Love the Earth or Lose It

(Artist credit: Jim Warren Titled: Love, Lose)

What is is about any pristine or preserved wilderness or land space left on the planet that has not been screwed up, that puts the dollar signs in the eyes and greed in the hearts of certain people?

(1) The Kimberley Coast. Off the coast, it's famous for 8,000 - 12,000 humpback whales migrating there annually. Before Japan agreed they would not kill 50 of these humpbacks, they had planned to lie in wait near the Kimberley coast to kill these whales.

Inpex, a company partially owned by the Japanese government, hopes to "build a massive liquid natural gas processing plant on the Maret Islands, off the Kimberley coast. Inpex plans to pipe natural gas and light oil from the Browse Basin, where a huge natural gas field has been discovered, to a port and plant it would build on the Marets."

Excerpt:

The Marets sit in a major tidal area (the Kimberley is famous for its "horizontal waterfalls", which are massive and rapid tidal shifts), a cyclone area and an untainted, fertile marine habitat. There are other places in Western Australia, already developed but further away, where the gas could be processed. If a Japanese company were to propose this project for the Great Barrier Reef, they would be thrown out of court. But the Inpex plan, which dissects the migration and breeding terrain of the whales, is moving ahead. The Japanese can make valid arguments for their developments in Australia. The natural gas field represents a huge export industry. As for the Japanese whaling, the harvesting of 50 humpback whales would make only a dent on a population of 10,000 whales, and the Group IV population has been growing at about 10 per cent a year.

The author of this article talks about the "deceit of Japan." It's a good read here.

(2) The battle between the Polar Bears and Oil Drilling in Alaska.

The government is going ahead to issue permits for oil drilling in the Chukchi Sea, before the determination is made as to whether or not the polar bear species deserves protection.

It's interesting to note that the concern for the polar bears was delivered to the Bush Administration five years ago, and then the request for the oil drill leasing was submitted approximately a year ago. Absolutely no attention was paid to the fate of the polar bears and the requests for reviewing this issue. But the go ahead for the drilling sure came about mighty fast.

Excellent point here (excerpt):

"Robert Frost wrote about two roads diverging in the wood, and here we have the Bush administration looking down two roads with regard to the polar bear," Mr. Markey said. "Down one road lies the survival of the polar bear and the orderly consideration of oil drilling and global warming and common sense. Down the other road, too often traveled by this administration, lies regulatory lunacy and a blatant disregard for moral responsibility."

Full article here: Politics Pits Polar Bears vs Oil Drilling

Tell your Representative to support the Markey Bill and to protect the Polar Bears and the Chukchi Sea region: Voice Your Opposition here

(3) Utah.

That's right, I said the state of Utah. President Bush wants to drill for oil and gas development in an area designated by former President, Bill Clinton, as "permanent wilderness preservation."

If this goes ahead, the impact will be permanent and irreversible.

Areas of concern:

Vernal, in Northeastern Utah, ancient cultural artifacts and dinosaur fossils mingle with a range of wildlife and recreational opportunities.

Nine Mile Canyon, in the San Rafael Swell, offers hiking, serenity, and rock carvings over 1,000 years old.

In the Moab region, there's the Canyonlands and the Arches National Parks.

2.5 million acres at risk of being forever damaged

If preserving the National Parks in Utah concerns you, sign the petition to let the Bureau of Land Management and the Bush Administration know that you oppose it.

Take Action Now


Amazing. These are just three of the very few remaining places left on this planet for people to enjoy and to be reminded of how very fragile our ecosystem is and how vital nature is to each and every one of us.

I don't know if signing petitions helps, but at least the more people that speak up on this issue, the harder it is for the politicians to ignore.


In whaling news, the Japan whalers are headed to New Zealand waters, breaking an agreement to stay in Australian waters. It appears they are trying to avoid both the Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace protest ships.

