UC47 Trees & Forests September 1981 by Christopher Squire

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Undercurrents 47 September-October 1981

1 Eddies: News from everywhere 5 What’s What & What’s When 7 Give Trees a Chance Why forests matter 8 The Chain Saw Massacre ~ Herbie Girardet Just how serious is the problem? 9 Trees Please! - Robert Hart: What’s more, they can help to feed us 11 Breath of Life - George Breuer: All about carbon dioxide levels 12 To Tree or Not to Tree? - Janet Stewart: The low-down on Britain’s forestry policy 14 Green Deserts - David Mulligan: Why Suffolk people are helping with Sudanese tree-planting 16 In Defence of Forest People In Amazonia: a way of life is disappearing 18 Hug the Trees to Save Them - Bharat Dogra: A report on the Indian Chipko movement 21 Everyone a Loser - John Middleton: Don’t be fooled - nuclear war’s a killer 23 But is it Therapy? The art of curing the mentally ill 25 Letters: Views from everywhere 26 Reviews 30 Small Ads 32 Back Numbers and Sub Form

__________________________________________________________________________________________ Published every two months by Undercurrents Ltd, 27 Clerkenwell Close, London EC1R OAT. Full details of editorial meetings, distribution, etc. are on page 31. ISSN 0306 2392 __________________________________________________________________________________________

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YOU MAY have been wondering what has been happening to your favourite mag: this issue is an economy size 36-pager and we’re late for the first time in five years. We have been undergoing a crisis, financial and otherwise, which led to proposals (now rejected) that we become a glossy science and technology magazine (with management hierarchy thrown in). We rejected the offer because we feel there is a continuing need to cover the issues that Undercurrents has been covering, and to do so more thoroughly. We have decided, therefore, to relaunch as a monthly from the November issue (in fact ten times a year, with a break at Xmas and mid-summer}, This will enable us to have up-todate News and Events pages among other advantages. We hope to live up to the Big Red Diary comment that Undercurrents is “The central source of information on radical alternatives” by expanding the events and contacts section, and printing more articles on what is happening on the alternative scene abroad. We will continue to bring you vital information on nuclear politics weapons, counterculture, the state, radical science, experiments in lifestyles and working, weirdness, sexual politics, humour, co-operatives and practical alternatives to the drift to either 1984 or destruction. But to do this we need your help, editorial contributions, subscriptions and donations. (As little as one pound from each of our readers would put us on a firm footing for a long time to come.) __________________________________________________________________________________________

Undercurrents47

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AEA out of Luxulyan WDERCURRE~^TS,'the magdue of radical technology (coops, ant% nuke agitation, socially useful work, windmills, wholefoods, eeoiofy, leylines, and lots more), is in fuuncial trouble. Earlier this month the-ool-

YOU MAY have been wondering what has been happening to your favourite mag: this issue is an economy size 36-pager and we're late for the first time in five year*. We have beeA undergoing a crisis, financial and otherwise, WMch led to proposals (now rejected) that we become a glossy science and technology magazine (with management hierarchy thrown in). We rejected the offer because we feel there is a continuing need to cover the issues that Undemirents has been covering, and to do so more thoroughly. We have decided, therefore, to relaunch a* a monthly from the November issue (in fact ten times a year, with a break at Xmas and mid-summer). This will enable us to have up-to-date News and Events pages among other advantagas. We hone to I'M w to the B/q Rffd Dim comment that ~ndbcurrents ' T h e ~ r a l source of information on radical altedtathm" by expanding the events and contact* tectloh, and printing more articles on what is hfRMMlhingon the alternative scene abroad. We will continue to bring you vital informatron on nuclear politics weapons, counterculture, the state, radical science, experiments in lifestylesand working, wiardness, saxud politics, humour, co-operatives and practical abmtiives to the drift to either 1984or destruction. But to do this we need your help, editorial contributions, subscriptions and donations. (As little as one pound from each of our readers would put us on a firm footing for a long time to come.)

A QUIET CORNISH village ha* becorn* abttlafidd w u a propod nudar mctor. W i opposkiin has breed Electricity Board t f m p t s to tut rocks and take mmdm in afemna if Luxulvn ihould b* the site for the k w nuclear p&r itat& I be bum in the South

West Luxulyan, one of five sitn being nwigated for the power nation and the only one not vet wrvoyed is between St. f u l f i l end Bodmin, largely ~ntouchedby tourism. I n the spring of this year some 20 farmus in the a r c Ã ‘ r liven notice that the Central Electricity Generating Board intended to test drill on their tend On* farmm, Rex SÃ‘rla refusd them entry onto his Farm and dug trenches in front i f gates t o prevent them mtering. This action brought him a High Court injunction, preventing him from obstructing them in any way. When a drilling rig arrived to start the survey on May 13, members of Luxulyan A@lnn Nuclear Developnwnt (LAND) pmvanted the rig from mtWIng Rex SwrleÃ§farm by lyinf urtdtr tha wheels as it backed info l field. The rig operaton tried t o drill in this petition (%of the wrythroughagite).b*Ã they lowered the drillpÃ§Ã§t> (MM apdu undw the d bit d p r m n t e d the drill from mHring the ground. for the next two wMkÃ people chained t h e m d m to the drill. Ing rig day and night, but thon 32 of these people also received High Court injunction*. After this the tool group decided to ibtndqn the <if, Ã they didn't want to break the tawand wanted to leave on their own twms. However, when the contractonurivd the next morning they found that another group had taken over tho occupation. Recently the CEGB hes tried to fore* the police to and the protest through the High Court.

Thls requast was thrown out by the Judge* nthe occupation is completely legal, and thus them ore no miongbla grounds on which to ( ~ v wch e an order. The Luxulyan people em lucky n the CEGB don not yet awn the tend (unlike tome^ and Sizewell, where they do), ~ n until d they hmt a h their last core ample they are nry unlikely compulunrily to purchase the land. Until this happens, they willnot be ebb to evict the protetw, Moreover, the villaoft TO hoping to take action under a 16th century Stannary (Cornish Parliament) taw which allows Cornish tin minors to reject Britiih commercial lain.The villager! amphasha they am not making an altwtmtiva site -they am opposed to nudear power anywhere. Apparently the CEGB, f l x i a to a nun, hive been (hocked by the number of middle-elm women throwing thamives into mud and chaining t h e m c l m to the drills. In o r d ~ t keepthe o occupation going, mom luwort is needed. Go down to the &a if you cm camping facilitii am m i l a b b or lid Itters of support b i t h o u on the site. Donations to site funds are should also appreciated. ThÃ§~ be sent to The Peoples AntiNuclear Ciimin, Lowar Menadua Farm, Luxulyan, Cornwall.

Co-op coup THE CO-OPERATIVE mow. mant has thrown its might and mources behindthe Town & Country Planning Anocion's 'New CommunlttesProject', the proms81to nublish a -Ifwfficbnt ecologically sound Third Gankn Cii. The TCPA now hopes that Co-op involvement cm be dÃˆBcu t o helping the creation of en inner city test sift; to'Oortiptermnt tho proposed iwrtwIBfc1 (hÃ ot Telford, SHKxXhIm. MeanwhileIMiGMIMftBWh Group hes prodraft' proms81for its sit: in Milton Kwnw for wbminlon to t h e Development Capomtion MP'1 approval.

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Undercurrents 47 , * S '

Island ~ressing,-reportedin UC46 cornea "Nuclear Casual Tea", a new tea flavour from Treditionals Tea Co., based in NorthernCalifornia. Ad* for the tea urge people to drink It when the nuclear (cene looks glum and 'your own cooling system it about to mrtt down'. Profit! from the tea are going to grmroots anti-nuclear campaigns in thi US, Contact group: So No M a e Atomics, 883G Sonoma Avenue, Santa Ron,CA 96401, USA.

AUSTRALIA: The Government has announced firm contracts for the sale of some 55,000 tom of uranium worth don to Â£2bnDeputy Prime Minister Doug Anthony also announced that Australia was likely to be producing its own enriched uranium for sale abroad by 1990. USA: A S40m l a w i t has been fihd against the Denwr-baad Suwahenna Corporetlon. The Brafford family seek* dimagm for injuries suffered while they were expo@ t o radiation and radon gas from the Corporation's uranium mill tailings underneath their home in South Dakota Uranium corporations h i m abandoned wer 27m tons of tailings, which haw Ã§ubsequentl been used by butlders as cheap landfill for hornes of Indian

FRANCE: I n the weke of S o c i lit election victories, plans for a reactor at Ptegoff and for anny bases in the L am,two mntrovrelal caun, haw b u n dropped. But anti-nuclear wows ire alleging that other protects are going ahead, despite Minerand's alaction pledge for a moratorium until a referendum could be held. Constructionat the Panly plant i n Normandy h i Bone ahead, end anti-nuclear groups in Rouen am still pressing for plansfor expanding Cw LSHague, the French Wind(cola, to be dropped. However, Gowrnnrum (pending on rable energy source8 has b u n get 6% of i n c r d , Â¥imi~Wt requirementsfrom renevbles by 1990. SWEDEN: An intametionel m n f m n o on Kidrein hi

of fos.

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automatic shutdown system of a real reactor.. .Scout* who complete the project (without laughing?) w n an Atomic Power M u i t BOW.

when clean technologies are umd. Thow prwuit, r e p r ~ n t i n g 30 organisations from Europe, US and Canada, also saw energy conservation end fenewabtes as a major means of controlling acid air pollution. Trans-nttional pollution is particularly affecting Scandinavia, and Canada; Britain. with the tall stacks prescribed by the Clean Air Acts, is a chief w r c e of pollution for Swedw.

NAIROBI: August 0 mas the optnina of the UN ConfÃ§renc on New 6 RenÃ‘Mbl lourea of Enway (UNCNRSE), taking PIK* aminst the b~~&ound ofa crisis shortagÃ of firewood. Preparatory maun have W. GERMANY: Forces am emph8lisÃ§the need for funds for a fight centring on Diemelttadt to help poor countria develop and Volkmsnen, two vlllagw rennbl* energy forms. We near KamI In Hessen, where the hope to hÃ§ report* of the Garman Repromsing Company conference in future UCB (DWK) wants to build a 350 ton1 nprocBÃ‘in Plmt. AlrMdy, DENMARK: The C U M Gwrnwith the announcenmnt, mwit^Ã§prn*nfdepl*nta Â¥cotogisttook 41.6% of the uecting 3000 luge (630mwI vote In the Ã§rin local electiont, windmill& aimed u applying 16%of elactrial dfnwnd by collecting 5out of 31 milable seats. A large dnnonstratlon 1995,whÃ§ntheycouldb i s planned for AugunISepumbor complfd.~ h hbb e l w t o at which up t o 100,000 am b* thÃ f ktt d f l l e d nudy by expected. any govwnment looking m whm a c h 8 large number of windmilb USA: The nuclear i n d u r n has could b* lifd. enlisted the Boy Scoutt of America in its propagandl Campaign. The USA: Ruponding to infm* new Boy Scouts Merit Badge publb prsnure, the Attorney book contains a faction called General of New Mexico State "Atomic Power fa Paece", is taking legal action against which includes tttp-bv-ttep Federal Departments of EWW instructions on how to build and Interior over the W i t * eÃˆnodÃˆInu~epower plant lmbtlon Pilot Project, Infndtd outofÃ§fargJ~tÃˆcm two to bÃthe first 'pwnmmm' burkt pbstie pH1 bontm, KKto strews,

Taking the Michael CAATalyst LUCAS AEROSPACE mamgement haw sacked Mike Cooley, a leading member of the Lucas Aerospace Combine Shop SteweMs Committee pioneers of the Lucas Alternative Corporate Plan. With Lucas Aorospece now in an expansive mood thanks to the post detente defame boom they dearly want to be rid of 'troublemakers' like Cooley, with their irrelevant ideas like diversifyingaway from arnn to lodally u d u l products.

Coolay's twelve weeks notice expires in mid August but T A S the union of which he was once vice-president is fighting for his reinstatement. The company's official reason for this vendetta is that Cooley has b u n taking too much time off albeit unpaid - t o work on the corporate plan campaign and related union activities. The current attack on Cooley follow a win of earlier Muments of combine members. So far all have been beaten off by shop floor pressure. But this time the company apparently means business. On no account should m y reader write co-h at this bit of industrial btood-l~ttina to

~Blvth or comoanV boss, G. Messervy. at Lucas headquarters in Kings Street, Birmingham. More information from CAITS, North East London h l y , Lonabrlda~Road. &yenham, Essex.

'Alternative A&, CAAT, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 SOX.

