Environment | WPN World People News

The world’s oceans could face severe and irreversible harm unless tighter environmental safeguards are put in place to protect them from the risks of deep sea mining, warns a new report, In Deep Water, released by Greenpeace International, on July 3.

“The G19 resolve to act on climate remains steadfast, but what we need now is rapid action to address the climate emergency. To prove to the people they are really prepared to do what’s expected of them, G19 leaders must launch a rapid decarbonisation of their economies and not let another meeting in an endless trade negotiation be the focus.

On June 28, 50 activists from France, Germany and the Netherlands blocked a freighter carrying soymeal for animal feed coming from the port of Cotegipe, Salvador in Brazil, and interrupted it from berthing at the port of Sète, south of France, to draw attention to deforestation for soya production.

Activists from Greenpeace International confronted a fishing vessel around 200 miles away from The Azores as it was hauling in sharks on a longline, capturing shocking footage of their practices, on June 26. The peaceful protest saw activists unfurl a banner with the message “Sharks Under Attack” and came as Greenpeace International releases a new report that reveals lack of protection in international waters is resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of endangered sharks each year.

In recent years, illegal fishing activities within the Gulf of California have had devastating impacts on its unique marine wildlife, pushing the vaquita to the brink of extinction. The porpoise gets entangled in gillnets used illegally to fish another Critically Endangered species, the totoaba fish, whose swim bladder fetches high prices in Asian markets.

One of Europe’s most photographed tourist attractions, the giant ‘Iamsterdam’ letters which previously stood in front of the Dutch capital’s world-famous Rijksmuseum, was brought back by Greenpeace Netherlands as ‘Iamazonia’, on June 26. The 22m x 3 m high replica sign aims to draw attention to another landmark vital to our survival which is disappearing in front of our eyes: the Amazon rainforest.

“The year 2020 presents a singular opportunity to reverse the alarming decline of nature we are witnessing,” says Dr Grethel Aguilar, IUCN Acting Director General. “Preserving Earth’s biodiversity is crucial if we are to achieve the ambitious goals of the 2030 Agenda to eradicate poverty and to ensure human health, food and water security. The IUCN World Conservation Congress will be decisive in tackling the biodiversity crisis and setting the world on the path to a sustainable future.”

A California gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica) at Dana Point, California.

The World Heritage Committee on Jul.03 followed IUCN’s advice to list Mexico’s Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California as a World Heritage site in danger. The site’s population of vaquitas – the world’s smallest and most endangered species of porpoise – has been decimated due to the illegal trade of marine products, with possibly as few as 10 individuals left.

In a video message released in advance of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, marked on Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the world loses 24 billion tons of fertile land every year, and that the degradation in land quality is responsible for a reduction in the national domestic product of up to eight per cent every year.