23 April 2010
International —
A proposal to keep the dying whaling industries
on life support has just been unveiled by
the International Whaling Commission (IWC)
-- instead of a concrete plan to safeguard
whales.
The IWC, meant to manage
the world’s populations of great whales,
has released a proposal to “Improve the
Conservation of Whales” in advance of its
upcoming annual meeting in June. Several
countries including the US, which normally
oppose whaling, have proposed a compromise
that aims to reduce the total number of
whales being slaughtered but would essentially
make it easier to hunt whales commercially.
It would legalise commercial whaling in
international waters for the first time
in 24 years.
The whales and not the
whalers appear to be making all the concessions
based on this proposal. It is a lengthy
document that is meant to guide the IWC
through a ten-year period to review its
conservation efforts. While we're encouraged
that the IWC is taking steps to improve
the conservation of whales there is a much
easier and more immediate solution. We can
simply end commercial whaling, close the
loopholes used to slaughter thousands of
whales under the guise of science, and address
the major threats facing whales today: climate
change, bycatch, pollution and noise among
other things.
Deal or no deal?
The proposal released today is a long way
from being a good deal for both the whales
and the future of the IWC. The Whaling Commission
must take this proposal forward, end commercial
whaling and transform into a body that conserves
and not just manages whales.
The Washington Post
reported:
"Environmental
groups are lambasting the plan as a dangerous
concession to pro-whaling nations. While
some of the species targeted by the three
nations, such as common and Antarctic minke
whales, are numerous, others are more imperiled,
such as fin, humpback and sei whales.
Greenpeace U.S. Oceans
Campaigner Phil Kline said it was "outrageous
to allow whaling in an internationally-recognized
whale sanctuary" in the Southern Ocean.
"Saying you are opposed to commercial
whaling, but supporting quotas to kill whales
is disingenuous and merely political posturing
towards Japan. It is also a less than auspicious
way to mark the 40th anniversary of Earth
Day.""
Justice for whales
We oppose commercial and so called "scientific"
whaling and will continue to push for an
end to the senseless whale hunts. We will
be present at this year’s IWC meeting in
Morocco. By giving voice to the millions
of people who stand against whaling in the
coming weeks and at the IWC meeting, we
can inspire the action needed to protect
whales from harpoons once and for all. There
is no need for whaling and there is no market
for whale meat.
Two years ago, we presented
evidence detailing widespread corruption
and embezzlement within Japan’s whaling
industry. Instead of investigating these
allegations, the Japanese government chose
instead to put two Greenpeace activists,
Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki on trial for
exposing the corruption. They both may pay
a high price for their personal stances
and actions to bring Japan’s senseless hunt
to an end. IWC member countries should this
year have the courage to make a deal that
really works for the whales.
+ More
Cool IT Leaderboard
shows growing divide between talk and action
on developing climate solutions
29 April 2010 - International
— The newest version of our Information
Technology (IT) industry climate ranking
reveals how a few global tech companies
are taking the lead. They're demonstrating
the potential of IT solutions to help reduce
energy wastage and greenhouse gas emissions,
while others seem unable to decide if IT
climate solutions are a significant business
opportunity or a mere marketing strategy.
Cisco vaults to the
top of the newest Cool IT leaderboard, doubling
its score from the previous version by demonstrating
the effectiveness of its greenhouse emissions-saving
solutions. Ericsson debuts on the leaderboard
in second place. Google places sixth. (Click
here to download the PDF directly)
Smart Solutions Cut
Global Warming Pollution
Version 3 of the leaderboard shows that
the sector is ramping up technological solutions
to fight climate change. Smart grid, smart
meters, home energy management, and carbon
tracking software are examples of IT-enabled
climate solutions that can help shift the
economy away from dirty energy and bring
about increased efficiency and widespread
adoption of renewables. But companies like
Cisco, Microsoft, Google, and IBM need to
demonstrate that, as they build these solutions,
they are also walking the talk by measuring
and reporting their own carbon and energy
savings potential.
Forecast: Cloudy With
a Chance of Climate Change
Innovative and rapidly iterative, the IT
sector has the potential to quickly design
and implement technological solutions to
reduce climate change, solutions to achieve
world-wide energy efficiency gains and carbon
cuts. But, as the IT sector grows, its growth
must be powered by clean energy sources
rather than dirty 19th century technologies,
such as coal.
The industry must ensure
that its own growing carbon footprint doesn't
negate the impact of its solutions; IT's
right hand needs to pay attention to what
the left hand does.
Our report, "Make
IT Green: Cloud Computing and its Contribution
to Climate Change," shows how the expansion
of the "cloud" poses a major challenge
to the otherwise positive climate contributions
of the IT sector. Cloud computing services,
such as social networks, video streaming,
email, and photo storage, give us access
to information that is centralised in IT-operated
data centres rather than on our computers'
hard drives. These data centres draw electricity
from the grid to run the servers that bring
Facebook, Gmail, Flickr, and YouTube to
your laptop, iPhone, or tablet computer.
IT Needs to Advocate
for Climate and Energy Policy
The leaderboard reveals that not only must
IT companies kick innovation into high gear,
they must add their weight to push for strong
energy and climate policies and incentives
at a local, national, and international
level. In the lead-up to international climate
negotiations in Copenhagen, CEOs of many
of the major IT companies, such as Dell,
SAP, and Ericsson began to flex their political
muscle and speak out in favour of a global
climate deal. But all of the IT companies
need to flex a little harder.
Scores for advocacy
reveal that across the Cool IT leaderboard
IT companies need to take a stronger public
position in favour of policies that pave
the way for renewable energy deployment
and greenhouse gas reductions. Doing so
is also in the interest of IT companies'
bottom line, since climate and clean energy
policy will stimulate a greater need for
their climate solution products and services.
Following the Leaders
In this version of the Cool IT leaderboard,
two companies have been added - SAP and
Ericsson. Several companies have provided
more concrete examples of their solutions
offerings than before, and they have begun
to demonstrate how to measure the impacts
of their IT-enabled climate solutions. Ericsson,
Fujitsu, and Cisco scored well for solutions
in this leaderboard, and for demonstrating
their methodology for measuring the energy
conservation and greenhouse gas reductions
made possible by their technologies.
A majority of companies
score well for setting absolute greenhouse
gas reduction targets for their own operations.
Google, disappointingly, does not provide
an absolute target, nor does it report its
emissions. Microsoft is barely better than
Google, having set a target per unit of
revenue, but not an absolute reduction goal.
In the next version of the leaderboard,
the growing impact of cloud computing will
be more central to the footprint scoring.
Version four will also include a more detailed
evaluation of companies that demonstrate
leadership in getting their own emissions
in line with their climate goals and solutions
offerings.
Will the real climate
leaders please stand up?
IT companies are to the 21st century as
fossil fuel companies were to the past --
they have the power to shape the economy
and, in turn, the future of our climate.
Microsoft, Google, IBM, and other leaderboard
companies must use their considerable political
influence to shape the policies of this
critical climate era, and lead the transformation
to a clean energy economy, backed by smart
grids and smart technology.