ANOTHER ARMS fair,enother alternativesexhibition. Carnpaign Against the A r m Trade (CAAT) an organisingagainst the Royal Navy Equipment Exhibition will include ideas for socially useful work as an alternative to arnpments, and CAAT am appealingfor money to make a good lob of this alternative plan. Monev to

First strike UNhealthy ONE LITTLE-PUBLICISED

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Accordingtoremntanmwntn by tha UN only 11%of the tend mrfam of tho Mrth not including the Â¥ntwctimalorn wwiubtofor MfimU* agriculture. The ren it affected by drought problwru. lack of fertility, poiiorf, lmck of top soil, (wmp condition* or

Key intelligence Ãˆystem a i d listening ports haw bnn unmannedor dwrt of staff, while Polaris submarina we disatmad when civil servants ~ft~i~~fpoct* rafuwd t o repiece nuclear NTftwdion the next boat due Nearly one third of the an Patrol. Navy P ~ ~ ~tried n e l cultivable4nrfW this planat to do tha job imtwd but will be destroyed by the end of the unturv. If preunt trend* bungled it.Finally, they fitted of soil dÃˆteri~Ãˆtl am allowed obsolete conventional -heed to to continuemask the lack of nuclear o n m

Barrow in Furnace THREE CITIZENS of Barrowin-Furmas, Cumbrim, are challenging in court the construction by British Nudear Fuels of a Â£6 dock extension in the town. The three, members of the Barrow & District Action Group Against the Import of Nuclear Waste, want to test the daim of BNFL that it needs no p1annii.g permissionto carry out the extension, which will remit in ships carrying nuclear waste docking lass than 2km from a gas terminal. The Action Group was formed by local residents following a reoort by the Political Ecoloov

report stated that an accident which involved a long lasting fire on a nuclear waste ship mould lead t o radioactive contamination of a 60km radius from Barrow. This led t o a great deal of concern i n Barrow and 14,000 people signed petitions calling for the halting of this trade. Barrow Council who in May of thia year passed a resolution opposing the shipments entering the port of Barrow, has made several r e requests t o B.N.F.L. that they should be kept informed of their every move in Barrow. B.N.F.L. failed t o do this and in November 1980 started t o construct their terminal without telling the local authority. The site B.N.F.L. has chosen

Brazil nut cracks Ex-billiomke O i n n l Ludwig

hnput hisfour mUlion acre jungla empire at the confluence of th8 Amazon and Jari riven i n NorthEastern Brazil u p for tala I n the 1960sasthe world's laroest farm. it was meant t o take advantage of the equatorial heat to produce the world's fastest growing trees, the African gmelina tree, which has been claimed t o grow a foot a month. A giant pulp mill had been towed from Japan t o the mouth of the Amazon and cemented into place on the river bank to chew up millions of tons of wood t o be turned into chips. But the project misfired when the fragile iunale soil. denuded and &ted with mono-culture trees, would not yield at the expected rate.

gmelina plantations may exhaust the soil on which they ere planted in a decade or lax. I n the meantime the trees of the remaining jungle are being fed into the pulp mill and elsewhere in Jari the denuded land is being turned into open-cast bauxite mines. Gold prospectors have also stated t o m o w into this part of the Amazon. But in the meantime Mr. Ludwig, at the age of 83, teems fed up with all the hassles thunderstorms, caterpillars end cash famine due t o lacking profitability of his Jari enterprise. He is cutting his losses and setting up shop on a million acres in the Chaco plain of Stroessner's Paraguay to try again.

is within a dock basin designated. also for the loading of highly inflammable liquid gas condensats.8.N.F.L. have denied that an accident could happen; however, a report from the Safety and Reliability Directorate la subsidary of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority admitted that:"We believe that a substantial spill of condensateduring loading could possibly result in fire ingulfment of a s h i i unloading spent nuclear fuel flasks at the B.N.F.L. facility within the lame dock basin". The costs of the leoel action

Suffolkate ENERGY MINISTER David Howell has w e r e l y ratricfd the tun of r o f w n w for the forthcoming public inquiry into the propoÃ‘ P r ~ i r i m Water d Rnctor at Siiwcll. I n a Commons statement on 22nd July, Howell laid down the factors he sawas relevant to the inquiry. Although he included the CEGB's requirement for the power nation, this would be "having regard to the Government's long-term energy policy", (ugoeiting that this policy is predetermined and outside the inquiry's scope. The statement also omit8 wntidTatlon oÃ thÃ economic* ofthe PWR waim alternativesand the neeifor the

Froth THE CURSE of doomster hath struck the Consmation Society no sooner a mention here than they fall t o bits. ConSoc is battling it out over unilateral nuclear disarmament, a motion supporting which was carried at the AGM despite (or perhaps because of) threats of resignation from many of ConSoc's senior figures. Now the membership is being ballotted on the issue. And FOEas well. obviously suicide is in this year. As if t o confirm this, I hear Town Twchu, a successful ecoeducation group in Newcastle, has lot dvnamic director MIKE PEDERSON. ThÃ h r d raolseed him with e retired army major, who believes In the three 'Ws and none of this trendy lefty environment nonsense. Must be the weather. or did someone forget t o sacrifice to the Gods? Paeud of the monthaw-ad goes to the E++30spectus for "people are by nature interpersonal organisms" so that's

Â£10,000 I f the di's$6n it could damage tha iprpoiting of nuclear waste t o thb,Windscale plant a* well as jbbpardising business B.N.F.L.'scontract with reactors. Donations should be sent t o 29 Longreins Road, Barrow, Curnbria, cheques and POs made payable t o The Barrow Rights Fund. Footnote: Legal action seems t o be spreading Redcar Friends of the Earth ere planning t o challenge the start-up of the new Hertlepool AGR on the grounds of of danger to the local ICI oetrochemical comolex. one of the largest in ~ u r o k . .

nuclear Industry and capacity. As with the major motorway inquiries, the need for the reactor will be taken as read so that no discussion of alternatives can take place. The safety of the PWR mill however be discussed. Over 2,000 letters of objection t o Sizewell, had been received by the relevant Suffolk councils by July 4, the official closing date. However, the councils will not be considering the proposal till October, so letters received up t o 30 September will be considered. The East Anglian Alliance Against Nuclear Power, the co-ordinating body for 35 groups in the region, urges all those who haven't written so far t o object, now, t o Suffolk Cocutal District Council, Melton Hill, Woodbridge, Suffolk.

what happens there.. Isee the Tories have finally discovered the environment. Bon uiwur STAN JOHNSON IMEPI and bar), well-known for an inability t o make impromptu speeches has brought forth 'Caring for the Environment', published by the Conservative Political Centre. It begins: "Britain's record in the environmental protection field is second t o none". Presumably the blocking of EEC environment laws by fellow T o w MEPs is t o keep it that way. The World Wildlife Fund, which recently celebrated its 20th nnniversaw in lavish style, has a >pot of staff trouble. 24 staff Â¥efuseto move t o Godalming From central London and have had t o be replaced. At the 20th anniversary do, paid for by the Fund's backing of Fiat's new Panda car (every buyer gets a free "AA book of squashed ~ndangeredspecies'), the Oufce of Edinburgh seemed to be presenting the Fund esan alternative to CND. Nuke the mnda, that's what I say.. LOONY DOOMSTER

Undercurrents 47

Leeds Other Paper, one of the longest running alternative papers in the country, has started a print shop t d provide a full community publishing service for the Leeds area. Unfortunately, in order t o buy the printing equipment, they have run up a Â£3.50 overdraft. Any donations, or prospective work. should be sent to Leeds Alternative Publications, 59 Cookbridge St, Leeds 2

-.-.. ..-.Ã‘.Ãˆ.

Acorn is b ..... ch covers newt and views on smallscale activities such as arts and crafts, organic growing, recycling, wholefoods, AT, natural history and other similar subjects. It is published in N. Dorset, but it is designed t o appeal t o readers everywhere. Send Â£ for a years subscription t o Acorn, The Studio, Gold Hill, Shaftesbury. Dorset.

Cinema of Women are now The Alternative Breakers distributing a powerful Collective is a group dedicated t o documentary called Radiant keeping CB radio free from Future. The film looks at nuclear bureaucratic and police control. power across Europe, its effects They aim t o provide free on the Third World, the effects of communication and information nuclear waste, alternative energy at open air events, t o operate an sources, connections with the alternative information exchange military and other issues. It is a network, and t o assist other colour film which runsfor 2 hrs groups. For further information write t o Box ABC, ITM, 44 Albion and is available from COW films, 27 Clerkenwell Close, London Rd, Sutton, Surrey. EC.1. for Â£3 plus postage.

A scheme is being organised in which ecology-minded people will be able t o offerlaccept hospitality all over England. To belong to this scheme, either you can be listed as a possible host on a list that goes to all members or you can be approached directly through a co-ordinator, so that strangers do not ask you directly. List entries will typically contain name, address, details of local travel services, any special features nearby, restrictions, spece, costs and length of stay. More information is available from Tim Eiloart. Rivermill House, St. Ives, Huntingdon, Cambs. Life and Death: Facing Death is a counselling manual produced by the National Extension College, 18 Brookland Ave, Cambridge, in association with the London Weekend TV series of the same name. Sterilisation and the NHS is a report by the Birth Control Trust who say that both male and female sterilisetion is now more popular and demand hasgrown, and therefore provision should be increased rather than cut back along with other economies.

The Women's Project Employment Group are trying to push the Manpower Services Commission into broadening the scope of women's traditional employment prospects, and to build a network of people involved in non-sexist training and work preparation. They are seeking a conference with the MSC in Ociober/November; if interested in the conference1 project, contact Lindsay Williams. 26 Bedford Square, London, WC. 1, tel01-636 4066.

The 1981-82International Vegetarian Handbook is now out. The book contains information on hotels and guest houses with vegetarianlwholefood catering, health food stores, health centres, schools, food additives, overseas addresses and a Shopper's Guide. It is available for Â£1.7 + 3% Post and pecking from the Vegetarian Society, 53 Marloes Rd, London W.B. Campaign for Prem Freedom have produced a set of 6 postcards which demonstrate the power of the media in shaping public opinion. The six postcards are wild-eyed Trots; election 79 headlines; day of action 80 headlines; Fleet Streetl~nion bashers; women in print; and blindfold of trivia. Single cards cost 15peach,or lOpfor5-10 cards. Send cheques1POs t o Campaign for Press Freedom. 2741288 London Rd, Hadleign, Essex. CPF have also recently produced a pamphlet on the Right to Reply, for people victimised by the worst excesses of distortion in newspapers and other media. Cost is 40p. Hornsey CND have produced badges and T-shirts saving Lemmings Choose Cruise, in red, white and blue. Cost is 3% for badges inc. postage, less for large numbers; T-shirts are Â£ each. Send cheques or postal orders payable to Hornsey CND, t o 24 Mountview Rd, London N.4. Ecological Life Style Ltd is a scheme whereby people can invest in land bonds and thus help create villages and farms for the future, with the option of living on these farmslvillages. ELS also produce a newsletter called Practical Alternatives which, like its name, details all sorts of practical hints. ELS can be contacted at Gotham House, Tiverton.Devon. Along similar lines, the Ecology Building Society has been set up to make advances which are likely t o lead t o energy saving, self sufficiency and the ecologically efficient use of land; investors gat '/;%above the cartel rate. Details from EBS, 43 Main St, Crosshills, via Keighley, W Yorks.

A detailed handbook called Setting Up a Housing Coop has been produced jointly by 2 housing coops in Brent. It costs Â£ per copy + 24p postage (cheques payable t o Kilburn and Qron Housing Cooperatives) and is available from l a Beethoven St. London W.lO.

Energy: Alternative Sources is a sound filmstrip set far schools, aimed at 12-15 year olds. It focusses on the efficiency, usage and cost of alternative sources of energy such as solar, wind and water power, biomass, geothermal and waste recycling. Each of these technologies is treated in depth. The set costs Â£14.5 and is available from Mary Glasgow Publications, 140 Kensington Church St, London W.8.

Spectacular Times no. 6 is called the Politics of Food. I t is a small pocketbook detailing all sorts of things that. after reading it, you'd wish you didn't know about the food industry. Copies cost 3% each (post free) and are available from Spectacular Times, Box 99, Freedom Press, 84b Whitechapel High St, London N.?, or from most alternative bookshops.

NATTA have produced an information pack called Community Action and Alternative Technology. It contains lists, advice from people involved in existing groups and descriptions of current projects and campaigns. It is available for Â£ from NATTA, c/o Alternative Technology Group. Faculty of Technology, Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, Bucks. Make cheques payable to NATTA. NATTA have also provided UC with a list of local alternative energy group addresses. Thew are: Nawport and N w r n Energy Group Brian John. Trefelyn. Cilgwv, Newport. Dyfed, Wales. Lewes Energy Group Brenda Boardman, 9 Grange Rd, LMS, E. sussex. Central Wales Energy Group Nick Talbott, Middle Starling, Bleddfa, Knighton, Powvs. South Brant Energy Group Gilly Haves, Spriggsmoor, South Brent, Devon. Oxford L o u l Enemy Group c/o Old Bakehouse, 87/88 Bullingdon Rd, Oxford. The following are regional groups: Energy Group for Wales c/o Peter Segger, Hafren, Market St, Lampeter, Dvfed. south W n t Enemy Group c/o Bob Waller, Exeter University, Exeter, Devon. m v o n Energy Project Darlington institute of Community Studies, Totnes, Devon. valley ~ n e m y Allhu John Amos, 132 Bloomfield Rd, Bath.

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black on whim and an Ã‘siteb for20Dnch+~.or15oeachfoi 10 &on, from GrÃ‘npÃ‘ London, 6 Endikigh St,London WC.l.

wapons and nuclear ptfÃ‘r Speikers include Prof. Rotblttt, Prof. Lindop and Colin Sweet.

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~otfhbkfmmMamMwktedi* Action Groue, do A Wornm's Pteoo. 48 King WUitam IV St, LondonWC.2. AÃ‡norrn.83kÃ§boutt Commons Agricultural Policy and Entitled The GUMMilh 8 f b b h y i t c o m n t h e -8 for increased productivity

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(romÂ¥mttowtrid*o Umrpool. ThÃˆ win tr printlna ~ofure, T-ahirts, aiclurs and b t i i s as Ã‘I aa providing a printing Mrvic*. Future orders and/or donations ihould be mt to V i m Print, 100 Whi-1 L i i l. In J*niwy 1M2 there wili he e onÃˆ-hou TV docummaw on th* mutr'i trÃ‘timn of the dlltrmrmit mownent <incÃ‡th

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conf~rÃ§ntakm ptac* from October If-18 at the Malvem Wtntar Gardens, Malvern, Worcs. The thema of the conference "r European links and ditarmament and, following this theme, Brim blonde from Francs will be the guest apeakar. But be warmod much of the conference will be devoted to pawng rnolutlons etc., which can be tedious. Contact the Ecology Party, w 3 8 Clapham Rd, London SW.9 for further details.

, . Polft/timA/tarmt nSmiUsifsfor the m l n a r on Sapmnbwleat North 1-fbout WMM is tha name of ~sodenm which wili ahe place Eatt London R>tytfthnfc,

Â¥nm will tie *Ma*

oqpniMd fay E8i8 HHtm.n.Topic. covered inch& L Ã ‘ in Pwrol. Further details ire M i l a b k from MrÃ§T. btchfotd, CdeWlic Mid Other Poisons, Hi& Oanoeri Seminar, Special Coftne Unit, NELP,Poreit Rd, London â‚¬7. Woman and Computing art organisiw a relaxed day of di* cuasioni and activities around the theme of women and computers. Sexism and computers is one of C*miuiÃ§nA~huttheAmi*Tr*d thÃ§propoM workahops; the wo&n end work hazardsgroup w OFOMiMd vrioul wit* wili olio betaking p w n the round the Rwet Dtavy Equipment Exhibition in &y'&iviti*l. TIM cttnfwanm '0rUinouth from tkpOrnIm3-11. in Brighton Off In P o r w n o u t h W f t h w w i l l be 4 2 For mor* Wnn1mminw on Â¥luriMtivto tfiÃ ation, Ã‘n an m to Corrfwnct, irmttradaonSJp*5. 49 Crofters Mud, Croydon, 3ÃˆW of other action6are Surny, or phoM biz Elve on N ~ ~ ~ ~ U ~ ~ W I I I C A A T , ~ tn-4394242'Â¥~t,2Ã 5. Caledonian Road, London N.1.

DÃ§cÃ§m 1978 'cruto" dp&tmi, Itwillax*mpXÂ¥mÃ‘riofÂ¥IIkin

:ir, -1%

toumlMr 4-18 PtilocvbtnPair,

mte

Ryfed

London on EapMnbT 12-13. Topic* Indud* nukn bndtnrith, m i o m to OODOW n u h . tho Ã§nr race mid ottwrs. at wit be Â£ per day, Â£1.6for u n w . ContactChatTodd, 60Coowriuto Rd, London E.9. f6r further ddflh. For MODI* in the Midltndt.

in +OR

~ctobw 17-18.

