13
Oct 2008 - Barcelona, Spain: Key fishing
state Spain and key tuna market Japan joined
with a majority of other countries to back
closing the Mediterranean Bluefin Tuna fishery
until it can be brought under control and
establishing protected areas in the main
breeding grounds.
The surprise vote tonight,
by government and NGO members of the International
Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
at the World Conservation Congress in Barcelona,
also calls for catch quotas to be nearly
halved in line with scientific advice and
for permanent fishing bans for May and June
covering the entire spawning season.
“We didn't know this
would pass, let alone pass so overwhelmingly,”
said Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries
in WWF’s Mediterranean office. “Common sense
is now promising to bring an end to the
real shame in the international system of
fisheries management.
“The message that we
need to close the fishery now or have few
fish and no fishery into the future is now
coming from scientists, from consumers,
from communities and from countries.”
The motion adds considerably
to the pressure on International Commission
for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)
which decides on the future of the fishery
in November, within two months of its own
internal expert review labelling the management
of the Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery
“an international disgrace”.
It also follows a WWF
report earlier this year that the tuna fishing
capacity was at twice quota levels and a
further report last week that Italy's largely
unregulated fleet was in flagrant violation
of the fishery rules.
Last month, ICCAT scientists
also warned the Mediterranean Bluefin Tuna
population was on the brink of collapse.
A retailers' boycott of Mediterranean Bluefin
Tuna, supported by WWF, is spreading throughout
Europe.
The tuna motion, initially
bitterly opposed by some countries that
later voted for it, was put up by WWF, Ecologistas
en Acción, GOB, SEO/Birdlife and
the Government of the Baleric Islands, which
is proposed as one of the bluefin tuna sanctuaries.
“ICCAT needs to heed
the claim from the international community
to save the Mediterannean Bluefin Tuna,”
Dr Tudela said.
“This year's meeting
will be the last real chance for ICCAT to
show to the world it deserves the mandate
given by society to manage this fisheries
and avoid the collapse of the species.”
+ More
Flicking the switch
on Edison’s light bulb
14 Oct 2008 - Luxembourg:
The light bulb, a defining invention of
the late 19th century, will soon be a thing
of the past in the European Union.
EU Energy Ministers
decided in Luxembourg last week to ban incandescent
light bulbs in Europe as of 2010. The move
comes just a few days before the lifting
of EU import duties on energy-saving lamps
from China, which will help bring down retail
prices of the most efficient light bulbs.
The incandescent light
bulb with its familiar filament, developed
by a succession of scientists and inventors
throughout the 19th century from Sir Humphrey
Davy to Thomas Edison, is deemed no longer
efficient enough for the 21st century.
Incandescent bulbs consume
three to five times more than efficient
lights, such as integrated compact fluorescent
lamps (CFLs). The replacement of the worst-performing
lamps with today’s best available technology
will contribute to the reduction of domestic
energy consumption for lighting by 60 per
cent in the EU, equivalent to some 30 million
tons of CO2 annually.
The massive switchover,
which will affect all of the European Union's
500 million citizens, was first ordered
at a Brussels summit last year as part of
an ambitious energy policy to fight climate
change.
Support for the new
bulbs has proved controversial in the past
as they are considerably more expensive.
However, more efficient lights will be cheaper
in the long run as they use significantly
less energy and last longer. The ban of
energy-intensive lamps will also increase
demand for more efficient products such
as CFLs and light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
“These decisions clearly
show that promotion of energy efficiency
brings benefits to the economy, the climate
and consumers,” said Mariangiola Fabbri,
WWF Energy Policy Officer.
“The European Union
should champion the phase-out of highly
energy consuming products, facilitate access
of energy saving products to the European
market and help consumers make their choice
responsibly, in line with the 2020 climate
change targets.”
Last year Australia
became the first country to announce an
outright ban by 2010 on incandescent bulbs.
The changeover in the United States will
be more gradual, not mandated to begin until
2012 and phased out through 2014.
