KIRIBATI’S OCEAN PARADISE

TINY PACIFIC ISLAND CREATES

WORLD’S LARGEST MARINE RESERVE

The tiny Pacific islands nation of Kiribati declared the world's largest marine protected area last week — a California-sized ocean wilderness that includes pristine reefs and coral atolls teeming with fish and birds.

The Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) lies about halfway between Hawaii and Fiji and will conserve one of the Earth's last intact oceanic coral archipelago ecosystems. More than 120 species of coral and 520 species of fish live in the area. The protected zone also has some of the most important sea bird nesting sites in the Pacific, plus large fish populations and sea turtles.

Kiribati is an impoverished coral atoll nation of about 95,000 people. It's total land area covers 717 square kilometers, spread across 33 coral atolls. Its people are increasingly concerned about coastal erosion caused by rising seas in a nation no more than five meters above sea level. Besides destroying causeways and seawalls, rising waters have begun to topple coconut palms grown along the shoreline that are crucial to islanders' survival. The government stands to lose about US$3 million in fishing revenue with the creation of the reserve, but is hoping to recoup some of the losses by boosting tourism, which now accounts for 20 percent of the country’s GDP.

Kiribati hopes to establish the 410,500-square-kilometer area as a protected zone by the end of this year. It has already applied to have the reserve listed as a World Heritage Site. Shoutout to Kiribati for protecting its resources, and the world's resources, despite the costs.

Sources, resources, discourses:

1. Reuters U.K. – article
2. International Herald Tribune – article
3. Telegraph.co.uk – article and photos

COSMETICS COMPANIES GO SHARK FREE

COSMETICS GIANTS

TO STOP USING SHARK LIVER OIL

Two cosmetic giants have agreed to stop using shark liver oil as a base for moisturizing creams and lipsticks, amid concerns over threats to the survival of some species. Over a third of European shark species are under threat of extinction.

International companies L’Oreal and Unilever have agreed to replace the compound squalene, found in shark livers, with other oils from plant sources. Squalene is widely used in cosmetics as a natural, oil-free moisturizer, and can be found in products ranging from anti-aging cream to lip gloss. Deep-sea sharks have large reserves of squalene, and intensive fishing to supply the cosmetics industry has contributed to a dramatic population declines in certain species, including the gulper and kitefin. Deep-sea sharks are particularly vulnerable to overfishing as they are slow-growing, long-living and produce few young.

Unilever announced plans to remove squalene from its cosmetic brands including Pond’s and Dove, with new plant-based formulations expected on shelves as early as April 2008. L’Oreal is currently completing the phase-out of shark oil, however 12 make-up formulas, including 8 lipsticks under the Shu Uemura brand name which is owned by the company, remain unaltered. Beiersdorf, LVMH, Henkel, Boots, Clarins, Sisley and La Mer, an Estée Lauder brand, also have either made the decision to stop using shark-based squalene or had a policy to never use it in the first place.

Shoutout to Unilever and L’Oreal and every other cosmetics company who has stopped using shark-liver oil in their products. Shoutout to Oceana, the international marine conservation organization, for campaigning hard to end the use of shark oil in consumer products.

TAKE ACTION

Here's what you can do: Stop using products that contain shark squalene. Stop buying products from companies that continue to manufacture products using shark oil.

Sign Oceana’s petition to help protect sharks.

Sources, resources, discourses:

1. Telegraph.co.uk – article and photo
2. Cosmetics and Toiletries – article
3. Oceana – press release
4. Oceana – petition to protect sharks

GERMAN SHIP SAILS A GIANT KITE

GERMANY LOOKS AHEAD TO THE AGE OF SAIL

The world's first commercial ship powered in part by a giant kite is concluding its maiden voyage across the Atlantic. The 10,000-tonne MS Beluga SkySails left Germany on Jan. 22 for Venezuela, but its computer-guided kite system was fully deployed only after it reached favorable trade winds near the Azores. The ship is scheduled to arrive in Venezuela today.

The SkySails towing kite system bears little resemblance to canvas sails on conventional sailing ships. Instead of support from a mast, boom and rope, the SkySails is tied to the bow by a single line. The 160-square meter kite, which flies up to 300 meters above the water, carves figure-eight patterns in the air, reaching speeds four times higher than the prevailing wind, which dramatically increases its pulling power.

SkySails estimates that by using the towing kite system, a ship’s average annual fuel costs can be reduced by 10 to 35%, depending on the prevailing wind conditions. Under optimal wind conditions, fuel consumption can be cut by up to 50%. On its first trans-Atlantic voyage, the MS Beluga has recorded a 10 to 15% reduction in oil consumption, which amounts to a savings of about $1,000 to $1,500 a day.

The MS Beluga's journey comes more than a century after the world's commercial sailing fleet was replaced by coal-burning steamships. SkySails hopes for a similar revolution, and believes the kites could be used aboard 60 per cent of the world's commercial fleet. The world's 90,000 merchant ships emit 800 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year – about 5 per cent of the world's total.

Shoutout to the crew of the MS Beluga for making history, and to SkySails for looking into the future by looking back at the past. Godspeed, Beluga! And go fly a kite!

Sources, resources and discourses:

1. The Globe and Mail – article
2. Telegraph – article
3. SkySails - website

CUBA BANS TURTLE HUNT

TOTAL BAN WILL HELP ENDANGERED TURTLES RECOVER

Cuba has completely banned the hunting of marine turtles, including the critically endangered hawksbill turtle. Turtles are threatened by the loss of nesting and feeding habitats, and especially from the illegal trade in tortoise shells used to make combs. The ban took effect on January 20, and will stay in effect until it is scientifically proven that the species is recovering.

The phase out of the marine turtle fishery in Cuba is the result of a joint effort by the Cuban Ministry of Fisheries and WWF, with financial support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Two fishing communities that still hunted turtles, Nuevitas in Camaguey province and Cocodrilo on the Isle of Youth, will receive funding to find alternative sources of income and modernize their fishing fleets. Fishermen will also be retrained in the protection of turtles and their nests.

Shoutout to the Cuban Ministry of Fisheries and the WWF for making the ban happen, and to CIDA for shelling out the cash (sorry, couldn’t resist) to ensure that the ban works. Cowabunga, dudes!

Sources, resources and discourses:

1. Reuters - article
2. Prensa Latina - article
3. TreeHugger – article
4. World Wildlife Federation – website
5. Canadian International Development Agency - website

TOTAL PAYS FOR FRANCE'S WORST OIL SPILL

THE VERDICT:

TOTAL-LY GUILTY

PARIS (AP) — A court on Wednesday convicted Total SA in France's worst oil spill and ordered the petroleum giant and three other defendants to pay $285 million in compensation — the first time a French court has awarded damages for harming the environment.

The ruling found Total guilty of maritime pollution for shipping fuel in a rusty tanker that broke apart in a 1999 storm and stained 250 miles of coast with oil. Compensation was ordered paid to 101 civil parties, mainly associations involved in the clean-up or ecology groups.

Read the entire AP article here.

Total should have done some cost analysis: $9 million USD for a brand new oil tanker, or $285 million in compensation for sinking an old rust-bucket and coating 250 miles of French coast with oil. Poor Total... it just doesn’t pay to cut corners anymore.

Shoutout to the courts of France for holding big business accountable for their actions, and to the ecology groups who cleaned up the mess.

Wonder what happened to other companies guilty of oil spills? Check it out here.