As the whale hunting season in the Southern Oceans come to an end, Militant activist Paul Watson declares it the most successful anti-whale campaign ever. He estimates that activities have reduced to kill count by at least half, or totalling some 70 - 80 million US dollars.

“Our objective always is to bankrupt them, to sink them economically and I think if we keep this kind of pressure on we will succeed in doing that. The only reason they’re continuing is I think out of sheer stubbornness.” says Paut Watson, speaking to AFP.

Meantime the diplomatic row between Australia and Japan continues, PM Kevin Rudd has issued a formal statement of taking Japan to court by the end of this year if they fail to resolve the issue diplomatically, which means no less than the reduction of whale kills in the Southern Ocean to zero, within a “reasonable” time frame.

It would be a Pyrrhic victory for Japan even if they won a case over the legal text of being able to conduct “lethal research”. Since this will “regrettably” sour relations between Japan and most of the international community. Japan is Australia’s top export market, with sales worth 55 billion Australian dollars (49 billion US) in the 12 months to June 2009, and is also Australia’s third-largest source of imports.

The diplomatic solution is still important because, because the bankruptcy and failure of the whaling industry will affect real livelihoods. There has yet however, been any real solutions put forwards which can amicably resolve the matter. Japan cannot be expected to give in purely from the involvement of a more active conservation group.

From another scientific news source across the globe in Portland, Dr. Andrew Persing, a biological oceanographer at the University of Maine in Orono, presented his research on the Industrial Carbon Footprint of the Whaling Industry at the American Geophysical Union’s Ocean Sciences meeting.

Dr. Persing descrbies whales are like the forests of the marine ecosystem, they soak up millions of metric tons of CO2 in their lifetime, and when they die, sink and gets sequestered to the bottom of the ocean. Industrial whaling equates to about 385 million metric tons of CO2 put into the atmosphere, or the destruction 130,000 square kilometers of temperate forests.

Trying to relate the two news stories together, perhaps there lies a resolution for the whaling industry to convert hunting whales into whale conservation for carbon credits and tourism.

A third news regarding the tragedy of Ms. Dawn Brancheau, a Sea World trainer for killer whales. Killer whales by the way, are not part of the whale species but Orca, a family of dolphins. As unfortunate as the accident does sound, it should remind us constantly that one should never get comfortable with dangerous animals, they already show reserve in a human environment, but are best left alone in their own.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8538033.stm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_surfacing_behaviour
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/26/AR2010022603336_2.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Annual whale slaughter since 1986

Jan 6th 2010,

The crash collision of the Sea Shepard Conservation Society’s 18 tonne, 2 million dollar Catamaran the Ady Gil with the ICR’s (Institute of Cetacean Research) Whaling Vessel 491 tonne, Shonen Maru 2 may well mark a new chapter in the battle for the whales and the even larger war of illegal unsustainable fishing vs the growing movement of civilians willing to take the war for the ocean into their own hands.

Both parties have accused each other of deliberately causing the collision. Video from the Sea Shepard shows the Shonen Maru 2 veering sharply towards the Ady Gil before attempting to steer away just moments before impact, while video from the Shonen Maru 2 shows the Ady Gil deliberately propelling itself forwards to intersect the incoming vessel. This is no accident but a game of naval ‘chicken’ that will escalate the controversial subject of whaling in the Southern Ocean vs the apparent vigilantism of the Sea Shepard Conservation Society.

Despite the international moratorium on whaling by the IWC (International Whaling Commission) since 1986, the ICR (funded by the Japanese Government and Kyodo Senpaku, a for-profit whale fishery) continues a yearly harvest of some 900+ Minke whales during the winter season. ICR claims lethal sampling of the whales is absolutely necessary for gathering scientific data and that it receives its special permit from the Japanese government to do so. The Japanese claims the death of the whales are done as ‘humanely’ as possible with exploding harpoons to ensure instantaneous death and that none of the sampled whales will go to waste, as they are processed onboard the whaling fleet’s factory ship. The estimated Japanese market for processed whale products exceeds over $60 million per annum and since the moratorium, the Japanese and other whaling countries believe some whale stocks have recovered enough to warrant a sustainable harvest. The case for the science is tainted by the fact that ICR receives its funding from a corporation that economically benefits from the harvest and the reduction of red tape on the subject of whaling.

