Greenpeace

In 1920 a strenuous and enduring battle for civil rights was won by means of political lobbying, protests, and radical civil disobedience. It was almost a century ago that American women were granted the long overdue right to vote, but the passing of time should never cheapen this accomplishment, however jaded we may become in the post suffrage generations. Today some women may choose to never cast a ballot in neither a local nor a presidential election, taking for granted this once seemingly unattainable right. However, while the American suffragists made huge strides in obtaining equality of the sexes, an ideal that our country has never been as close to as it is in the present, they also practiced progressive campaigning strategies that have been proven effective.

In 1917, the National Woman's Party organized the first peaceful women's protest outside of the White House, earning many of the participants jail sentences in unsanitary women's workhouses. The members of the Party knew that to be successful they would have to appeal to the political party in power and to hold those politicians personally responsible for any delay in the passing of an amendment. Right outside of President Woodrow Wilson's home, the suffragists yielded banners directly addressed to the president and quoting him in his commitment to justice and equality:

"Mr. President, what will you do for woman suffrage?"

"Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?"

"We shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest our hearts--for democracy, for the right of those who submit to authority to have a voice in their own governments."
- Woodrow Wilson. Address to Joint Session of Congress. Washington D.C.. April 2, 1917

I was taught that history always has relevance in the present, and I believe that the suffragists whom I admire for their efforts in passing the nineteenth amendment can still, through the power of their legacy, help us to fight our battles today. Specifically, the challenge of Climate Change, the most pressing issue that our country and the rest of the world currently face. We too must look towards our political leaders, those who have the power to insist on a strong and binding climate treaty in Copenhagen, and make clear to them that any delay in necessary action is unacceptable.

President Obama has recently announced his plans to postpone the signing of a climate treaty until next year, despite his convincing, and now disappointing, promises for environmental protection. In following the National Woman's Party's example, he is the one in power, and so he is the one that must be held accountable. If we were to protest outside the gates of the white house today, what would our banners read?:

"Mr. President, what will you do for Mother Nature?"

"Mr. President, how long must the world wait for a climate treaty?"

"I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal"
-Barack Obama. Final Primary Night, Presumptive Democratic Nominee Speech. St. Paul, Minnesota June 3, 2008

"Now is the time for serious leadership to get us started down the path of energy independence. Now is the time for this call to arms."
-Barack Obama. Energy Independence: A Call for Leadership. September 20, 2006

"We often lose sight of the real and lasting meaning of the decisions we make and those we defer...The issue of climate change is one that we ignore at our own peril."
-Barack Obama. Energy Independence and the Safety of Our Planet. April 3, 2006

Do not allow President Obama to delay a climate treaty any longer. Tell him that he needs to stay true to his words and do everything in his power to prevent the worst possible effects of Climate Change. Tell him it's time to sign!

While scooping out bits of meat from a tuna can or using chopsticks to pluck up sushi is an everyday, ordinary occurrence for millions of the world's population, imagining the species from which that meat was obtained is actually extraordinary. Bluefin tuna, the favored source of a popular Japanese delicacy called sashimi, have the potential to grow to ten feet in length and weigh up to 1,500 pounds. These fish are great swimmers and can reach speeds of 50 miles per hour. Imagine an elephant-sized fish that can swim as fast as a cheetah can run. That's probably not what you expected to have been eating for lunch today. In fact, bluefin tuna are so spectacular, that in Tokyo, one fish could sell for over $30,000.

However, despite its high cost, the bluefin tuna remain popular amongst human populations (Japan being the largest consumer), while the tuna's populations are depleting and rapidly approaching extinction because of overfishing. The amount of bluefin tuna in the Atlantic has decreased by nearly 90% in the past 40 years due to the fact that they are a slow maturing species and are usually caught before they are able to reproduce. Reading these statistics merely sounds unfortunate, but perhaps contemplating a world in which the bluefin tuna does plunder into extinction will be eye-opening.

Already on the eastern coast of the United States, recreational and commercial bluefin tuna fisheries have dried up. Thousands of people whose livelihood depended on catching bluefin tuna have lost their jobs which in turn caused surrounding communities to lose millions of dollars. What kind of devastation would result from a worldwide extinction of tuna?

Bluefin tuna are one of the ocean's major predators. Their depletion, and their subsequent extinction would have tremendous effects on the remaining ecosystems.

While Japanese fisheries continue to aggressively hunt the remaining stocks of bluefin tuna, increased bycatch is inevitable, particularly with the use of longlines. The populations of other creatures such as sea turtles, sharks, and marine mammals (many of which are already endangered) are placed in peril.

Although the threat of bluefin tuna's extinction seems to be rapidly approaching, it can be avoided if the right actions are taken. Next year the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species will meet and hopefully ban the illegal trade in bluefin long enough for the population to replenish. Even this, however, is not enough. Greenpeace proposes that in order to preserve the existence of bluefin tuna and countless other endangered marine life, a global network of marine reserves that cover 40% of the world's oceans needs to be established. While the earth is covered by 70% of water, only 0.5% of our oceans are currently protected. Those areas that are protected, though, produce 200 times as many fish that live longer and therefore grow larger than those of unprotected areas. The species under the protection of a marine reserve have the freedom to mate, feed, and rejuvenate without the threat of capture or habitat destruction.

Sign our petition to help protect the bluefin tuna and to establish global marine reserves that cover 40% of the world's oceans!