Quniioni rtiwd at the conference will include how to create full employmtnt, how to control the activitis of multlnationali, and how to fight plant closutea and redundancy. C b f w n w fee is Â£8unwaged Â£3More detail* are available from Dr. John Kelly, Connaught Hour, Department of IndustrialRelations, LSE, Hwshton St. London WC.2.

The highlight of the next 2 months will be the National CND rally at Hvdn Park on Octobn 24. With 100,000 poopia at the equivalent rally Ianyear, this one halÃˆoexpÃ§ctÃ§dtobevrylar c o w VourlocalCND *up

formomctoulk~thÃˆtime orwriMtoCNQ, ITGoodwinSt, London N.I. F a PtIoplenrioutly intamtad in promoting non-violent direct action within CNO and the peace m w ~ n@emally, t Grnn CNO ere holding a conference in London immediately following the mau CND rally. The conferanm staff on the evening of October 24 and continuos October 25.The venue is , uncertain at thamoment, but ral. For more Tim Eiloart,

THE CONSERVATION of natuie and natural resources has, in the part 20 years, become identified more and more with the conservation of forests. This is not surprising: forests are the world's main biological resource base -they harbour 4 5 t h of dl land based plants and animals and a t least 3/4 of the world'stotal tonnage of living matter. They are the sole source of domestic fuel for one in three of the world's inhabitants. As sources of

timber, pdp, paper, pharnfceuticalg and industrial feedstock, they play an

important rolein world trade.

As fossil fuel resoureq diminish, the use of forests as basic feedstock for . fuel alcohol plants and pow& &ti& is steadily becoming a reality. In the developing wodd, the use of trees to produce foods and fuel

cropsin we&tion with W ~ & @ i o n a l e u risenowadays recognised* as one of the most feasible$t&tiorri to the p-of raising Uviag . standards in the poor but d&nq& populated tropical countries. The search for novel foods and drugs is also concentrated in the world's forests -particularly in the tropical forests of S America and SE Asia, where a greater vAietyof d a n t l i f e m-inany ~ other known habitat. vi* important not just All these factors but also from the point of view f the environment. For the world's of groups concern fdiests are today under greater pressure from commercial exploitation, and from agricultural and urban development than every before. Yet, despite this, there is little general consensusabout forest conservation, which is viewed by many conservation groups as an area which is separate from their own concerns. United Nations' bodies estimate that the world's tropical forests are now B h f i g at an annual rate of at least 15 million hectares, or more than the combined area of Engiand and Wales. The rate of destruction is still 'increasing, and if current trends continue the usable tropical forest will be 'exhausted io 40-50 years.Some experts give estimates of only 20-80yeam In this special issue of UNDERCVSRBNTS we have tried to give a comprehensive picture of what is happening, in the hope that this inforotivate someof our r e a w t o get involved in action to Ă&#x192; continued existence of die tropical rainforests, the bio-genetic

he W d d Forest Action group has b a n fonned to co-ordinato action and can be contacted at 21 Jackpn Road, %C

Undercurrents47

What times are these when talking about trees is nearly a crime for it means silence about so many an outrage against people Bertolt Brecht, 1938,

The Chain Saw Massacre

THE CHAIN saw massacre -the burning and pillaging of the great forests tree cutting machines, floating pulp milk, and even q p d m bombs. All this of the world is an outrage as horrendous as the most terrifying crimes of to advance civilization Who said that man against man. The onslaught against the equatorial rain forests, which deserts are the footsteps of man on is proceedingat an unprecedented rate, is the greatest destruction of life earth, ie, civilised man? earth & undertaken by man. Forestry vs. ranching The Brazilians openly admit;that late. Botanists are collecting seeds, taking But did it all start with good intentions? colour photographs of plants so that they Deforestation is a pre-condition for two million trees are obliterated nay become eternal between the pages agriculture, and, it seems that agriculture every day inBrazil alone. One of a tcientiflc photograph album. and population growth go together. estimate b that an area of equatorGrowing populations need more land idforest tee size of a football field Plants and animals lost forever for more Gelds and so the West was won i~ cut down or burnt every second. Many species of plants and animals are and now it is the turn of Amazonia. And yet these forests contain the lost forever with the disappearance of The Amerindians themselves cut greatest variety of life anywhere on the forest. Chemical companies like clearings into tht forest in order to earth: toees.creepers. shrubs, ferns, Dupont, Hoechst, ICI and Ciba Gei plant crops, but this is done on a small have started to send scientists into e monkey*, birds, butterflies. An scale and after a year or two of cuitidimmaat iu the infernos planned in forests to find out from the forest vation the forest is allowed to take tee people how plant remedies are uwd to land tack again The resulting ~ c o n d t t y the head offices of some European treat ailments, so that the active ingredforest is not as diverse as the jungle in its or North American multinational: of forest plants may be synthesoriginal condition, but this disturbance King Ranch,Liquigas, Volkswagen, ients ized into expensive medicines for the of the forest is far less seven than the Rio Tinto Zinc. treatment of heart diseases and digestive mass destruction caused by the giant The fom#a make way for cattle problems of highly stressed Northerners. ranching companies. ruches,the ub of trees, plants and But it wens that we are still sworn Much of the beef from the Amazonanimals becomes the fertilizer for the to continue the battle against nature, tan ranees is sold to the USA to go -for a few yeas until the thin and we have improved our armoury for into hamburgers and (ranlrfurteis. tropical Ã§ofk washed away, or bated by this tattle to an outrageous level of Japmese firm* are also in tee business. the tropical sun. Forest makes way for sophistication: chain saws,flame they have their own air strips for dMWt and open cast mine so that the throwers, defoliant sprays, excavators. ou*Omphla lndu*tli*I north may have bauxite for d~~ tin, copper, iron ore. Mpaam in Brazil

te &ad,

40% of the equatorial forest is

now gono and with it many bundled*of

thousands of forest people, shot dead by the adnace guud of Northern civilization, Infected by previoudy unknown 1 l&o measles and chicken pox

But the for* and the for& people have no radio stations,newspapers, tanks or bombers to defend themselves. They retreat i the Caw roar thousands of feet up into the liy, the smoke is so dense tint aeroptene pilots lose their way as thtyflytromAtoR Rwntty reporters have brought back repeat* of thew masncrei in the name of proftcn and profit. Articles have appeared in the Sunday papam? one or two documentaries have been &own on l V , ~ ~ E m b u been nceWngprotest letters about the destruction of forest and forest people. Scientists have held symposluir about the ecologlMl, climatic and human effect* of tropical deforestation. A number of boob have been abeut(heUtÃ§ofthe{<XMtiMftmoblit

Undercurrents 47 ,8,.

Breath of Life

WITH'SOME climatologists making Doom-watch type forecast* of new ic&qps not many years after other scientists had been predicting the cimelting and flooding the land as the carbondioxide levels in the atmosphere rite, it's difficult to know what to think. Here Gaorye Breuer sheds some liaht on climate forecasting, the carbon-cycle and the important I forests could play. IN THE SIXTIES energy scenarios ocean mixing is (tow, and therefore based on a continual annual growth carbondloxide is building up In the atmosphere quicker than It cm be of fossil fuel consumption of 4 to removed. 5%led to very alarming forecasts One of the mdn ~urcenof orbonIndeed for atmospheric carbondioxide is certainly tonil fuel burning. dioxide concentration1 which But whether the biosphere as a whole . would have caused the ice-caps to, acti a a net souroe or link of carbonmelt in juit a very few year*. dioxide is a mutter of considerable However It now seenu evident that dispute. fossil fuel consumption will not grow Of muwe there is continued largeat that rate any more. Relying on sole circulation of carbondioxide scenario8 conddered realistic today with between atmosphere and biofphere. energy growth rate* of 2 to 2.5% It will Plants take up carbon-dioxidefor phototake about 60 years until global warm'synthesis, liberating oxygen in the ing caused by carbondioxide will prom. In due come the plants an amount to 1Â°c. oxidbed again by the respiration of the Iftherecentcoolingbendinthe plants themselves or by animals feeding global climate continw, It would be on them, by microbial decomposition reversed by the 'greenhouse effect' (lotting) and by burning. caused by rising carbondioxide born fofiil fuel*by about the end of the century. Disaster is not imminent but unless present models are quite unrealistic, carbon dioxide is likely to become a problem sometime la the next century. In practice, the slight winning of uerhaus 1 or 2Â¡ could have major kper&idons,bearing in mind that global temperatum were Only some lower during the last Ice-age.

The car&on-cvcleooe* on Ihe volof Ok G d e b about tM time* Out of td-ftid conrimwtioa.

Floods in low-lying regions North America would be drier and would produce lew grata, while regions of north and east Africa that are now'drought stricken, poor and dependent could be major grain producers, and a flight rise in the MB level could flood low-lying anis like Holland and Bangia Deih. In the long run (thousands of years) all 'excels* cubon-dioxide would probably be dissolved in the oceans. But

Cubon^dioxi& concentnUons may go downto SOOppm (parts per million) near w tme tom ot a fomt on a w n y afternoon, and rise to 400ppm dose to th the night OfWMonaloldllxtions

tor

forest*&,itÂ¥bou6ppm die whole of the northern hemisphere. Only one or two thousandths of the total phohxynthetic product is buried unoxidteed labof or mubr sediments. Approximttely the unite amount of caibon-dloxide is to the atmotphew by volcmw and by the wtheiinc

of sedimerituy rocks containing imill amounts of unoxidteed carbon.

Altering the balance As long as these circulation processes an in equilibrium, no permanent change* of atmospheric carbon-dioxideconcentration will result. Consequently burning wood or straw has no effect on ttmotpheric composition as long u It is integrated In this circulation proceM. Only by h i n g more fuelwood thin Is regrowing in the forest will the bcloace be altered. SImBariy any other change in total world bionuw -roughly 90%of which is contained in the f o r d will In turn lead to change*In the carbon-dioxideand oxygen concentration of the atmotphen. A new fomt planted on httbnto barren tend will witfadmw ctfbon-dkMddi from the atmosphere with a cotmponding incremae Inoxygen u long as the forest extote, dettructlon of eztettag for* h a the opposite effect. As for oxygen the atmospheric re~errolrb m large that such changes an Insignificant. However for carbon dioxide they may be Important. Originally earth scientistshad luumed that tee bioahere acb is a sink for some fad-fuel carbon-dioxide. They reamed that increased concsntrationi of carbondioxide in the atmospkm would a w e increased pbotoÃ§yntheti rates.

The greenhouse effect Such an effect hm been proved in gmenhomes when plub hul all the required nutrients, and they might bo ponible on well fertilized and irrigatedÂ¥gricultun land u well; th!~h a yet to bo dinon(bated for forests. However, even If there should be such an effect in soma forests, It would loon be limited by the availability of nutrients, water and light. To act as a dnk tor fad-fuel carbondioxide, the Momus would obvioudy . have to increue. Actmlly, in the list few decades it has ihrunk as a consequence of deforestation, putlculuty InHie tropics. Indeed, mod estimate* Muuert that th& is a (ouice.of conmi&&ilmportuce, pnnimably in the olderof 60 to 100%of the fad-fuel murce.

alurninium,pluticf), may present multiple benefits at leait for the period requited for the ,dÃ‡velopmanof more. suitable energy dteroÃ§tivesan4 fWHr pone tbe pressure towards adopting the

see the wood for thetrtes. .

BRITISH ~o&'pdky has.&& a highly c o ~ ht@ ~for ~

nuclear ortioB."

Mojituitablecandidate*forluge scale afforestationschemes are mountarnou8.andhiUy'fegionsin thetropics cleared-recently, for instance the

n considerable forests tor the ~ f ~ u ~ o t i owood n o f for the industry .;to W t Ã§n<enht h e P r c ~ ~ i of o * environment)to provide teereationat facU1tiw. to stimidat* and supportthe local economy in great of depopulation ' .;(and) to foster abannoaiolurelationship between forestry and agricultWm (Forestry ComniisgionRÃ§port1990). . The long interval between phntihg and harvesting oatoi ft difticult for forestry

the lMt * g e m .

~ftoieitationwould ~ a many g local benefits: inter retention; prevention of flooding*and droughts, landslide* and avalanches, E d and water erodon. It would provl ' fuel-wood in due COW N and timber later on, reducingdemands forimporpd bsdl fuels. It of course require lend new under precarious cultivation, ' but (haft In a proper way its benifld

the town*.

Therefore, even disregarding tee cwfaondloxf*ptoblem; affoieitatlon Ã‡oul bring@& benefits to the countries concerned. It would not be astechnicalfix'. hot rtther a return to mark natural conditions. TO support afforettatlonii developing countries b one of the mod sensible forms of devÃ§loDlttÃ§ aid Ã end it would be a-perfoetly wsy at helohe WtndVM fbv reducing the carbonv-dioxidedanger) by helping others:*

~totte-er

Rifwnco 1. Bac<Ã§to R and Keelimg C D 1973 In GMWoKxhwUandEVPecenledri.Carbon~Al the Bliaphy. US AECConfwnce 720510. 2. R o w R M and Mill-land 0.1980. IN W Bach eta1 b s ) . lntsrÂ¥ctimvoE m m wid Climate, Bec'deI, dordrecht, Holland. 3. Bolm B. 1970.90stitific American, Sapternbar 1970, p.126. 4 WoodwII Q M atal. 1978. Scimcf lW,cL p141. & Nit Aeuh.1877. In W Sturm W), Otatol Chemical Cvdtt wd Their AIwruion by mm. 0Ãˆhbb- 7 Konfma7+. Be* ~urthw d i n g BrÃ§w GJ A& In D a w : Ecolo&d PIP wftcdmef Ute~ m w t p t i m .Cwnbrldg~ University Pma. 1960.

of grafit*and-tax concession*. The'remit is an even balance (aboutone ittillion ) of publicly and Private& ownedtongt land In Britain.

~heavflydqioWthattbÃ§FonÃˆt

Commi*tioB Ã§amt up. i s 1939,to provide a ftrctiJB HMem Of timber in carofWothMihf. '

area'by 2026, covering *bout one third of

.."my

all the hills and uplands with conifers,

and increasing Britain's level of selfsufficiency in wood from the present 8%to 26%. The report also finds Wat forestry has a valuable role in rural development, and that by careful planning, damage to both wildlife and landscape can be kept to a minimum. The publication of the CAS report led to a storm of opposition from several directions. The report had tended to endorse the Government's motives for upland afforestation, and cooddered even the more detrimental effects worthwhile, for the sake of the future political and economic advantagesof greater selfsufficiency in wood.