The incident highlights the lethargic nature of governments to resolve the issue of whaling through civil action. In particular the current Australian government, who made an election promise in 2007, to  resolve the issue of prohibiting whaling in the boundaries of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary under the Australian EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone).

Until governments stand firm on a clear ground regarding the nature, the need and taking the responsibilities for the action and regulation of whaling activities. It is clear that the economic livelihoods of the ICR staff and those who gains from the harvest of whales will run contrary to environmental activists and citizens who see no need to wait on politicians or listen to the pundits call for ‘civility’ to reduce the tally of dead whales.

But the real issue at stake is the rapidly depleting fish stocks worldwide and the rampant and illegal fishing of sharks. This elephant, or in this case, the whale in room really needs to be resolved because whales generate so much public interest and crossing the threshold of this legal battle of what to do with the whales can really bring the fight and focus for sustainable fishing to a whole new level.

Its easy to see why the fishing industry is bullish on Tuna farming. Imagine the prospects of farming this exquisitely revered fruits de mer. One can easily expand the demand for this exquisite culinary fish without compromising on what is already a difficult and collapsing wild population stock, if the method could be perfected. Research after a recent article about break-through progress as written on Times Magazine as an highly important innovation of 2009 maybe at this point, rather panglossian.

The idea of Tuna Aquaculture is not new. Like chickens or any commonly available livestock for meat, its is the semblance of the progression of  hunter-gatherer methods towards an industrial farming method. However, it is because farming tuna is not so much like rearing chicken and more akin to taming bisons for meat that has, till this day made Tuna farming still more elusive commercial practice unlike other species like Salmon and Cod. That while a tuna, may need as long as 12 years to reach sexual maturity, that they are voracious eaters, require plenty of space and still wild in relation to human civilization has not deterred the most dedicated of breeders, notably the Kinki University of Japan, CleanSeas Tuna Ltd Australia and Hawaii Ocean Technology.

Previous Tuna farming, cannot be considered as true aquaculture because its not a closed cycle in which Tunas were bred and grown from brood stocks, rather Fisherman herded wild Tuna into pens and fed them an artificial diet to rapidly increase their size and fat content. This has lead to an even greater demand of wild Tuna and have brought Mediterranean stocks of wild bluefin Tuna dangerously to the brink of collapse, this was highlighted 7 years ago in a 2002 - European WWF report.

Today, these companies are testing methods to increase the percentage of successful Tuna breeding to new heights by re-applying previous methods of growing stock as land based animals, such as spearing timed hormone injections to artificially boost sexual maturity and the development of more cost-effective feeding solutions. Feed made less of raw fish material, which are mainly made out of fishing out smaller fish species on which poor developed nations require and more out of vegetable material, such as soy beans, gluten and wheat.

That however, against the backdrop of a demanding new market of this profitable status rendering food item is merely inheriting the same problems that the chicken and bovine industry is going through. Namely land and coastal pollution through the negligent discharge of sewage and fecal matter and the increasing strain on agricultural land, fresh water and fossil fuels to supply the demand for luxury seafood.

An article on the Japanese Daily Yomiuri closes with a caution and advise to eat less ‘toro’, the prized fatty cut. “To keep enjoying ‘toro,’ we must exercise self-control,” it said.

The Cap and Trade scheme is based on the rhetoric that we should ‘put a price on carbon’ and that governments do their duty of reducing the allotted permits given to industries towards a goal of reducing emissions to a theoretical sustainable limit of 350ppm. That polluters will innovate to reduce their emissions through a vast global trading scheme that allows polluters who cannot meet their caps purchase it through innovators and to pay off developing nations to ‘mitigate’ and ‘adapt’ to climate change.