New Zealand's Prime Minister has expressed "grave concern" over the whalers heading in her direction. She has warned them to stay away and that if they do not, surveillance photographs will be taken and released to the public.

The waters off of New Zealand are notorious for being rough and very dangerous. Last year, the Nisshin Maru ship suffered a fire while out in the Ross Sea (NZ waters) and one of the crew members died. It is logistically difficult for New Zealand to perform search and rescue operations out there.

Japanese officials state the fleets are trying to outrun Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace in hopes these two organizations will run out of fuel, having to leave, and thereby giving the whalers the freedom they want to resume their whale culling without both Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace pestering them.

Sneaky shits.

Outside the Japan Embassy in London, a 14 year old girl was arrested for protesting against the whaling. Both her and her father were arrested after tying themselves to a railing there. Their case will be heard February 6.

When asked why she was doing this, the girl stated that she had seen a video that included a whale being blown up by the Japan whalers. She expressed that it hit her rather hard and she felt that her protest was nothing in comparison to what the whales are going through.

It was the first time she had been removed from a protest or arrested. Previously, she had campaigned against Australia's nuclear policy.

I see a future leader in environmental politics in the making here. You go girl!

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Bears, Drilling, and Whaling Stink Bombs

(Artist credit: Jim Warren Titled "Don't Mess With Mother Nature")

In the latest development regarding the polar bear habitat in a section of Alaska that may be opened to oil drilling, a congressional environmental panel stated that "The U.S. government must decide first if polar bears are threatened by climate change before it opens part of their icy habitat to oil drilling"

Excerpts:

"Rushing to allow drilling in polar bear habitat before protecting the bear would be the epitome of this administration's backward energy policy, a policy of drill first and ask questions later," Rep. Ed Markey said at a hearing of the House (of Representatives) Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, which he chairs.

The Bush administration is alone among major industrialized countries in rejecting the carbon-curbing Kyoto protocol. Washington also opposes mandatory limits on climate-warming greenhouse emissions.

The article further states that 15 million barrels are needed due to the increasing demand for petroleum.

When asked about the potential for oil spills and the impact on the local wildlife, more specifically the polar bears and marine mammals, Randall Luthi, director of the Minerals Management Service (which announced the oil lease) stated:

...the risk to the bears from oil drilling would be negligible and that if the oil sales went through before a decision was reached on the polar bears, there would be "an additional layer of consultation" with conservation officials as oil and gas companies worked in the area.

He further stated:

there was a 33 to 50 percent chance of a 1,000-barrel spill in this area, but also said no wildlife had been endangered by this kind of exploratory drilling.

Where's the contingency plan to avoid a spill? What are they doing to prevent such a thing from happening? Up to 50 percent chance of a spill is way more than enough cause for justifiable and deep concern.

What happens if a spill occurs? Excerpt from the article:

Steven Amstrup, a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, told the panel that if polar bears came in contact with spilled oil, they would probably die.

Polar bears do not do well when they get into oil," Amstrup said. "They tend to groom themselves, they ingest the oil and the spills, basically, are most likely fatal."

Full article here: Decide on Polar Bears First

Retrieving 15 million barrels of oil, which is a very temporary solution, that would have an irreparable and adverse effect on the local environment and the majority of the wildlife in the area, both on the land and in the sea, is, in my opinion, just plain stupid and crazy. And putting profits ahead of the planet is just insanity.

On the whaling front, Japan released the hostages yesterday, as agreed, to Australia's Oceanic Viking customs ship.

Shortly after the two Sea Shepherd crew members were returned to the Sea Shepherd ship, they then resume their protest against the Japanese whalers by going after the Yushin Maru ship and throwing "stink bombs" aboard. Apparently their throws were right on target and it appears that given the power of these "stink bombs" (which are basically rancid butter) it primarily prevents the whalers from staying on their ship's deck for any length of time, usually up to two days.

So far, it's now been over nine days since a whale has been killed by the Japanese hunters.

