Today’s Newsletter will look at a number of environmental issues and developments. With Septembers Clean Up looming planning for this year’s Clean Up is beginning to take shape and really exciting are the waste models planned that will be very eye catching as well as highlight the challenges of waste management and the throwaway society we live in today. With the Main Street Parade, John Mackintosh Square Exhibition and weeklong exhibition planned at the John Mackintosh Hall itself we are confident of sharing and spreading important environmental messages and information.
We invite schools, clubs and associations to participate in 4 workshops taking place during the summer –dates are: 18th July, with the rest during August on the 1st, 14th and 29th. All at 7pm. Please contact us for further information- everyone welcome- workshops will be held at the ESG premises top floor – Plater Youth Club.
Team leaders for the Clean up projects are asked to attend at least two of the three planning meetings- taking place on the 10th July, 7th August, and 11th September at 7.30pm. You will be informed of the location for each meeting as this might change. This year several projects are being considered and will be tabled and discussed at the planning meetings.
Power Station Pollution
On other matters the ESG continues to be concerned about the heavy power station pollution exacerbated by high temperatures and still weather and waits for the “imminent statement” from Govt. on how it intends to proceed in the important issue of clean energy generation for Gibraltar. There is an online petition from north and south district residents calling for urgent closure of all three power stations which are causing grief to people on a daily basis. The decision cannot come a day too soon- support the petition –you can find the link on our website.
NEW!! Environmental Feedback and Reporting Protocols
On a positive note – Govt has published feedback numbers and email addresses for members of the public to use to report on environmental matters. Importantly for people suffering from air pollution, fumes, severe foul smells, you are advised to call 200-70620 during working hours, this is as before- but now we have a new mobile number to use outside working hours and we urge the public to please make use of this service – the number is 58297000. If you have access to a computer you are also asked to put your report in writing and send to email addresses: info.environment@gibraltar.gov.gi.
For other matters relating to littering/vandalism, dumping etc. you are asked to contact 200- 65964 during working hours, or leave a message after hours –but also to please send a written message to email: env.feedback@gibraltar.gov.gi.
This is an important step in creating a safer and cleaner Gibraltar and we urge everyone to make full use of this new service provided by Government. Please feel free to copy your reports to the ESG at esg@gibtelecom.net. Finally, we realise we have given a lot of detail in this newsletter so if you want to check anything please visit our website which will have the newsletter in full posted later today.
Last week Government published new reporting protocols which we welcome. These affect issues such as dumping and severe littering/vandalism as well as numbers for the public to use when affected by foul smells.
There are two separate places/numbers to call as follows:
For littering/vandalism/dumping contact:
Feedback Section based at New Harbours: 200-65964 daytime number -report to be copied to: env.feedback@gibraltar.gov.gi
For foul smells which could come from industry/shipping/port/dockyard/sewage etc.
you are to call:
Environmental Agency daytime : 200-70620 and 58297000 for outside working hours– you are advised to copy report to email addresses: info.environment@gibraltar.gov.gi and admin@environmental-agency.gi.
So now we have three separate emails to use- plse use them all and remember to copy us on everything at esg@gibtelecom.net!!
The public are reminded that the next public DPC (Development and Planning Commission) meeting will take place next Tuesday the 19th June 2012 as from 9.30am at the John Mackintosh Hall, Charles Hunt Room.
In today’s radio broadcast we wanted to cover a number of environmental issues…Ahead of what was a highly successful and positive Royal visit, Gibraltar saw another oil spill, minor in nature, but nevertheless warranting a coordinated response by several Govt agencies to limit the pollution reaching marinas, our natural coastline, beaches, etc. Initial reports of arrest have since been substituted by Govt statements saying that measures need to be taken to apply liability in such accidents. ESG asks for the polluter paying principle to be applied and for the costs of such clean ups, with several Govt employees working throughout the weekend, to be borne by the polluter and not the tax payer. It is only through enforcing fines that careless actions by operators will be avoided and prevent further spills, all of which impact heavily on wildlife, and add up to having considerable impact year round on the environment.
