Vietnam seizes over 1,000 dead endangered sea turtles

Yahoo – AFP, 25 Nov 2014

File photo taken on January 21, 2011 shows a baby green turtle crawling to the 

sea after being hatched at a turtle sanctuary in Sukamade island in East Java

province, Indonesia

Vietnam's environmental police have seized a record haul of over 1,000 endangered sea turtles which were being prepared for illegal export to China, an official said Tuesday.

"The turtles were all dead," Le Hong Thai, an official of the Ministry of Public Security's environmental police department, told AFP.

"They were meant to be processed into handicrafts for export to China," he added.

The raids were made on Wednesday last week in the resort town of Nha Trang on Vietnam's south-central coast.

"The case is under investigation, so we cannot reveal the number of detainees or any other details," Thai said.

Marine turtles are fully protected under Vietnamese law.

Hunting and trading, including the storing, of any of the five native species is a criminal offence, according to local media reports.

Scores of Vietnamese have been arrested in regional waters over the past years for catching or trading sea turtles.

Nguyen Phuong Dung, the director of conservation group Education for Nature-Vietnam, welcomed the raid but said it must be followed with legal penalties for those involved.

Courts "need to send the message that Vietnam is serious about prosecuting and punishing" crimes involving endangered species, she said in a statement.

Environmental groups say Vietnam is one of the world's worst countries for trade in endangered species -- an accusation which it denies.

Police regularly seize hauls of ivory, rhino horn and exotic species including pangolins and tigers, but conservation groups say these represent just a small part of the trade passing through the communist country.

Pertamina Launches Subsidized Fuel Card for Fishermen

Jakarta Globe, Rangga Prakoso, Nov 25, 2014

The subsidized fuel scheme has been tried out in Cilincing, North Jakarta,
since June. (Antara Photo/Saiful Bahri)

Jakarta. State-owned energy company Pertamina on Tuesday officially launched a subsidized fuel scheme especially for fishermen in Cilincing, North Jakarta.

Pertamina marketing and business director Hanung Budya said the program, which uses cards similar to those being issued for better access to education and health services, is intended to make sure the subsidized fuel ends up in the hands of the right people.

“Each boat only gets one card, with a particular quota of subsidized fuel set by the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry,” Hanung said on Tuesday at a Cilincing fuel station for fishing vessels.

The program has been tried out since June in Cilincing. The filling station caters to 158 registered boats, and each is allocated around 288 kiloliter of subsidized diesel per month. With the card, each transaction is digitally monitored by the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, the local marine and fisheries agency, Pertamina and Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI).

“To get the card, fishermen need to open a bank account [at BRI] and register the card with the local fisheries agency to obtain a fuel quota. Each card will mention the boat’s name, the owner’s name, and the monthly quota,” Hanung said. “The government can also use the card to monitor fishing activities and use it for further studies into fuel quotas.”

After Cilincing, Pertamina is planning to implement the system in other areas as well.

“Before the end of the year, we’d like to bring this card to Tegal, Central Java, and Lamongan in East Java. We’re targeting to register around 2,400 boats for this program,” Hanung said.

Iranian People Smuggler Arrested at Request of Australian Government

Jakarta Globe, Farouk Arnaz, Nov 23, 2014

In this handout photo released by the Indonesian National Search and Rescue
 Agency (Basarnas) on July 4, 2012, shows a boat believed to be carrying up to
 180 asylum-seekers spotted south of Java and sailing towards Australian waters.
(AFP Photo)

Jakarta. Indonesia’s National Police have arrested an Iranian people smuggler who was allegedly involved in the death of more than 200 people in a disaster off the coast of East Java in 2011.

Mohammed Naghi Karimi Azar, 54, was arrested in an apartment in Central Jakarta on Oct. 29 at the request of Australian authorities, police said on Sunday.

Azar is alleged to have coordinated a notorious people smuggling attempt that ended in disaster off the coast off Trenggalek in December 2011. A boat en-route to Australia that was carrying some 250 asylum seekers from Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan sank in rough seas. Only 47 survivors were rescued.

Sr. Comr. Budi Santoso, chief of the National Police’s people smuggling sub-division, said on Sunday that the arrest was carried out following a request from the Australian government.

“We’re still waiting for the decision on when the extradition can be conducted,” Agus said. “The suspect is charged under the 1979 Law No. 1 on Extradition and 2010 Law No. 8 on the Indonesia-Australia Extradition Agreement.”

Azar, who has Iranian citizenship, has been held at a prison administered by the National Police’s general crime division since he was arrested.

The 2011 incident is believed to be the largest loss of life from a sinking of one of the many boats packed with Asian and Middle Eastern migrants who undertake the perilous voyage from Indonesia to Australia.

