Latin America & the Caribbean the facts

New Internationalist, May, 2003

Liberation may be on its way - but there's a long was to go.

Environment

New movements are tacking common environmental issues in Latin America - they have a lot do. (4)

* Between 1972 and 2000 the urban population rose from 58.9% to 75.3% of the total.

* Air pollution affects more 80 million people in the region and is the main cause of 2.3 million annual cases of respiratory disease in children.

* The region has more than 30% of the world's total renewable water resources. But in 1999 than 30% of the population had no easy access to it.

* The region has more than 30% of the world's forest area containing 160 million cubic merit of wood - a third of the world total.

* The rate of deforestation is the highest in the world; of the 418 million hectares of natural forest lost during the past 30 years, 190 million were in Latin America.

Latin America and the Caribbean: change in forest area 1990-2000 (million hectares)

Total land area 2,017.8

Total land forested in 1,011.0

Loss of forested land 1990-2000 46.7 million hectares.

* Latin America has 7 odd's 25 biologically richest ecoregions, containing between them 46,000 plant, 1,597 amphibian, 1,208 rep 1,267 bird and 575 mammal species.

* As a result of habitation 31 of the 178 ecoregions are in a critical state, 51 are fingered and 55 are vulnerable.

* Soil erosion affected of the land in South America and 26% in Central America. By 1980, nutrient decision had affected 68.2 million hectares. Between 1972 and 1997 the use of chemistry increased from 3.7 to 10.9 million tonnes.

Poverty

No progress has been made since the 19805 in reducing either the absolute or relative numbers of destitute people in Latin America.

People living on less than $1 a day. (1)

      People (millions)  Share of population (%)

1987        63.7                  15.3
1998        78.2                  15.6

Inequality

There are growing inequalities of material wealth between Latin Americans. Figures are scarce and not available for all countries in the same year. Those there are suggest that Paraguay now outstrips Brazil - which held the title for a long time - as the most unequal country in Latin America, and probably the world. The richest 10% of the Paraguayan population consumes 121.4 times as much as the poorest 10% - in Norway it's only 5.3 times as much.

Income of richest 10% as a multiple of poorest 10%.

Selected countries, latest available years. (2)

[GRAPH OMITTED]

Human development

Every year the UN Development Programme ranks countries across a broad range of indicators - including health and education - and compiles a 'Human Development Index'.

* The latest Index, for the year 2000, shows Norway highest with a score of 0.942. Sierra Leone lowest with a score of 0.275.

* On average, Latin America and the Caribbean scored 0.767 - as an individual country this would have placed it roughly in the middle of the 173 countries analyzed, on a par with Thailand (0.762) and Venezuela (0.772).

This is how the average for Latin America and the Caribbean compares
with the average for 'High Human Development' countries. (2)

                                         Latin America &
                                     Caribbean Countries

Life expectancy at birth                        70 years
Under-5 mortality rate (per 1,000)                    37
Income (GDP)per capital)
($ Purchasing power pay)                           7,234
Electricity consumption per capita
(kilowatt-hours 1999)                              1,450
Carbon dioxide emissions per capita
(metric tons 1998)                                     3
Female economic activity rate as
 if male rate                                         51

Note: Table made from bar graph

Human rights

The worst years of military despotism in Latin America may have ended, but beneath the surface of liberal democracy' the systematic abuse of human rights continues. (3)

In the year 2001

* Torture and ill-treatment were reported in at least 20 Latin American countries, including Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guyana, Jamaica, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela.

* In Colombia over 300 people 'disappeared', more than 4,000 civilians were killed outside combat - the majority by army-backed paramilitaries - large numbers of people were displaced and over 1,700 people were kidnapped, mainly by guerrilla groups. Over 100 trade unionists and 10 journalists were killed.

* In Argentina dozens of police killings were reported and over 30 people were killed during demonstrations at the end of the year.

* In Brazil some 481 police killings were reported in Sao Paulo state alone.

* In Peru approximately 200 people unjustly convicted of 'terrorism' charges were still in prison.

More people, more trade - more debt

During the past decade foreign trade has increased a lot faster than population. The theoretical benefits to the people have, however, never materialized. Foreign debts have also risen faster than population. but most of the cash went into the pockets of a wealthy elite. The people of Latin America are now expected to repay them. In effect, the continent has been plundered of its resources simply to enrich a few -- and 'service' mounting foreign debts.