documents/wdr/WDR_2008/WDR2008_100years_drug_control_origins.pdf

Images:

http://www.unodc.org/documents/wdr/WDR_2008/WDR2008_100years_drug_control_origins.pdf

http://www.jonathanlewy.com/american_opium_trade/

http://toanewdawn.blogspot.dk/2013/12/gorkhaland-movement-history-flaws.html