15 



wildlife per se, they are issues of people. They are issues of work- 

 ing with people. 



And, finally, although we focus in the field, it is critical that 

 there be a policy environment that supports community 

 empowerment. Fundamental to all we do is a civil society that tol- 

 erates non-governmental organizations; that allows communities to 

 make decisions about their future; that gives them control over re- 

 sources. 



So the division between democracy and environment, I think, in- 

 creasingly is an artificial distinction. It is a mistake to think of en- 

 vironment as a sort of separate category. There is a spectrum of 

 concerns that fiow from one of these programs to the other. 



Thank you. 



[The prepared statement of Mr. Wright appears in the appendix.] 



Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you so much, Mr. Wright. 



Mr. Mills. 



Mr. Mills. Thank you. 



STATEMENT OF MR. STEPHEN MILLS, HUMAN RIGHTS AND 

 ENVIRONMENTAL CAMPAIGN DIRECTOR, SIERRA CLUB 



Mr. Mills. Grood afternoon. My name is Stephen Mills and I am 

 the Human Rights and Environment Campaign Director for the Si- 

 erra Club. I appreciate the opportunity to be here today. 



I will concentrate my remarks today on West Africa; primarily on 

 Nigeria and the campaign the Sierra Club currently has there. I 

 will summarize my testimony but ask that the whole text be sub- 

 mitted for the record. 



Ms. Ros-Lehtenen. We would be glad to. 



Mr. Mills. This afternoon I would like to discuss, in part, the 

 role that the multinational oil company. Shell, has played in Nige- 

 ria and the collusive relationship with the brutal military dictator- 

 ship. I believe that this case provides a good example of the chal- 

 lenges faced by Africans across the Continent as they strive to de- 

 velop and manage their natural resources. It is also a story of a 

 heinous double standard utilized by one of the world's most recog- 

 nized multinational corporations. The Sierra Club aims to hold 

 Shell up as an example of how development should not occur in Af- 

 rica. I will close with some recommendations for preventing future 

 Nigerian tragedies. 



Madam Chairman, in February 1994, in an Atlantic Monthly ar- 

 ticle entitled, 'The Coming Anarchy," Robert Kaplan wrote, 'The 

 cities of West Africa at night are some of the unsafest places in the 

 world." He wrote that, 'West Africa is becoming the symbol of 

 worldwide geographic, demographic, environmental and societal 

 stress in which criminal anarchy emerges as the real strategic dan- 

 ger." The intention of his article was to stimulate readers to under- 

 stand the environment for what it really is, the national security 

 issue of the early 21st century. 



'The political and strategic impact of surging populations spread- 

 ing disease, deforestation and soil erosion, water pollution, air pol- 

 lution and rising sea levels in critical overcrowded regions," he 

 said, "will be the core foreign policy challenge from which most oth- 

 ers will ultimately emanate." Kaplan said that, 'To mention the en- 

 vironment or diminishing national resources in foreign policy cir- 



