Iceland starts whale hunt amid protests

Three ships commissioned by Iceland’s government left port Sun., Aug. 17 to begin hunting for 38 minke whales during the next six weeks, despite protests by conservationists and several governments. Iceland says the hunt is for scientific research — needed to study the stomach contents of the whales to measure their effect on fish stocks, which are vital to Iceland’s economy.

Iceland has declined to give information on the ships’ routes and has sought to prevent photos — rejecting media requests to monitor the killings and ordering captains not to fire harpoons if other vessels are near.

The International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling in 1986 to protect the endangered mammals but approved restricted hunts for research programs. The US, Britain, and several other governments opposed to whaling have labeled the hunts unnecessary.

Iceland’s government estimates there are 43,000 minke whales and the population will not be harmed by the hunt. Whale meat not used by scientists will be sold to Icelandic consumers.

Iceland initially planned to hunt many more whales but scaled back the plan following international opposition. Animal welfare groups fear the hunt is intended to gauge international reaction before resumption of commercial whaling. Japan also hunts whales for what it says are research purposes and has said it is looking for ways to resume commercial hunting. (AP)

Oil pumped out of leaking ship

Crews began pumping oil from a leaking tanker off Pakistan’s coast on Aug. 17 after the task was briefly delayed by a broken generator, strong winds, and rough seas. The ship, stranded near Karachi, had a cargo of oil, a senior port official said. Draining away the crude could take eight to ten days, he said.

The ship, owned by Malta-based Assimina Maritime ltd, ran aground about a mile from Karachi during monsoon rains July 27. Days later, the vessel began leaking oil and last week the tanker’s hull split apart. Crews managed to salvage 18,000 tons of oil before the vessel started breaking up, officials said. That means about 11,000 tons have spilled into the sea.

The spill has polluted beaches in Karachi which have been littered with dead marine life. About 100 workers are working to clean the beaches. (Guardian (UK))

China losing the war on advancing deserts

China’s territory is being claimed by expanding deserts as old ones advance and new ones form, forcing Beijing to battle on many fronts. The deserts are growing exponentially — as does China’s livestock population — occupying an ever-larger piece of China’s territory each year since 1950.

Over-plowing and over-grazing are converging to create a dustbowl of historic proportions. Dust storms are engulfing neighboring countries and inundate Beijing every spring. With little vegetation remaining in parts of northern and western China, the strong winds of late winter are removing millions of tons of topsoil which can take centuries to replace. Northwestern China is on the verge of an ecological meltdown.

The fallout from dust storms is social as well as economic as millions of rural Chinese are forced eastward to escape the advancing deserts.

While Beijing is encouraging herders to reduce their flocks, it is being met with resistance by farmers whose level of wealth is measured by the numbers of livestock they own. Some local authorities are requiring stall feeding instead of open grazing.

Any successful plan to halt the advancing deserts would undoubtedly require huge amounts of capital and human resources. While China is taking some of the right steps, at this point there is no plan on the drawing board that will stop the desertification of China. (NY Times)