The case against more forest* The objections of environmentalistsand upland communities to the Government's policy of continued afforestation (and particularly its more extreme form suggested in the CAS report) are nunmaris4 in the Rambler's h & a L b n booklet,Afforestation: the was against expansion.

The main problem with many of the points of controvemy is that they are essentially subjectlve. ThĂ&#x192; effects on landscape and recreation a& the dearest examplesof this. The Forestry Commission "is conscious of the leisure potential of its forests and provides facilities for informal recreation and the enjoyment of quiet pursuits"; hill walkers would contest the 'leisure potentiali of, daxk and monotonous conifer plantations. Similarly, there is widespread public dislike of dark f o r d and 'serried row of conifers'; this is in bet many people's main impression of affqrestatiom The .

from habitat destruction, associated with the present methods used in the uplands, where planting is almost entirely of Sitka spruce monocultures, with Lodgepole pine In the wettest and most exposed areas of Scotland. Firstly, the long-term effects on the. soil are not fully understood, and it is far from certain that the poor and acid moorland mil will support repeated plantlngs. This is an important consideration, because if the land d o e deteriorate under forest in the future, it wffl be very difficult and expensive to restore it to grassland. There if also the well-known danger, in any monoculture, of devastation by an insect or a disease. This is already happening in Scotland, where over the last John Nesbitt

and so helps to stem depopulation, is true as far as it goes; but perhaps the same level of public investment h,say, smallscale light industry, or improvement of existing upland ngricultuid systems, could have the same effect without the other problems associated with forestry. The relative profitability of hill fanning and forestry, the two possible land uses for the hills, is extremely diffii cult to assess. Both are already subsidii by the Government (but in different ways) and the time inter@ between outlay and return is BO different that either . can in fact be made to look more profitable if the right economic analysis is wdl. The arguments for and against upland forestry are so complex that there are no simple answers. With Britain currently importing 92%of her wood products there is undeniably scope for a higher level of self-sufficiency. At presest, mare than 80% of these imports come from the northern coniferous forests of Scandinavia, Canada and Russia, but it is now begioiung to be realised tb& these supflies are not as inexhaustible as was once thoqht; exports &om North America, for example, may well have stopped altogether by 2000. The tropical forests are already well known to be not only finite but rapidly disappearing. So it wUl certainly not be possible to look to the tropics for our future timber supplies. The basicdilemmais t h e we have a responsibility to both n a f i a l and global terms tetry to reduce our dependence on imported wood; but the attempt to dp this seemsftaught with e c o l o g i economic and political difficulties. It is unrealistic to deny (he value of forestry for Britain, but it is also essential to recognise its present limitations and to look for ways to minimise its adverse effects. This is already happening in some ways. Q e appearance and ecological stability of commercial plantations can be improved by mixing in a proportion of bo-dwoodaxcie*fucbu~>waaand ~ , a s d ~ b l g ~ f and avoid hard lines. Forestry systems which m i d (teal-cutting of luge areas aimultaaare not only visually prefcause leu foil ero&~qan$ el-able leu drastic habitat ehpges for wildlife. The sensitive integration of fanning and forestry can @prove the remaining farmland by providing extra shelter, roads and fences, while at t h e m e time pteserving the hill fin-ming communities id breaking down die traditional idea that there has to be a conflict between forestry and agricultum. Although it is +major land-use change, the decision toĂ&#x192;Â§ffom bare laud is not subject to any planning control. Thit Is another reason for local opposition to a forestry; the land is boueht and the ' .

Undercurnnt*i47

Fantastic vision The GAS report in* written with o ~ t i -

not conrtitute a real Baving. The forest landownen themselves do not welcome the move either; they are concerned about the economic effects of so much land coming on to the market at once M well as the resulting loss of stability in the industry as a whole.

growth of 1.6-2.5%per yen (or Britain.

Looking to the future+

oftheInidwprofoundly asbuilding conittuctton, 8nd the I d community would be much leu likely to object to it if they had tome voice In Its piurning.

mian, eminging continued economic

its publication a deepening of the on and ~@?&w problem* (or d r * of nidus@ .' The Pulp and PWrind~tryhas not eicaped, with the dome of the mills at Fort Wllilun md Bleamm Port. Plm for taCTeÃ‘e tfforwtation are only worthwhite if supported by healthy forest hdustrie*Providing Â¥continuinmarket for the wood.

The Year

The general contraction of the economy, Ã§npattculiriy the problems in the forestry industries, make the grandiose afforestation plans of the CAS report mem, only a year after its publication, little more than fantasy. It forestry does not expand in ~ ~ i tover a i the ~ nextyears, this will be because of lack of public money rather than any change In environmental priorities. This would be a negative policy, and ~orrhitionin our the effects would be far from those l l l e C o ~ u V Gmmment's e policy on Â¥oughby the environmentalist lobby fomtly, as outlined in a statement in the which oppoied the CAS report. This is Hour of Commoni last December, is because the Â¥mphn now In Â¥ confined and ambivalent2. WhBe conGovernmentpolicy, Including forestty,b tinuthg to aaert that 'a continuing OB preient Â¥conominwithout re@ to expulsion of forI*In the national wider lonf-tonn con~aiwnce*.This inter&' It gon on to announce that 'a detonntaed effort Will be made. to redua that put of the CunWliwkm's (nat-ln-lidwhich finances the Forestry Enterprise'. TU* iito be done by wiling oft a proportion of the Fowrtly Commlnton a t e to private tmerton.

REFEBENeS

ar'v- . * l Ã ˆ

Centre for Agricuiturd Str(1980):''" ' f Str-y tor the UK Fount Industry. OW-'' t; RÃ§porNo. 6. (Univnitv of RÃ‘dlna) -2 ~or~tr Commission y (71980): The F o m Commiaion'sOb&tlvr. Policy and ProonUuia Paper Nb. 1. t ~ l t Rambler*' ~uodation (1980): Affons~wn:, the a m ~ i nE m t itton.

. *

Note* "

1. When comparing two dmrnativ invÃ‘t menu producing eof and returns at different tknu in the future, the u n d Ã‡nalvsl usad is to discount future eof and returns to 'net P"Ã‘" Wue/ (NWs). The further in the future Ã§BOÃ§a return lk.the les is ta NW. -re S I , hawtmt, choke as to what dkount rat* is used; the higher tfr rat* (atwhich th* future iidncountedto the pml the mom stronolv Ãsbort-termoroflufloured o v r lonaf%rm OMS. Th*chain of dtecount raw is a soura of grut controvemy in tomtry i d of criticial importtnca in determining its profitability (becam there is such a long gap between initid outlay and final return). At die count raft of up to 396,forÃ‘tr appear* more profifblb fun hill-farmin#, while at a 6% lim with h i n o d i m n t ram the (See CAS report, ~190). 5 2. Stafi~mmtm u h to PTtimnont of Wedn*sdav December 10th, 1980. by George Younger, MP, Secretary of Suu for Scotland, idLord Mid-Id, M i n l f r of SUM at the Scottish Office. ? BNCO&lMm MP, Socmtuy of SUM for * Scotlmd in the t a t Libour Government, Mid in Thisrnan~bytheLeftuafalse the Commonsof the propowd tale, "1s this ? economy, tendinf only to bur the not 8 p-I for individuals to get into diort-tMrnecoaoode a high-incometinÃ‘tofor whom toredry worthwhile imd iuitabubtepolicy ~ t e i g e privt* forestry In the United Kingdom, not a will) m y IngitiffMf interest in fmstry or in the tax concowion*an designed, lad ib-

,,,,

the

oUel

which wffl truly benefit out children.

SUFFOLK AND SUDAN: what h w tbay got incommon?The

on<wrÂ¥tfmpttocdÂ¥fanticÂ¥ncroschh(b~r

is Green Dewrts. David Mulligan reports

TO MANY of u~ in ~nglanddeaerte born the Gnen DeMTtÃcoup bun)in invoke an image of romantic oaae* Rougham, mar -'St Edmund*, ie with date oalmi. roOina land dunes helpin* TUltfem Â¥to th6 mading and camel* nihouetted-agaimt the Sahara.ThÃ Green Dewrti team includes an agriculturalist and two agro-foreitry Â¥ettfaunm. But to the 200.000 ' experts, and is doing vital research on the people who live on the banks of the economic vitbillty of aheltor belts, and Nile in northern Sudan,the real h i begun an education progranmeto picture &I one of blowing land the vflbges on the value of phnting trees. inundating their village* and blasting to bite whole field* of dÃ§sper Shelter belts ably needed food crop*. Here, next Both these aetivttie*{Â¥ outdde the of the Sud* government's to the world's second lugest river, norm*l'scope JotetAffoicrtatlon roject that the team inoneoftheffloBtfertile areasow have joined, but arePeuential for Its earth, life has bttidrffe almost overall v. So far the project has impoadble. involved planting green belts of And IfrIf-in thi* refion that volunteers Eucdmttu awl Mesauifa tnw alou the

bank* of the riven Nile and AtbAm& sane 60 mile* of bee* h u e been planted.

Thew shelter belts, planted between the tortile Â¥lluvii plains and the desert, are alio 8 lource of firewood lad fodder for mW&. Hmevmr, they requlreanitant attention to prevent over-grazing and uncontrolled cutting. For theÃ§e and other re~ons,the succex of the project hinges upon the acceptance and Involvement of the local village people. Until now they h u e not bete included in the planning or planting of the trees. Indeed, Mime viUafes h u e even felt hostile toward* the project, saying that the trees an t a H up ~

which could well provide the needed economic answers. Agro-forestry Is a growing oops. multi-layer, multi-specie* cultivation The Green Deserts group are aware system which imitates the structure and of the danÃ§ that projects initiated by nutrient cycle of natural forests. outiWra-whomnotpartofthe community -tan tail becauseof lick + .E^perimeBt* an beingdope to deterof local support, and therefor are miqewhichfruitbee*Â¥ndftebl . developing in education*! profinBune to crop*canbegrownwithintheudsttofi shelter belt*. Theoretictlly, dingen teach w e n the value of trees u a could grow a nffety of vegetables and unuce of food, fodder Â¥n fuel, an the lmpottuitrotetree*play inmain cÃˆrilarop~beftwwithe(rew.Lopgpt i ~ e Ã § Ãtat& § beenrtartod on altexpf thotcologicalbill. #q Atltefrbelt *dgns which indude Tie pmgmmme Includes a Â¥ho(completewith a host o humorous mixed saetjiu and native flora. Ow promising and fit-growingtree chmctenand hungry goat*) which b being made Ã put of a model to demon- which the team intends to study, rtnto how dÃ‘ert are mead by cutting Prosopis c~Ofenm,hu actually been able toregenerateon thedesertodeoftbe down tries wxl owergr&Ing, aid how afaeJter belts. As a legume, it hu the the proceu cm be reversed. Fotestoy ' @bUlty to Bx nitrogen, increwiog soil Endiuto* from Kbartoum Univenlty fertility and it also product high prohave helped with the dtalogw and tein p& during the leanest put of the , notationinlocÃ§ldialect* agricultural calendar. Sheep and goats Nice,if you can afford it happily eat the pods, and during dkertkm QmnDeÃ‘rt*hualreadybÃ‘naskedb thehardwedsinsideareloftonedand the people at Shebablt. a vfflfe hlf readily gennipate in the mmme.

nluiblchd which chid be usedfor

BW*

burbdby nnd,to helpthÃ§uftup tree nunery and shelterbelt programme. While they mÃ§ be w W q , villagers - M o most ofhi iim.f'lmt$wd* mouth -must be a& to afforif the tree#. As put of a PhD theite, one. of.the teambdohgmeÃ§rchinffo-fbrd

root*for late uie. If this pnms to be h e , Prompis might be able to mtwaOy inigateothernearbycropsand butt tree*. Most of the money to fund ill this

w u raised through the mudRoughun

Tree Fair held in August 1980.However, then k only enough money to allow one of we Â¥gro-foresteto remain in Sudan (or in extended period.

Id onlw to keep the project going,

Green Deierto is wing to iacieue its

gnu-loots(dc) (upport from in-d flMrnbcnhIp SUlMcriptions and mull donations. The group cm be contacted at Row-, Bmy St Edmund*, Suffolk,

IP30 9LY(tel: 0859 10265). and cm , supply more information and colour

slide*.

Excitingpossibilities Somehow, theae trees are mysterioufly able t~ flourish in desert condltiou with absolutely no water. One ponibdity b thattheyÂ¥~Imfdiinken,takingi overnight dew ,through their leaves and. ~ t l u w a t e r I n t h e l O U, ~ . their' n

., -&rd.~b8iiomdWof~&

Ate-

aimdwmum:aimpw-

t 1 5 l w h o Afln'rixhwÃ‘dootttÃ‘rfott fOUOwRUWROIÃ‘MM

Â¥RwwhÃ‘-

InmhaOMfrtin.which MWhw a

THE LOSS OF the tropical fdnsts, and of the knowledge of the forest people, would be a blow to mankind. To find out why, we interviewed Conrad Gofinsky. Gorinsky grow up in the Amazon forests fram ud htt S i n ~ s t ~ d fthÃ Ã §mÃ§dicÃ "SiBS of *%, .

~ : ~ e s , ~ e - b i - a n d a w by laig tnditlbn and hutouned a n d m a of (he richesk -, botanicalipflation to Or worid and b81 given hs much the hu made hrdvOizntfawponibte. ' Tlw Amsupplied (he ottto Ã§nhereby helped feed tbeliidwtibd revolutionhi &ti$e 8s Well u proÃ‡tdla( . h t h e r 'taole food of Africa and troddl Ada.

foreits4 the aunih3dbnof habitats which can never be reerct#d. Sky do you we, the situation developing? -2 Hibititinespecidyimportantincli&fofeatfi ..' wUeMMW evolved throiafh Ã § o u ~time Ã and have msaafdto,. . fub~% my, lightninginduced fires. These rW#&w happenla the nioy-smm~w)Mn ttieiewe thunderstorms *e=fore putting them 2%. x exirta. But man can direct his deftructionwith fir greltet%+; efficiencybyixnitlngtkeforesttothedryseaaon.Oncet&ese6 L * with the conservation of tropical forests succeed until the firestotraihawbeen estebtiriied over a targe area Q remoq

4.:

: f

~ ~ < o Ã § d ~ ~ Ã § y ~ ~ t o f < ~ ~ ( r i'queitÃˆWtowhofey~faÃ§todofliewoAbÃ§Bsweied~W c u l t ~ ~ , & ~ Ã‡ Is Ã§aiÃˆnddom d d (him d m . ' 4 Is-mKhmlim for the foreÃ‡ttÃˆfegencuitself. Aho, p h If we want to save the tropical forests we must start by teum driven machines, euch 87ibulldo&, tractors and chain UWS, haw given w far greater potenttdfor dertruetion than a ' mnaihtogthe forest peoplÃ§The AmeiiBÃ§Ã§in the Amazon

fontt, for iurtuce, an worldmthavitim on this, the Ingest and most diverse forest area on thisplanet. It re& to fee seen whether the world can accept the of,socÃ§Ued {Bunitivepeople. But their nn the bads of new food stuffs and new d be crucial for.the well being of the wo@d

stoneaxeorffwnasteelaxe.

