14 DAY TRIAL // Iceland's proposed law of increasing its yearly quota of whales culled has sparked both environmental and diplomatic protests, as evidenced by the fact that, on Monday, diplomats from the United States and five other countries urged the newly-appointed government of the island nation to drop its intention, even though politicians in the country said that the proposal would generate many jobs. In reality, very few will be created, but the impact on endangered whale populations will be huge.
The country is currently going through a very severe economic turmoil, as the previous government was last month brought down by the people, who protested against its lack of involvement in dealing with soaring prices and reduced employment. Basically, Iceland is now in a financial collapse, but one of the last decisions passed by the former administration was to allow the culling of 150 fin and 100 minke whales over the coming years.
The letters received by diplomats in the country yesterday expressed “extreme disappointment,” which was a very severe formulation of disagreement in diplomatic terms. “We call on Iceland to reconsider this decision and focus on the advancement of the (International Whaling) Commission, and the long-term rather than the short-term interests of the whaling industry,” the letter signed by American, German, British, French, Finnish and Swedish diplomats stationed in Reykjavik, Iceland's capital city, said.
“Whaling belongs to the past. There's no real market for the meat in Japan. This won't create jobs,” Martin Norman, a representative of the Greenpeace environmental group, explained. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), fin whales are classified as highly-endangered, but the former Icelandic government has allowed for their culling again on account of a contract signed with Japan, a country that is also engaged in illegal whaling, mostly in the waters south of Australia.
Other than the diplomatic protests, hard line activist groups such as Sea Shepherd have also expressed their anger at the Icelandic decision, and there is an international effort underway already, promoted by various individuals, to boycott all the country's products worldwide, which will even further cripple its economy. The idea is to put so much pressure on it, that it will eventually drop its culling plan, under a 1986 UN Charter that expressly states this type of action is globally prohibited.