Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

jennifer

Giving the Narwhals a Voice: A Note from Ann Novek

By

In a recent whaling thread Andy Ottaway, director of the anti-whaling NGO, Campaign Whale, wrote “If whaling can’t be conducted humanely , it should not be conducted at all”.

There is a real unwillingness to address the issue of aboriginal whale killing methods including by NGOs and the International Whaling Commission.

Now the National Geographic Magazine has featured the Inuit narwhal hunt in Arctic Bay, Canada, and the significant associated problems.

This has elicited a negative response from the hunters and a ban on the filming of whale hunts in Arctic Bay.

Philippa Brakes from The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society has commented:

““It is shocking and disappointing that an article published in National Geographic about the significant problems associated with this narwhal hunt, has elicited such a negative response from these hunters. Rather than face up to addressing the issues raised in the article about the welfare of these whales – including the fact that a 13 year-old boy was permitted to shoot narwhal all day, wounding many but landing none – the decision to ban the filming of these hunts does little other than confirm that these hunters have something to hide from the eyes of the world”.

Joe Tigullaraq, chair of the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, said he worries that the portrayal of the Arctic Bay hunt will be seen by National Geographic’s many readers around the world as representative of all Nunavut hunters.

“We do have 20 other communities in Nunavut that hunt narwhals,” he said. “These other communities in Nunavut should not be painted with the same brush.”

However, Tigullaraq said he hopes the article’s publication may draw attention to flaws in present hunting techniques. “I think it’s an opportune time to consider the problems.”

Paul Nicklen, the article’s author, grew up in Kimmirut. He wrote on the National Geographic website that the narwhal story “was the most stressful thing I’ve ever done. I feel as if I’m betraying my friends.”

“But at the same time I hope that, ultimately, the DFO will work with the Inuit and help them find a better way so that their kids and grandkids can continue their traditions.

“In the end, I told this story because it’s obvious that the narwhals do not have a voice, and I’ve done my best to fairly represent them as well as the Inuit. As a journalist, I have to tell truthful, unbiased stories of what I see, no matter how difficult it may be at times.”

Ann Novek
Sweden

Tasmanian Forests – The Wildcard in Australian Politics

By

Over the last decade or so Tasmanian forestry issues have emerged as the predictable wildcard in Australian federal politics. I say predictable because the issue is always there but tends to manifests itself in unpredictable ways.

At the last federal election unionists rallied for John Howard, a Liberal Prime Minister, when Mark Latham, the Labor challenger went ‘too green’ in his forestry policies. Neither political party released its forestry policy until the last week of the campaign. Then a few days out from the election, television images of blue-collar workers cheering John Howard at a rally in Launceston stole momentum from the Labor party in the final days of the campaign.

There is another federal election likely sometime before the end of the year and it initially appeared Tasmanian forestry would not be an issue. Both parties have similar policies including on a proposed pulp mill.

But a now former prime ministerial adviser has decided to very publicly attack the environment minister for apparently supporting the pulp mill.

Geoffrey Cousins says he will campaign against Malcolm Turnbull because he is appalled the Minister has fast-tracked the approval process for the proposed $2 billion Gunns pulp mill in northern Tasmania.

As far as I can tell the pulp mill has not been fast tracked. Rather the greens have thrown as many obstacles in the way as they can over many years, and every time one is lifted out of the way, someone is accused of being undemocratic or fast tracking approvals?

And who is Mr Cousins anyway. Why is the media making such a big deal out of his bully-boy tactics?

Previous posts on this issue include:

Tasmanian Pulp Mill assessment process vindicated by the Federal court https://jennifermarohasy.com.dev.internet-thinking.com.au/blog/archives/002209.html

Tasmanian Pulp Mill at Crossroads: A Note from Cinders
https://jennifermarohasy.com.dev.internet-thinking.com.au/blog/archives/001972.html

Digging Up the Roots of the IPCC : An Essay by Tony Gilland

By

“Many have criticised the scientific debate [on climate change] for becoming politicised – whether that be in terms of underplaying or overplaying the dangers presented by climate change – and this is an important issue to explore. But what has really been lacking in recent years is any substantive political debate about how we should view and respond to climate change. This has led to a situation where the IPCC, an unelected body, holds an unprecedented influence on the lives of everyone on the planet – and any attempt to question this body’s legitimacy or actions is shouted down as ‘denial’ of the scientific facts. In discussing the origins of the climate change issue and the IPCC, this essay raises the following questions:

1. How much of the global warming issue is shaped by new scientific discoveries, and how much by broader cultural and political trends?

