31 See The World : Displaced【31看世界 : 流離】

31 See The World : Displaced【31看世界 : 流離】

2020.12.16 流離︰逃出委內瑞拉 Displaced - Venezuela委內瑞拉正經歷前所未見的人道危機，規模僅次於敍利亞，是全球第二大的難民危機。飢餓成為委內瑞拉的普遍現象，藥物亦嚴重短缺。聯合國估計，現時已有超過四百萬人逃離這個曾經富甲南美洲的國家。但有別於身陷內戰的敍利亞，委內瑞拉坐擁世界上最多的石油儲備。一個富裕國家為何人民餓得奄奄一息？財富都到了哪裡？貪腐、去工業化、債務、政治衝突、威權主義及貧窮成為委內瑞拉的新秩序，引發國民紛紛逃亡到世界各地。

Venezuela is experiencing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and it is now the world’s second largest refugee crisis after Syria. Hunger is widespread and there is a severe shortage of medicines. The UN estimates that more than four million people have now fled what was once South America’s richest nation.  But unlike Syria, Venezuela is not mired in civil war, and the country is sitting on the world’s largest proven oil reserves. How could such a rich nation be driven into ruin? Where has the country’s wealth gone, and why are its people starving? Corruption, deindustrialization, debt, political conflict, authoritarianism and poverty are the order in Venezuela today, driving displacement worldwide.

2020.12.23 流離︰逃出加納 Displaced - Ghana番茄和大規模移民有何關係？這種農作物是國際貿易政策的談判籌碼，在歐盟國家、中國及其他大國，生產番茄可獲補貼，遂以低價傾銷至非洲等地，當地農產品難以競爭。日漸絕望的農民唯有另覓生計，甚至遠赴歐洲打工。番茄曾經是加納的「紅色黃金」，如今卻已無人問津，連帶周邊地區市場萎縮，農業顧問也無法提供有效援助。但即使出走到意大利等國，迎接加納農民工的就只有惡劣的工作環境，只得在種植場裏絕望地生存。

What do tomatoes have to do with mass migration? Tomatoes are a poker chip in global trade policies. Subsidized products from the EU, China and elsewhere are sold at dumping prices, destroying markets and livelihoods in Africa in the process. Desperate farmers find themselves having to seek work elsewhere, including in Europe. In the surrounding region, the market for tomatoes has collapsed and most farmers are no longer growing what could easily be Ghana’s ‘red gold’. An agricultural advisor is trying to help local tomato farmers, but has little by way of hope to offer. Conditions like this are what drive local farmers to cut their losses and head for Europe. Once in Italy, migrants from Ghana and other African countries are forced to live in desperate conditions near the plantations.

2020.12.30 流離︰逃出氣候變化 Displaced︰Drought And Floods - The Climate Exodus「氣候難民」人數正逐步上升，但這個稱呼尚未被國際或任何法律正式認可。氣候變化所帶來的劇變，當中以「水」最能夠具象呈現。近年洪水和乾旱次數都各有上升趨勢，海平面上升亦影響約七百萬沿海地區人口。在菲律賓，超過八成五人口表示，感受到水浸和猛烈颱風越加頻密。而另一邊廂，危地馬拉高地的農夫則深受乾旱之苦。過多抑或過少的水，都引發大規模人類遷徙。

The number of climate refugees is rising - and yet the status of ‘climate refugee’ has yet to be officially recognized by national or international law. One factor is illustrative of the devastating impact of climate change on countries and communities: water. Recent years have seen an increasing number of floods and droughts. A third of the global population lives near the coast, and an estimated 700 million people are facing rising sea levels. In the Philippines more than 85 percent of the population say they are feeling the impact of climate change in the rising frequency of flooding and violent typhoons. Farmers in the highlands of Guatemala, on the other hand, are suffering extreme drought. Both water scarcity and flooding are sparking mass migration.