It’s a scheme that, while making regulatory sense, is filled with loopholes that allows many industrials lobbyists and financiers to manoeuvre their existing corporations without vastly restructuring their business model. After all, paying off others is just another Business As Usual model.

The UN has the proposed CDM, while several other organizations have proposed various standards for carbon trading, such as the CER, VER, CCX, WWF gold standard. While the value of such markets can be an incentives for many companies to find ways to reduce carbon emissions and generate credits, and that developing nations may benefit,  there is little certainty that ‘polluter pays’ principles will be carry fully to the hilt of the law, especially among the most those with political clout. Meanwhile, all sorts of ponzi schemes will certainly pass through without being scrutinized, or slip by through creative technicality.

Far from the mere promise of acting diligently, let us recall the lack of action since the Kyoto Protocol and the current dithering at the COP15. we call on world leaders not only to act firmly upon the rule of environmental law, but also offer stronger incentives to spur genuine sustainable efforts.

Annie Leonard has managed to present the situation in an engaging manner, watch The Story of Cap N Trade

Today on RT news, from the University of Western Australia, Professor Cliff Olier of the School of Earth and Geographical sciences, represented a part of the scientific community that counters much of the ‘alarmists’ claims about climate change. In particular, rising sea levels due to ice cape and glacial melt. The professor has made himself known as an opposing voice against this theory since the 80s.

Then while it may be reportable news for us, spotting a 100 ice bergs near the waters of New Zealand and Australia may after all, not constitute as climate change related news, perhaps we are simply awed by mother nature cyclical work. If you’re driven by facts and like to challenge your opinions, perhaps you should pay heed to contradictory science made available at the COP15, the next 2 days (Dec 9, Dec 10th).

Personally, I wouldn’t debunk the accumulated facts or sentiments of the times. We do not need scientist further to explain to us the visible fact that man consumes and pollutes the environment all around him, that we’ve managed since the age of industralization to practically cover the globe, and we have always tightly contested for resources. That the formation of oil requires thousands of years and we go through that stuff at an irreplaceable rate. I could go on for many more examples of man ruining rather than respecting his environment, for me there is no doubt about the industrious amounts of CO2 we put into the atmosphere through decades of civilization, but whether man-made CO2 pumping the earth’s temperature up by 2C will cause a catastrophic change to the planet in the near future is a science you’ll have to weigh in.

While the world watches and waits for their leaders deal their way towards a working agreement on the future of the environment. Denmark has the opportunity to present the history and development of its own achievements in the fields of clean tech and environmental stewardship.

Denmark has always came across to me as a modern civilized society who by and large, has a profound respect of nature and understand the complexities of our relationship towards it. According to polls, Danes live in one of the top ten happiest places in the world. This is the same place that has one of the best cycling infrastructure, social service and of course, cleanest air.

So how does Denmark govern its Marine environmental protection? An online search reveals the existence of The Helsinski Commission. Which governs the national geographical boundaries of the Baltic Sea region.  A most impressive organization.

Take note of some of its highlighted achievements over 30 years.

• Lower discharges of organic pollutants and nutrients from point-sources.
• A 20-25% overall reduction in the emissions of oxygen-consuming substances (BOD) from the 132 originally identified hot spots since the early 1990s, with about 50 hot spots deleted from the list.
• Fewer beaches closed for bathing, thanks to improvements in the treatment of industrial and municipal wastewater.
• Significant reductions in atmospheric nitrogen deposition.
• Dramatic reductions in emissions of organo-halogen compounds such as toxic dioxins and furans.
• National regulations banning hazardous substances like PCB and DDT.
• Stricter controls on industry (permits are now compulsory for industrial emissions).
• Improved joint monitoring of the state of the marine environment.
• The recovery of seal and white-tailed eagle populations.
• Better special legislation to prevent the pollution of the Baltic Sea by shipping, developed together with the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
• Measures to eliminate all illegal discharges by ships into the Baltic Sea.
• A major international plan to combat marine pollution, with active co-operation involving all the Contracting Parties through HELCOM.