2. How has the interaction between scientists, international institutions, governments, media and activists influenced the development of climate change policy?

3. Was the establishment of the IPCC a visionary act or an expression of political implosion in the West?

This essay does not attempt to provide a comprehensive history of the global warming issue; rather its aim is to contribute to the start of a critique. For whatever the facts about climate change can tell us, they do not tell us that the debate is over…

To keep reading this essay by Tony Gilland click here: http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php?/site/article/3540/

Revamping the Blog

By

I started this blog on April 14, 2005 with a first post pondering what it means to be a progressive environmentalist.

For more than two years various people have made a significant contribution to the blog including Alan Ashbarry, Ann Novek, Arnost, Chthoniid, Chrisgo, Paul Biggs, Boxer, Ian Castles, David, David in Tokyo, Ender, Gavin, Helen Mahar, Hasbeen, Louis Hissink, Lamna nasus, Warwick Hughes, Jim, John, Roger Kalla, Ian Mott, Libby Eyre, Walter Starck, Neil Hewett, Rog, Roger Underwood, Russell, Steve and Steve, David Tribe, Schiller Thurkettle, SJT, Travis, David Ward, Luke Walker, Paul Williams, Woody, Graham Young and many others.

Thank you so much and please kept sending contributions and/or providing commentary.

A few weeks ago I decided to have the banner redesigned and I invited a few regular contributors to take a more prominent role in the running of the blog. Neil Hewett and Paul Biggs agreed.

Neil Hewett

Neil worked as an outdoor educator in the timber community of Ravenshoe at a time when the forestry industry was being closed down and tourism promised as an alternative industry – a promise that remains unfulfilled. He then spent seven years in remote aboriginal homelands before returning to the Daintree rainforest in far north Queensland, Australia, to become a co-founding director of Cooper Creek Wilderness.

You can read more about Neil here and email Neil at neil@ccwild.com

Paul Biggs

Paul is a Biological Sciences graduate who works in medical research at Birmingham University, UK, since 1979. He became interested in climate change after watching a BBC documentary which claimed that the Gulf Stream could be cut off within 20 years, resulting in the UK having climate like Alaska.

He now spends much of his spare time debunking the claims that there will be a man-made climate catastrophe due to carbon dioxide.

You can read more about Paul here and email Paul at pmbbiggsy@yahoo.com

The Goat

The goat is looking over my shoulder – check out the banner. The goat lives on a farm in the lovely misty green Bowman River valley near Gloucester, New South Wales, in Australia.

The goat posts new threads at this blog on behalf of anyone looking for an alias. Just send an email to mail@jennifermarohasy.com

Blog Rules

While the banner has changed, the rules remain the same. If you have forgotton study the picture and text here.

And also,

We strive for tolerance and respect. We don’t always agree with what we publish, but we believe in giving people (and goats) an opportunity to be heard.

The blog is archived in the National Library, Canberra, in Australia.

On the Decline of Coral Reef Ecosystems: A New Paper by Peter Ridd

By

The supposedly already-degraded state of coral reef ecosystems is sometimes claimed to be a reason why anthropogenic global warming will have a major impact on the reefs, i.e. they are already close to extinction and can easily be tipped over the edge.

A recent paper** by Peter Ridd challenges the methodology used to conclude that the outer and inner Great Barrier Reef (GBR) are already 28% and 36% respectively, down the path towards ecological extinction.

I’ve uploaded the full paper, with permission from the author, here: https://jennifermarohasy.com.dev.internet-thinking.com.au/data/Ridd_Energy%20n%20Environment.pdf

———————
** A CRITIQUE OF A METHOD TO DETERMINE LONG-TERM DECLINE OF CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEMS
by Peter V. Ridd. Reprinted from ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT, VOLUME 18 No. 6 2007

2007 Hurricane Season Begins with a Category 5

By

The 2006 hurricane season ended on 30th November with the number of hurricanes that qualified as “major” – category 3 or above – 50 percent below NOAA forecasts and not a single hurricane made landfall.

Hurricane Dean is the first for this 2007 season and according to Jeff Master’s Wunder blog:

“Hurricane Dean has intensified into the first Category 5 storm in the Atlantic since Hurricane Wilma of 2005. The latest Hurricane Hunter fix at 8:34pm EDT found 185 mph winds at their flight level of 10,000 feet, which corresponds to surface winds of 160 mph. The pressure had dropped to 914 mb, and I expect Dean will strengthen right up until landfall. Landfall is expected near Chetumal, Mexico, just after midnight local time…

Keep reading here: http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/show.html