The Bolivarian Developmente Model in Venezuela: Its Enviromental and Social Impacts by the Society of Friends in Defense of the Gran Sabana - Sociedad de Amigos en Defensa de la Gran Sabana AMIGRANSA [ALTERFORO (bilingual bulletin of the Alternative Social Forum - Foro Social Alternativo FSA, Caracas, January 2006] The Bolivarian model of development that is being implemented in Venezuela makes the goal of“another world is possible”, that the people of the world are fighting for, unattainable. This model not only maintains the old paradigm of past governments, but also deepens the neo-liberal capitalist development model based on the over-exploitation of the natural resources, where the environment is totally subordinated and the protagonist participation of the communities and social movements is unappreciated. The social and environmental impacts of the Bolivarian model is putting in danger the future of the country and its sovereignty, its food security, and the quality of lifeof all Venezuelans. This model has brought the irreversible destruction of the natural resources of the country with the consequential loss of biodiversity, the increase in the national debt, the association with multinational corporations with known anti-environmental histories and routine violations of human rights. Indeed an endless list of contradictions that ends instagnating an authentic process of transformation that aims to eradicate poverty and guarantees the political, economic and environmental sovereignty of our country. These contradictions become apparent in the President’s discourse, and that of other high level governmental officials, when they warn us of climate change and then sign the Kyoto Protocol, but at the same time advance a mega energy plan called “Harvesting Oil for Integration and Life” that aims to convert Venezuela into the biggest energy supplier of the world. All of this will be done through the exploitation of oil and gas on a massive scale with the construction of a complex web of gas-ducts and pipelines, ports and refineries, and additionally expanding the exploitation of coal in indigenous territories of the Sierra de Perijá. The exploitation of lumber, gold and diamonds, at the expense of the native tropical forest of the Imataca Forest Reserve and other natural reserves, is creating, again, new social and ecological debts. Another example of these contradictions is the Return to the Land-Vuelta al Conuco program, that promotes agro-ecology and the prohibition of trans-genetic crops or GMOs (genetically modified organisms) —but at the same time stimulates the planting of large mono-culture plantations, such as pines trees and African palm, promotes the importation of trans-genetic soy,allows the use of toxic agro-chemicals, and advances the construction of petrochemical plants for the fabrication of synthetic fertilizers. Also, the official discourse proclaims social equality, yet the Chavez government is creating a new oligarchy and more social exclusion by disallowing grassroots participation within the planning of the development model, and by not maintaining social and environmental over-sites and auditing that would discourage the growing corruption, and misuse of the immense economic resources and the new un-payable ecological debt. Furthermore, in the process of integration of LatinA merica, a similar drama occurs as a consequence of the exportation of the Bolivarian development model to other neighboring countries and from the promotion and execution of projects designed within the South American Regional Infrastructure Integration Initiative (IIRSA). This continental-wide project financed by the Andean Corporation Fund(CAF) —one of the largest recipients of financial support from the International Monetary Fund and other IFIs (International Financial Institutions)— is better understood as a counterpart to the F.T.A.A.,and of which Venezuela has been sadly a pioneer by implementing the very controversial project of the Electrical Web to Brazil- El Tendido Electrico hacia Brasil. This bi-national mega energy project went through despite the opposition of the indigenous communities in the region, environmentalist, and the geopolitical, scientific, ecological, and social arguments against it. The Gran Sabana, Canaima National Park, and Pemón indigenous territories were severely affected by this project. Also with the recently agreed upon Chávez-Lula-Kirchner Project, a mega natural-gas pipeline that will span 12.000 kilometers, extending its destruction all the way from Venezuela to Argentina,passing through Brazil and Uruguay, irreversibly harming the fragile ecosystems of the Venezuelan Guayana and the Amazonian headwaters. The IIRSA projects are an attack on the integrity of the remaining natural resources of the continent, and puts at risk the sovereignty of the communities and borders of Venezuela and those of other South American countries. In some cases, IIRSA could also cause the transformation of the geography of these countries, like in the case of the proposed interconnection of the rivers Orinoco, Negro, Amazon, and La Plata, devastating unique natural areas such as the Brazo Casiquiare in the Venezuelan Amazon, that connects the Orinoco and Negro rivers.The Latin American Union, promoted by the Venezuelan Bolivarian process pretends to be aregional integrator, but in practice ends in being a neo-colonizing system, by using the economic and energy resource potential of