The forests m'tsuitablefor~abfefarming UO:Isitpossibletocany outOg'riei#qon the Antazonia in the same way& our wkeiton cut forestsoBofEurope? . -* .

relatives in the finest? Did

techniques ."Â

conscious effort oa the put h~wevtt,tend*to-~.. , tivation methods:

VISITORS to Uttarkband, the hill. region of Uttat Pradesh, India, may still be enchanted by thebeauty of the ~imalayas, they must a h notice an eywore the barren hills where on& dense forests of oak, pine and deodar spread greenery. Few are aware that for the bit six years a grassroots movement has been struggling against this deforestation a d

trying to tun the now barren hills green again.& order to undeqhnd and appreciate this Movement and its objectives, it is essential to first examine tbq process uid

cam of the relentk!s@ destruction of , forests ia this legion during* part 150 . years or so. The advent& tJvd British ' ' ' During t h e w 15year the toswtsof Uttarkhand have been relentha& . . destroyed. Before this villagerswegetree to obtain their fuel and fodder, and alÃ§ some wood tor thek houses Mid.agricultural implements, torn the surrounding forests. With the advent of the British in the early eighteenth century, however, these traditional rights were cm@@ upon to meet the needs o t J ~ r @nyd railways. As the commercial exploitation of the forests was Weededup and the righb the curtailed-the hitherto husbandry dominated economy ofthis region was dllturbed by &serious shortage of fodder. Despite the bet that the conditions did not warrant extending ~

rtluen

the nine time by a k g e number of haxraonious relationship &h the fonxti in town with *try breaks down. officials. As the provision of more and more product tor commercial use , ' "UP WhW the mridaar* ir *flirt concernof the t o m When SÃ§rvodylnÃˆpiiÃoig>niÃˆaUo ~a like the DGW had to compete at thew% department,there was large scale reauctions with the mddMOX, it wu placement of natural forests with hampered by the fact that the expectcommercially useful species like pine, Â¥&oof profib born sUch utUuthoriterf1 However, the soil conservation value of &hgS enabled the mildunto outbid pine is Halted,their needle-like leaven cannot be a source of fodder and, It,~speclollyuIthÃ§dpledgednott "" resort to such dubiouspnctlcn. ore-2 - b m ~ r f i ~ ~ # f R over, ~ it w& hunpeied by a d o = shortage of funds. , Neverthelam, with the help of funds,. collected ftom villagers, it wtt ale to , act up a few iflidl-de, forett-btud industrial uniti, but it continued to suffer at the hand* of the forestry department. Matter*ume to a head when the a "D6SS was refuied any supply of uh trees for {heyear 1971-2. For l e d reasons ash is co'nrideredmoit suitable

-~~4**>

of Uttukband come in for incretsing oouBMCillexploitation dutlug the part it " ThÃ§~,Oway'*contractorh*dt ygg^g,but abo the rural economy bÃ pi~w~tÃˆdlBÃ f* tiÃˆes But of this region has changed to su& a way that the -ug relationship between how?White dtecuntaf their p h of mw forest has broken down. Â¥cKoa,'mridertTfflfer got up. "When - ~ioopahlattackxachHd",hÃ§Ãˆahl,"t Ghandi's continuing imWfHM -- :&*takes the bartvsonslaughton to change for the -' her own body? l i e 0th- were tilent n a groupo? yiitef , for 8 moment. "Yes, Oat to W, they (social workert ' . shodted, "We'll hug thetree* when andlan movement and' ate come to axe thin." tee Chipko (hug in Hindi) thtb wu

' ixi^bvteiteot.

DOSSworkenfannedouttoneigh-

bottlevttbMstd*^twf-nMMÃ§

andseekhelp.TheyfoundtherBtefen 8yÃˆp*theticbÃ§tifhddtohel"What cm wedo when the GovnmMiit h*i

Undflrairrents47 --

the v i l W m declared. The &tractor, who had never faced such *situation before, was non-plud. Deciw-that it would be prudent to seek furtheiwders, he *drew. Literfie forestry department tried to mollify the DGSS by offering them the ash treesback and alloting the Simon company.trees from another forest furtheraway at Ramput Phata. But by now.the DGSS's aims had widened and they were not content to protect the beef at one place at the expense of another. Rejecting the forestry department's offer, they sent their workers to mobilize the villagers at Rampur Phata. Again the Simon Company had to back down, and although a few trees were felled when, later on, it resorted to subterfuge, the villagers prevented all further atteqipts to cut down the trees. Soon #e company's contract to cut down the trees lapsed. These successes spurred the Chipko activists to cam more intensively amongst villagers. ey found women particularly keen, since they weze the main victims of deforestation, having to trudge long distance8 up and down steep hillsides every day for fuel rod fodder. The next confrontation took p b i n the villsge of h n i neÃ tee Indo-Tibet border. The Reni forest is p u t of the badly denuded catchment of the ^-""an& and its tributaries when

lea than 2.000 bees were to be auctioned by the forestry department. Landslidesand floods Deforestation wu the major factor behind the disastrous Alaknanda floods of 1970. A mass!ve landslide resulted in the formation of an artificial lake in a tributaly of the Alaknanda. When this lake bunt, there was tretnend6w flooding, resulting in massive destruction. BUMSwere wnshed away, bridges shattered and severalhundred miles downstream a canal silted up and large areas of oops were destroyed in the now parched fields. The workers of the DGSS had toured this region with relief supplies and teen how deforeitatkm in the catchment areas had contributed to the landdldea Â¥a floods.Knowing this, they decided that they couldn't remain silent about the proipect of further deforestation in the distant Rent forest, and"so contacts were established with the viUigen living

had assembled 27 women together they rushed nfter the labourers.

Women show the way "Brothers", Gaura Devi addressed the labourers, "this forest is our maternal home. From this we satisfy so many of our weds. Do not cut It down. If you do so, landslides will ruin our homes and fields". The labourers were from Himachi Prfdeah,where their families lived in similar conditions in the hills. They understood the agony of these women and so they agreed to go back home, and the contractor and some officials had to follow suit. That night the women of Reni mounted guard over ill routes leading to the forest. Next day the menfolk of Reni returned. People born surrounding villages had also fathered. There was no chance of the contractor sad his laboure n venturing into the forest again. The endangered trees of Rent had been saved. Soon after this, the state government appointed an official committee headed by a botanist from Delhi, Dr Virendra Kumu, to uiquim into (he validity of the demands of the Chipko movement. This committee recommended a moratorium on the commercial exploitation of the Reni sad other forests in the Alaknanda catchment for a decade. This recommendation was accepted by the State Government and subsequently a moratorium on trÃ§ telling was imposed over an area of nearly 1$00 4uue kilometres.

Notable achievements More recently e f f h by the Chipko movement have resulted in similar protection being given to other forests. And it (cored its first s u b s s in the eastern region of Uttttkhand recently when permission to cut down 6,000trees was withdrawn. The auction of forests in the catchment areas of three other riven has also been cancelled became of their efforts, and in s e h l pnrt~of Vttarkhand the Cbipko activists have reduced the &age to the forests by making unauthorised cuttings known to the authoritiesand therefore a riskier ature for potential offenders. At the same time Chipko activists have also undertaken afforestation programmes in various parts of Uttarkhand. The spate of 'natural' disasters landslides and flood* that struck Uttukhand in 1978 helped to m o b i i public opinion again& further felling of trees on these hills. Bribery and corruption However the movementhas often succeeded only after a long, hard struggle. ' For instance, although the initial reiponse of the villagers In the Malgaddi foncta to the mesgaee of the Chioko movement was

tf d",

Underqqrents41

encouraging, later on their nipport w*s undermined by the devious tactics retorted to by forestry department officials. They covertly bribed influentlil locÃ§ people, rentingtheir houses at h@ rates or providing them jobs and offering better facilities like drinking water and education, to the village. They alio threatened to bring legal actions against people such as mflituy personnel on leave in the village*. If they participated in the Chipko movement. In these ways they were able to buy off some local people and break the morale of others. Con6equently the Chipko activists had a lot of difficulty in mobilizing support and even inmeeting their bade needs of food and shelter. For the flirt few days there were only two activists preent, aftd they often remained hungry and unsheltered in the bitter cold of the forest to prevent the trees being cut down in their absence. But gradually their undauntedefforts started to bear fruit, and their mewage spread. Slowly more and more people from surrounding viltageijoined in the Chipko processions, and bulged trees to protect them.

oerform anv useful e c o k x i d function b d ikmay hamper younger trees growing near them. Why not cut down these old trees so that they cÃ§ serve some useful purpose? ~ f t & all, the nation needs substantial amounts of forest bawd products to support the industries based on it. Furthet, they ask the mipko activists why they don't protest against illegal lopping by villagers if they are so concerned about saving trees? In reply to these criticisms, the Chipko movement first of all question the claim that scientific guidelines an fully adhered to in the management of forests. "Such guidelines may indeed be sent from above," said Sunderld Bahuma, a prominent leader of the movement, "but in the forest the petty .Nick ..-.. Hmns ..-...-

Thirdlv, the Chioko icthrfsia-he that fore& spread &large areas'of ecologically crucial catchment areas in the Himalaya* are ao badly damaged that only a very limited number of overmature trees can be felled. Who, they ask, his a greater claim to this forest-produce -the big indurtries outride, or the local people whose very lives depend on it for fuel and fodder?

Satisfying the demand This inevitably leads one to wonder how India's demands for forest produce can be satisfied. Firstly, the Chlpko activists suggest, by putting some restraint on demand. Fot example, railway deepen should be W e of cement and not timber. Secondly,at least pot of the country's demand can,and should, be satisfied by setting up small-scale industrial units within the hill region;. Even if these annot manufacture all the finished goods needed, they can at least process the raw wood before it is transported out of the forests. When it comes to the question of lopping and axing by villagers, they point out that. because It Is done In a dispersed and disguised way, it is Impossible k~ opposein an organised manner as can the fellinebv contractors.

Holding fast Momentum picked up after the arrival of Sunderial Bahuguna, a wteran Sa-rodayb leader, who stnted an indefinite fast, demanding a moratorium on the feffinit of green trees. People from&-oft came toaeehim,andtoHitÃ‘tothe of the Chipko movement. Subwquently he was melted and taken to jail. (He broke his bat after 21 days when the state government agreed to hold talks with him on the question of amomtorium, but little emerged out of them talks.) MeanwhUe Chipko activists kept visiting the villagers regululy, and this griped to break the communication barrier. Not accrue to the landowners, only men, but also women and chffdien '~''a$#@ none to them. hugged the trees. One otherwise timid ..^, .. woman openly confronted her brotherLooking ahead in-law who bad sided with the con-' aent. Clearly, unless the forestry system b tnctor and took him to task. SteonaY, flu Chipko mofment changed so that the people feel dirctly , Hunks to this continuous activity the question the ictontificb&d8 cornme'involved in forest protection, no amount government eventually cancelled the Of Ove*atum trees in of l&lation or persuasion can bring auction of the Badiyar Gad and Amarsa dbut w'ww .& o ~ the t transformation of the mms of 1 forests. arc.They admit that I population from a -I* nothing wren< la felling o w . a Misguided flak taeet,but they are felled to meet theneed* of outside industry, OMpite itÃgrowing ~opululty, the Chipko movement ha* been subjected to huge logs haw to be rolled to the much, lometime* bitter, critician, mainly milt motor-road. This results in to protect the forOte*Mow it Istime by officlsis of the forertry department. m w v m d o n of the land over which for b w the BasicÃ§U these criticisms have centred they in rolled. lava that they pr-a , forestry around the premise that the forestry ~isripiifi t t h t t t h i s w a s o n e d ^.tatl*mth w h m P k P M .--,^ ,Ã‡Ã o>md Komar's coto suggestamoratoriumonteecommercial , After ill, they lay, forestry science exploiWbaof f-ts in t h a tells w that trees which grow beyond a catchmkntareaeventhoughthetie**to certain ice. or ovennatuie trees. do not be cut had be6H scientlficdly selected. - ,

-- '-

hmttOBtoB.i&HWthipbe*

.a-

THE IDEA of the 'winnable' atomic war gained eonsiderabk d a n c e recently in military and government But ha*

circles

Hugh Middleton reminds us in this article, we shouldn't be footed. THERE is little doubt that nuclear some 35%as heat, and some 20% as ionising radiation, of which about Vi is war would lead to a great deal of destruction, loss of life and human Immediate radiation and about %is' deposited as fallout. suffering. What is not so dearly hi simple terms, the blast would understood Of damage buildin$i and other structures, suffering and this contributes k i W f and injMng people in them or to the belief that a nearby, the heat would give exposed nuclear war can be fought and persons skin bums, and would also n. In fact estimates of the lead to fires of susceptible materials, damage likely after a nudear and ionising radiation in the first a-k can be made, the expected instance would lead to varying degree! number of casualities estimated, of radiation sickness among the exposed. Attemots to assess the immediate and some of the effects of ionising effects of~nuclearattack are based upon uliation predicted

A nuclear explosion is a sudden ,lease of energy: some 45% as blast

estimates of the numbers of people likely to be affected by these influences. The

longer term consequences, no less important in gauging the overall effect of nuclear war, can be surmised from an estimate of the damage to public health services such as sewerage and water supplies, the amount of reconstruction possible, and the severity of the long term effects of enhanced radiation exposure.

Blast Of the immediate effects the most important is blast Buildings would be destroyed and damaged and many would be killed and injured by the effects of falling masonry and fragments of debris flying in the wind The blast effects can be quantified in terms of 'peak overpressure' which is a measure of the Intensity of the shock wave generated by the rapid expansion of gases at the site of the explosion. Peak overpressure' is the pressure of air within the shock wave in excess of atmospheric pressure and it represents tee force exerted upon the walls of buildings and other structures as it travels away from the site of the explosion at speeds of several hundred miles per hour. To some extent the degree of damage sustained by a building is related t o the peak overpressure of the shock wave that hits it. If the peak overpressure exceeds 12 pounds per square inch (psi), then most buildings except some reinforced concrete structures can be expected to be levelled. If the peak overpressure lies between 12 and 5 psi, then most lightly constructed buildings, and that includes most dwellings, would be destroyed; between peak overpressuresof 2 and 5 psi, the walls of steel frame buildings are (down-away, and even at a peak overpressure of 1psi, there would be flying glafs and other debris. As it is possible to predict we way in which the shock wave dies out, It is possible to predict the areas around a nuclear explosion which would receive a shock wave of a given Intensity.

