The past few years has seen a noticeable rise in the international policing of natural resources. High-definition cameras disguised as rocks were used to film dolphin hunting in Japan, helicopters patrol the Pacific Ocean to monitor whaling, activists have boarded oil rigs in the Arctic – these are just a few of the actions that governments and activists have taken as of late. As resources become tighter, the actions, and reactions, will likely only get more extreme. Two case studies – Greenpeace vs. Russia and Japan vs. Australia – exemplify how the international community is currently dealing with limited resources and rising environmental consciousness.
Greenpeace vs. Russia
Greenpeace, one of the largest direct-action environmental organizations in the world, and Russia have had many clashes over natural resource use over the years. One of the most publicized clashes occurred in the last months of 2013. In September 2013, 28 Greenpeace activists and two freelance journalists attempted to board a Gazprom oil rig named Prirazlomnaya in the Barents Sea, stating that drilling in that area would disrupt a unique and fragile ecosystem. Prirazlomnaya was scheduled to begin production by the end of 2013.1
The 30 who attempted to board the rig, now known as the ‘Arctic 30,’ were arrested by the Russians and held in prison for 100 days. First, they were charged with piracy and then hooliganism, which still would have kept them in jail for seven years. However, Vladimir Putin’s new amnesty bill in December 2013 included “hooliganism,” which allowed the Arctic 30 to be freed.2 While it is unclear why Russia decided to release the Arctic 30, some have speculated that the government wanted to avoid bad press before the 2014 Winter Olympics began in Sochi.3
In early January 2014, Greenpeace and Russia were at odds again after Russia blamed Greenpeace for encouraging Senegal to seize one of its fishing trawlers. The Senegalese government is currently fining the Russian government millions of dollars for illegal fishing in Senegalese waters.4 As of right now, it is unclear how this newest controversy between Greenpeace and Russia will be settled.
Japan vs. Australia
Each year, Japan catches over 1,000 whales in the Southern Ocean in the name of scientific research. Other than for research, there has been a worldwide ban on whaling for 25 years.6 However, Australia believes Japan is using whales for commercial rather than scientific use and has put forth to The International Court of Justice that Japan’s whaling is illegal. The decision has not yet been ruled. While they wait, the Australian government has decided to send a plane to monitor the conflicts between environmental groups and Japan in the Southern Ocean that are sure to come in Japan’s upcoming whaling season, which lasts from January to March.7
Environmental group Sea Shepherd Australia was upset to hear that their government wouldn’t be sending ships to stop the whaling. Sea Shepherd’s mission is to “end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species.”8 They have sent three vessels of their own to attempt to halt Japanese whaling themselves.9 In 2013, Sea Shepherd believed that Japan was only able to harpoon about 100 whales, due to their fleet’s presence. Over the past few years, there has also been much disagreement about the role that the Sea Shepherd activists play in this whaling controversy. To the Japanese government, they are terrorists and pirates. To the international environmental movement, they are heroes.10
In early February of this year, a Japanese whaling fleet followed a Sea Shepherd vessel into New Zealand’s Exclusive Economic Zone, an action that New Zealand was not pleased with. While the Japanese fleet argued that they entered the Exclusive Economic Zone to protect themselves from the Sea Shepherd’s vessels, New Zealand considered the action “unhelpful, disrespectful and short-sighted.”11 Moreover, in 2013, the United States Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Japan’s research was legal and ordered Sea Shepherd to stop harassing and ramming into Japanese whaling ships. While the US ruling only would apply to Sea Shepherd America, some say this could at least bear upon funding if not directly into the matter between Japan and Australia.12
The clashes between Greenpeace and Russia, and Australia and Japan have been on going for many years. While random acts of policing by activists and governments are to some extent effective, they will not reverse the rapid depletion of resources in the long run. Until nations can agree on common goals and actions, these reactionary decisions by activists and governments will not make much headway. Hopefully organized action can be achieved at the United Nations Climate Conference in Paris 2015.