Two other alleged people smugglers, Abu Anwar and Matim, are still being sought for their role in the tragedy.

In Fight Against Big-Time Poaching, Susi Nets Minnows

Jakarta Globe, Nuriy Azizah Susetyo, Nov 22, 2014

Bajau Laut child in the Philippines. (Wikimedia Commons Photo/Ronnie Pucket)

Jakarta. Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti’s crusade against poaching by foreign fishing boats in Indonesian waters has turned on a nomadic sea tribe that has practiced subsistence fishing for hundreds of years.

The minister said in Jakarta on Friday that her ministry had identified 400 fishermen from the Bajau Laut community living and fishing among remote islands off East Kalimantan – an area that they have lived in and fished from for generations.

However, Susi said that they included Bajau Laut tribespeople from the Philippines and Malaysia, and that their presence in Indonesian waters – where, again, they have a history that predates the founding of all three countries – posed an existential threat to Indonesia’s maritime sovereignty.

“Under our marine laws, they are definitely violating our territory, and if seen under the fisheries law, they are guilty because they are foreigners,” Susi said.

She added that they lived mostly on uninhabited islands off Berau district in East Kalimantan, a marine conservation area where she claimed fishing was prohibited. However, she also acknowledged that authorities were tipped off to their presence by complaints about the “foreign” competition from local fishermen who also fish in the ostensibly protected area.

Conservationists have long lamented the practice of dynamite fishing by local fishermen in the area, but Susi said no such materials were found among the Bajau Laut.

“We caught 59 boats and 73 rafts, so in total we got 132 wooden boats. However, we only found spears and nets, not potassium and dynamite,” she said.

The coordinating minister for maritime affairs, Indroyono Soesilo, said Indonesia needed to take the case seriously because of the danger that it could lose the islands in question to Malaysia or the Philippines – despite the Bajau Laut generally not subscribing to the notion of statehood.

He added that the government would inform the Malaysian and Philippine governments about the matter and deport the fishermen from the region they have lived in for generations.

Indonesia Declares War on Illegal Foreign Fishing Boats

Jakarta Globe, Ezra Sihite, Nov 18, 2014

Susi Pudjiastuti, the minister for maritime affairs and fisheries, visits a dock
 where impounded illegal foreign fishing vessels are kept, in Kubu Raya district,
West Kalimantan, on Saturday. (Antara Photo/Jessica Helena Wuysang)

Jakarta. Sink or swim: That’s the message the Indonesian government, backed by the Navy, is sending out to foreign fishing fleets poaching inside the country’s maritime borders.

Poaching costs the world’s biggest archipelagic nation some Rp 300 trillion ($24.7 billion) a year, President Joko Widodo said at the State Palace on Tuesday.

“I said it yesterday: Stop arresting [poachers] already and sink 10 or 20 boats so that they’ll think twice,” the president said as quoted by Detik.com.

“But of course, we have to save the people first,” he added.

Fishing, and developing Indonesia’s vast maritime potential in general, is a central pillar of the new government under Joko, who has laid out a vision for Indonesia to become a “global maritime axis.”

His remarks on Tuesday echoed those on Sunday by Susi Pudjiastuti, the maritime and fisheries minister, who called on local authorities in the Derawan Islands, part of Berau district in East Kalimantan, to burn the foreign fishing vessels caught poaching in the area.

“Go to work, burn those boats so they won’t keep doing this. Don’t burn the people, though; arrest them,” Susi said, following a patrol that netted three Malaysian-flagged vessels suspected of illegal fishing.

“Mr. District Chief, Mr. Police Chief, don’t be afraid. If there are any human rights problem, I’ll take the responsibility. Conduct a joint operation with five boats and armed officers. Once you catch them, confiscate the boats. But if there are many boats, burn one or two. Never give the boats back.”

The Navy has responded in a more restrained manner, saying on Tuesday that it had previously carried out a campaign of sinking foreign vessels found poaching in Indonesian waters, but stressed that due legal process needed to be respected.

Adm. Marsetio, the Navy chief of staff, said in Jakarta that he oversaw the previous campaign when he commanded the Navy’s Eastern Fleet.

“It was effective. There were some protests from the ambassadors from the countries [in which the vessels were registered] but they saw that the boat crews were kept safe,” Marsetio said.

“We also worked together with the embassies to deport the crews. The campaign helped prevent similar acts,” he added.

The Navy chief was quick to point out that they could not do this to all vessels suspected of poaching, saying the legal process had to be respected. However, he said the Navy would sink boats caught red-handed “trying to take Indonesia’s natural resources without any proper documents.”

