Environment
SPC defends deep sea minerals project
Wednesday 28 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Members of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community have hit back at claims that its Deep Sea Minerals Project, which is currently being put into action in the Cook Islands, will disenfranchise local people in favour of the interest of mining companies. Pacific activist group Act Now! which is based in Papua New Guinea has […]
Marine park will allow for mining
Wednesday 28 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Deep sea mininG and ocean conservation through a marine park can happily co-exist in the Cook Islands, Prime Minister Henry Puna says. Puna was asked by Cook Islands News whether government initiatives to explore deep sea mining and the establishment of a marine park are at odds with one another. Thats a challenge that government […]
Scott addressing odour
Saturday 24 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Scotts Farm owner John Scott has ordered an odour-reducing microbial culture with which to treat chicken manure. The product, called EM (Effective Micro-organism Concentrate), arrives on a cargo ship next week. Scott denies his farm is generating any odour at present, but at any rate assures the public that the product will minimise any stench […]
Aircraft dumps fuel
Friday 23 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Air New Zealand has dumped an unconfirmed quantity of fuel into the Pacific, following the death of a passenger aboard a flight from Rarotonga to New Zealand. Cook Islander Tavai Puia suffered a cardiac arrest not long into a flight bound for Auckland on Saturday December 17. Accordingly, Air New Zealand made the decision to […]
Pacific asked to slow down on mining
Saturday 17 December 2011 | Published in Environment
A group of Pacific civil society groups has launched a petition against the expansion of deep sea mining in the region, calling on governments to slow down until the impacts of the young industry could be examined. Groups from Fiji and Papua New Guinea have launched a campaign against deep sea mining, saying they have […]
New solar system to help education
Saturday 17 December 2011 | Published in Environment
A new solar installation in the Te Aponga Uira car park area will help build up public awareness and knowledge of the equipment as the Cook Islands becomes more reliant on the technology in the future, says chief executive Apii Timoti. The state-owned energy supplier Te Aponga Uira (TAU) officially opened and blessed its new […]
Focus on refreshing the soil
Thursday 15 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Local growers are this week taking part in a soil school workshop in Titikaveka which has an emphasis on refreshing soil and biological agriculture. The four-day workshop, which ends on Thursday, opened on Monday with minister of agriculture Nandi Glassie praising stalwart growers on the island for keeping the industry alive. Glassie acknowledged Bill Hosking, […]
150 more surveys to reach target
Thursday 15 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Emma Castel is hoping for 150 more replies to her water quality and health survey before next week. The survey period closes on Wednesday, and she still has not reached her target of 650 a number she chose because it represents five percent of the Cook Islands population. As of yesterday Castel had 502 surveys, […]
Puna champions ocean protection
Thursday 15 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Prime Minister Henry Puna has called on international leaders to uphold their responsibilities as stewards of the ocean environment. Puna is in Abu Dhabi at the Eye on the Earth summit an environment themed international conference to which he was invited to speak. In delivering his address to the summit, Puna introduced himself and the […]
Climate change, disaster linked to economy
Wednesday 14 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Disaster risk management and climate change adaption are issues central to a countrys economic and social institutions, Cook Islands Party minister Mark Brown has told a disaster management conference in the Caribbean. In his address at the Sixth Annual Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management held in Trinidad, Brown said climate change and disaster management […]
No downsides to deep-sea mining bill
Tuesday 13 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Harvesting of manganese nodules and rare earth minerals from the Cook Islands seabed could begin as early as 2021. Research is being undertaken at present in Korea, Japan and China the governments of which have set similar timelines for technological development and harvest commencement. Deputy Prime Minister Tom Marsters says the Cook Islands is no […]
Environmental integrity is key
Tuesday 6 December 2011 | Published in Environment
The Cook Islands delegation to the United Nations climate change summit in Durban, South Africa has emphasised the issue of environmental integrity when reducing greenhouse gas emission from fuel used for international aviation and maritime transport. Head of delegation Pasha Carruthers, from the National Environment Service, made the position known at the opening plenary session […]
Climate and fisheries in focus at workshop
Tuesday 6 December 2011 | Published in Environment
Well-known weatherman Dr Jim Salinger is coming back to Rarotonga to talk climate and fisheries. Dr Salinger, together with University of Auckland lecturer Phoebe Fletcher, will this week be speaking at a workshop jointly organised by the Ministry of Marine Resources and the Cook Islands Meteorological Service. An offshoot of the climate and fisheries conference […]
Cooks calls for commitment to Kyoto
Friday 2 December 2011 | Published in Environment
The Cook Islands has joined 42 other members of the Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS) in calling for a second commitment period to the Kyoto Protocol. National Environment Service (NES) island futures division manager Pasha Carruthers is leading a Cook Islands delegation at United Nations climate change talks in Durban, South Africa. The delegation […]
Cautionary advice on seabed mining
Thursday 1 December 2011 | Published in Environment
The Cook Islands and the Pacific region have been urged to take a precautionary approach to seabed mineral exploration to ensure the communitys interests and the environment are properly protected. Doctor Russell Howorth, a director of the Secretariat of the South Pacifics Applied Geoscience and Technology Division (SOPAC), has sounded a cautionary note during his […]
Survey to determine link between lagoon and health
Wednesday 30 November 2011 | Published in Environment
From today, the Ministry of Marine Resources is conducting its first-ever survey to determine the specifics of the correlation between the quality of the lagoon water and sicknesses experienced by people who swim in it. Emma Castel has been contracted by the ministry to analyse the bearing water quality has on health, and is working […]
What PICI stands for
Saturday 26 November 2011 | Published in Environment
– PICI is advocating for the protection of sharks through the creation of a shark sanctuary in all of the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone. – PICI is a local organisation that works with communities in the areas of research and conservation. – PICI hopes the Cook Islands government will pass a law that will […]
Shark sanctuary advocated
Saturday 26 November 2011 | Published in Environment
The Cook Islands is in a unique position to become a world leader in the protection of an important symbol of Polynesian heritage the shark. Members of the community are working together to spread the word and support Rarotonga-based Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative (PICI) in advocating for the government to create the Cook Islands Shark […]
NES enters deep sea mining discussion
Saturday 26 November 2011 | Published in Environment
The National Environmental Service will next week receive a crash course introduction to deep sea mining at an international workshop held in Fiji. The National Environmental Services senior biodiversity officer Joseph Brider will join legal adviser to Deputy Prime Minister Tom Marsters, Paul Lynch, at the Fiji conference. The pair will be attending the regional […]
Climate change discussed
Friday 25 November 2011 | Published in Environment
Amid the clamour of alarm bells ringing about global warming, Brian Dawson likes to keep a cool head. The calmly spoken climate change expert says constant warnings about rising sea levels and increasingly common natural catastrophes may only spread panic. What is needed, he says, is a measured approach to mitigating climate change and adapting […]
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