Overpressure rings After a 1megaton explopion the 12 psi overpresture effect would extend for 3 kilometres, the 5 psi effect a further 1.5 kilometres from that. the 2 mi effect would extend a further 3 kilometres, and as far away as 10.25 kilometres there would be an overpressure effect of 1psi. It is generally accepted, and these are probably conservative estimates, that in the 12 psi overpressure ring 98%would die and 2% would be injured. In the 5-12 psi ring some 50% would be killed, , some 40% injured, and some 10% would be safe,& the 2-5 psi riqg the figures are 5% dead, 45% injured and 50% safe; and , in the 2-1 psi ring It is estimated that 25% would be injured and the remainder would be safe from the effects of blast

Enormous number* of fatalitins All ttut renudns to turn them fifiumInto

numbers of immediate wuiltlei is to apply them to estimates of population density in the area* concerned. This varies considerably from place to p b , reaching lome 10,000 per square kilometre in densely populated puts of London to only a few in the HIghUmds. If we use a figure of 2,000 per squue kilometre -probably a coumrvatim estimate for an avenge urban tea then, out of a total population of 646,000 living within 10.26 kllometw* of the expimion of a 1uegitoo bomb, 101,468 would be killed, 200,892 would be injured by Mart, and 844,140 would be nfe. In t~riation'nicfaflgum an meÃ§niog leu. White important b th* t numher of injured. Most of thm be people who him suffered broken bow, severe cut* (rom flying gilt and injuries from telling debril. underno<m*Ã§ nlwmlÃ§w^Ã§~~**Ã iniuries reouire hoÃ§~ita care. blood tnuuAuioos, surge+, anti-tetuu* bmodilationsand antibiotic*, Â¥a in -MB numbers cm be deÃ§lwith quite effectively by the ciiidty oentmi that are available; but there are no pmbiou for dealing with them in the numbers that would uiw under thew circum-

dty in the worid that* mount an PrioritywouldhavetobegiventoMnieffective medical l e i p d to the injuries tation, the deitnictkm of fresh Inflicted by a nuclear attocfc. n t e r i i ~ d l e and s wwea would Any attempt at aulstinf the Injured undoubtedly lead to epidemics of gmtrowould be even further limited by the enteritisand posnlbly cholera and effect!of ndioactiw tillout.iA onall 4 typhoid. amount of the ionidng radiation born a ,ItadlaUon and malnutrition would nudwr expiosion b ndiated dbwctly Â¥fttounCthem and othen such as fromthe fireball, but thteeffect b tuberculosis and pneumonia; there might usiully ignored. well be epidemic*of pest carried dbeue A greater put takw th* form of such as typhuz i d plague; and with radioactive dust that settles to the Inadequate medied supplies, fn particular ground in the houa foliowhg the of vaccinitiom, there might be outbreaks explodon. of now rare conditions such m polio and The amount of dust depdted and the @the* inteiuity of tt* ndiation data&ldnwthe ' In ttu loafer term,provided organiied dom mcrivd by Â ¥ x p opeople ~ i d thil Ã§odÃ§ could be reconstructed, which Is in turn determines the mverity of the bynomenucbrtaiaadby mmy Ã‘Ã‘JÃˆaÃ‡olakM*Ã hftfllÃ‡Md to be unllMy thought X n ~ e ~ wu, ~effect8after man ill out ~ the of mbanced nuclear expoiuntand*.AdoÃ§eofuptol6 backgroundradiation would come to red* reduce* theability of the body to the fore. st k l combat infection; 150 to 400 ndi VI .-asy-i ca~aiÃ§cowbleIllneaduringwhic Malformed infant* -%I .. . &Â¥iriiWbIIlghIy~~fpHUet We know thabawkg the survlvom of inbctteor. betwn 400 and 1000 ndi ~ia~uand~-~m>ban'f^_ incmued incidence of a number of ! ,;fi mcem and of leuhemla, we d m know $w that many of the pregnanda exto the bomb*in Japandeveloped into malformed infanf,and that the amount+rs Conddenble areas would huted with ndiocctive fallout ~

stance*.

Terrible bums A similarly ownrtulming number of casualties can be expected due to the heat. For wvenI seconds the fireball of a nuclear explosion n d an intense amount of heat - suaL2ntb-e partial twcg -() bum* asfaras12kilometre*ttomalmefaton explosion. ThU mean* that Tittutlly everyone caught in the open If tbu 10.25 kilometres away would differ severe skin bums. The effects of h u t on the victim of HiroÃ§himand Nagaiaki were hontMflg, and as anyone who has been sew* burned knows, are pirticuluty painful, r i d distreidng. It if conceivable that facilities to deal withadbuteroftbUicalecouldbe developed, but to do so would be impouibly expendw. Secure flnt aid beltem, equipped with stada of antiWa i d inftuion fluids, would have to be eftabHdudon virtually every skeet comer, and dmmt every member of the population would have to be trained in not only advanced first ald, but abo in quite advaqced singled techBlquea.

AabndhetklW~*e* to nredlct

become 1Ã‘8but to ha

Civil defence imaosdbte marly thb is out of the q&tion, but.. &ort of doing thit4bmust be accepted that my loonafter a nuclear attack the number*.of injured and burned would totally overwhelm my nirvlving medical m o w s and pemonneL There is not a

of Man d a scecies a n d m the whole .;,

But is it Tk-apy ?. ART HAS itttherapeutic uses, but there are people who believe that its benefits should go far beyond the wards, as John Ford explains.

FOR THOSE who have never heard of it, art therapy may sound like just one more of the many 'radical' alternatives to the accepted medical model that still exceqims 80 much power over current psychiatric practice under the NHS. However, there are marked dirtinctioni between art thand certain* ethically dubious fringe therapies, that rightly receive adverse publicity. Art therapirts don't participate in the commercial exploitationof people with problem, most are working within the

Health Service playing some part in changing the system. Art ind plychopathology (jargon for t of the mentally 111) in a very young the a ana of study, and it* application through ittherapy in Ă&#x192;Â§even more recent development. Art therapy owe* something to change* beginntaf in the middle qf the lut century, a time which h n been deicribed a* the New En. One of the founden of this New Era we Fnud. Htohmatigttions Into the un-

conscious imagery of dreams coupled with p s y c h o d y t i c studies of Michielangelo and Leonardo were to pave the way for others who began to see that images produced by psychiatric patients could be: 1. Accepted as art; 2. seen to serve as a means of self therapy; 3. used as a means of understanding better the dynamics of an individuals mind. Art could in fact be seen to be a nonverbal language that might serve as a more fruitful means of communication than talking; not just communication with others, but also with our own innerdost feelings.

The Limitations of Language We am entrenched In language to the extent that It may actually determine our experience. "People ire d l too apt to take their concepts for data, their words for actual things" (Aldous Huxley). Languace a n also limit our definitions of our world and ourselves. We are indined to define ownelves as being of a certain type and character, and to a considerable extent these definitions are self-fulfilling. (I remember a woman

saying how she 'intended to worry' - she meant to say 'tended to'.) In the light of this "cool web of language that hems us in" it can be seen that a visual approach might cut through the tendency of language to polarise feelings, to see the world in terms of black or white, and ourselves likewise. Visual language deals in symbols which bring together composite meanings. Symbols are conducive to theexpression of ambiguity, a picture can be a symbol of the felt self, a fusion of inner and outer experience. Part of the art therapists role is to help people to understand themselves better, to throw light on the unconscious. It is worth considering just what this concept of the unconscious means. Freud talked of the 'seething cauldron of emotion*as if it were some tangible organ within our heads. It is perhaps more illuminating to conceive of it as being that of which we are unaware, or 'ignoreant' of, in our social relations and ourselves. Vmm the moment We're born we're bombarded with messages telling us who we are and who we are to be. "Other people teach us who we are. Their attitudes to us are the mirror in which we

Undercurrents 47

int: to my article "Life without teleridon?" (UC43)I outlined someofthekÂ¥yIdeasinlen Minder's bookF&r Arguments for the Eli&uation of Television, in particular the role of television increatingartificialrealities, inducingpasilv*,dcorn-

puts to veggies is one that most of us robably come to sooner or

rwont, Jsay Mmda'a views ~

manna in die intaerts of powerful groups in mcfety. I that went on to compam the characttriiticiof televirion,as a technology, with thoatof mdcar

later.!certainhrhive-anii~

tion that

haminas, or fliecxiitence of

Australia 3

, . rt-

NO~~S/NQ@&ES

haven't yet found the a m . The fact that we can't always live up to our ideals does not mean that we should modify them (but pa havinflideals at all im't mod%eno2 for A. Harris's l&ins). We ouM simply do whatever we can to Unuptothan-admitting failure when approixjate and ' feelings trying againlregrets are,of course, andcounterguiltprodub).

technology, or indeed any mcial institution, isneutral

ent in nuclear power '

-:,

*tam^*ppinicxiand

exploitation do- t stop short at S.A It exists everywhere. In

But oh! the fflustratioru The

iouiiatfaÃia a onÃˆ4lfcectbBa

fashion" - ia, as if concern over human suffering is a matter of passing trends? if m, I couldn't care leu I stffl like to listen to Beatlei Ricoids, don't you know!

_*w*

Undercurrents47

Society in Edinburgh and other "Local Enterprise ,Trustsv. ~ e b i l are s t o be found in the Foundation for Alternatives publication Local

Small is Possible, George McRobie; Jonathan Cape 331pp. Â£7.95 Local Initiatives in Greot Britain, ed. Stan Windass; Foundation for Alternatives, The Rookery, Adderbury, Banbury, Oxon. 126pp. Â£post free. MY father remembers a Fabian school during the war at which an economist gave a talk recommending the large-scale organisation of business, as a means of achieving economies of scale and hence lower costs for the consumer. The economist was E F Schumacher, later to become rather well-known for holding precisely the opposite views; as with many converts, his later views are more famous than his former ones, and go marching on while their author's body lies doing its organic fanning bit under the soil. Small is Possible is the latest work in the Schumacher canon: it is in fact written by Schumacher's right-hand man (the temptation is t o say disciple) George McRobie, but you'd hardly know it. His name and Schumacher's appear on the cover the same size, and the blessed Fritz's photo appears on the back, alongside McRobie's. The book is an attempt to show that Small is not only Beautiful, but Possible, with reference t o the Intermediate Technology Development Group's own work in various regions and t o the "Alternatives Movement" here and in the US and Canada. In the Third World there can be no doubt that ITDG's work has completely changed the current of thinking. Instead of the rigid theories of Rostow and others prescribing a single path t o "development", poor countries have been shown a more pragmatic path, with choices of technology open t o them. McRobie emphasises, more than Schumacher did, the existence of similar exploited colonies within 'developed* countries. That the periphery of the UK suffers from the centralisation of the economy and politics is a mainspring of nationalism in Wales and Scotland. But it's not just the periphery: the rundown inner city areas also suffer, and even the London and Liverpool docklands have third-world style shanty towns, with exploited labour and makeshift housing, while the inhabitants wait

for the all-providing state t o collude with others t o rip them off some more. McRobie provides examples of Canadian initiatives which have fought this colony status, and made themselves more self-sufficient. Prince Edward Island has an Institute of Man & Resources [now defunct: ed. ] developing comprehensive alternative plans for renewable energy, agriculture, aquaculture and housing. Sudbury, Ontario. Chamber of Commerce produced an alternative to the official economic development plan for the area.

co-ops and 20 other initiatives; many of them are excellent: the Leeds Meanwood Valley Urban Farm, the various C D h (Co-operative Development Agencies), and Rhondda Enterprises. So why do I have doubts (apart from being a nasty suspicious mean-minded cynic)? One problem with both these publications & that they're too undiscriminating; organisations with a lot of genuine community control and broad-based support are set alongside extensions of multi-nationals like the London Enterprise Agency or the St. Helen's Trust (prop: Pllkingtons) and other large local emnlovers such is Rockware). which offer no opportunity for contributions from those outside the institutional framework that McRobie rightly attacks. Others are extensions of Individual egos: beware the wandering community entrepreneur promising t o "deliver participation" as part of new industrial development. Information-sharing, yes: "transferring experience", "field officers". "community entrepreneurs", no thanks. Community control is the vital ingredient in new local enterprises: the other road tends to finish outside the gates of Grunwick and the East End sweatshops and other unsavoury places. ITDG and their friends overseas need to recognise this. Sony folks, technology

Politics and sheer hunger tends t o take a hand, and since those chaps aren't as civilid as what we are, the same road change forced from above ends up ORSON WIMas J P M o m in The Secret of Nikola Testa IZnmb Film 19801; still no against a wall with rather high-tech bullets heading for you. I'm being rather new of when this epic will be screened in Britain but w h n r that a new dbtribution unfair here, especially t o McRobie who company financed by Monty Python money seems to have a certain amount of is much more ready to try to handle moviu political nous; even he, however, somethought to ba too outre by the dimwitsthtt times gives a good impression of a small d o m i n f the industry. So Tole fmdu, k e q boy at a circus, wide-eyed and open your fincrow.. . mouthed at the sheer wonder of it all. Stiil, thii reviewer's Dr JekyU wins Community groups in Britain have out at the last. "Small is Possible" is sometimes drawn up alternative plans a good book, though not so much for but usually only in reaction t o the the regular Undercurrents reader who development plans they objected to. knows it all already, but for the same The new initiative by Trades Councils people, new t o the ideas, who made to prepare plans for their areas may lead Small is Beautiful into a best seller. t o more comprehensive positive planning. In the introduction, taken from the On the alternatives movement in speech Schumacher made the day before Britain, McRobie is on more familiar his death, Big S says he's often asked ground; he outlines the Lucas Aerospace whether he works with academia, saga, the new co-ops, community business or governments. "None of them initiatives like the C r a i i U a r Festival - they're all committed to monster

Undercurrents , 47

technology", he answers. "1 work with people from business, academia mid government." The point Schumacher grasped is that there are people in the most monolithic system who sympathise wi those outside and who have useful s ;it is to those people that McRobie's book will appeal, giving them hope that the living death they suffer st work is not a permanency. Local Initiatiues is definitely for the alternatives connoisseur, and It has a slightly rough bouquet in picaes. Selfhelp is all very well, but it can sound too much like Thatcherism, especially when you get comments like "comfortable assumption that society owes wall a living". So go and work for that flrm supplying nice Mr Wetastock. Self help? yes, he's helping himself very nicely ' thanks. Small i* pervertable too, you know. Stephen Joseph . . .. - - -,.... .'.' . .

