Death by plastic

MIDWAY : trailer : a film by Chris Jordan from Midway on Vimeo.

I'd like to think that most of us now know about this particular effect of plastics pollution.  Yet the infuriating truth is how little control we have, individually, over plastics pollution.  We can use cloth shopping bags, store food in glass rather than plastic, prioritize the purchase of items with the least packaging, all of which we should do-- in fact, you can take the Plastics Promise here at 5Gyres-- but without pressure on plastics manufacturers, we'll barely make a dent.  Greenpeace has some other actions we can take at the Trash Vortex.  

Of course, the effects of plastics pollution goes far beyond seabirds.  This Discover article gives a good overview of the human threats.

Greenpeace activists: 19th day of detention

From Greenpeace:

Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki are charged with stealing a box of whale meat which they presented as evidence of a whale meat smuggling operation. The activists requested a Japanese government investigation into the scandal, and the Tokyo public prosecutor agreed there was sufficient evidence of wrongdoing. His investigation has now concluded. The only persons charged are the Greenpeace activists who presented the evidence.

Our activists are innocent of any crime. They have been arrested for returning whale meat that was stolen from Japanese taxpayers, and exposing a fraud that may reach high into the Japanese government agencies that run the whaling program.

This is a message from Junichi: "Thank you everyone for your support and vigilance over the last days. Thank you to the 200,000 of you who have sent the email to the Japanese Government asking for our release and those of you who have sent it to your friends. We have heard from our lawyers about how many emails that have been sent, and it reminds us that we are not alone. Thank you also to those who mounted peaceful protests and vigils at Japanese Embassies around the world calling for justice for myself and Toru and justice for the whales. It helps us to know that so many are thinking of us and of the fate of the whales."

You can go here to send a message to the Japanese Ambassador Ichiro Fujisaki, Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, asking for the activists' immediate release.

551 whales too many

After five months at sea, Japanese whalers returned to port with just half the whales killed that they'd hoped for-- but, as as the "pirates" from Greenpeace say, that's still 551 whales too many.

Greenpeace spent fifteen weeks disrupting the hunt of Japanese whaling ships and preventing the deaths of 484 whales. Right now, Greenpeace is focusing on getting the CEO of Canon to come out against whaling.

We think Canon cameras, the Japanese company famous for its work to promote wildlife and help endangered species – should be the first ones to endorse that concept. Please write to their CEO, Fujio Mitarai, and ask that he join the efforts to make this whaling season the last.

Mercury contamination may save whales-- and 3 things you can do

Japan already knows about mercury poisoning: from 1932 to 1968, the organic compound methyl mercury was discharged into Minamata Bay by the Chisso Minamata factory. The first 40 victims were identified by 1956, but through indifference, corruption and outright deception, the discharge continued for another twelve years.

Forty years later, the pilot whales and dolphins slaughtered for food in the whaling town of Taiji are turning up with high levels of mercury-- and once again, public officials say the danger is overblown. Activists have resorted to passing out flyers to townspeople to let them know of the danger. Still, schools have stopped serving pilot whale meat for lunch. The NYTimes has an article about it here.

Most Japanese don't eat whale meat, but most residents of Taiji do-- and they cling proudly to the tradition of whaling. But the Times article points out a growing generational gap. Young people just aren't into whale and dolphin meat, and are more health-conscious. Whaling may eventually die out on its own.

Meanwhile, there's work to be done. You can take the following three actions to help protect whales.

1. For two weeks the Greenpeace ship Esperanza chased a Japanese factory whaling ship across the Southern Ocean, preventing whaling and saving more than 100 whales. But when Greenpeace ran out of funds for fuel, whaling resumed. Now Greenpeace is asking people to contact the CEO of Canon Japan, who has shown concern over environmental issues, and ask him to speak out publicly against whaling. You can do that here:
2. The NRDC has won another injunction against the U.S. Navy, prohibiting them from training with a low frequency sonar system that creates so much underwater noise that whales and other marine mammals are disoriented and damaged. The Navy has appealed every decision against them and plans to appeal this one. Meanwhile, every injunction wins another day for whales. You can become a member to help them keep up the fight.
3. Twenty-seven North Atlantic Right Whales were hit and killed by ships along the Atlantic seaboard from 2001 - 2005; fewer than 350 remain. A year ago, the National Marine Fisheries Service approved a policy reuquiring ships passing through whale territory to slow down to 10 knots, a speed that allows whales and ships to avoid each othyer. But the shipping industry's influence over White House environmental policies has prevented the rule from being implemented. You can email Congress to support the Ship Strike Reduction Act, which would force the Commerce Department to set firm rule at the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
   

Photo by Michael Dawes