“There have been several instances where we’ve sunk boats illegally entering our waters. But that depends on their crime,” Marsetio said. “In the case of boats found without the proper documentation, we secure the crews first and then we sink the boats to stop them doing that again.”

Related Article:

Google joins fight against illegal fishing

Greenpeace activist injured off Canary Islands in oil protest

Greenpeace and the Spanish navy have issued conflicting accounts of two collisions between dinghies in the Atlantic Ocean. A Greenpeace activist, protesting Repsol oil exploration there, was hospitalized as a result.

Deutsche Welle, 16 Nov 2014

Environmental organization Greenpeace on Saturday said that four of its activists were injured, one of them seriously, when Spain's navy rammed into their dinghy during a protest off the Canary Islands. Greenpeace released video footage of the scenes, showing two collisions between its vessels and ones belonging to the Spanish authorities.

Boats rammed during peaceful protest against oil drilling, 1 activist hospitalised http://t.co/BcnbkKSiLT
— Greenpeace (@Greenpeace) November 15, 2014

The Greenpeace boats were approaching a large oil drilling ship with a platform, belonging to energy company Repsol.

After the second collision, a woman can be heard crying for help from the water, before a diver on a naval vessel fetches her. Greenpeace identified the woman as a 23-year-old Italian activist, saying she suffered cuts and a broken leg.

Update: Activist knocked into water, leg broken, is safely evacuated and being treated http://t.co/TIObsK5a34
— Arctic Sunrise (@gp_sunrise) November 15, 2014

Calling the incident "another reminder of the lengths governments will go to protect the oil industry from peaceful protesters," Greenpeace said in its statement on the incident that the navy reacted violently, "deliberately ramming the boats and putting the lives of peaceful activists at risk."

However, the navy instead said that it dispatched two boats from one of its ships to prevent Greenpeace from boarding a large oil drilling ship. The authorities said that the activist fell from her dinghy and suffered her injuries when she was hit by its propellers.

Contentious drilling off Canaries

Diego Lopez Garrido of Spain's main opposition Socialist party said that he would call Defense Minister Pedro Morenes to parliament to explain the navy's actions.

Spanish oil giant Repsol is exploring the Atlantic Ocean off the Canary Islands, notably Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, for new drilling sites. It's not an entirely popular endeavor. Last month, at the government's request, the Constitutional Court blocked a proposal from the Canary Islands regional government calling for a referendum on oil exploration off the popular tourist archipelago. Residents have voiced concern that oil exploration, or possibly spills, could hurt the region's thriving tourism and fishing industries.

Repsol has promised to take steps to protect the environment, saying the project will create jobs on an archipelago with 30 percent unemployment, just over the Spanish national average.

The Greenpeace crew protesting the development is aboard the Arctic Sunrise icebreaker, the same ship that was seized last year and held for months by Russian authorities. It returned to the Netherlands for repairs in August, almost a year after a similar alleged attempt to board a Russian oil rig.

msh/av (AFP, AP, dpa)

Preserving Yogyakarta’s Sea Turtle Nest Sites

Aside from beach erosion, poaching and garbage are said to be contributing to dwindling turtle populations

Jakarta Globe, Ari Susanto, Nov 16, 2014

Sea-turtle preservation has led to an ecotourism boom in the Yogyakarta area as
volunteers, keen to prevent extinction, flock to the area. (JG Photo/Ari Susanto)

Yogyakarta. Relentless erosion, tourist’s litter, and poaching continue to reduce the sea turtle population on Yogyakarta’s sandy beaches. Only the Oliver Ridley species still shows up in small numbers to lay eggs, while three others previously found nesting on the coastline — Green turtles, Leatherbacks and Hawksbills — have not appeared there in the past few years.

The Bantul Turtle Conservation Forum (FKPB), a community-based organization founded under supervision of the Natural Resource Conservation Agency to increase turtle populations, has noticed a significant decrease in the number of turtles emerging to lay eggs on Samas beach during nesting season between April and September each year. Wave erosion of beaches is the biggest cause as it limits the turtle’s nesting zones.

“Samas was once a favorite place for the turtles to lay eggs, but continuous waves eroding coastal land is reducing the sandy area every year. It is a serious problem to solve in turtle conservation,” FKPB coordinator Rujito told the Jakarta Globe.

Rampant tides have also ruined turtle conservation sites in Samas that were built to protect hatchlings from poachers and animal predators before they are released into the ocean. The forum has moved the site into a more protected sandy area covered by coastal-oak woodland and built new pools and hatching pots.

In addition to beach erosion, Rujito said poaching and garbage are contributing to dwindling turtle populations.

Some fishermen continue to hunt the turtles illegally and sell them on the black market for their carapaces and organs.

