NA Rainbow warrior returns to the ocean of her ruin
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail Xinhua, March 13, 2013
Running along the Queensland coast of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral habitat- it is also one of the most threatened. Staring this month, one of the great icons of pacific environmentalism the Rainbow Warrior - is back in Australia to highlight the threat facing one of the most diverse ecosystems on earth.
According to the Australian Institute of Marine Science almost 50 percent of the Great Barrier Reef's coral cover has disappeared over the last three decades and despite its World Heritage status, human activity lies at the heart of a problem that could see this extraordinary habitat disappear within our lifetime.
Marking the start of a six-week tour, the iconic vessel the Rainbow Warrior bombed and sunk by French secret agents in Auckland harbor almost 30 years ago - has returned to Australia to join the campaign to save the Great Barrier Reef from the expansion of Australia's burgeoning coal industry.
Codenamed 'Opration Satanique,' (Operation Satanic) the sinking of the original Rainbow Warrior on July 10, 1985 was executed by the French foreign intelligence services in Auckland, New Zealand.
The operation, aimed at preventing the Rainbow Warrior from interfering in French nuclear testing in Moruroa atoll in the south pacific,caused a massive diplomatic rift between New Zealand, Australia and France and signaled the erosion of French influence in the region.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO David Ritter said, as the new state-of-the-art ship sailed into Port Phillip Bay, Wednesday, that the Rainbow Warrior could not have returned at a more important time.
"The speed and scale of coal expansion spells disaster for our climate and for the Great Barrier Reef. Decisions made right now will resonate for generations to come. Whether you can physically visit the ship or not, we invite all Australians to get on board with our campaign." He said.
According to marine expert Amy Wilks, the finely balanced reef is also at imminent risk from an array of threats including pollution, agricultural run-off, coral bleaching, over fishing, unsustainable tourism, shipping and coal development and of course, climate change.
Wilks told Xinhua, "Certainly the biggest impacts that we're most concerned about with our reefs is the impact from climate change. So climate change is having massive ramifications on the reef - warming ocean waters; acidification of the oceans which effect our corals and then you've got all the man made influences from fishing pressures - our sharks are in decline worldwide and that impacts down the food chain as well."
Australia is the world's fourth-largest producer of coal and the world's biggest exporter. It is the march of this growing industry across the Queensland coast that has environmentalists anxious.
After the bombing the first Rainbow Warrior 1985, her replacement has led global campaigns for over 21 years before going to a Bangladesh charity that now uses the vessel as a hospital ship.
Fernando Pereira, a photographer, drowned on the sinking ship while two French agents were arrested for arson and murder ( although they served only two years in prison).
The scandal resulted in the resignation of the French Defense Minister Charles Hernu.
Captain Peter Wilcox, who was at the helm of the original Rainbow Warrior bombed in Auckland Harbor, will lead the tour. "The Rainbow Warrior has been the heart and soul of Greenpeace global campaigning for over 30 years", said Wilcox.
"She's been raided, rammed, shot at and bombed, but the spirit of the Rainbow Warrior is as strong as ever."
Georgina Woods, a Senior Climate Campaigner with Greenpeace told Xinhua that Australia's new coal export terminals require millions of tones cubic meters of dredging of the Great Barrier Reef floor, dumping the dredged soil in the marine park.
"They are also going to require significant coastal development, one in particular requires the development of internationally significant wetland on the coast of the Great Barrier Reef heritage area."
The Great Barrier Reef has over 1500 species of fish; over 400 different species of coral and 150 shark species.
In a study released last year around 50 percent of the coral cover has been killed in the last 27 years with the crown of thorns starfish relishing warmer waters and its population explosion linked to run off from the agricultural industry.
According to Greenpeace, the reef is now reaching tipping point, with climate change now a looming shadow across the world's oceans.
After the continued expansion of the coal industry, the greatest existential threat to the future of the Reef is climate change.
Recent research indicates that in fact most coral races around the world aren't going to be able to survive global warming of more than 1.5 degrees. Greenpeace believes we are on track towards driving 4 degrees of global warming by the end of this century.
However, growing environmental awareness, sustainable tourism and proposed starfish population controls can help to conserve this ecologically unique habitat.
Early next year, the United Nations' environmental arm UNESCO will decide whether to list the reef as a World Heritage site in danger.
During its six weeks in Australia, the Rainbow Warrior will bring together a diverse range of people who want a cleaner and safer future. These include Indian renewable energy experts, local communities fighting coal development, farmers, fishermen and tourism operators worried about what coal is doing to the Australian countryside and the Great Barrier Reef.
Australia's credibility as protector of the Great Barrier Reef hangs in the balance. Endi
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)