Posted on
28 October 2009 - Faux Cap, Madagascar –
Toxic waste from a ship which went down
off the coast in southern Madagascar in
August has had severe impacts on the health
of local people and on the rich coastal
and marine environment, according to a study
supported by WWF.
The Turkish vessel Gulser
Ana grounded near Faux Cap in the very south
of Madagascar The ship carried 39000 tons
of raw Phosphates, 568 tons of fuel, 66
tons of diesel and 8000 litres of lubricant,
most of which was slowly released into the
Indian Ocean. The accident occurred in a
whale reproduction and migratory corridor
zone during the migratory season.
The report, co-funded
by WWF was prepared by an interdisciplinary
team of eight scientists which went to Faux
Cap shortly after the accident.
While one to three whales
normally beach in the area each year, nine
whales beached in September alone, and some
beach stretches seem to be real death zones,
the report found. Villagers suffer from
diseases such as respiratory problems, skin
diseases and diarrhoea.
“WWF is very concerned
about the possible negative impacts on biodiversity
especially marine and coastal species, the
threats to the ecosystems and the loss of
people’s livelihood options. That’s why
we decided to fund this mission,” said Harifidy
Olivier Ralison, WWF Western Indian Ocean
Marine Programme Coordinator.
Oil clumps cover the
beach 30 km to the east and even further
to the west of the shipwreck. People who
were hired to clean up the area are not
equipped properly and lack clothes protecting
them. The collected oil clumps land in plastic
bags on the beach where they are likely
to burst and cause further damage, the report
founds.
Almost half the 40'000
people in the area have been affected by
consequences of the shipwreck, the study
found with a key impact being the banning
of fishing for three months.
Some 25 to 40 percent of the inhabitants
depend on fishery as their source of income.
The impacts on marine
species are also tragic.
"Like human beings,
whales suffer from respiratory problems
due to diesel odour. They come to the surface
from time to time to breathe, so if they
happen to surface through an oil film, this
might result in the animal’s death,” Yvette
Razafindrakoto, WCS (World Conservation
Society) marine mammal specialist said.
Although raw phosphate
is not poisonous, a huge amount of it being
suddenly released into the ocean can be
problematic. The expert team found signs
of eutrophication in front of the shipwreck.
« Phosphate acts like fertilizer,
which leads to an extensive algal bloom.
This depletes the oxygen in the surrounding
marine environment and could cause the disappearance
of species such as fish and molluscs»
said Ralison.
Some common species
of sand crabs were also only found sporadically
and other species, such as various gastropods
contained a very high amount of heavy metal,
which is connected to higher mortality.
There are signs that
the food chain in the area around Faux Cap
is severely harmed. What this means for
the coastal ecosystem and the villagers
on the contaminated beaches can only be
definitively estimated after the passage
of some years, the report said.
+ More
Can we make a climate
deal is not the right question. We must
make it.
Posted on 29 October
2009 - Gland, Switzerland – Every day of
delay in taking action against rapidly progressing
climate change would have severe consequences
for us and future generations.
Delegates gathering
for yet another round of climate talks in
Barcelona next week should show their leaders
back home that progress can be made and
a safe and ambitious climate deal not only
can but must be sealed.
Signals from some politicians
suggesting the climate deal would not be
sealed in Copenhagen but in an unforeseeable
future are irresponsible and could trigger
a domino effect where one country after
another will try to give up and lower the
level of ambition.
Leaders who will not
take action will be responsible for climate
chaos, the weakening of the authority of
public institutions and finally loss of
trust of their voters around the world who
believe that these negotiations must have
an ambitious and binding outcome.
“Asking whether we should
strike an ambitious climate deal in Copenhagen
now or later is comparable to debating whether
to move out of the way of a fast and heavy
lorry that is driving straight towards us
immediately or wait and see what happens,”
said Kim Carstensen, the leader of WWF Global
Climate Initiative.
“If we don’t agree on
an ambitious and binding treaty we will
be remembered as the generation which spent
billions on credit cards, spread environmental
vandalism and did nothing to confront the
most intractable problem of our times.”
“I am sure none of the
leaders would want to be remembered this
way.”
When delegates gather
in Barcelona next week it will be a litmus
test of whether their political leaders
have given them a mandate to move towards
a political deal in Copenhagen that has
the potential to save the world from climate
change.
A fast moving, open
and ambitious progress on the political
essentials of the deal at this meeting would
send a strong signal back to the world that
yes, a climate deal can be done.
“We call on the delegates
to kill the rumors about delaying the deal.
They must show that they can do it and show
willingness to agree the political essentials.”
WWF also calls on leaders
to get together ahead of Copenhagen and
give new, honest and powerful political
impetus to bring the talks forward. In the
United States the domestic legislation process
must be moved forward and the US and other
major players need to live up to their roles
and inspire the rest of the world with ambitious
greenhouse gas cuts and generous financial
commitments.
The debate whether the
agreement should be legally binding is not
helpful. We need a strong climate agreement,
and Copenhagen has to set the direction
by agreeing the necessary political substance.
“After all these months
spent in talks and negotiations we cannot
come out now and say that all this was just
informal chat, can we?” Carstensen said.
“A lot of political
momentum has been built up around Copenhagen,
and the world expects leaders to show courage
and cut the deal in Copenhagen. Any talk
about delaying the deal is extremely dangerous
because it takes pressure off the negotiations.
Stopping climate change
can no longer be dependent on which political
party you belong to, how many lobbyists
you have waiting in front of your door and
how many banks you need to bail out. We
need a worldwide political climate coalition
to prevent the worst.”