Garbage left by tourists also worsens the coastal environment for the reptiles as many turtles are found dead after swallowing plastic.

In Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta’s district with some of the most attractive beaches, the turtle population has also declined due to increased tourism. Gunungkidul’s Sea and Fishery Office conducts research on each beach with turtle nesting spots so that the government can limit access by large groups of tourists to those areas.

“We’re doing field research at around 35 beaches and also hearing from fishermen and local residents to collect data. Seven of the areas are confirmed as turtle nesting grounds,” the office’s head Agus Priyanto said.

Some beaches, such as Drini beach, are also identified as abandoned nesting spots, because turtles no longer visit due to tourist overcrowding. Agus recommends that the beaches with existing nesting grounds are open only for ecotourism aimed at turtle conservation, and that it should not be open to the general public.

In Bantul area, the Turtle Conservation Volunteers Network promotes ecotourism by asking people to participate in the release of baby turtles on some beaches, usually during July and August.

Through the Save Our Turtles program, the volunteers lead campaigns to attract people to join in protecting turtles from extinction.

“We want to help turtle conservation by preserving the population and also support ecotourism in Bantul,” volunteer coordinator Ferry Munandar said.

Google joins fight against illegal fishing

Yahoo – AFP, 14 Nov 2014

One of the challenges in tackling illegal fishing has been the lack of jurisdiction

on the high seas (AFP Photo/Joel Nito)

Technology giant Google has taken the battle against illegal fishing online, with the company unveiling a tool in Australia on Friday that harnesses satellite data to track thousands of boats in real time.

A prototype interactive tool, which was developed in conjunction with environmental activists SkyTruth and marine advocacy group Oceana, was unveiled at the once-a-decade World Parks Congress in Sydney.

The tool is the latest salvo from environmentalists against illegal fishing, which is currently estimated by the Global Ocean Commission to cost the world economy up to US$23.5 billion a year.

An office worker checks out a map on 

Google's satellite image service, in Hong

 Kong, on October 18, 2005 (AFP Photo/

Laurent Fievet)

"While many of the environmental trends in the ocean can be sobering, the combination of cloud computing and massive data is enabling new tools to visualise, understand and potentially reverse these trends," Brian Sullivan of Google's Earth Outreach and Oceans section said.

The tool uses data points from the Automatic Identification System network, which picks up GPS broadcasts of a vessel's location to map movements.

The prototype has tracked just over 3,000 fishing vessels, with a public tool set to be released down the track.

SkyTruth said the system, which will only monitor fishing vessels, would make activities usually invisible to the wider public easily viewable.

"So much of what happens out on the high seas is invisible, and that has been a huge barrier to understanding and showing the world what's at stake for the ocean," SkyTruth's president and founder John Amos said.

"Satellite data is allowing us to make human interaction with the ocean more transparent than ever before."

The Global Ocean Commission, an independent panel launched in February 2013, said evidence showed seas have been fished to dangerously low levels, with 90 percent of the world's large fish stocks -- such as tuna and swordfish -- already gone.

The commission said one of the challenges in tackling illegal fishing was the lack of jurisdiction on the high seas.

While the high seas make up 64 percent of the ocean's total surface area, they fall beyond national jurisdictions and suffer from a lack of oversight, the organisation said.

The World Parks Congress, which is being held in Sydney until November 19, has drawn thousands of delegates and is set to lay out a global agenda for protected areas for the next decade.

Related Article:

Indonesia Declares War on Illegal Foreign Fishing Boats

Details on Maritime Vision for Indonesia Are Floated

Holds Water: Jokowi justifies maritime ambitions to neighboring states’ leaders at East Asia Summit

Jakarta Globe, Robertus Wardi, Nov 14, 2014

The administration plans to develop 31 seaports, enhance naval capabilities, and
expand credit access for local fishermen. (Reuters Photo/Darren Whiteside)

Naypyidaw, Myanmar. President Joko Widodo says Indonesia is keen revive its long-abandoned maritime tradition, citing it as the first of his five pillars to transform the archipelago into a “global maritime axis.”

“As a nation of 17,000 islands, Indonesians must realize that its identity, prosperity and future as a nation greatly depends on how we manage the sea,” Joko said in his address on Thursday at the East Asia Summit in the Myanmar capital Naypyidaw.

Joko highlighted Indonesia’s history as a seafaring nation, which was lost decades ago as the country’s economy shifted to agriculture and manufacturing.

The president also hinted Indonesia would become more protective of its fishing and maritime resources. “Our maritime resources will be used largely to benefit of our own people,” he said.

However, the third pillar, he said, would be to open up Indonesian waters as major regional and international shipping lanes.

