This is a trial series.
Yellowfin tuna at the Honolulu fish market, Photo: Greenpeace / Alex Hofford
France voted yesterday to suspend international trade in bluefin tuna after an 18 month-period in which new scientific research will be carried out to assist Brussels policy-making, potentially with conditions that allow for some continued artisanal fishing. The Minister of Ecology said it was a serious decision but "necessary, since most scientists believe that the resource is in danger." Currently, 80 percent of world tuna is bought by Japan, which according to French media reports has already begun a campaign to lobby against the future ban. The decision may also be adopted at the next meeting of the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) being held next month. France has twenty-nine votes, and so far Germany, the UK and Italy also supported a ban. Francoise Chartier of Greenpeace France raised concerns about the 18-month interim period, saying that by the time the ban would actually be introduced, it could be too late.
Indian states unite to oppose spread of GE
The campaign against Bt-Brinjal got a boost yesterday as ten Indian states have decided not to allow the GE-crop. Leaders met at a conference in Kerela Wednesday, taking a unified position in opposition to BT-Brinjal even calling it "a second war of Indian independence." The representatives of states ranging from Mizoram in the far east to Kerala's next door neighbour, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, declared they would not rest until Bt-brinjal and all GE food stuffs 'Quit India.' "Ultimately we are surrendering our freedom by becoming dependent on foreign seeds for our food" said V.S. Vijayan.
Find out more about Greenpeace India's BT-Brinjal campaign
Meanwhile GE gains ground in Mexico, China, despite opposition
AP reported that in Mexico private companies have begun the first legal production of GE corn, according to the Agricultural Secretariat. Environmental and farmers' groups (including Greenpeace) have filed an appeal with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) arguing the government has not stopped the illegal spread of GE crops in Mexico. The government responded saying the newly planted GE corn is to be found in the northern states of Sinloa and Sonora, which is apparently "beyond the region" where original, native maize comes from. However, Florencio Cruz Cortes Rarámuri, a native Indian farmer, says in his small farming community in the mountains of Chihuahua state pollution has already occurred within their plantation. "The corn became different, it had changed ... it was smaller... What we want is that no contamination of corn happens here," he said.
A piece on China's GE rice was in the China Daily with the subtitle "genetically modified rice may have long-term risks, experts say." The genetically modified rice is expected to be pesticide-resistant and the herbicide-resistant, which should improve yields, said Cao Mengliang, a researcher at China's National Hybrid Rice Research and Development Center. China's rice accounts for 33 percent of world production, and with the country's population expected to grow to 1.6 billion by 2020, 630 million tons of rice will be needed annually - that is 130 million tons more than current production. Fang Lifeng of Greenpeace China told the paper "once the engineered rice gets into the food chain on large scale, it will have a very big impact on food safety, environmental safety and biological diversity." GE varieties will also depend on much higher levels of chemical pesticide and herbicide use, which consume a lot of energy to produce and pollute the ground water and soil.
Greenwash punishable as fraud?
The New York Times reported yesterday that the Federal Trade Commission in the US plans to crack down on "greewashing" when it reviews guidelines on environmental marketing for the first time since 1998. Section 5 of the FTC Act authorizes the agency to intervene when businesses are misrepresenting their practices to clients which could effectively turn "greenwashing" into fraud. Although environmental organizations are excited about what the new guidelines may achieve, Claudette Juska of Greenpeace said "it's been a little bit hard to see into the process...The Green Guides themselves serve as great guidelines. But if they're not being enforced, they're not useful."
No bailout for fossil fuel investments
Environmental and human rights groups have launched a fresh attack on the UK Government's multi-billion-pound bailout of Royal Bank of Scotland. The World Development Movement (WDM), together with PLATFORM and People and Planet, yesterday served the Treasury with an application to the High Court, challenging last November's decision to provide a further £25 billion of public money to the company. They are particularly critical of Royal Bank's role in lending to Tullow Oil. The banks replied that "RBS takes climate change seriously and are one of the leading arrangers of finance to the renewable energy sector. We are determined to play our part in the global effort to create a sustainable low carbon future."
Copenhagen submissions mean 3 degree temperature rise
Greenpeace was in Chinese news yesterday saying the 55 submission on CO2 reductions by countries for the Copenhagen Accord is not enough. In order to stay within the 2 degree limit set by the accord itself, countries need to commit to significantly greater emissions cuts. Based on the current target submissions, temperatures would increase an average of 3 degrees Celsius. "The global environmental and social impact would be catastrophic" Greenpeace's Ellen Young said. "Governments need to practice what they preach and put forward more ambitious emission reduction targets and action plans it will be possible to achieve." The submissions represent the same targets pre-Copenhagen or even in some cases, a decline, the report said.
Photo: Tuna, Greenpeace / Alex Hofford.