Venezuela to convert itself into the new premier lender and investor country Latin American. The implementation of this mistaken, un-consulted, and anti-ecological Bolivarian model of developmenthas permitted violations in the enforcement of environmental regulations which is contrary to the model of the Democratic, Social, and Just State established in the constitution of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in 1999. These violations have grave consequences such as the major contamination of water, and irreversible environmental degradation and loss in the quality of life, among other things, which carries with it economic losses and an increase in the deterioration of health which could prevent from establishing a harmonious environmental model of development, that assures per se, the health and quality of life of the population. From the North to the South and from the East to the West, Venezuela is threatened more than everthrough this model of development of over-exploitation executed through predatory project sthat defy any logic. The open veins of Venezuela are more visible today than ever in The New Petroleum, Gas, and Mining policy (la Nueva Apertura Petrolera,Gasifera y Minera) and made concrete by the issuing of licenses for 35 years with the option of renewing for 30 more to trans-national companies for the exploration and exploitation of these resources. This is the case of the exploration and exploitation of off-shore natural gas in the Plataforma Deltana, with a its calculated platform area of 27,000 Km_ and 55,000Km_ of front perimeter under the administration of the following corporations; Chevron Texaco (United States) Blocks 2 and 3, Conoco Phillips (United States) Block 2, and Statoil (Norway) Block 4, among others. The Mariscal Sucre natural gas project with Mitsubishi and Shell; the Rafael Urdaneta natural gas project with 30,000 Km_ given in its first phase to the Russian Gazprom and the North American Chevron Texaco; and the exploitation of heavy crude in the Orinoco Oil Belt with an area of 55,324 Km_ where as of this moment Gazprom and Lukoil(Russia), Petrobras (Brazil), Petropars (Iran), Repsol YPF (Spain), China Petroleum, and The Ongc (India) are the corporations that stand out the most. All of this adds to the proliferation of gas ducts and refineries, the construction of the Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho Industrial Complex (CIGMA) in the peninsula of Paria, and the anti-environmental exploitation of coal in the Sierra de Perijá in the state of Zulia, which includes protected habitat and indigenous territories of the Wayúu, Yukpa and Bari. Along with the existing impact of the petroleum and mineral exploitation model of the fourth republic are now compounded by the loss of the marine biodiversity in Lake Maracaibo caused by the contamination provoked by the mega-exploitation of petroleum and the continuous oil spills and leaks from thousands of kilometers of pipes in its lakebed; the sinking or collapsing of the eastern zone of Lake Maracaibo; the thousands of open-air petroleum waste pits disseminated through out the entire country, contaminating the ground, the subsoil and the underground water supplies; the mercury contamination and environmental impacts on the headwaters of the Caroni and Imataca rivers; the impacts on the environment and communities’health from the exploitation of coal in Zulia which adds new social and environmental impacts through the continuation and expansion of this development model. These factors become evident in: the migration of the indigenous communities into cities where they are reduced to a condition of begging, as is the case of the Warao of the Orinoco Delta; the loss of cultural identity in populations near the exploited oil by the strong presence of the foreign workers like the case of Anaco or in the Orinoco Delta; the destruction of forest and sources of water such as in the Forest Reserve of Imataca; the elimination or distortion of local economies like the fisherman of the Gulf of Paria and Lake Maracaibo; as in the case of mercury contamination in the headwaters of the Caroni river as a result of the exploitation of gold; the contamination of aquifers and underground waters in the Orinoco Oil Belt; the contamination of agriculture lands, the destruction of marine, terrestrial and bird life from off-shore gas exploitation; the exhaust of burnt gases and release of CO2 that provokes global warming which also contributes to the rise in ocean levels; the formation of powerful hurricanes like Katrina; and the increase of factors that cause diseases. Before this dramatic panorama associated with this model of development of over-exploitation of natural resources, the logical and wise would promote in Venezuela an open, participatory and grassroots discussion with the communities and social movements. This discussion would be marked by principles of respect for nature and human kind,permitting the construction of a development model that eliminates poverty, maintains healthy ecosystems, contributes to the reduction of climate changes, and offers food security and sovereignty. In the world today any government that does not seriously assume an ecological platform cannot call itself revolutionary. In these times the ecological revolution is essential to surpass the oppression of ecosystems and populations that the dominant paradigm of development has meant. This is crucial for the salvation of the world.