Nations Seek to Increase Whale Hunting by Expanding Loopholes in International Ban

Stock photo.

Whaling as a way of life and industry can be traced back to prehistoric times through archeological evidence such as harpoons dating back to 6000 BC, petroglyphs (rock engravings) depicting whale hunts, and whale bones in ancient settlements.

Historically, whales were hunted for uses including: meat, bones for corsets, wax for candles, and oils for industrial lubricants and fuel for lamps and lanterns.

“By the 1920s, whale oil fed increasing demand for animal feed, machine lubricants, glycerin-based explosives, soap, detergents, and margarine; spermaceti from the sperm whale became a staple in cosmetics, and later, even as a lubricant for the (NASA) aerospace programme,” according to Reinventing the Whale, a report published in May 2010 by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society in the United Kingdom.

Right whale. Graphic courtesy of BBC News.

Reaching up to present times, this excessive international hunting has brought many species to the brink of extinction, such as the right whales, gray whales, and blue whales, just to name a few.

What’s being threatened now is the worldwide commercial whaling moratorium (ban) that was put into effect in 1986 by the International Whaling Commission. Countries are allowed quotas - which can change yearly - on catching and killing whales for scientific research purposes. After the research data is obtained from the animals, their meat and other useful parts can be sold to market.

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New Smoking Industry Bans and Restrictions Are Now in Effect on the United States Federal Level

Cartoon courtesy of quit guide.com.

As we’ve just hit the one year anniversary of the U.S. Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, several new bans and limits against the industry are now in effect as of that date.

Among the newly effective provisions, the U.S. Federal Food and Drug Administration - which regulates tobacco products - has prohibited the advertising or labeling of tobacco products with the descriptions ‘light, mild, or low,’ without agency approval.

In a speech last month to an audience from the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Lawrence Deyton, the director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, explained that the “FDA has the authority to enforce truth in advertising.

“For example, we know the harm done by the use of the terms ‘light, low, and mild.’ I’ve really got to hand it to the industry, this was a hugely effective marketing strategy. So effective, millions of smokers came to believe that switching to a brand labeled as ‘light, low, or mild’ is the next best thing to quitting.

“Of course, we know that was just a gimmick. There is no demonstrable difference to the public health and population health by the use of those products. That’s why, effective June 22, (2010) we will ban the manufacture of cigarettes labeled as ‘light, low, and mild,’ without FDA approval.”

Philip Morris USA - one of the first to announce compliance with the new regulations - agrees with the FDA, saying that, “No aspect of any of our cigarettes should be interpreted as suggesting that any cigarette is less risky or results in less exposure to harmful compounds than any other cigarette.

Graphic courtesy of Edinboro University.

“The amount of tar, nicotine, or other constituents in (the) smoke a smoker inhales from a cigarette can vary based upon how a smoker smokes. The amount a smoker inhales will be higher, for example, if a smoker blocks ventilations holes, inhales more deeply, takes more puffs, or smokes more cigarettes. There is no safe cigarette. If smokers are concerned about the risks of cigarette smoking, the best thing is to quit.”

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Indonesia Receiving International Financial Support to Stimulate New Green Economy

After a long history of allowing its tropical mangrove forests to be systematically cut down for logging, agricultural, and industrial purposes, as well as being one of the worst offenders with respect to carbon emissions, Indonesia has recently made notable policy changes in an effort to move to a green, more sustainable economy.

Indonesian mangrove forest. Stock photo.

In recognition, the World Bank just approved its first ever developmental policy loan dedicated to climate mitigation and adaptations in Indonesia.

The $200 million loan - to be giving in four yearly installments - is designed to focus on key benefits, according to World Bank, including:

• The promotion of energy efficiency.
• A reduction in the overall use of fossil fuel.
• A reduction in forest loss, and peatland conversion and burning.
• The development of renewable energies, like geothermal and biomass.
• Improving infrastructure for water resource management.
• Improving the ability to respond to water-related climate change impacts, such as droughts and floods.
• Making farmers more prepared for climate change impacts (floods, droughts, and pests) on food production.

In praise, Joachim von Amsberg, World Bank Director for Indonesia, commented that, “Over the last two years, the (Indonesian) government has already managed to bring climate change into the national planning and budgeting process,” referring to the country’s new National Council on Climate Change.

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BP Failing to Plug Up Oil Spill, With Ecological And Financial Effects Likely to Endure For Years

It seems this latest attempt by BP to stop the oil from continuing to gush out of what’s left of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico has failed. They did what is called a ‘top kill,’ which is the process of pumping a huge amount of mud and cement into the leak in hopes of stopping it.

BP stockpiled 50,000 barrels of the manufactured mud and cement, which was pumped down 5,000 feet into the leak at high pressure from barges above, according to reports from The Associated Press.

The U.S. Geological Society estimates that since the rig’s explosion on April 20th, oil has been gushing into the Gulf at a rate of between 12,000 barrels (504,000 gallons or 1.9 million liters) to 25,000 barrels per day.

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Emptying the Oceans - European Commission To Reel In Overfishing As Ecosystems Dissolve

Cartoon courtesy of CartoonStock.com.

Today in the world, fishermen are having to travel farther from their home shores to catch the same amount of fish their predecessors did locally a century ago, according to recent study from the University of York.

While a concern for all nations, the European Union is currently in the process of making new attempts to combat unsustainable fishing practices. Yesterday, the European Commission released a report about how it plans to use scientific advice regarding fish stocks when proposing catch limits and quotas for next year.

Maria Damanaki, European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, expressed views that she would like to see tougher international standards and methods applied to setting quotas and days at sea. Her goal is to bring EU fishing limits back to sustainable levels in 2011.

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