Speaking on the sidelines of the summit, Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto said the administration planned to build 24 ports across Indonesia that would accommodate mid-sized ferries and connect Indonesia’s major islands. There are also plans to add seven sea ports for international cargo ships.

The administration also plans to revitalize and expand existing ports to accommodate more ships.

Andi also said the Joko administration aimed to empower local fishermen by easing access to credit and creating fish-processing plants.

The administration’s fourth pillar will be strengthening cooperation with neighboring states to eliminate “potential for conflict like fish poaching, encroachment, border disputes, piracy and pollution,” Andi said.

The fifth pillar consists of Indonesia’s ambition to strengthen its Navy.

“Indonesia will be a force to connect two oceans as a prosperous and sovereign nation,” Andi said. “We need [to develop Indonesia’s Navy] not only to protect our sovereignty and maritime wealth, but also as our responsibility to ensure maritime safety and security.”

Andi said Joko would create an umbrella agency tasked with monitoring and securing Indonesian waters.

The new coordinating agency will combine forces from the Navy, the police forces’ water units and the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry’s patrol unit to perform all sea-related tasks, including search and rescue. “With those forces combined, patrolling the sea should be more frequent and coordinated,” Andi said.

Kell: 'Climate change is bad for business'

1000 companies as well as powerhouses such as BlackRock, BT Pension or Rockefeller- and Rothschildfunds are pushing for a global carbon deal. UN Global Compact founder Georg Kell tells why.

Deutsche Welle: Mr. Kell, The United Nations has won some unexpected allies in the fight against global warming.

Georg Kell: For the first time, the private sector has argued in favor of pricing externalities. This is a breakthrough because usually business blocks climate action on a national level. Investors are actually making the case for putting a significant price on carbon. Polluters are making the case to be charged. That has never happened before. This is a very promising major development which will encourage policy makers.

The COP climate conferences showed very limited results in the past two decades because big companies lobbied against new climate laws and most heads of state didn’t show up. Can you comment?

Georg Kell together with Statoil CEO Helge
 Lund, José Manuel Entrecanales Domecq,
Chairman and CEO of Spanish wind energy
 company Acciona and Frank Pegan, CEO
 of the Australian Pension Fund Catholic
Super (FLTR)

Now 73 countries, including Russia and China, have signed a declaration which fights global warming. 120 Heads of State, even US President Barack Obama and the French President Hollande, attended the recent UN Climate Summit in September. Ban Ki-moon also mobilized the streets: More than 400,000 people participated in the Climate March in New York. Most importantly, however, 1000 companies made the case for pricing carbon. Unthinkable only two years ago.

What caused this change?

Extreme weather and sea water level rises are not just a horror scenario any more. Storms, floods, droughts and water scarcity can disrupt almost any planned economic activity. There is big nervousness going on for good reason. The exposure to such risks has increased enormously. Climate change is bad for business.

Hurricane Sandy recently flooded huge parts of New York. Do real estate owners such as the Rockefeller Family support the UN because they are now getting "wet feet”?

Yes, it’s a mixture of many things. Obviously the fear of property losses is a major factor. Much of the world's wealth, about 60 percent, is invested in property and infrastructure. For the first time the investor community is actually realizing that their future asset performance is seriously under threat.

Financial powerhouses such as BlackRock, BT Pension Scheme and the Rothschild & Cie Gestion Group, have just signed a call on governments to implement a major global carbon pricing. Some of the asset owners who represent about 24 trillion dollars did more than this.

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund, built with profits from their great-grandfather's Standard Oil Company, is now selling investments in the fossil fuel industry and is putting pressure on companies that are adding to climate change. Rockefeller Brothers will abandon companies reliant on coal and tar sands because carbon is now recognized as the evil in the game. Scientific evidence strongly shows that carbon is the cause of global warming. You cannot deny this any more.

George Kell says greenhouse gas emission will have a high priece in the future.

The IPCC has just released a report that we need to cut carbon emissions by 40 - 70 percent before 2050 if we aim to limit global warming below two degrees. What’s your take on this?

This is why pricing carbon high enough is essential. It provides incentives to move towards an energy efficient low carbon consumption and production. Many companies still have a double-faced identity: One the one hand showing a bit of green credentials, on the other hand lobbying against carbon action. They focus on short term profits. Therefore, we need to give strong signals and strong incentives. A quick transition is possible. Philips Lighting already switched 40 percent of its turnover to energy efficient LED. Unilever and Nestlé have invested large sums in to a sustainable supply chain.

Can subsidies be shifted to renewable energy?

Yes, 500 billion dollars are spend are annually to subsidize fossil fuels. We have to get rid of perverse subsidies, stop using dirty diesel and coal, and invest in green technologies.

