31 May 2007 - Turkey —
Judeo, Christian and Muslim religions all
include the story of a great flood and Noah's
Ark. It's said that as the flood subsided
Noah released a dove, and the dove returned
with an olive branch to show land had been
found. To this day the Ark and the dove
are symbols of hope.
And today on Mount Ararat, where some say
Noah's Ark came to rest, 208 doves (one
for each country) were released to dedicate
the replica ark. These doves and replica
come with a message called the 'Ararat Declaration'.
The declaration demands that world leaders
act to protect the basic human rights of
life and health, both of which will be at
risk for millions of people from the effects
of climate change.
The declaration reads in part:
'We remind you, that your mandate is to
protect our lives, homes, our communities
and our natural resources from both man-made
and natural threats. You shall not, either
in policy or deed, do anything which imperils
the well-being of those whom you represent.'
"If world leaders are unwilling or
unable to protect their citizens against
the massive floods, droughts, food crises
and mass displacements which scientists
predict, their leadership becomes meaningless"
said Hilal Atici, Greenpeace Mediterranean
energy campaigner, while highlighting that
the only real answer to climate change is
reducing our global warming emissions.
Construction
The re-creation of the famous Noah's Ark
took Greenpeace four weeks to assemble.
20 German and Turkish carpenters used twelve
cubic meters of wood to build the 10 to
4 to 4 meter (108x43x43 foot) ship at 2,500
meters (26,910 feet) above sea level. The
sturdy, solid ship will stay on the mountain
and serve as a hut and safe place for mountaineers.
Climbing the summit
Earlier this week, 14 activists also climbed
to the Ararat summit, 5,137 metres (55,294
feet) above sea level, where they unfurled
a banner reading, "G8: this is the
point of no return. Save the climate now".
Beate Steffens, one of the summit team,
said, "If these leaders don't act now,
we will very soon reach a point where climate
change gets out of control".
Although the emphasis of this project is
on urging world leaders to act, there's
a role for everyone in tackling climate
change. Sign up to be part of the energy
[r]evolution.
+ More
Seafood giants join forces to battle pirate
fishing in Barents Sea
30 May 2007 - International — Eight of
Europe's largest and most influential seafood
companies, including McDonald's and Bird's
Eye, are demanding better controls on pirate
fishing in the Barents sea.
Pirate fishing is estimated to take approximately
25 percent of the global fish catch annually.
It's a lucrative business worth some US$9
billion a year. In the Barents Sea, it's
estimated that one in every five cod landed
are caught illegally.
In a letter to the Norwegian government,
the seafood majors commit to adhere to voluntary
industry guidelines adopted by the European
Fish Processors and Traders Association
last September. The guidelines were drawn
up to avoid Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported
(IUU) Barents Sea cod and haddock. They
also include a commitment to refuse all
fish from vessels blacklisted by Norway
or relevant regional fisheries management
organizations like the North East Atlantic
Fisheries Commission.
For Cod's sake, take action
But the companies are also demanding tighter
regulations to ensure that the fish they
buy are not illegal:
An up-to-date black-list with updated vessel
information, clear legal standards for listing
and transparent criteria for de-listing
would be a valuable component of this effort.
We therefore urge you to ensure that a better
list is created, that we and our suppliers
can use to ensure we are not purchasing
from vessels fishing illegally.
We understand that avoiding fish from black-listed
vessels is part of the solution necessary
to reduce illegal fishing in the Barents
Sea cod fishery. However going forward we
feel that the use of a "white list",
or list of vessels that are proven to operate
legally, may mid to long term provide a
more comprehensive way to help eliminate
illegal fishing.
The signatories include some of Europe's
largest seafood processors and purchasers
such as restaurant chain McDonald's as well
as Espersen, Royal Greenland, Youngs Seafood
and Iglo/Birds Eye, Frosta/Copack.
This is the kind of action by the corporate
sector which we need. Other seafood purchasers
need to follow suit and make clear commitments
to avoid fish from blacklisted vessels as
soon as possible. And the governments responsible
for blacklisting vessels need to do their
jobs.
For example, the Norwegian Fisheries Directorate
has not yet published any of the Russian
ships that were documented in illegal and
unreported activities in 2005 and 2006.
As a result, fish buyers have no official
warning to avoid fish from these ships.
The Greenpeace Blacklist: doing a job governments
should do
That's part of the reason we've launched
our own blacklist and have taken action
against pirate fishing vessels and even
seized illegal nets. Because unlike many
governments, we're not about to stand by
while our oceans are plundered.
Issues such as over-fished and illegal
Eastern Baltic cod, destructive fishing
techniques like bottom trawling and reliance
on severely depleted and often illegal tuna
still cast dark shadows over the future
of the seafood sector, including several
of the letter-writing companies.
To make matters worse, the situation in
the Baltic Sea puts a number of additional
pressures on fish stocks: overfishing, pollution,
eutrophication (nutrient enrichment of the
water caused largely by agricultural run-off),
climate change, oil spills, bottom trawling
and destruction of habitats have made a
catastrophic situation, further threatening
the survival of cod and other species. Illegal
fishing just makes a really bad situation
far, far worse.
Pirate fishing can be stopped. Governments
can outlaw flags of convenience and refuse
entry to fishing and supply vessels. It
is a matter of political will to deliver
the kind of enforcement that is needed to
protect the marine environment and the communities
that depend upon it.
All of us who buy fish, whether we're seafood
conglomerates or buying an evening's meal,
need to ask if the fish we're buying is
illegal. And governments like Norway need
to make sure we can get a clear answer.
