Global 'suicide'

Al Gore has just made an inspiring speech, calling again and again to stop and think over the reality of what we are facing not only as a nation, but as a member of this Earth. 'Wake up from slumber and do something!' is his message. Can we appreciate his call and act upon it?! Or are we just going to sit there, self-oblivious and lethargically suicidal, and watch it all happen... Will the Earth slip into a fireball, like Venus and Mars?

A portion of his speech:

On July 16, 1969, the United States of America was finally ready to meet President Kennedy’s challenge of landing Americans on the moon. I will never forget standing beside my father a few miles from the launch site, waiting for the giant Saturn 5 rocket to lift Apollo 11 into the sky. I was a young man, 21 years old, who had graduated from college a month before and was enlisting in the United States Army three weeks later.
I will never forget the inspiration of those minutes. The power and the vibration of the giant rocket’s engines shook my entire body. As I watched the rocket rise, slowly at first and then with great speed, the sound was deafening. We craned our necks to follow its path until we were looking straight up into the air. And then four days later, I watched along with hundreds of millions of others around the world as Neil Armstrong took one small step to the surface of the moon and changed the history of the human race.
We must now lift our nation to reach another goal that will change history. Our entire civilization depends upon us now embarking on a new journey of exploration and discovery. Our success depends on our willingness as a people to undertake this journey and to complete it within 10 years. Once again, we have an opportunity to take a giant leap for humankind.

For the full speech here.

World Environment Day

UN is celebrating the World Environment Day today. On the occasion, and calling to end the world carbon addiction, the Secretary General has stated, "Addiction is a terrible thing. It consumes and controls us, makes us deny important truths and blinds us to the consequences of our actions.” (here) Well said.

As a number-one contributor to the global warming, the United States should seriously take steps to confront and stop this addiction...

Seabirds-- Endangered Species

It is really heart-aching to watch how the recent oil spills and the global climate change have made seabirds endangered species along with many others. In the recent ecological disaster in the Black Sea an estimated 30,000 seabirds died (here). More of them died in the San Francisco oil spill. Six species of seabirds are proposed to be added to the long and not ending list of endangered species (here).

While the official list of world-wide endangered species does not seem to be long (here), it is really non-exclusive.

'Soft law' vs. 'Hard law'

The development of international law responses to the environmental crisis has come in stages. In June of 1972 the UN Conference on the Human Environment meeting in Stockholm declared (here):

Principle 1

Man has the fundamental right to freedom, equality and adequate conditions of life, in an environment of a quality that permits a life of dignity and well-being, and he bears a solemn responsibility to protect and improve the environment for present and future generations...

Principle 21

States have, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the principles of international law, the sovereign right to exploit their own resources pursuant to their own environmental policies, and the responsibility to ensure that activities within their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to the environment of other States or of areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction.

In the same spirit, it promulgated the Rio Declaration in 1992, where it stated here:

Principle 7

States shall cooperate in a spirit of global partnership to conserve, protect and restore the health and integrity of the Earth's ecosystem. In view of the different contributions to global environmental degradation, States have common but differentiated responsibilities. The developed countries
acknowledge the responsibility that they bear in the international pursuit to sustainable development in view of the pressures their societies place on the global environment and of the technologies and financial resources they command.

Principle 14

States should effectively cooperate to discourage or prevent the relocation and transfer to other States of any activities and substances that cause severe environmental degradation or are found to be harmful to human health.

As legal scholars sometimes posit, these declarations can be viewed as 'soft law' as opposed to 'hard law'. But of course, even 'soft law' can turn into 'hard law' very quickly once it is expressed and creates a sense of legal obligation in the international community. Customary international law and its enforcement comes as a result of obedience by the world of certain promulgations manifested in their daily practice out of sense of legal obligation. Insofar as the UN declarations contribute to the development of the treaty law and customary international law, they turn into 'hard law.' So, the protection of the environment has definitely become obligatory in the world. The question is only how to define the 'damage' to the environment and how to create a two-tiered system for developing and developed countries. As Principle 7 of the Rio Declaration states, the developed countries bear a heightened responsibility in view of their contributions to the ecological crisis in the world.

This would engender development of some 'double standards'. Well, international law practice has been attacked for that for a long time. Some people think, it is 'one size fits all.' Just because we have 'universal' rules and obligations common to all humankind, some people think their application is 'color-blind'. Not necessarily. Especially, in the area of environmental law, the response should be symmetrical to the degree and severity of the damage. So, the developed countries should really be the target here...

The recent Climate Change conference in Bali has really continued the step-by-step development of international policy on environment. It is by no means the final step necessary in effectuating strong response to the global catastrophe.

Get going...

After painful discussions in Bali on climate change, when everyone thought there was irremediable deadlock, there has been an agreement reached on the actions to be taken. The representatives had major problems with words and phrases that prompted the Indonesian President say in anger: we cannot allow "the human race and the planet to crumble because we cannot find the right words." What is the agreement exactly, see soon on this blog.

The problem is that the greenhouse emissions vary in severity from developing to developed nations. The US by far is the largest producer. Understandably, the developing countries think if the US is not responding urgently, why should they? Hopefully, now with this agreement the US will respond urgently, which will prompt others to respond just as urgently. Leadership by example?

'Affirmative Action' on global warming...

The UN is taking affirmative steps in attempts to address the global climate crisis. The UN Climate Change Conference 2007 currently rolling (from December 3 thru 14) in Bali, Indonesia is promising because of its extensive program. Representatives of 180 countries are getting together to agree on a plan that would need immediate implementation and full commitment by all parties. The recent devastating cyclone in Bangladesh and all the scary wave of hurricanes, thunderstorms and earthquakes, not counting the speed of ice melting has finally persuaded even the most intransigent countries that action is needed now! But this is not the first realization of the need of world 'Affirmative Action' on global warming!

Ecological catastrophe

The recent strong waves of storms in Kerch and the Black Sea/Azov sea (border of Russia and Ukraine) have resulted in a major oil/fuel leak into the sea, destroying thousands and thousands of birds and fish. The guard was unable to prevent the massive leaks from destroyed ships and tankers and currently the Azov sea and the Black sea are basically filled with fuel... Estimated 30 thousands of birds have died. How much of the marine life has perished is inestimable... This is indeed an ecological catastrophe! (Full story)

A criminal case has been opened to investigate the reasons behind the inability to stop the leaks and thwart the crisis. While the nature was the impetus behind the catastrophe, the guard was also incompetent in minimizing the danger and the risks. (For more) Also, perhaps these ships and tankers were not properly maintained...

Well, in San Francisco recently a similar event occurred and the U.S. Coastal Guards were too slow in reacting, resulting in another environmental crisis. (Read the story)


This means that somewhere and somehow we are completely incompetent in protecting our environment! Is that news?