Monday, 19 Jun 2006

And the Ban Played On

Japan fails in pro-whaling push, but still makes gains

Four proposals widely viewed as steps toward a resumption of commercial whaling were defeated this weekend at the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission. Animal-rights activists, enviros, and other folks opposed to the needless killing of large, intelligent mammals expressed relief; pro-whaling Japan had come close to garnering enough support to start demolishing the international whaling ban. However, Japan and supporters did manage to pass a symbolic resolution saying that the moratorium is temporary and unnecessary. The resolution was put forward by six Caribbean nations, which said whales eat lots of fish and thereby put their peoples' food supplies at risk; anti-whaling forces dismissed that argument. Japan has been accused of using foreign aid to entice small and developing countries to join the IWC and vote the pro-whaling line. A move to overturn the moratorium would need approval from 75 percent of IWC member nations.


Greenies love to talk about the importance of buying local and organic food, but in this as so many other environmental matters, there are unexamined class issues lurking in the background. Today, a reader asks whether food stamps can be used at farmers' markets and natural-food grocers -- or whether those on food assistance are out of luck. Advice maven Umbra Fisk chews over the question.

And Things Were Going So Well ...

Struggling Iraqi refineries dump oil byproduct near Tigris River

The government of Iraq has been disposing of millions of barrels of oil refinery byproduct by pumping it into mountain valleys in the north of the country and setting it on fire. The result: huge black bogs and thick smoke carried as far as 40 miles downwind. The oily bogs are threatening to seep into the nearby Tigris River and the groundwater that sustains villages in the area. The byproduct, called black oil, would normally be exported for further refining, but insurgents have stalled government-controlled exports; insurgent presence is also cited as a barrier to safe removal of the black oil. Oil refining is important for the fragile Iraqi economy. "Unless we find a way of dealing with the fuel oil, our factories will not work," says Shamkhi H. Faraj of the Iraqi Oil Ministry. American reconstruction efforts have not as yet found a way to deal with the problem, but we understand some schools have been painted.


Bryant Terry aims to change the way low-income youth eat -- more fresh, wholesome, homemade food, less fare from the golden arches. He's a whole-foods chef and founder of the NYC-based nonprofit b-healthy (Build Healthy Eating and Lifestyles to Help Youth), which highlights connections between malnutrition, poverty, and racism. As InterActivist, Terry chats about his new book Grub, his hatred of GMOs, the Black Panthers project that inspired his work, and more. Send Terry a question of your own by noon PDT on Wednesday; we'll publish his answers to selected questions on Friday.

Waves of Mutilation

Oceans are in deep trouble, says U.N.

Human exploitation of the oceans has outpaced conservation efforts, the United Nations said Friday. It warned that ocean degradation is "rapidly passing the point of no return." The watery deep, home to more than 90 percent of living organisms, faces danger from pollution, litter, overfishing, shipping, and climate change. Populations of large fish have declined by as much as 90 percent over the last century. Fishers pulled some 94 million tons of fish from the ocean last year; in their place went about 3 billion pieces of litter. Water temperature is up, alkalinity is down, and don't get us started on the coral reefs. The U.N. called for countries to initiate more protection, regardless of territorial boundaries; it also called for more research, as only 10 percent of the ocean has been explored. Meanwhile, a Canadian company is about to take the world's first foray into sea-floor mining. Somewhere, Ariel is crying.