David Tong

Walking the talk…

A small victory last week:

Aaron Lloyd and David Tong of Minter Ellison Rudd Watts yesterday obtained a conviction on behalf of the Auckland branch of the SPCA as part of the firm’s commitment to pro bono work. The District Court at Manukau convicted Alison Freemantle-Pilkington, 57, of Papakura for seriously neglecting five horses in her care. Judge Moses ordered her to complete 220 hours of community work, ordered her to pay $4,526.71 in costs, and disqualified her from owning horses for five years.

Ms Freemantle-Pilkington owned a number of horses, which she kept at a property in Karaka. In July 2010, the Auckland SPCA received a complaint from one of her neighbours and so inspected her horses. The inspector found that five of her horses were malnourished and instructed her to feed them. When he returned, he found that she had not adequately done so and that the horses’ condition had worsened significantly.

Via Scoop.  Also in the Herald.

Surfing the (Laser) Shark

This morning’s news presented two pieces of shark-related absurdity. 

First, the Ministry for Primary Industries has confirmed that attempting to surf on the carcass of a shark is not a crime:

The Ministry for Primary Industries says it has found no breach of the Animal Welfare Act after complaints over a shark `surfing’ incident.

A spokesperson for MPI said the matter would not be investigated any further.

“We’ve determined that there has been no breach of the Animal Welfare Act as the shark had been dead for around 30 hours before video footage was recorded.”

Three men from the Bay of Plenty caused outrage when footage emerged of one man “surfing” behind a boat on the carcass of the thresher shark which was being towed by its tail.

Bay of Plenty Times, via the NZ Herald.

This is ridiculous on every possible level.  First, if you read the full story, you will see that two fishermen accidentally killed a shark, then decided to tow the carcass back out to sea to dump it.  And, because they’re fun loving, wacky, kiwi blokes they decided to…surf it…out…to sea.  I’m not entirely sure how anyone could come up with that.  Second, the whole Herald story is about how surfing a deceased shark is not a breach of the Animal Welfare Act 1999.

Here’s a hint, guys: The Animal Welfare Act 1999 applies to living animals.

And, third, slipped in there without fanfare is the renaming of the Ministry responsible for animal welfare.  The Ministry for Agriculture and Forestry, merged with Fisheries etc is now the Ministry for Primary Industries.  Would it be possible to make the ridiculous conflict of interest at the heart of New Zealand’s animal welfare regime more obvious?  The Ministry responsible for promoting primary industries (like, say, industrial farming) is responsible for prosecuting breaches of animal welfare (like, say, much industrial farming).

Wired magazine presents even more shark-related madness though: “Scientists” (hint: they’re not scientists) have mounted a laser on a shark:

Relax, Dr Evil. Your inspired request for “sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached” has finally been fulfilled in the real world.

Marine biologist-cum-TV personality Luke Tipple attached a 50-milliwatt green laser to a lemon shark off the coast of the Bahamas in late April. The escapade was sponsored by Wicked Lasers, a consumer-focused laser manufacturer based in Hong Kong that produces some of the most brilliant — and potentially dangerous — handheld lasers in the world.

“This was definitely a world first,” Tipple told Wired. “Initially, I told them no. I thought it was a frivolous stunt. But then I considered that it would give us an opportunity to test our clips and attachments, and whatever is attached to that clip, I really don’t care. It was a low-powered laser that couldn’t be dangerous to anyone, and there’s actually useful application of having a laser attached to the animal.”

Tipple said the experiment was instructive in a number of ways. For starters, he was able to further test his clamping apparatus, which is typically used for traditional data-aquistion equipment.

Wired.

That’s right.  Clamping a laser to a shark was great scientific research.  Because it helped test the clamp.  Well, that addresses all my animal welfare concerns right there.

Syndicated: New Zealand’s Role at COP17: Concluding Unscientific Postscript

In November and December 2011, I attended the United Nations climate change conference (COP17) in Durban, South Africa.  I will be periodically syndicating my blog posts from other websites here on the Solution.  I’m doing this for two reasons.  First, I want an archive of my work here, on my site, under my name.  Second, as I will discuss in a forthcoming post, climate change is an animal rights issue.  I hope that Solution readers will be interested, therefore, in my commentary on the climate talks.

The below post was originally posted on the Adopt a Negotiator Project.  It is therefore intended for overseas readers.

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Syndicated: Clean and Green Aotearoa New Zealand?

In November and December 2011, I attended the United Nations climate change conference (COP17) in Durban, South Africa.  I will be periodically syndicating my blog posts from other websites here on the Solution.  I’m doing this for two reasons.  First, I want an archive of my work here, on my site, under my name.  Second, as I will discuss in a forthcoming post, climate change is an animal rights issue.  I hope that Solution readers will be interested, therefore, in my commentary on the climate talks.

The below post was originally posted on the Adopt a Negotiator Project.  It is therefore intended for overseas readers.

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When you picture New Zealand, the odds are good that you picture an untouched waterfall, straight out of Lord of the Rings. I have camped at the base of the waterfall you’re probably thinking of.

That’s not a real picture of New Zealand. Native bush and national parks make up a small part of the country – and the government has hinted at mining within our national parks. Over a third of the country’s population lives in Auckland, a suburban sprawl with about half the public transport of a small European town.