Looking ahead to next week the world waits in expectation for bold decisions to be made at the Rio +20 Summit. What is the Rio+ 20 Summit? Only one of the most crucial summits ever and yet taking place virtually uncovered in mainstream media. It is referred to as Rio+20 as the event falls exactly two decades after the famous 1992 Earth Summit in the same city. That conference is often cited as a key moment in the history of environmental politics as it established the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Rio Declaration and Agenda 21. All of which underpin the foundations upon which countries attempt to meet environmental targets and obligations today. To get a good idea about what will actually take place at the event and form your own opinion you can pick up a number of useful links on our website: esg-gib.net as from this afternoon.
Closer to home we continue to monitor and engage with members of the public on environmental issues which affect them and this keeps us quite busy. Clearly power station pollution is a grave reality which can escape no-one’s notice and is desperately calling out for action by the present administration. The ESG carries information on a number of environmental issues on our website but you can also call us if you have a specific enquiry or problem. Email us also at esg@gibtelecom.net
Petition doing the rounds at present by residents from north and south districts- please sign and pass on to your contacts:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/shut-down-the-illegal-and-highly-toxic-power/
CUTW 2012 planning dates now confirmed as: 10th July and 7th August with a third taking place on the 14th September. Posters and notices in the media will soon be going out.
Finally we would like to support a measure being announced by organisers of the Calentita evening tomorrow for people to take their own plates and cutlery and reduce the amount of waste going to landfill. It’s a great idea and will ensure you not only eat well but feel good about protecting our environment. It’s down to all of us after all.
In a week that began with a “minor oil spill” from bunkering operations in Gibraltar last weekend, we end with an explosion on board a vessel off the South Mole. “Luckily” the explosion took out a high powered boiler and produced a lot of black smoke but did not cause injury or marine pollution -once again we breathe a sigh of relief.
Minutes later, however, we learn of another “minor oil spill”, this time across the Bay in Algecrias with a clean up response rapidly being implemented to avoid oil reaching Getares coastline.
All these incidents and minor spills place the ecology in the area under tremendous strain as it strives to support the great biodiversity which exists and which we should preserve at all costs.
Raising standards and accountability has to be the way forward as removing fuel industry would be well nigh impossible. Making the “Polluter Pay” and imposing severe fines should reduce avoidable and careless incidents which all add up and together place enormous strains on the living environment.
ESG regards Friday’s minor oil spill in the harbour and nearby area as a reminder of Port impact on the marine environment. Smells of fuel in the residential areas close to the Port were noted on Friday evening when the accident occurred and details emerging today have shed light on the cause. Bunkering operations were believed to have been behind this latest incident and the ESG is advised that Govt and the Port have responded very quickly to avert the worst impact from the spill.
ESG also understands that a full statement from Government and the Port will be issued shortly on the matter. The group nevertheless remains concerned that it is perhaps due to the proximity of the oil spill occurring close to the Port area that on this occasion we have been better able to identify the culprit, respond with a full on clean up, and hopefully apply the polluter paying principle.
Had the bunkering operation taken place at a greater distance to shore, the results could have been very different. The group recognises this is a minor spill but it is an indicator of what can happen with far worse consequences for the natural environment had the volume, believed to have been around 1 to 2 cubic metres, been greater and out at sea. It only takes a little oil to destroy wildlife like seabirds and fish, and our water intakes located in the area can also be put at risk.
With bunkering taking place at four separate ports in the Strait of Gibraltar all minor oil spills add up and impact on the natural environment stressing the need for utmost vigilance and best practice to be applied on all such activity.”