For decades the oil industry was one the biggest opponents of renewable energies. Now UN Global Compact members such as Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Statoil have signed a call for a global carbon pricing. How come?

Getting oil on board is a very important step. For almost 10 years, the UN Global Compact and others have been working on winning the business community, to get them to realize that sustainably and a natural system that can support all of us is good for business. Many companies have discovered that energy efficiency and a low carbon footprint gives them a competitive advantage. Greenhouse gas emission will be priced highly in the future.

How high?

The Norwegian government charges its oil and gas industry with a CO2 tax of up to 75 dollar per ton. This has made Norway a leader in carbon-efficient oil and gas production. Helge Lund, the CEO of Statoil, said an international price on carbon should be at least 100 dollar per ton. This is a start.

This will increase energy cost significantly. What about the losers, such as the coal industry?

There are always winners and losers. The world has to adapt to changes. A low carbon world opens up a whole universe of new business opportunities: new products, new services, and new solutions. It will push green growth and create many new jobs. A major shift to renewable energy has made Denmark an export leader of green technology .The Danish think tank Sustainia just nominated Newlight Tech for an award. The US based company developed a process to take CO2 out of the air and transform it into carbon negative plastics.

Greenhouse emissions don't care about national boarders. What about major polluters such as China?

Working on climate issues is a huge opportunity to also revive collaboration among states. China is putting in place a national pricing system for carbon next year. This will be the biggest carbon market. China is now also the biggest investor in renewable energies.

82 percent of the world's energy is still produced by fossil fuels. Do you think the UN will have a chance to close a global deal on carbon pricing at the COP21 climate summit in Paris next year?

It's in the cards. Not pricing pollution and carbon emissions is the biggest market distortion in human history. The voices of those who make the case for pricing carbon are getting louder and stronger. Our job is now to win more companies to lobby for carbon pricing and to encourage policy makers to be courageous. The world is longing for solutions.

Georg Kell is the founder and executive director of UN Global Compact. Global Compact members are signing a declaration in which they express their commitment for an ethical way of conducting business. With more than 8000 members the UN Global Compact is the biggest corporate sustainability organization.

Peter O’Neill, head of the Rockefeller family and great-great-grandson of John D
Rockefeller, along with Neva Rockefeller Goodwin (second from the right_, 
great-granddaughter of John D. Rockefeller, and Stephen B Heintz, president of
the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Photograph: Brendan McDermid/Reuters

Related Articles:

Heirs to Rockefeller oil fortune divest from fossil fuels over climate change

Warren Buffett Ready to Increase Renewable Energy Investment to $30 Billion

One of the wealthiest men in the U.S., Warren Buffett said Monday
that he would double his renewable energy investments. Video
screenshot: Georgetown University/YouTube

"Recalibration of Free Choice"–  Mar 3, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - (Subjects: (Old) Souls, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, Shift of Human Consciousness, Black & White vs. Color, 1 - Spirituality (Religions) shifting, Loose a Pope “soon”, 2 - Humans will change react to drama, 3 - Civilizations/Population on Earth,  4 - Alternate energy sources (Geothermal, Tidal (Paddle wheels), Wind), 5 – Financials Institutes/concepts will change (Integrity – Ethical) , 6 - News/Media/TV to change, 7 – Big Pharmaceutical company will collapse “soon”, (Keep people sick), (Integrity – Ethical)  8 – Wars will be over on Earth, Global Unity, … etc.) - (Text version)

“…  4 - Energy (again)

The natural resources of the planet are finite and will not support the continuation of what you've been doing. We've been saying this for a decade. Watch for increased science and increased funding for alternate ways of creating electricity (finally). Watch for the very companies who have the most to lose being the ones who fund it. It is the beginning of a full realization that a change of thinking is at hand. You can take things from Gaia that are energy, instead of physical resources. We speak yet again about geothermal, about tidal, about wind. Again, we plead with you not to over-engineer this. For one of the things that Human Beings do in a technological age is to over-engineer simple things. Look at nuclear - the most over-engineered and expensive steam engine in existence!

Your current ideas of capturing energy from tidal and wave motion don't have to be technical marvels. Think paddle wheel on a pier with waves, which will create energy in both directions [waves coming and going] tied to a generator that can power dozens of neighborhoods, not full cities. Think simple and decentralize the idea of utilities. The same goes for wind and geothermal. Think of utilities for groups of homes in a cluster. You won't have a grid failure if there is no grid. This is the way of the future, and you'll be more inclined to have it sooner than later if you do this, and it won't cost as much.

