“This is a great honor for all of those who worked on the film,”
said producer Joe DiGangi. “More important than the film’s
accolades is the recognition by audiences of the tremendous threat
persistent organic pollutants or POPs are having on Native
Americans across the country.”
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are chemicals such as
dioxin and PCBs that are highly toxic in very small quantities and
remain in the environment for long periods of time. POPs are
released into the environment through the production and
incineration of chlorine-based chemicals. Food is the most common
route of exposure.
As illustrated in the film, POPs have become a silent plague on
Native American communities whose lands and waters have become
contaminated by these chemicals. Both industry and the U.S.
government have failed to eliminate these poisons–a real threat to
the traditions, diets and livelihoods of Native Americans.
Drumbeat’s recognition comes just two weeks before U.S.
negotiators are set to travel to Bonn, Germany for another round of
United Nations-sponsored talks to eliminate the production and use
of POPs. The ability of POPs to travel long distances across
national boundaries has resulted in the need for international
cooperation.
In response to the growing concern of Indigenous Peoples, the
German government is planning a reception welcoming Native
Americans including Jackie Warledo, Greenpeace campaigner and
Seminole Nation member, and Tom Goldtooth, Navajo Nation member and
coordinator of the Indigenous Environmental Network.
Still, the battle to ban these substances appears to be a war
waged on our own soil. While the European Union (EU) and other
nations around the world have demonstrated their commitment to
eliminating POPs, the U.S. is not yet on board.
In a leaked memo to the EU, the U.S. threatened to block
negotiations if the Europeans would not join forces with the U.S.
to weaken the treaty. The U.S. wants to delete the goal of
elimination of POPs from the treaty text, in favor of management of
POPs.
Greenpeace campaigners from every continent will travel to Bonn,
Germany during the week of March 20 to participate in the treaty
negotiations as non-governmental organization observers.