Captain Paul Watson promises to continue to "harass" and basically do everything possible, short of hurting anyone, to ensure no further whales are culled.

Is Japan feeling the pressure of their widely unpopular decision to continue whaling and all the myriad of reasons they use to explain it away? Greenpeace thinks so.

One excerpt that stands out:

Today, one of the leading newspapers in Japan, Asahi Shimbun, also called into question the validity of the whaling program, by asking "Why is the Japanese government so insistent on engaging in whaling?". The article cites concerns about the use of taxpayer's money, dubious science, the lack of interest from the fishing industry in supporting the whaling program, and the fact that former employees of the Japanese government Fisheries Agency were "parachuted" into key roles in the supposedly independent Institute of Cetacean Research – the agency which commissions the whaling fleet.

For the full article on this, please click here: Japan's "Fake" Whaling Program Begins to Crumble

Greenpeace also posted about this on their site: Fake Whale Science from Ship to Shore

Greenpeace continues to hound the main ship, the Nisshin Maru. So far, their efforts have remained successful in keeping the ship away from the whale sanctuary area.

Still, Japan has made it very clear they have every intention of resuming their whale culling within the next few days.

Between Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace, despite their differences, I imagine the disruptions will continue and hopefully we'll have minimal to preferably zero whales killed.

Meanwhile, Japan is complaining that Australia is giving preferential treatment to the Sea Shepherd activists who had been detained, then released. They accused Australia of giving "limousine service" to these activists.

When Sea Shepherd went to pick up their two crew members from the Oceanic Viking, they then lost the whalers because they had to travel approximately 80km (50 miles) to meet the ship. So they are once again back to trying to locate the whaling fleets.

Article here: Kicking Up a Stink

Excerpt from another article, Whale Activists Admit to Stink Bombs:

Mr Watson said the Steve Irwin was again trying to find the Japanese whaling fleet in order to launch more attacks.

“Greenpeace knows where they are but Greenpeace won't tell us where they are, which I am a little annoyed with because if they start killing whales tomorrow I am going to hold Greenpeace responsible for that because Greenpeace knows that we could stop them.

My kudos to both Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd for their continued vigilance against these whalers. It should be inspiration to all of us that one single drop in the ocean by each of us, can cause a swell and make a difference around the world.

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Bears and Whaling

(Credit: Art.com)

Conservation groups have taken the first steps toward filing a lawsuit to protect the polar bears up in the Arctic. Read more here at the San Diego Tribune.

Meanwhile, until further information is available, I would encourage you to sign the following petition with the Defenders of Wildlife in the interest in increasing awareness about the polar bears.

Please sign the petition here: Oil Companies can wait, polar bears can't!

On the whaling front, Australia has finally made good on its' word and it's ship, the Oceanic Viking, has left port as of yesterday in search of the Japanese whalers. It takes about a week to get to their destination and they will remain at sea for 20 days, videotaping and photographing evidence of whale culling to potentially use against Japan in an International Court of Justice.

A cocky Japanese official states the case will never succeed.

"Antarctica is not a territory of any country. Lawful activities in open seas can never be blocked," he said.

The Australian government continues to decline the requests from both Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd to share their coordinates on the location of the whalers.

Greenpeace welcomed the icebreaker's departure, but called on the government to give the coordinates of the fleet to its anti-whaling ship in Antarctic waters, the Esperanza.

Neither Greenpeace nor a more militant environmental group, Sea Shepherd, has yet been able to find the whalers amid the icebergs and rough seas of the Southern Ocean.

"We would like those coordinates as we are much closer than the Oceanic Viking," said Rob Nicoll, Greenpeace whales campaigner.

Japan says the cull is for scientific research but makes no secret of the fact that the whale meat ends up in Japanese schools, supermarkets and restaurants.

There's a very interesting debate going on at Mammalian Misunderstanding?

Read the comments after this brief article.

Which brings me to ask it here too. If whale culling was going on in Japanese territorial waters, would we have the right to complain? If the whale culling is going on in international waters, do we have the right to complain?

