🕺We'll dance until they listen
On Wednesday we protested with Rave Revolution outside of the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon. It was an emotional day. The President of Palau stood on the Jellyfish truck denouncing large countries’ deep sea mining plans, police changed their mind last minute and instead of protecting the march, attacked it. Dixon and Coletrickle killed it on the decks. A sea of dancing people dressed in blue called for the signing of the high seas treaty.
🕺Follow RaveRevolution to know where the next dance protest is happening. Come dance with us until they listen.
This Week in Climate News:
🌾 Italy loses rice harvest due to worst drought in last 70 years
🪥California passes plastic law that would put economic responsibility of recycling on producers.
🇪🇺 EU countries reach climate crisis deal after late-night talks.
📈 Cool Trends:
⚖️ West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday limited the EPA’s authority to set standards on greenhouse gas emissions for existing power plants.
In its ruling the court said that only Congress, not the EPA, has the power to create a broad system of cap-and-trade regulations to limit emissions. This new ruling further hinders plans for the U.S. to decrease emissions by 2030, actually making it mathematically impossible for the US to reach its Paris Agreement targets.
🌊 Deep Sea Mining Moratorium
The President of Palau’s opening words “you might as well bomb us” are direct, profound and very telling of our current world system. Deep sea mining is the newest form of colonization, where wealthy countries are rigging the game buying up a vast amounts of land for close to nothing from a UN body they pretty much control… Who will feel the consequences? Pacific island states. Who will reap the benefits? Developed nations.
The woes of the ocean are a plenty… from coral bleaching, to ocean acidification, overfishing, and dead zones. Do we really need to add another layer of greed to the ecosystem we depend on? Currently the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has already granted licenses that would span the length of the USA (see map). Companies are waiting for the ISA to draft regulations before proceeding, apparently these might happen as soon as September 2022.
We are still in time to stop this insanity. If enough countries and people pressure the UN, the ISA (a UN intergovernmental body) will not give the green light to these explorations.
This is why Pacific island states such as Fiji, Palau and Samoa call for an international moratorium on deep sea mining.
^This is the level of green washing companies are investing in to confuse people regarding the safety of this practice. Remember, we know more about space than we do about the deep sea.
"We believe it is not worth the risk. We ask all of you to support that... deep-sea mining increases the vulnerability of the seabed floor and marine life."—Surangel S. Whipps JR, President of Palau
💩 WTF? news
🌊 The length of the USA, 4,500km, were conceded by the ISA to mine the deep sea.
🇺🇸 Biden condemns SCOTUS EPA and next day announces plans to expand oil and gas drilling in Alaska and Gulf of Mexico.
🌏 The Culture Club
📺 What we’re watching:
🎧 What we’re listening to: Reasons to Be optimistic…with Indigenous Wisdom by Lily Cole
👁 Profile of the week: @raverevolutionglobal
🤯 Crazy fact we learnt this week: over 50% of oxygen is produced by the ocean.