Posted on 10 November
2011
Fisheries engaged in the Marine Stewardship
Council (MSC) programme show clear improvements
in environmental performance throughout
the whole certification process, according
to an independent study released last week.
The study, Researching the Environmental
Impacts of the MSC Certification Programme,
is the first ever to examine fishery performance
through the MSC assessment process. It focused
on improvements in eight key outcome performance
indicators: stock status; population reference
points; stock recovery; retained species;
bycatch species; endangered, threatened
and protected (ETP) species; habitats and
environments.
Improvements were noted
from the initial fishery pre-assessments,
through assessment and certification. Five
years after certification, over 90 percent
of the performance indicators measured were
achieving high scores.
Good for the environment and good for fisheries
“This study shows that the MSC certification
system works well, that it measures the
performance of a fishery based on marine
conservation indicators in the oceans, and
that it values the feedback from stakeholders
in this process,” said Alfred Schumm, Leader
Smart Fishing Initiative, WWF’s global fisheries
programme. “As such, I believe that the
MSC certification system is outweighing
other existing seafood certification systems
currently on the market.”
In addition to ensuring the robust process
of each fishery undergoing certification,
WWF wanted the study to measure the environmental
impacts of the MSC standards in the oceans.
The results showed that MSC is also the
only seafood standard which can prove that
certification is also good for the environment
and not only for the fisheries.
Healthy, well-managed and full of life
WWF has a vision for the world’s oceans:
that they are healthy, well-managed and
full of life, providing valuable resources
for the welfare of humanity. In order to
help achieve this vision WWF formed the
Smart Fishing Global Initiative (SFI), that
participates in certification programmes
like the MSC to ensure that responsible
management and trade of four key fishery
populations results in recovering and resilient
marine eco-systems, improved livelihoods
for coastal communities and strengthened
food security for the Planet.
+ More
Power the future, not
the past
Posted on 09 November
2011
Paris, France – The World Energy Outlook
2011, released today by International Energy
Agency (IEA) has shown the ever-growing
impact of fossil fuels on the environment
and the impact of high and volatile fossil
fuel prices on economies, but fails to follow
through with a strong emphasis on energy
efficiency and renewable energy as the global
escape route from these dilemmas, WWF said
today.
“WWF particularly questions the crucial
assumption that global oil prices in 20
years will be only slighter higher than
today,” said Samantha Smith, Leader of WWF’s
Global Climate and Energy Initiative.
“Three billion new consumers are coming
on line from emerging economies. If they
use fossil fuels at the same rates as consumers
do today, oil prices will go through the
roof – as will CO2 emissions.”
“WWF thinks that renewable
energy is the future, and the key to true
energy and climate security. The IEA assumes
that by 2035, about half of all new power
capacity will come from renewables. This
is business as usual - we could get there
from today’s trends. But as WWF’s Energy
Report shows, we could get to 100% renewable
by 2050.”
Focus on a fully renewable energy future
The IEA also shows that in order to replace
high-carbon coal, a dash for low-carbon
gas – alone and in the absence of other
measures to promote energy conservation
and renewables – may put the world on a
global warming trajectory for over 3.5ºC,
a substantial overrun of the global agreement
that the world should be kept within 2ºC
global warming.
“The IEA has been a
leader in highlighting the link between
fossil fuels and climate change,” said Ms
Smith. “We’d like to see it maintain this
leadership, and focus more on a fully renewable
energy future.”
The WEO also shows that
providing clean, affordable and reliable
energy to the poor is entirely within reach.
It would cost less than $US50 billion per
year to bring basic and renewable energy
services to the approximately three billion
people worldwide who currently lack them.
By comparison, oil imports for the EU and
US combined cost 12 times as much. The WEO
also shows that fossil fuel subsidies for
consumers, currently at $US400 billion provide
few benefits for the poor.
Clean and affordable
energy for the world's poorest
“The IEA thankfully has debunked the myth
that fossil fuel subsidies benefit the poor.
Less than one-tenth of these reached the
poorest 20% globally. These subsidies just
pay for the middle classes’ growing energy
consumption, and fire-up climate change.
This money should instead pay for renewables
and bringing affordable and clean energy
to the people who really need it – the poor,”
said Dr Stephan Singer, Director Energy
Policy for WWF’s Global Climate and Energy
Initiative.
In developing countries, more than 1 billion
people have no access to reliable electricity
and more than 2.5 billion people rely on
polluting and inefficient biomass and coal
use for cooking and heating.