I say yes to both. Whales are among many species on this planet that are either threatened or endangered.

I do believe the argument that the whaling going on in international waters is absolutely an international issue and everyone has the right to take a stand on that. For Japan to argue they kill whales for national pride or hide behind the BS excuse of scientific research, is weak - very weak. They have to go through Australian waters to reach the Southern Ocean which doesn't even belong to them, it belongs to the world.

How about the Amazon Rain Forest? That belongs to South America but due to its vast size it has an effect on worldwide climate. Therefore, the deforestation of the rain forest is an international issue and justifiably, there are people who protest it and work in the interest of protecting it.

Regardless of where one stands on any issue, take a stand. Be passionate and be heard. Otherwise, in a few short decades, all we'll have left for our children and grandchildren is a barren wasteland of nothingness and dark, empty seas.

Mahalo,

Dolphin

Polar Bears Unprotected - Again

(Photo Credit: Minden Pictures)

The polar bears were supposed to be put on the Endangered Species act tomorrow (Wednesday, Jan 9) but the government has decided to delay that for "further study."

Evidence has clearly pointed to these bears being seriously vulnerable due to the melting ice caps and the increased challenges they face in being able to hunt for food. The have to swim farther which often results in them drowning. They have to walk further and go for longer periods without food, which is resulting in increased starvation.

I've seen various documentary films on this very subject and it's patently clear how very vulnerable these bears are.

Does the government care? No. They wait until the 11Th hour to announce they are delaying a move that would protect the polar bears and justifying it with bureaucratic bullshit.

My opinion is they don't want anything to potentially interfere with their desire to drill the hell out of Northwest Alaskan coast.

Environmental groups are promising to file suit tomorrow in hopes of forcing quicker action.

Excerpts:

A key piece of data under consideration is a September report from the U.S. Geological Survey that predicted polar bears could disappear from places where Arctic sea ice is melting fastest, including the northern coast of Alaska.

Two-thirds of the world's polar bears could be gone by 2050 if predictions about melting sea ice hold true, the report said. The ice is melting at least in part because of human-caused climate change, scientists have said.

"The Bush administration has squandered seven years denying the devastating scientific evidence of global warming," Kert Davies of Greenpeace USA said in a statement. "Stalling has cost us dearly, putting the polar bear at risk of extinction and jeopardizing the future welfare of billions of people around the world."

Read more here: U.S. Delays Global Warming Decision on Polar Bears

What's more important right now and for the future? Oil or Polar Bears? You know what I'd choose, and what many people would choose, but our beloved government would choose the former obviously.

Alternative sources of energy are available. The technology to make these alternative sources of energy usable are very available. So why continue to destroy more environment for what will be only a temporary solution?

Polar Bears Vie With Oil for U.S. Government Focus

Remember the oil spill in Norway last month? That's just one more prime example of what could very well happen up in Alaska if oil drilling commences after the lease is sold.

Screw the BS statements that the government claims they can strike a balance between oil drilling and protecting the environment. It bears repeating that oil spills can and DO happen. Contingency plans for this sort of thing have even yet to be drawn up. It's like kill first, ask questions later.

This news article is almost a month old, but it bears a repeat: Norway Oil Spill Contained but Stirs Fears for Arctic

Greenpeace has a statement about the decision to delay protecting the polar bears here: Polar Bear Decision Delayed

Hopefully there will be better news tomorrow, in regards to the lawsuit being filed.

Mahalo,

Dolphin

The Dark Side of Humanity

(Artist Credit: Jim Warren)

Ya know, I try to be optimistic about our world and the people in it. I strive to remain hopeful and to focus on the good. But every now and then, I have days when I wonder if the dark side of humanity is winning over the light. And on those days, I feel helpless, hopeless, and very sad.

