You are here: Home / Archives for Activism

A Human Issue

January 7, 2012 By 3 Comments

It is often said that the killing of dolphins in Taiji and whales in Antarctic waters is a matter for the Japanese to handle.  Similarly, the Danes say that the people of the Faroe Islands must decide to stop killing pilot “whales” (which are actually large dolphins).  These may seem apt excuses, and may even seem to make sense, given a perfunctory glance.  But such boundaries and distinctions are artificial, man-made, and ultimately invalid.

This is the amazing transformation performed by whaling

Whaling turns this majestic being into this corpse, and they don't even need the meat.

The killing of dolphins and whales is not a matter of national sovereignty, any more than human rights are a state-by-state issue.  This is a HUMAN behavior; humans are doing these killings, so it is up to we humans to police ourselves, regardless of what nationality those humans may give themselves.  Wherever such slaughters may be happening, it is up to fellow humans to stop it.

Just as we oppose slavery, torture and murders put upon fellow humans, we must fight against slavery, torture and killings done by fellow humans.  Similarly, it is incumbent upon us, it is our obligation, to stop humans from polluting and destroying the oceans, no matter where they may be while doing so.

When China’s manufacturing pours toxic chemicals into the rivers that eventually dump those chemicals into the sea, we have permitted it by not stopping it.  In fact, we have endorsed it (a little at a time) by buying those products made in that filthy fashion.  We may not like having such a responsibility thrust upon us, but the plain truth is that when we do not  do everything within our power to stop it, we become culpable as well.

If someone were to set up a floating base in the middle of the Pacific, far from any nation’s boundaries, and begin pouring acid into the waters there, would we allow it?  Do we allow humans to develop or discharge nuclear weapons as we please?  There is ample precedent; we have both the right and obligation to control ourselves, our fellow humans.  Our destruction of the oceans’ waters and her inhabitants is not a national issue.  It is a human issue, and it is up to us to fight it — tooth and nail — wherever it may occur.

Filed Under: Activism, Editorial Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dr. Sylvia Earle, Louie Psihoyos & Many More at Colorado Ocean Coalition Symposium

November 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If you’re anywhere near Denver or Boulder, Colorado, this is one you won’t want to miss!  The Colorado Ocean Coalition is celebrating their first anniversary with an unparalleled ocean symposium.

Colorado Ocean Coalition logoTomorrow, November 13, 2011, beginning shortly after noon at the Boulder Public Library, the Colorado Ocean Coalition is sponsoring an amazing list of guest speakers for an ocean symposium.  The daytime events will be open to the public, and evening sessions are part of a fundraiser.   Dr. Sylvia Earle is a life-long champion of the ocean and Explorer-In-Residence with National Geographic.  Louie Psihoyos has been a National Geographic photographer and won an Academy Award for his documentary, “The Cove.”  These  two giants are amongst several great speakers scheduled to provide very enlightening presentations.  Jim Toomey, the cartoonist of Sherman’s Lagoon, David Helvarg (“50 Ways To Save The Ocean”,) Dan Basta (Director of NOAA’s Marine Sanctuary program, and representatives from the Plastic Pollution Coalition and the 5 Gyres Institute are also amongst guest speakers.  Check out the afternoon schedule!

According to the Colorado Ocean Coalition press release, presentation subjects include  ”a variety of climate/ocean topics, marine protected areas, plastics and environmental impacts, sustainable seafood, and agricultural and watershed connections.”

Dr. Sylvia Earle, Ocean Champion and National Geographic Explorer In Residence

Dr. Sylvia Earle

Special guests include Dr. Sylvia Earle, National Geographic Explorer inResidence, Jim Toomey, cartoonist of Sherman’s Lagoon, David Helvarg, 50 Ways to Save the Ocean, Dan Basta, Director of NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program, Plastic Pollution Coalition, 5 Gyres Institute, Margo Pellegrino, famous paddler and rower, and others.   The press release goes on to share that  ”Teens4Oceans and Keep it Clean will be offering programs for youth of all ages throughout the event. Teacher workshops by the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and Explore The Ocean by Google will be held. Organizations will be disseminating information throughout the library on subjects ranging from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch to what Coloradans can do to protect our oceans.”

If you’ve ever wanted to know more about the other 3/4 of the planet, this is an extraordinary opportunity to get the straight story right from the seahorse’s mouth!   We thank Vicki Goldstein and all the others who have worked to bring this symposium to fruition.  Happy birthday, Colorado Ocean Coalition!

Directions to the Boulder Public Library can be gotten from this link.

 

 

Filed Under: Activism, events, Marine Preservation, News Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Call On Congress For Change! More BP Oil Seeping Into the Gulf!

August 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Press-Register of Mobile, Alabama discovered new BP oil seepingjust a mile from the site of last summer’s debacle.  BP wasted no time at all in claiming that the oil wasn’t theirs… but the facts prove otherwise.  The fingerprint is clear, as is the location of the oil — exactly where one would expect it to be as it rose up from a mile deep.  Then there’s the use of Corexit itself, a solvent which has been banned in the UK, and proves far more dangerous than the oil itself.  Corexit is clearly implicated in the deaths of well over 100 dolphins this spring — an that’s only those who made it to the beach to be counted.   Think back on the way that BP tried to cover up the damage and dodge responsibility at every opportunity.  It’s clearly time to change the way that oil companies are monitored, and the way that their messes are cleaned up.

With the clear understanding that removing a natural resource for personal/corporate profit is decidedly a privilege and not a right, Protect The Ocean calls upon Congress to impose the following procedures and processes on ANY oil drilling,  (and especially those occurring under water):

  • There shall be frequent independent monitoring of all activities, operations and well sites (including those supposedly capped off.)
  • Oil companies shall have no involvement, direct or indirect, in the clean-up operations or oversight, but shall provide complete cooperation and compliance.
  • The responsible oil company shall bear all costs of inspection and clean-up, and shall not be allowed to employ tax credits to do so.  If the company’s responsibility is greater than its assets, each other oil company with operations in the U.S. shall bear a proportionate portion of the costs of cleanup, and no further operations will be allowed by a company until that company’s portion is paid.  (This will push them to police themselves as well.)
  • Any time any operation is determined by investigators/monitors to be deficient or presenting unacceptable risks, that operation shall be halted immediately, and immediate appropriate steps taken to alleviate the potential damage to personnel and the environment.
  • The purpose of these collective actions is to eliminate any threat or harm from the harvesting of oil from the planet.  This is the single highest priority.  All other considerations shall take a lesser position beneath that goal.  If oil cannot be gotten without damage, then permission to attempt to gain that oil shall be withheld immediately and until such time that convincing evidence is presented that a solution to that danger has been found.

Click here to sign the petition being sent to Congress and the President. Demand the Changes! Help Us Protect The Ocean!

Campaign poster for the Oil Drilling Responsibility

No More Profit Without Responsibility

Filed Under: Activism, Featured, Oil Spill, Pollution Tagged With: , , , ,
« Older Posts