Water

We've told you that one of the greatest natural resources of the planet, which is going to shift and change and be mysterious to you, is fresh water. It's going to be the next gold, dear ones. So, we have also given you some hints and examples and again we plead: Even before the potentials of running out of it, learn how to desalinate water in real time without heat. It's there, it's doable, and some already have it in the lab. This will create inexpensive fresh water for the planet. 

There is a change of attitude that is starting to occur. Slowly you're starting to see it and the only thing getting in the way of it are those companies with the big money who currently have the old system. That's starting to change as well. For the big money always wants to invest in what it knows is coming next, but it wants to create what is coming next within the framework of what it has "on the shelf." What is on the shelf is oil, coal, dams, and non-renewable resource usage. It hasn't changed much in the last 100 years, has it? Now you will see a change of free choice. You're going to see decisions made in the boardrooms that would have curled the toes of those two generations ago. Now "the worst thing they could do" might become "the best thing they could do." That, dear ones, is a change of free choice concept. When the thinkers of tomorrow see options that were never options before, that is a shift. That was number four. ….”

Hi-tech punch on nose for sharks could keep swimmers safe

Yahoo – AFP, Lawrence Bartlett, 12 Nov 2014

Experts are testing a device that could repel sharks using electricity, which

would protect humans without harming sharks

A high-tech version of the reputedly life-saving punch to a shark's nose is being tested in an effort to protect humans without harming the toothy predators or other sea creatures.

In the blue waters of a small bay in Cape Town, a revolutionary experiment with an electronic barrier seeks to exploit the super-sensitivity of a sharks' snout to keep swimmers and surfers safe.

The technology has been developed by South African experts who invented the electronic "shark pod" for use by surfers and divers -- now marketed by an Australian company -- and could be applied globally if successful.

Experts are trying to find ways of

 keeping sharks away from humans 

without harming the sea creatures

The pod and years of research have shown that sharks will turn away when they encounter an electrical current -- and that has prompted this experiment on a much larger scale.

A 100-metre (328 feet) cable with vertical "risers" designed to emit a low-frequency electronic field is in the process of being fixed to the seabed off Glencairn beach, and will remain there for five months.

"If successful, it will provide the basis to develop a barrier system that can protect bathers without killing or harming sharks or any other marine animals," says the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board, which developed the shark pod.

As for humans, "if someone touched the small part of an electrode that is exposed, they might experience a tingling sensation" but would suffer no harmful effects.

The barrier would mark a major shift away from the shark nets used in KwaZulu-Natal on South Africa's east coast for the past 50 years, which also kill other animals and have been criticised as environmentally destructive.

'Doing our damndest'

Research has shown that sharks have a gel in their noses which makes them more sensitive to electrical currents than other species, and thus ordinary fish and sea life such as seals and dolphins should not be affected by the barrier.

"We are doing our damndest to do something environmentally friendly," sharks board project specialist Paul von Blerk told AFP.

But the challenges are huge.

"It is easier to design things to put in space," said Claude Ramasami, project manager at the Institute for Maritime Technology, which is helping the sharks board put its plans into practice.

This is because of the relentless power of the sea, shifts in the seabed, undersea structures and marine life -- and simply using electricity in water.

One reason that Glencairn in the Cape was chosen as the site for the experiment is that it is relatively protected compared to the often pounding surf on the tourist beaches of KwaZulu-Natal, where Durban is the provincial capital.

A couple stands on the beach near a sign reading "Caution Sharks" in 

Etang-Sale, a region of the La Reunion island French territory

The clear waters will also enable fixed cameras and shark spotters on nearby cliffs to monitor the movements of the predators within the bay and see whether the barrier turns them away from their usual cruising routes.

There should be no shortage of action -- in a 25-day observation period, 53 sharks were seen off the beach.

Environmentalists have welcomed the experiment.

Alison Kock, a biological scientist and research manager for Shark Spotters in Cape Town told AFP it was "a really good idea".

"It's an exciting opportunity to look at new technology with the ultimate aim of replacing lethal control methods like shark nets and (baited) drum lines.

"The technology is really specific in that it targets a sense that only sharks and rays have. Mammals like dolphins and whales don't have a sense like this, so they are not going to be affected," she said.

The gel in the noses of sharks allows them to detect minute electrical fields such as a heartbeat to find prey in murky water, but as they approach within a couple of metres of the barrier the power should be enough to turn them away.

The senior manager for WWF's marine programme in South Africa, John Duncan, said the organisation was "absolutely supportive of interventions which attempt to manage human-animal interaction in a non-fatal and non-impactful way.

"And at the moment it is a growing challenge with the white shark attacks in South Africa."

Sharks have killed 13 people in South Africa over the past 10 years, Kock said. 

