Evergreen Online

The Newsletter of Wirral Green Alliance

eg-logo.gif (2646 bytes)

Digest Edition

December 2002 / January 2003

In this month's online edition:

Black Death: Greenpeace's account of the Spanish oil disaster

Otters Return to City Waterways

BLACK DEATH

 

On November 19 2002, a   ruptured tanker carrying 77,000 tons of fuel oil, almost twice the amount that spilled from the Exxon Valdez, split in two and sunk off of Spain's coast. Oil has washed up along the coast and birds and other wildlife have been contaminated. Once released, oil is very difficult to contain, and most will remain in the marine environment.

The vessel, the Prestige, was reported to have been about 250 kilometres (150 miles) from the Spanish coast when it broke up.Most of the crew were evacuated after the tanker began taking on water during bad weather last week. What happens now ? There are various and varying predictions as to what will happen to the oil left on board.

If the remaining tanks hit the bottom intact, it could be some time before they rupture and leak oil. Even then, at low temperatures the heavy fuel oil will be quite viscous and may be unlikely to reach the surface as a slick. Nevertheless, out of sight must not mean out of mind. There may well be impacts from releases of the oil beneath the sea over time.

The impacts on coastal ecology and communities are already substantial. The costs of the clean up will be enormous. In seeking liability and responsibility, we have to make sure it is not just the Captain who is in the dock, but those responsible for the registration, running and chartering of this vessel and ultimately the oil industry for once again being at the root of the problem.

 

This latest accident reminds us of the inherent dangers of fossil fuels. Oil may be an environmental catastrophe when it spills, but it's no less a catastrophe when it arrives safely.

In addition to the pollution caused by oil's extraction, transport and use, fossil fuels are causing climate change, the worst environmental problem we face today.

We must phase out of the use of oil and move towards clean renewable energy that can meet our needs without threatening our environment, now and into the future.

gpeaceoil.jpg (33276 bytes)
Greenpeace, the International Transport Workers Federation, and WWF have written a joint appeal to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to convene a special task force. The task: close the loopholes in maritime law that allow sub-standard ships and shipping practices to continue on the high seas.

Chief among the targets for international action must be the "flags of convenience"; countries which license ships to operate without regard for the safety of their crews or the protection of the environment.

There are several international bodies which set health and safety standards for the shipping industry internationally. But as long as those regulations are only enforced at the national level, "Flag of Convenience" states will continue to offer a way around international law.

You can read the text of the joint letter here, and add your voice to demands that the International Maritime Organisation improve the transparency and accountability of the shipping industry at Greenpeace's Take Action Against Oil page.

Otters Return to City Waterways

    

Otters have been making a return to waterways in more than 100 towns across the UK for the first time in almost 30 years. Experts from The Wildlife Trusts say otter numbers had been rising in rural areas, but until recently they had not ventured to within around 10 or 20 miles of major urban areas.

A recent survey by the Trusts' Water for Wildlife project shows otters are now regular users of waterways in major towns and cities such as Edinburgh, Newcastle, Leeds, Bristol, Canterbury and Cardiff.

The Wildlife Trusts said movement of otters into urban areas generally reflected improvements in water quality and increases in available food. It also points to rising otter numbers and the animals extending their travelling range in some areas of the UK.

otter.jpg (14581 bytes)

Thirteen urban areas, including Newcastle, have resident otters, which live and breed in the urban water courses. Other urban areas like Teesside and Cumbria are frequented by otters hunting for food.

Director General of The Wildlife Trusts Dr Simon Lyster said the recovery of the otter was the most exciting success story of the last decade. "It is a tribute to volunteers and professionals who have worked so hard to make this recovery possible", he said.