• Concerned about the rising levels of air pollution from our power generating stations– situation can only get worse during the hot summer months and the ESG is meeting with Government regularly but knows that a decision for a replacement, clean solution continues –see ESG PR for more details:
http://www.esg-gib.net/esg-power-station-pollution-may-2012/
• Another Planning meeting took place on the 24th May. Here there were some items of interest: more mobile phone mast applications demanding the need for a protocol to establish criteria when permitting such applications to go through; another “hot” topic is the proposed new Tank Farm in the Port area which is going through with an EIA screening report and not a full blown EIA. The ESG has issues with this as this additional tank farm will add to the heavy industry in the region which has seen residential areas grow ever closer. The potential impact also on the water intakes for the desalination plant nearby is another reason why we are concerned about no EIA. We continue to lobby on these issues
• For bunkering fumes and other air pollution issues we have been providing a number for the public to call, that of the bunkering superintendent- this is 56001652. We are told this is about to change but the ESG does not have the replacement contact number – so do use the number here and the official can always give you the new number if that is operational
• Many of you will be aware of the CUTW Campaign which we have organised on the Rock for the past seven years. While the campaign has undoubtedly achieved a lot over the years we still wait for proper enclosure at the City Dump, enforcement on littering and better coordination between all agencies and NGO’s so that Gibraltar’s physical, urban and natural spaces can be better managed. The revival of a Litter Committee including all the main bodies called by the Minister for the Environment was another milestone achievement for our group. Date for 2012m is 22nd September for the clean up with a week- long exhibition following on at the John Mackintosh Hall.
• World Environment Day was celebrated by our local schools this week with energetic musical renditions of carefully crafted songs and dance focusing on environmental messages. Was very impressive, well done to all involved and organisers: Dept of Environment
• Sewage pollution at our beaches continues to result in a closed Western Beach and two Spanish beaches also closed on the eastern coastline, just north of Eastern beach. ESG is busy exchanging information with MEP’s and others on this latest situation and has also been in correspondence with the EC. It is truly astonishing how long it takes for problems such as these to be tackled by the EC. Even when they acknowledge there is a case their ability to take action appears limited and long drawn out. Still, we shall persevere until this situation is resolved
• Fishing etc. Talks continue and it’s possible that with the help of the UK Govt the latest effort by the Gibraltar Government to enforce nature protection laws will prevail and some changes will be seen in the fishing practices of the Spanish vessels. We continue to wait alongside everyone else to see what transpires and hope that a more sustainable outcome will result from all the effort.
In this newsletter we shall aim to inform you about various items of environmental news we hope you will find of interest. We would like to start by mentioning the sharp increase in air pollution we are currently experiencing locally due to the balmy weather. It will have been plain to residents close to our power stations that conditions are worsening due to rising temperatures and we have considered it necessary to issue a press release on this issue this week. You can find this in full on our website: esg-gib.net. The ESG will continue to campaign for action on this matter as it remains a top priority with us.
On planning issues, a reminder to those interested that the next DPC public meeting will take place on the 24th May at 9.30am at the John Mackintosh Hall. For details of the agenda which we understand will contain interesting projects, please visit website: gibraltar.gov.gi/dpc closer to the date when the agenda will be posted by the Town Planners. Remember, the community has long called for transparent planning practices – why not make use of the open planning policy we have today by attending a public session?
A reminder that a useful number to make a note of is 56001652 –this is for the Bunkering Superintendent for the Port who is happy to take your calls and reports on a 24hr basis if you consider there is a problem with air or sea pollution emanating from a port related activity. Having given this number out a few times this week we thought it useful to remind listeners in case you need to make a similar report yourself sometime – so that’s 56001652. The ESG will soon meet with the Minister for the Port, the new Captain of the Port and various officials to discuss issues of concern to the ESG and its members. More news posted soon!
Moving on to CUTW news and progress – we are delighted to welcome the return of a Litter Committee on the Rock to review and monitor all aspects of littering in our home town. CUTW goals have been widely published based on countless discussions and debates with community leaders and ESG members. The ESG fully intends to table these goals at Litter Committee sessions also. It has to be said that slowly but surely, these shared goals are slowly coming to fruition but there is still much work to be done. The decision by the Minister for the Environment to revive the Litter Committee, last active nearly 20 years ago, is strongly welcomed as a huge step in the right direction.
For more details on our CUTW Campaign for 2012 plse refer to our website, news section – that’s esg-gib.net/news.
