Wakao Hanaoka (left)
briefs journalists
at the Convention on Biological Diversity
meeting in Nagoya, Japan
Today, the Greenpeace
delegation at the CBD summarized what has
been happening here in Nagoya and reiterated
our demands for a global network of marine
reserves and for progress during the ministerial
section of the summit, which begins tomorrow.
I briefed the journalists
on the Japanese government’s role, as chair
of this enormous meeting, and how biodiversity
conservation is a huge challenge for them
at the moment. Just recently, the Japanese
Ministry of Environment announced that they
will make a list of endangered marine species,
a step forward, yes, but not yet action
to save said endangered speicies.
Unfortunately, the government
of Japan views our oceans and the life contained
in them as resources meant to be exploited
rather than a necessary provider of food
and life that must be protected for the
future. The Japanese market is where 80
percent of the world’s bluefin tuna is consumed,
much of it coming from distant places such
as the Mediterranean.
Next month, the major
bluefin tuna powers will meet in Paris at
the International Commission to Conserve
Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). We at Greenpeace
Japan are putting pressure on Japan to show
progress there on issues of biodiversity
conservation. The best way the government
of Japan can do this would be to support
the closure of the Mediterranean bluefin
tuna fishery. If we want tuna tomorrow,
we need marine reserves today and Japan
and ICCAT must support the creation of marine
reserves in key bluefin tuna spawning grounds.
The negotiations here
at the CBD are still moving quite slowly,
but we are hopeful that progress can come
with the arrival tomorrow of ministers.
The oceans-related negotiations right now
is focused on the targets for marine reserves
cover. Greenpeace is campaigning for a global
network of marine reserves covering 40%
of the world’s oceans- and is demanding
the CBD agree here in Nagoya a target of
20% by 2020 as the first step to achieving
that goal. Currently, the government of
Japan is only supporting a 15% target for
marine protected areas. If Japan is going
to be a successful chair of the conference
meant to save life on earth, then it has
to get serious and start making commitments
that would make it a leader now and not
wait any longer.
If Japan and other
governments here continue the sad cycle
of political inaction, our already degraded
oceans will be unable to sustain future
generations. Instead of healthy, living
waters full of fish that can feed humankind,
we will be left with warming, acidified
oceans filled with jellyfish. To remind
delegates here of this, we unveiled a new
logo for COP10, below.
+ More
How our Nestlé
campaign travelled around the web
Is it a tube map for
spiders? A diagram of the galactic core?
No, it's an analysis of our ongoing Sinar
Mas campaign, specifically the way it has
evolved online.
Communication consultants
Salter Baxter have tracked how our campaigns
on Nestlé, HSBC, Burger King and
their connections to Sinar Mas have been
discussed on the web, how those conversations
have interacted and what impact they've
had on the campaign itself.
A larger version of
the map and a summary of their findings
is featured on the Guardian, and here's
a particular interesting note on the amplification
which the web provided:
"Of course, it
was not Greenpeace's actions alone that
created this change but the power of social
media. The story was followed closely by
specialist media, such as Greenbiz and Treehugger,
as well as mainstream media such as the
Guardian and newswires like Reuters. There
was also a large amount of commentary on
blogs, which accounted for 70% of the conversations
about palm oil on the web during the six
month period to September 27, and of course,
the NGOs were vocal and influential.
The combined effect
of all these voices was a damaged reputation
and loss of business, reflected by a dip
in its share price, for Sinar Mas."
