GreenWatch

B. McPherson Air and water pollution threatens China's future. China has taken one small step towards cleaning up their heavily polluted country. They have acknowledged the existence of “Cancer Villages”. Until the recently they have denied that they exist. These villages are in close proximity to industrial operations which until now have had free rein to dump their toxic waste into surface and ground water. The resulting pollution has rendered about 20% of the rivers in China so polluted that they are no longer useful for industrial use. The water that people are forced to use for washing and drinking is also heavy with toxins. In the Cancer Villages as many as 80% of the people are suffering from various cancers. Greenpeace activists in China have been urging the People’s government to take action on the release of toxins into the environment since 1997. They hail the acknowledgement of the problem and a five year plan to eliminate some of the most toxic che...

B. McPherson BP will fight people made sick by corexit. The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill is still having health and economic repercussions in the US South. February 25, BP will enter a courtroom in New Orleans to determine who was at fault for the massive pollution of the Gulf of Mexico when the Macondo Well blew out. Those who were adversely affected by the spill but excluded from the original group that received compensation for damages will have to prove that they suffered harm from the oil spill. Oil industry people who had to suspend operations while the well spewed oil into the water are claiming damages as well as those who were servicing and building drill platforms are claiming in the millions of dollars. Municipalities and state governments were not covered in the original compensation accord.  The BP spokesperson has let it out that the cities and state governments actually benefitted from the spill with all the workers and materials brought into the are...

B. McPherson Sea Shepherd Society 2013 Zero Tolerance Campaign The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s efforts to thwart the Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean led to violence and damage to vessels today. The Steve Irwin and Bob Barker Sea Shepherd vessels as well as a South Korean refueling vessel Sun Laurel suffered damage.  Details about the confrontation as the Sea Shepherd vessels attempted to block refueling of the Japanese processing ship Nisshin Maru are coming out gradually. The Japanese version is that the Sea Shepherd group deliberately rammed the factory ship as it attempted to refuel. Details posted by conservation group differ considerably. They outline the positions of their three vessels to block refueling. Their version puts the   Nisshin Maru as the aggressor with the much larger vessel deliberately attacking and ramming from the rear. The damage to the Bob Barker extensive with power out, radar damaged and water in the engin...

B. McPherson Water, the Blue Gold, will become the next global flashpoint. Texas is confronting New Mexico in the Supreme Court over water. Texas and much of the US interior has been struggling with multi year drought conditions and the lack of water is reaching a crisis point. Texas is maintaining that New Mexico is pumping water out of the ground at a rate that impinges on Texas’s supply and violates treaties agreed to. New Mexico for its part is maintaining that the most recent treaty was forced on them and they need the water for their purposes. This spat between states is a microcosm of what is happening around the world where potable water is concerned. While North America is engaged in a rush to extract oil and gas resources, and endangering the water supplies by pumping toxic chemicals under pressure into the ground(fracking), the country famed for its massive pool of oil Saudi Arabia, is rapidly running out of water. That kingdom has supplied petroleu...

B. McPherson Sign says, "Sorry for the inconvenience, we're trying to save the planet! BC First Nations and supporters staged an information demonstration at Departure Bay in Nanaimo on Monday. The peaceful and orderly demonstration of about 200 caught the attention of the BC Ferry passengers going to and unloading from the government ferry. Many were supportive of the Idle No More people, tooting horns and waving. The action took place to try to educate the general population about the omnibus bills currently being considered in Ottawa. While the handouts dealt mainly with the effect these bills would have on the indigenous people, they also have profound effects for the general population as well. This little girl is learning about her rich culture. Bill C-38: a 450 page bill would remove many environmental protections now in effect. First Nation people have not been consulted regarding these changes. Bill C-45: 450+ pages that would also remove much...

B. McPherson Orangutans are losing their homes to forestry and palm oil plantations. Asia Pulp and Paper(APP) has announced that they will declare a moratorium on further forest clearing in the Indonesian rainforest. APP is a major world supplier of paper and packaging materials. Greenpeace has conducted a lengthy campaign to educate customers about the harm being done to tropical rainforests to supply fibre for packaging and toilet paper. As part of their campaign they have urged the boycott of products made by APP. The campaign has paid off with the announcement on February 5 th . “From February 1st 2013, suspension of natural forest clearance which applies to all suppliers while HCVF and HCS assessment are completed, ending all cutting of natural forest Protection of all forests, including those on peatland High Carbon Stock assessments to be implemented Adoption of international best practice for rights of indigenous peoples and local communities Independent mo...

B. McPherson Mangroves provide a good living if they are preserved. Mangrove forests line the edge of the shores in many tropical and semi-tropical places around the world. Increasingly they are being bulldozed to make way for commercial shrimp farming and resort building. The removal of the mangroves gives the tropical resort an unimpeded view of the ocean and a fabulous sandy beach for the well heeled tourist to walk on. As part of the sun-starved vacation many tourists hire boats to take them snorkeling or diving on the offshore coral reefs which are a wonderland of vibrant, teeming life. Most tourists would be shocked and dismayed to think that they are, in fact, party to killing off these reefs. It wasn’t until I witnessed an intact mangrove forest that I started to understand the importance of these trees that walk out into the ocean. The mangroves slow run off from the land, trapping the silt that would be lost to the ocean, gradually building and protecting...