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Amazon Jungle: Green hell to red desert! R J A Goodland and H S Irwin. Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company.

AMAZONIA suppott* the world's largest and richest tropical forert, and until recently most of this Irreplaceable biological resource has been so inaccessible n to be safe from the predations of Western Man. O W the last decade this security has been eroded as the Brazilian Government

exploitation until sustainable resource management methods have been developed, and a concentration of agriculture on fertile or repeatedly-flooded soils. The great untapped potential of the rivers for fish production is also examined. My only criticism of the book concerns the authors' excessive fondness for long word*. Unless the reader already knows what nosogeography, prolepsis and lixiviatedmean, I recommend keeping a

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The South-West Book: a Tmmanian Wlltiemest. Written and published by the Australian Conservation Foundation, 672B Glenferrie Road. Hawthorn, Victoria 3122, ~ u s d aAS16 . pb or Mhbpost face from ACE. AMONG conservationists in Australia. South-WestTasmania first became important at the end of the dxttes/eady seventies when Lake Redder wu flooded for hydro-electric power against widesnread nubile 6 ~ ~ 0 s i t i oNot n . long afterwards &me a campaign to prevent a milling company from Drofpecting on Precipitous Bluff. These issues M c t e d Tasmanians and were the starting point for the production of this book. For the minority of our read? who live in Tasmania, this is an essential book. ~tis a compendium of articles on the history of the area; the natural environment (geology, flora and fauna); recreational aspects such as skiing, caving, dtobfau and hiking: industry (mainly mining,forestry and hydr&ie-&city); and a section entitled and ~ - . -Conservation ~ the 1970s which details the campaigns and reports which have attempted to South-West Tasmania at a major scenic and ecological resource. The book is beautifully presented, but more Importantly it is a comprehensive study of the natural habitat of SouthWest Tasmania. It would be worthwhile to get your local library to buy the book -ado conservation groups may like to order a copy as a model on which to bate ibook about t h K Ã ‘ i e are81 in their ~

has embarked on an ambitious programme of highway construction, apparently with little rÃ§gufor the profound ecological and sociological consequences of such a disturbance. In Amazon JungIe: Green hell to red desert! Goodland and Irwin combine field observations with a comprehensive review of the available literature in an attempt to ptedlct the envitonmental impact of the new highway construction promimme. t h e book is intended to be a summary of the cutrent state of knowledge (which is repeatedly pointed out to be kdly lacking in many areas), and u a sourcebook for further ma&. Although short, it is crammed with facts and figures about the history, anthropology, zoology and botany of Amazonla, as well as on the progress of deforertation and of industrial development. Predictably, most of this makes depresdn reading. The only ray of hope is In the Ã ˆ t t b d[Kaaing the alternatives to presenttends, where the Lowana Veal authors advocate a curtailment of

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dictionary near to hand, although even the Concise Oxford was baffled by allochthonous! Nevertheless, the study as a whole is unquestionably of enormous value as a starting-point for anyone wanting to know more about the pressing environment@problems now confronting Ammonia. , Janet Stewart t"S? ^ .?,?'ttW'"'ti'?<w. -3 . -'Â¥^i-afr's'< .. ~,.">. ...... *, . .-".L*..L-*-"., -, " . .. . Â.

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Apt Tech Ken Darrow and co. at Volunteers in have just published their second volume of their Appropriate Technology Sourcebook. It lilts and evaluates some 500 more publications on "village and small community technology*not in Vol 1 (which they've also updated). The set is easily the best buy among general AT books. (Vol2: 496 pp. $8 post free from AT Project, Via PO Box 4543, Stanford, CA 94305, USA or Â£3.6 post bee from ITD Books. 9 Kinest. London WC2).

Adam Piani ence that apples for elder should be picked from the trees, not collected from the grass after falling naturally. cider apple varieties grown ~ c " ~ ftheir o rcider making qualiiies most definitely should be allowed to fall. Only then are they ripe, and their flavour fully developed. Besides a number of cider based cooking recipes the art of distilling in your kitchen is described simply, with diagrams good enough t o give the Excise men a headache. Julian Temneriev M (Julian Temperley's Real Cider is & sate ' m where it's made, Pass Vale Farm, Burrow Hill,Kingsbury Episcopi, Ã Martock, Somerset and at two London , pubs: the Bitter End, Mason'~Hill, Beyond the Green Revolution. The Brornley and the Bitter Suite, 129 Lee Ecology and Politics of Global AgriRd. SE3. cultural Development. Kenneth A Dahlberg. Plenum Press (New Yo*, London). 266pp. $17.95.

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estate and capital. A few benefit, but thousands are squeezed off the land into urban limbo, where slow industrial growth rates fall to provide them with jobs. The small, barely-efficient fanner thus has to pick up the bill for general THE GREEN revolution the package agricultural modernisation. deal of hiyielding varieties (HYVs) of Moreover, the necessary inputs for grain, togetherwith fertilisers, irrigation, HYV agriculture may not be reliably machinery and pesticides that f o t h the ~ available: Dahlberg reasons that fertiliser Up Your Street: Youth Environmental core of modem 'industrial*agriculture may well become the limiting factor of Action. Stephen Joseph (editor) John has cd@ to be accepted as the solution HYV production. And there is evidence Howes and Justin Cwke. 108 pages. to the problems of world food shortage of long-term damage to the agricultural Â£1.20 all round the world. environment which may be directly However, in his book, Dahlberg argues caused by green revolution tactics. For THIS BOOK provides an ideal starting convincingly that the assumptions behind example, irrigation can permanently point for young people who want to do something about environmental pollution the green revolution package are not lower the water-table and may even give universally applicable; they have evolved rise to unwelcome changes in weatherbut don't know where to begin. It rhetorically asks its readers if thewave ' within a largely %uropeancultural frame- patterns. . work and within a no less specific ever wondered what to do about such Is there really no alternative to the 'time-frame'. problems as polluted air and water, green revolution but famine? Dahlberg He sets the green revolution f i y endangered wildlife, energy shortages, prefers to think that ecologically-sound within its own limits of place and time, lack of public transporfetc, or if they solutions can be found that will allow the would like to channel their energies into tracing its history born the discovery of green revolution to proceed on less monoorganising street theatre, creatmg gardens the New World and the subsequent polistic lines, and that will take into worldwide diffusion of American cropin abandoned wasteland or promoting account the magnificent diversity of plants, through the Irish Famine of the g -f techniques practised around the cycling or recycling. It also includes a practical day-to-day guide on how each of mid-19th century (a classic case-study of globe. us can minimise the waste we all create as green revolution gone wrong by reason of He advocates the 'contextual' over-dependence on monocultures of a consumers in a consumer-oriented approach - a concern for scale, location failure-prone introduced crop - in this society. and the time factors in different agriChapter subjects include group action, case the potato), to the steady spread of cultural contexts, and a rejection of the hybrid 'new seeds' round the Third environmental planning, re-use of notion that these factors can be somehow World, beginning with the Rockefeller resources, cycling, conservation, is well neutralised by chemical or mechanical programme in Mexico in the 1940s. as step-by-step techniques for setting up wizardry. Dahlberg points out that the biologists your own group, utiilising the media, If we export our technology and involved indeveloping the new RYV fundraising and political lobbying. The management theory without adapting book is liberally illustrated with cartoons, seeds weie not nearly aware enough of them to local circumstances we are - in cultural &ations in farming practice. the long run doing nobody any and, perhaps most helpfully of all, contains an extensive list of publications They tilted to realise that the success of favours: the shifts and changes necessary the new seeds depended almost and organisations to satisfy the reader's to get the world fed are required just as absolutely OR tee kind of backup that much in the industrial countries as in the special>terests. could be taken for granted only in a Some parents might find that this agricultural Third World. Western industrial setting. could serve as the perfect gift for their Beyond the Green Revolution says Unfortunately, one of the most teenage children who are complaining much that needs saying - and says it dmnetting effects of the green revolution forcefully. about the inequalitiesof a society conin many poor countries has been an trolled by insensitive adults. Other Clare Oxby incte*stOgly unequaldtetributton ofreal oarentsmttht just want to leave It Mng

Up Yours

Undercurrents 47

SMALL ADS COMMUNITY WOMAN with smail child seeks a place on commune. Preferably agricultural co-opwith crafts, whole-food, child care etc. Box number 104. WOMAN and man with large house North London, seek other compatible committed people to live communally. Feminist1 anarchist leanings, children planned. Nonsmokers. 01-808 9826. BEAUTIFUL44 acre organic farming community with pottery and workshops seeks new members with capital and/or alternative loans. Sae to Glaneirw House Community, Blaenporth, Dyfed, Wales. COMMUNITYIcommune of sensitivity and a little compassion. Male wishes t o join with others for mutual growth, and aiming for selfsufficiency. Some personal influences being: music, Reich, post.Reich, Friedrichshof, medit u n , ' ~ u i u j i e r bcientology, ~, Rajneesh, Kurt Vonnegut and my mum! Write 'Jack Straw' Box number 105. WE WOULD like to hear from people interested in communes who would like to visit us and help out with all the work needing to be done here. Please write to: 'Crabapple', Berrington Hall, Shrewsbury.

.UHURU collective in Oxford needs radical people to help set up resources centre and run community cafe and wholefood shop. Hard work, low pay, but lots of room for energy, and ideas. Contact: 35 Cowley Road, Oxford. Tel: OX 48249. PARSONAGE farm commune has space for 2 or 3 people (no young children please). We are anonincome sharing group of 7 adults and 5 children with a three acre organic garden and can offer workshop space for a craft. Phone Newmarket 741 584.

HARDWARE I'LL DESIGN, build and run wind energy systems up to, say, 10kW (electrolmechenical~powerfor almost anyone (preferably cornmunes), using locally available materials (scrap), tools and help at little or no labour cost. Material costs about 10-ZOp/W (aerogenerator only). Please send me sae to Undercurrents giving details of requirements (and wind regime) under 'Buzzard and Crow' - let 1000 windflowers blossom. HEDGEHOG equipment for carders, spinning wheels. Natural fleece-.Â£.10 - 1.90llb. Carded wool sliver Â£2.2 - 3.00llb. Complete handcarder repair kits

Now just 5p a word; box nos Â£1.25 Copydate for UC48 is Wednesday, October 7. All ads must be PREP AID^^^^^^.

Â£4DIY drum carder construction booklet Â£3Tussah silk E5.501250gm. Upper Hartfield. East Sussex, England.

TRAVELLERS CAPABLE male, 32, planning extensive, low-profile journey across USICanada bv surface transport (but no hitching!), seeks company of intelligent, like-minded female. Box US.

WORK OFFERED IMAGINATIVE, energetic and enthusiastic cook needed for veoetarian restaurant in ~hrewsbury.Write to Oelaney's, St Julian's Craft Centre. St Alkmund's Square, Shrewsbury. THIRD WORKER wantedfor printing co-op in Cambridge. No experience asked for. Please write for information t o Cambridge Free Press, 56 Fitzrov Street, Cambridge.

WORK WANTED 'TWO FRIENDS (male and female) offer part-time help with odd jobs, gardening, care-taking, animals, cooking, driving . . in exchange for basic self-contained accommodation for six months (possibly longer) as from beginning of October. Anything, anywhere considered. Box 103.

PROPERTY FREEHOLD land, 1% acres be-. side salmon/tr.out River Inny in sheltered wooded valley Cornwall, between Launceston and Callington. No caravan or planning permission likely. Landrover or foot access. Â£3,00 ono. Please contact: Paul Vallack, 60 Cambridge Street, Godmanchester, Huntingdon, Cambs. Tel: 0480 55700.

SHELTER HOUSING co-operative, mixed, in SE London. Own room in shared houses for single people, 18-35. For more information send sae t o Membership, 6 Sanford Walk, London SE14 6NB.

COURSES

INSIGHT meditation retreats towards greater awareness. September 5-12, 12-19, conducted by Christopher Titmuss, Christine Feldman. Â£4.5 per day all inclusive. Contact Secretary, Gilletts, Stnarden, Kent. Tel: 023 377 224. BORED? Depressed? Escape the rat race by becoming a WWOOFERI WWOOF is ten years old. Learn organic gardening and farming at weekends. For further details, write t o Working Weekends on Organic Farms, 19 Bradford Road, Lewes, Sussex.

HANDWEAVING. Pembrokeshire residential courses on organic small holding. Small groups, individual tuition. Beginners and experienced. Rugs, hangings, belts, tapestry, spinning. Sac t o Martin Weatherhead, Penwenallt Farm, Cilgerran, Cardigan, Oyfed.

PUBLICATIONS SPLAT! Disarmament comic, very jolly. 35 Hyde Park Terrace, Leeds 6 . 2 0 ~each plus 14p stamp. UFOsI Worldwide Directory of UFO groups, organisations, and publications. Â£ from: UFO Network, 39 Birkbeck Road, London NW7.