The sadness comes from deep inside where I've felt, from early childhood, an affinity for animals. Nothing brings tears to my eyes quicker than seeing an animal slaughtered senselessly and cruelly in the hands of a human being. Yet nothing brings me more joy when I witness the simple essence of our wildlife, who they are, how they interact with one another, and how they have the power to evoke a wide range of emotions in us.

I fear for the future of our non-human species, on the land and in the sea. There are far too many humans who are driven by greed, selfishness, and egoism. There are far too many who would choose a few bucks over the lives of whales, dolphins, walruses, polar bears, etc. Yet there are also a few who are doing everything in their power to prevent any further endangerment to our wildlife friends.

One man at the forefront of this is the well known Captain of Sea Shepherd, Paul Watson. Yesterday, he wrote a very passionate update on his site. There are many who find his views to be on the extreme side and others who feel that it's this very extreme passion that is necessary and what gives hope to the possibility that something positive might change.

Following is the heart of his update:

The Crocodile Hunter is now hunting pirate whalers and with a bone in her teeth, the Sea Shepherd ship Steve Irwin is presently cleaving the swells in a race to return to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary where the blood of the whales is flowing freely amidst the heart -breaking screams of whales dying in horrific agony at the hands of black hearted cetacean serial killers.

We sail as shepherds in defense of some of the most incredibly awesome living beings on this planet - we sail to save lives and to oppose horrendous cruelty and we sail against a violent ruthless opposition - whalers from Japan, all members of a Yakuza controlled union, all crew members on one of the largest floating aquatic death platforms ever constructed. The Nisshin Maru is the Cetacean Death Star and the most evil ship sailing the high seas today. It must be destroyed if the whales are to live.

There are a thousand sentient, intelligent, socially complex, awesome citizens of this planet whose lives will be ruthlessly snuffed out by these vicious Japanese harpoons. In fact these whales are dying now, spilling their hot steaming blood into the frigid black waters of the Southern Oceans, slaughtered in an area designated as a Whale Sanctuary and killed for no other reason than to assuage Japanese national pride.

These are self aware beings who have caused humankind no wrong or distress. Instead they have given us their beauty and filled our hearts with wonderment and admiration. And there is much that they could teach us if we would only set aside our conceit and accept that these are beings of exceptional intelligence and perceptions. They are equal to us and deserve our respect and they deserve the right to live unmolested from the horror of human violence.

To read it in full, please click here: The Hunt for the Killers Resumes

To the very north of us, up in Alaska, the battle for oil drilling appears, at this time, to be won by the oil companies.

Despite the fight against allowing oil drilling in what is arguably the last pristine wilderness section of our planet, the United States government has agreed to open up a huge area off Alaska's northwest coast for oil drilling.

Justifiably, environmental groups are arguing that we are likely destroying what's left of the polar bear population and endangering the marine mammals of this area, by allowing this area to be drilled.

Despite the fact that (1) we're just days away from the polar bears being added to the list of endangered species (ironic timing, don't ya think?) and (2) President Bush signed into law, a new energy bill that is supposed to move us in the direction of alternative sources of power.

Seems as soon as a flicker of light appears, someone comes along and cruelly snuffs it out, laughing evilly while he envisions billions of dollars in his bank account, and to hell with wildlife and the people.

Of course, they argue that they can reasonably strike a balance between getting what they want while ensuring the protection of both the environment and the area's wildlife. Yet they fail to provide a contingency plan in the event of an oil spill. And everyone well knows that accidents not only can happen, they DO happen. We only have to look at recent history to prove it.

The Exxon Valdez spill from years ago, in Alaska no less. And the San Fransisco Bay area just a few weeks ago.

Full story here: Alaska Oil Drilling Plan Attacked

What exactly will it take to protect our planet? We can continue to fight the good fight and hope that good triumphs over evil. But we also are realistic in knowing that we can't win every battle. It won't be for lack of trying though, and I have to believe that intrinsically, our wildlife know and appreciate who their real friends are.

Mahalo,

Dolphin