Where will China’s  marine environment be in 30 years? With its current the scale of pollution so much higher and its socio/political will much to be accounted for. Will Chinese citizens take up the mantle beyond a NIMBY protest of incinerators? Now that President Obama has signaled his intention to visit the Copenhagen when the summit’s end draws near, will the Chinese not pledge more than ‘a notable margin’?

Five NGO’s were invited by the American Chamber of Commerce to present their programs and how staff can be involved in the programs as volunteers. Marinedream has 2 staff programs:

1. Beach Cleanups; To protect our rivers and oceans from pollutants we organize every year a beach cleanup. Companies can join these cleanups for RMB 75 per person. For each person that attends the beach cleanup; a student volunteers will join.

2. Climate Change ambassadors: Initiatives by employees to reduce their carbon footprint in the office are awarded by the company to offset the same amount by planting real trees in Inner Mongolia.

In total 40 different companies attended this meeting.

SYDNEY - MORE than 100, and possibly hundreds, of Antarctic icebergs are floating towards New Zealand in a rare event which has prompted a shipping warning, officials said on Monday.

An Australian Antarctic Division glaciologist said the ice chunks, spotted by satellite photography, had passed the Auckland Islands and were heading towards the main South Island, about 450 kilometres northeast.

Scientist Neal Young said more than 100 icebergs - some measuring more than 200 metres across - were seen in just one cluster, indicating there could be hundreds more. He said they were the remains of a massive ice floe which split from the Antarctic as sea and air temperatures rise due to global warming.

‘All of these have come from a larger one that was probably 30 square kilometres in size when it left Antarctica,’ Mr Young told AFP. ‘It’s done a long circuit around Antarctica and now the bigger parts of it are breaking up and producing smaller ones.’

He said large numbers of icebergs had not floated this close to New Zealand since 2006, when a number came within 25 kilometres of the coastline - the first such sighting since 1931. ‘They’re following the same tracks now up towards New Zealand. Whether they make it up to the South Island or not is difficult to tell,’ Mr Young said.

New Zealand has already issued coastal navigation warnings for the area in the Southern Ocean where the icebergs have been seen. ‘It’s really just a general warning for shipping in that area to be on the alert for icebergs,’ said Maritime New Zealand spokesman Ross Henderson. — AFP

SIXTEEN Chinese scientists will start an exploratory mission of the Mekong River next week, team leader Tao Baoxiang said.

Huo Mingyuan, chief scientist said the 20-day study aims to learn about the state of the river’s current ecosystem, how it evolved, and the extent of its impact.

The mission also aims to understand its biodiversity and the state of its water resources, Huo said.

The team includes experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Institute of Hydrobiology, and Kunming Institute of Botany.

The team’s tour will start from Xishuangbanna in southwest China’s Yunnan Province and move down the river, which is called Lancang River in China.

Sun Jiulin of Chinese Academy of Engineering said the mission was significant for China’s cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asia Nations in politics, economy and culture.

(Xinhua)

Saturday November 20th, we have spent time working on the boat to get it ready for the Yangtze River project in 2010. A big group of volunteers from BEAN Shanghai decided to join us. BEAN is a networking, volunteering, and social group for young professionals in Shanghai. Their members can sign up for different volunteering events, and this day they chose to help us out.

The boat was docked at the Shanghai Sailing Club, where we arrived around 11 am, ready for some sanding action! We sanded off the orange paint and some of the handy men got into the boat and took off all parts of the boat that will not be used during the Yangtze River trip. The boat used to be a lifeboat, so it still had all kinds of life saving gear required to survive at sea (life vests, seatbelts, etcetera). This took up precious space that we will need for the projects’ equipment.

Shanghai Sailing Club has given us the possibility to leave the boat with them during the winter. In March we will move it to a workshop in Shanghai, which will make it easier to get to. At the moment we are putting together a team of handy men who will continue working on the boat in Spring.

A big thanks to all volunteers who helped us during this day!