ETCETERA SOON I'LL be moving to York. Can anyone help me find contact in York with an undogmatic voae-nrouo. a non-reliaious third . - world group, or a prac-tically active, socially orientated gardeninal farmina- arouo - . (cfcitv farm etc.)? Please contact arti in, Fairthorn, Townhead Road, Dore, Sheffield 17. LURCHER pups for sale. Solve your rabbit problem. Collie greyhound crones. Both parents catch rabbit, hare, fox, phemant, etc. Â£2 each. Also one trained adult dog. Write now: Hilly, Green Box, Gautby, Near Wragby, Lines

HOROSCOPES drawn and interFIRST BRITISH Whole Earth i r e t e d from a radical, anti-sexist, Catalogue and Alternative England and Wales sequel1 update therapeutic perspective (adding Scotland). Comprehensive etnphasising our power to change, to take control of our own fate. national catalogue and directory in the making. Information now Â£7down to Â£ for low income. needed fromlabout local alterTime, date and place of birth t o Nick Totton, Beech Cottage, native papers, smail press publications and bookshops1 High Bentham, via Lancaster. other retailers carrying these. 'WHALES are disappearing' tea Please write: Earthworks Intakes, towel. 100% cotton. Effective 12 Garnet Street, Lancaster LA1 message and pleasing design in 3PN. blue on white. Make excellent THE COMING Age: magazine of ecoprezzies. Â£1.3 (including post and packing) from Earthcare, 33 the living matriarchial tradition, Sadler St. Durham, (0385) 45837. 45p, Lux Madriana (Ul, 40, St Wholesale enquiries (10 or morel John St, Oxford. welcome. ANTI-Nuclear power1 SINGERIguitarist seeks partner disarmament catalogue: Please any voicelinstrument. Work at send sae to: Corner Bookshop. 162 Woodhouse Land, ~ e e 2,d ~ fairs, festivals, busking, schools, etc. Phone Gilly - Potton 26021 W Yorks. (Bedfordshire). PEACE NEWS for nonviolent CARDIGAN 12m: two families revolution. Reports. analvsis. with four children (1, 3,5,B) on news, of non-"iolent action for beautiful smallholdina Km sea social change, building) invite third; separate living; alternativesand resisting the megaapprox Â£15,00 unfortunately remachine. Covers anti-militarism, sexual polities, ecology, decentral- quired. Llangranog (0239871 216. isation, etc. 25p fortnightly, WOOL. Oiled, hardwearing, nonÂ£9.5 for a year's sub, from dyed, natural fibre. Herdwick, 8 Elm Avenua, Nottingham. Swaledale, Welsh. Also 100% Pure 'New Wool Aran. clean scoured. NUCLEAR Weapons and cream colour. And "Arctica", a disarmament - books and pamblend of Icelandic and other pure phlets available by mail order. 'new wools. All make excellent Write for our free catalogue (send heavy duty garments at an ecosac). List of non-stereotyping nomical price. Sae for samples: children's books also avaiable. Homespun Supply Co, 34, First of May Bookshop, 43 Richmond Avenue, Leeds Candlemaker Row, Edinburgh LS6 1BZ. EH1 208,. COLIGNUM L t d Woodworkers' ALTERNATIVE TIMES. A Co-operative for woodmachinina monthly run-down of alternative in hard or softwoods; batch enemv news and views. olus items production facilitiesfor wood on nuclear power, information, design. furniture etc; also ourresources, dates. Sub Â£ including pow made joinery. Colignum Ltd, cost from 35 Wedmore Street. Atlas Street, Feeder Road. St London N19 4RU. Philips. Bristol 2. Tel: 0272 THERE is a lively undercurrent tilted The Nursery Rhymes ASTROLOGER' offers personal Restored to their Adult Originals. individual birth chart and charact18 rhymes freed from the censorer analvsis with two vear future shio that made them childish. Â£ trends Â£10Written or on tape: (returnable if disappointed), Norman lies, 381 Marina Road, John Wiilmott, Millbrae, Bunessan, Morecambe, Lanes. Mull, Argyll.

PROPOSED~~~~&+~&~ learning wntre weks founder memwilling t o (tart f m q yratch. An interest in promo$nfl naturalappmachoit o childbirth, Â¥chil dnelopment, human relatlonihlpi,k-lth,texurtity, etc; it emntM. For more details plow Mnd en ~e to: Bob White, 26 Clifton Gardens, London W9 1AU.

.~imIn.

H U Ã ‡ R ~ A '' B ~ ~ ~ Southern Soain. &started as a qiwp,now.w~areonly two, and we waad brio. q ~ ~ i dskillad l y md/or hardworkingpoopta. We

WCOKMViifor*HbrtbNCm@ pwiodi.Ourmain Â¥cthlH k&iw farming, other proJKta: horti- :,

culture, various l i i o c k , reconstruction of farm buildings and installations. Alutiir and yakfflteok,HuÃ§rtaBorrÃˆauar LAVENDER BOOKS, a pr-d Amrtttio36* Ayamcntt* Ãˆ lesbian and gay community hock- (H"va'"). ., , shop in Edinburgh, nwAyour N u ~ music ~ sfuam H I f i ;n help. Slid tor businw. promeetua tourn ~ p -% % to: Box 42,43 CÃˆ>dlamak Row, from y * , ~ + Edinbuiflh EHI 208.Telephone 4th wM R Ã ‡ M 031-226 2612. eppearing in " ~ r e e d o m ~ mn' ~ t "5 THE HOT CLUB at the Edinburgh Bowl of-UyrrKs" @political, Festival, at the Atorin, Abbeymutical comedy. JhÃ MM~~.$I(AÃ !" between nuclear mount, Aug 30-Sapt 5. "If there's the relationih~ ,' no dancing at the Revolution, I'm power and the b p s r a d Politics and the multietional' not mmina." A week of movies. workihon, p*rformÃ§ncebwi&, bonks. and exÃ‡rram the tint with cafÃˆen dancing Â¥vr night. strikepotturn with ktthrwi to Wednmday Sepi 2, Women only, world Alw on tour we Poiton Girls with a support act. ' . with film "Dora" 7pm. lid All procaeds from both tour8 will woman's band "The Mistokos". go to antbuclaar groups. For .'- ?: FARM b6oksby port. SPl~itUl further details and dates lee the midwiflw Â£6.80Co-OperttW Music Pmst. i.< 2'& methodof birthcontrol C3.76S Fawn m w i cook ~ book ANTI-N UCLEAR mÃ§ order A Â£4.36ThIq mion's people Â£2.66 wrvb. Full rÃ§ of Smiling * >. Mind at.play Â£3.76 Shut down Sun M f r t e l l , i d a wide ÃˆlÃ§ (nuclearpower on trial) Â£4.36 'tion of book* on nucbw powtc. . Price* include p&p. Money ordan and AT. Send for free catilogui: to Eire Farm, Lmercolum H o w , SCRAM.30 Frederick St., â‚¬d Bandon. Co. Cork. Eire.

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UNOERCURF$â‚¬N thunlgaine of rad& &&&and published every two months by coqmunity techno1 Undercurrents Ltd,r-ny registered under the laws of 146 454) and limited by guarantee. Tenth year of England1.0 1( isw. ISSN 0306 2392. EDITORIAL OFFICE: 27 Clerkenwell Close, London EC1R OAT. Telf01-263 7303. ACCESS: The Undercurrent! collective meets every Wednesday evening from 7.30pm on to cobble the magazine together, pay the billi, gossip end exchanog amazing ideal, adjourning as early as ooxible to the back bar of the Crown Tavern where wen more amazing idea* m exchanged. These meetings are open to all friends of the magazine. Themagazine is staffed at other times, but not all the time, so 'plena ring (gain if at first you don't succeed

&ITS: Undi?rcurrents47 was put together by (in alphabetical order) Damsmith, HBrbi~eGirardet, Lowana Veal, Nick Hanna, Pet* Bonnici. Sally Bovt*. Simon Woodhead and Stephen Joseph, ~ M p wd ~ encoumgomant h ~ Bill Flatman, D u e Elliott, from wi4> O d d Row, Doug Bollen, Godfrey Boyle. Pete Culshaw, Tam ~ too numerout to mention. A special thanks to D & a ~n and a cut all @mflaw# already contributed to our fund-raising appeal. The c o i r wn drawn and designed by John Ford. Typesetting was by Bread 'n Rows (01-48S4432). Our thanks to the Collectivs at Lame for advice and encouragement, spontaneous contributions,

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Any ten of the back numbers listed below for only Â£3.50

Or, even better, all thirty-two plus a free copy of our new index for onlyÂ£10.50surface mall, worldwide. We regret mat Nos. 1 to 7,9,11,13,19and 20 are completely out of print. Aemspai'e; Crabapple; Biofeedback; Community Technoloey, 12 Lucas Comtek Ti: Alternative Culture (3): Alternative Health Sewice. 14 &Lucas & AT: Jack Mundey; Overwas AT: Hilbide C & p ; Building natural energy Shutter denin; Altanutiw Tuhnolocy in India. e e d s Nuke*?": Biodymmic mdubin~Wind rwntor 15 "Who NremrtInvertordesiffirInaulati(m&iob~Productionformod. -a)i

Save y o u r o w w d ; Computerleyhuntinr, 17th 17 InnarTechnology: century radical science; Dowring Kirtian photokit: Women & AT. 6 t h e Third World: Irrelevant technology; 2nd clean opitaliun; 18 AT Chinese science; Supermacker, Green ban; Hydroponice. Ley line*. squat guide; Dangem of counterculture; Brcudcutiw Rich; 2 1 .Good Nuclear policy; ~mnagefarm: ~ a u r i a t o peace k conversion; DIY print. 22 Atherapy; doctor wr!tes; Ireland; Paranoia power (1); Stonehenfe; Primal Cod war, Fish fanning (1);Ripple revolutionurn; Frw ndio. Nukes & unions;, Fish fanning (2); Wart~aver.Lorem 23 Seahpmk; atoveÃ§Charles Fort; Solarcollector. VHFtraiiÃ§nutt ParÃ‡iioiÃ§Po~w(2 Chicken's lib: Namibian health; Windscale; VHF tniumittor (2); 24 DuncanChmnbeU on the E a v e s d.n.i ~ ~Foreer~ C h w & d d w R Emotional plague, Fmdhom. Compost&c o d a f a Waterpowr 25 ~ m u~r e h e a mOz; communityradio:Punk;Tluibnd;P d w Scbotam. & the Portuguese revolution; The Ruuiani aren't coming; Boat 26 AT repairs; . New Age Access; Orkney crafting:Growingdon,PacmELF. Soft energy: hard politic;; Fast breeders, Twls for anull fuaa, 27 BrooldloustAmpeniandco-op;FiahftnnineTlltShriMll.DIYWood-ovt. Tund; Allantn; Mondragon; AT& the SUM; Cuudim AT; 28 Windncale: BehaviourMod: Bicycle olannini; UrbulwttlJnd:Can Wdeanuk*iC o m a n 6 Energy: Windscale; NewClearEmmy; Femin&tsm@ut 29 Wnukci;Women&Science;Wo~ianthought:AllcÃ§&ATllBn;Ska Windscale; Ecofeminism; Solarcel. AT & the Britiab SUU, Alh 30 Muscle poweredrevolutionarysÃ§imdhiGmaing>ocidi>lK Plri*hpolitlc& Food politics: Factory fanning; Additiv; Wholefood co'ow; Corn31 modity campaigns; Common agriculturalpolicy; P o t a t o ~Gnin ; dÃ‘linc Ecopolltics: British road to l$cotopia;'Lunc; Nuba & th* uniqm; 32 Workers' plans; UKAEA; DIY VHF UwumitUr, S- MImx. (2);

Garden citieh; L'rhan wasteland; National Shetland; 33 Planning; Country life; WWOOFing. ATworkshop;Energyoptioaa&Ã§mploymÃ§i park*;

36 37 38 39

Comtok 79: Wave power, Teamwork Training True C a m p a h for the North: DIY Wimdstove defim: Decentralisini AT: Greentown. Children 6 t h o Environment: Future perfect: City jungle% Alice; Flyshe& cdmp*i.Ma Gaia, Community achmls & Ã‘rvice Free acboolk, Third world energy: F A 0 food conference; Street fightin' nun; DIY biogas; cnmpnst; Ecotopoly;Environmentaleducation;KuenSiUmood. Antl-nuciearCotitpaign: Denmark SeahmoGue"11*tacti0*'Tba Englihh F.arthquake;TheRunniansandNicolaTe~AnimalaorEthlei. Communas: <'n--ipentivework,Furground;Chriituuua;C~a ft anarchism: i'mce's polemic; US Windpowerlnc.; Scuidimv+~AT.

4 1 Orgasmic C0-0peratorS Fair: s u m Winds change-. Working collectively: labour Macho nations: Capitalismand Co-ops Delta-T:Co-oplit P r o l ~ p l a : Convivial computing: Manifesto for the 80s EN& 42 Kyshtync NATTA; Tcsli Darricus windmill design. Pirate Radio. of

h b s into windmills; Atoms for peace, Land reform - no thanks; Life without T.V.: E3.T.; Propertarians.

Greentown;

radio d

Media SPÃ‡CIÃ‡ hkwhiine,4th world; Arts council;

Open n interview M T u f f C m u n hfY.

ZIMBABWE 1

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Two bullderft o~archlteciawith building experiencearÃr ~ ~ d e d to teach and upervim at two returned-refufleexhools In rural Zimbabwe. The tchools enwurwa practical and vocational training IE pan of their inching and as part of their conaruaiion of dwprateiv-neededaccommodation. PwplBtra needud with skills In teaching e l e m t u v building theory (pion k i t ~ e t a t k t n stock-keeping) , and comtrufction practim (%impie brick Â¥nconcrete work and roofing).

TERM& Two war contract); return fare to the U. K.; equipment mllowaoa befofn tesving; rnld-tam grant and m rsmttienmnl gram on t m i m t l o n of contract; medical insurance; tonguaw OTn iwH -tiat% orientation: a baak 1~IarvIs w i d which

for recruitment particularly In the anasof hearth, *lcu(tufÃˆ non-formal education and c o m m ~ ~ ~ w l production of materials b.9. tape/dklktt,pBnr>phlt<) Informationgained from pW~@+iovrÃ‘ ?ha involve building up and maintalnlme (Mworkof conttctitr> tha i c c l B l M t b n i In which GiIR wWk*OÃ§Ã‘Ã

l l ~ l w

exparie& in the ~ h i r dWorld experience of reining to community groups, tride ufiion*Â¥fl pressure groups ftxperience in administration and office procedum ability to write clearly and a m t i w l v experience inproduction of visual and written nrtarieit ffthtg Â£648plu* criild atlomncu For furthw dMiW aontui: C I I R 1 CJinhridaT-rxf. Landan. NWl.a

IVS is looking for people who: Have a vision of a world-wide community based on justice, equality and co-operation. Want genuinely to assist those disadvantaged by international competitive and exoloftative structures, and * Have useful skills, training and experience to utilize and pass on.

Volunteer vacancies in Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland exist for:

PLUMBEWHANDY MAN'' with plumbingexperiencetor small-scale domestic supply in Swaziland,

INSTRUCTORSin BUILDING

idMOTOR MECHANICS/BODY REPAIRS to teach South African Refugees in Swaziland.

ENGINEERS

for design and construction of footbridges, school Â¥sanitatioscheme and for labour-intensiveroad building and repair in Lesotho. .;

Ã£ L

AQRICULTURALIST/HORTICULTURALIST to work with handicapped in Swaziland. -Jl

FOOD for an

accident can only be avertedby

beingfore-warned. Butwanting Uuca~$~ 'oiWal' channe&may come too late, andwe must take action to protect+ulves. The best means of individual protectionis the pocket dosimeter which can be experienced it for yourself. a complete Bio Feedback package including the Monitor,Skin pads, ~ ~ ~ ~ h k d t o r p and h ofull~immctionsforonIy~~3.95. l c , Free detailswUbe

supplied on request.

THEmNoGEN

manufacturersfor a little over jÂ£2(and worth every penny of

it butwe have taken step to o tain supplies of these instruments at a substantially

reducedprice, i.e. Â£12.9each. There are only a few available,

so please let us know at once if youwouldlike one. We haveall data on how to use them, and technicaldetails too.

View

uk.An ioniserfor

~ro~ical-fowim, (fee world's d&t habitat, are under tfartatiof virtual iHubSation

make lil-ciicqwpayableto

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