Li confident South China Sea issue 'can be handled properly'

Want China Times, Xinhua 2014-11-12

Li Keqiang. (File photo/CNS)

China's premier, Li Keqiang, has expressed confidence that differences on the South China Sea issue can be handled properly as long as relevant parties maintain dialogue and consultation and strengthen maritime cooperation.

"These differences should not affect regional stability or overall China-ASEAN relations nor will they ever hamper freedom and safety of navigation in the South China Sea," Li wrote in Tuesday's edition of the Jakarta Post.

Since the start of the year, China and relevant countries have had effective communication and dialogue on the South China Sea issue and reached a lot of important common ground, Li noted. "We have identified the 'dual track approach' in handling the South China Sea issue, outlining the ideas that specific disputes be addressed by countries directly concerned through negotiation and consultation and that peace and stability in the South China Sea be jointly upheld by China and ASEAN countries," he said.

"We are fully confident that as long as we stick to the right track, maintain the momentum of dialogue and consultation and strengthen practical maritime cooperation, we will be able to handle the South China Sea issue properly," he added.

Li, who will be in Myanmar on Wednesday to attend an annual meeting of East Asian leaders, has lauded the cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as a positive force for regional cooperation and envisioned a bright future for the ties.

"China and ASEAN countries are neighbors sharing land and sea borders. We have a common land boundary of over 4,000 km. For hundreds of years, our cultural interactions and close bonds have represented a fine model of exchanges, mutual learning and common development of different ethnicities, religions and cultures in the history of East Asia," Li wrote.

"China is a staunch force for peace in East Asia and China supports ASEAN in playing a positive role in regional stability," he said.

Li will attend the 17th China-ASEAN summit, the 17th ASEAN Plus Three Summit (ASEAN plus China, Japan and South Korea), and the 9th East Asia Summit in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, from Wednesday to Friday. He will pay an official visit to Myanmar after the meetings.

The Chinese premier said he looks forward to seeing more solid steps and fruitful outcomes resulting from China-ASEAN cooperation. "China was the first to join the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, the first to establish strategic partnership with ASEAN and the first to propose the signing of a treaty on good neighborliness, friendship and cooperation with ASEAN," Li wrote.

He labeled the China-ASEAN cooperation "a positive force driving regional development."

China is ASEAN's largest trading partner and its third largest source of investment and was the first country to launch free trade area (FTA) negotiations with ASEAN, Li noted.

In 2013, trade between China and ASEAN hit US$443.6 billion. Accumulated two-way investment totaled US$120 billion and about 18 million visits were made between the two sides.

The cooperation initiatives China put forward in the past year included plans to build a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road together with ASEAN and to strengthen the China-ASEAN 2+7 cooperation framework: deepening strategic mutual trust, focusing on economic cooperation, plus deepening cooperation in the seven key areas of political affairs, economy and trade, connectivity, finance, maritime cooperation, security, and people-to-people exchanges, he wrote in the article.

On the sidelines of the meetings, Li and leaders of ASEAN countries will continue discussions on the signing of a treaty of good neighborliness, friendship and cooperation.

In addition, the third action plan of the Joint Declaration on the Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity will be jointly formulated and cooperation in defense and non-traditional security areas will be promoted.

Efforts will be made to conclude regional FTA negotiations regarding the upgraded China-ASEAN FTA and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) by the end of 2015.

Li said China will launch the fundraising for the second phase of the China-ASEAN Fund on Investment Cooperation and the China Development Bank will also set up a China-ASEAN special loan for infrastructure development.

Maritime cooperation has become a new highlight in China-ASEAN cooperation, said Li, adding that China proposes that next year be designated as the "Year of China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation" to strengthen cooperation in marine economy, marine science and technology, protection of marine ecology and maritime connectivity.

According to Li, China will scale up investment in underdeveloped ASEAN countries and strengthen exchanges and cooperation with countries along the Mekong River in key areas like poverty reduction, social development and other areas with a view to helping narrow the development gap within ASEAN.

China welcomes the establishment of the ASEAN Community next year, the first time in Asia's history that a regional community is established, Li said.

China will continue to take ASEAN as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy and firmly support the unity and growth of ASEAN, the building of the ASEAN Community and ASEAN's centrality in regional cooperation, Li said.

China and ASEAN both stand to benefit from East Asia's prosperity and stability, and both stand to uphold such prosperity and stability, he said.

The Chinese premier proposed that the two sides strengthen dialogue and coordination, broaden convergence of interests and lead countries in the region toward an East Asian Community.

"We also welcome countries from outside the region to join East Asia cooperation and contribute positively to peace and development of Asia and the Asia-Pacific as a whole," Li said.

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