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The Earth is Melting, Arctic Native Leader Warns

By J.R. Pegg WASHINGTON, DC, September 16, 2004 (ENS) – An Arctic native leader offered a passionate plea to the U.S. government and its citizens Wednesday to aggressively combat climate change. Addressing a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on global warming, Inuit Circumpolar Conference Chair Sheila Watt-Cloutier said the Inuit are already suffering dramatic changes to their Arctic environment. Watt-Cloutier, who represents the 155,000 Inuit in Greenland, Canada, Alaska and the Russian Federation, described the Inuit struggle as "a snapshot of what is happening to the planet." "We find ourselves at the very cusp of a defining event in the history of this planet," Watt-Cloutier told the senators. "The Earth is literally melting." Inuit hunters and elders have been observing changes to their environment for decades, Watt-Cloutier said, including unpredictable weather, melting of permafrost and glaciers, decreasing sea ice, as well as the presence of new species such as barn owls, robins and mosquitoes never seen before by the Inuit people. "If we can reverse the emissions of greenhouse gases in time to save the Arctic, then we can spare untold suffering," said Watt-Cloutier. "Protect the Arctic and you will save the planet," she said. "Use us as your early warning […]

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Appetite for Ivory Kills 4,000 Elephants a Year

GLAND, Switzerland, September 16, 2004 (ENS) – More than 4,000 elephants are losing their lives each year to meet the demand for ivory from Africa and Asia, according to a new report published ahead of the upcoming meeting of Parties to the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). It shows that the volume of illegal ivory seizures across the world has increased since 1995. China, followed by Thailand, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Nigeria are the most important suppliers, manufacturers and customers of illegal ivory, according to the latest analysis of data from the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS). The analysis by TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network of WWF and IUCN, for the first time lists the world's countries most implicated in the illegal ivory trade. There has been a worldwide ban on trade in elephant ivory since 1990 to protect the dwindling elephant population. The report, "Monitoring of Illegal Hunting in Elephant Range States" is published by a programme of the CITES Secretariat, which regulates the international trade in endangered species. The 166 governments that are Parties to the CITES treaty will meet from October 2 to 14 in Bangkok to update the rules […]

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