New Zealand’s environmental policy is a contradiction, and its international stance is the same. The government recognises a “clean and green” brand as the core of our tourism – but much of our GDP comes from intensive dairy farming, which infects our rivers with runoff and accounts for around half the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Generally, New Zealand professes to take a “centrist” and “cooperative” stance in negotiations. Underlying this, however, is a very self-interested negotiating strategy.

In the Kyoto Protocol track, New Zealand stresses transparency and balance. As a member of the Umbrella Group, a loose affiliation that aims to promote cost effectiveness and flexibility within the Kyoto Protocol system, New Zealand is willing to consider a second Kyoto commitment period subject to several conditions.

New Zealand seeks a successor agreement by 2020. It hopes to negotiate a mandate to agree, either at Durban or more probably a subsequent COP.

In climate financing, New Zealand stresses the importance of governments leveraging private finance to secure or exceed the US$100 billion 2020 target.

Agriculture and forestry are both crucial issues for New Zealand.

When it comes to practically implementing technology transfer and providing adaptation and mitigating funding, New Zealand focuses on the Pacific. Unusually, some 70% of funding provided by New Zealand each year is used for adaptation projects, with the balance devoted to mitigation. For more states, the opposite is the case.

Overall, New Zealand presents two quite different faces in the negotiations. Unlike other States in the Umbrella Group, which overtly attack the core of the Kyoto Protocol and openly assert a “hard-ball” strategy with developing States, New Zealand plays a subtle game. It takes contradictory positions and stalls talks, but maintains a commitment to the outcome it jeopardises.

It’s going to be an interesting ten days. Our delegation, the New Zealand Youth Delegation, meets the negotiators daily. We can sometimes ask to meet a specialist in a certain topic, but we never know which of the negotiating team we’ll get to talk to. Three of us will be blogging here on Adopt a Negotiator: Jonathan Williams, Rachel Dobric, and me. All our posts will be in the New Zealand category.

Devonport, Auckland

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Originally posted by me on Adopt a Negotiator.  All photographs and intellectual property in this post solely mine unless otherwise stated.

Syndicated: It’s Still Friday at COP17 (liveblogging the next last day)

In November and December 2011, I attended the United Nations climate change conference (COP17) in Durban, South Africa.  I will be periodically syndicating my blog posts from other websites here on the Solution.  I’m doing this for two reasons.  First, I want an archive of my work here, on my site, under my name.  Second, as I will discuss in a forthcoming post, climate change is an animal rights issue.  I hope that Solution readers will be interested, therefore, in my commentary on the climate talks.

The last day of COP17, Friday 9 December 2011, stretched well on into the night – and then into the Saturday, and then into the Saturday night.  It finally finished a little after 0600 on the morning of Sunday 11 December 2011.  Fellow youth delegate Rachel Dobric and I live-blogged the extended last Friday of the conference.  The below is part two of that liveblog, reposted with Rachel’s permission, unedited.  Part one is here.

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Negotiations are running well over time here in Durban.  We will keep you up to date as best we can.  For more frequent updates, please follow us on Twitter.  The rumour here is that negotiations may continue to tomorrow (which will be the third day of Friday 9 December 2011, as far as COP17 is concerned) – but apparently the ICC is booked until Wednesday.  Rumours and speculation abound.

Latest is first.  If you don’t like what you read, email, tweet, or otherwise contact your MP.

0600, ICC: It’s over.  There is a deal.  It’s not a great one by any means, but it is.  The conference has ended – 30 hours late. Continue reading →

Syndicated: Liveblogging the Last Day

In November and December 2011, I attended the United Nations climate change conference (COP17) in Durban, South Africa.  I will be periodically syndicating my blog posts from other websites here on the Solution.  I’m doing this for two reasons.  First, I want an archive of my work here, on my site, under my name.  Second, as I will discuss in a forthcoming post, climate change is an animal rights issue.  I hope that Solution readers will be interested, therefore, in my commentary on the climate talks.

The last day of COP17, Friday 9 December 2011, stretched well on into the night – and then into the Saturday, and then into the Saturday night.  It finally finished a little after 0600 on the morning of Sunday 11 December 2011.  Fellow youth delegate Rachel Dobric and I live-blogged the extended last Friday of the conference.  The below is part one of that liveblog, reposted with Rachel’s permission, unedited.

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We are liveblogging the last day of COP17 from inside and outside the conference centre.  Check back regularly for updates.

Latest is first.  If you don’t like what you read, email, tweet, or otherwise contact your MP.

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We’ve broken day two of the last day into a new post.  For further updates, go here.

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Overnight: Security guards patrolled the corridors – encouraging people to leave and insisting they wanted the buildings empty. Rumours flew that they were trying to expel the NGOs, and that we wouldn’t be let in again if we left. Talks were suspended until midnight, and then until Saturday. Hoping we were right in believing our badges would be extended through the following day, NZYD headed home for some much needed rest. On the way, we crossed to Speakers’ Corner and the Occupy camp to get away from the confusion and sterility of the conference centre. There weren’t many people there; it was clear most had gone home, leaving only a faithful few to beat their drums and sing late into the night. It would’ve been peaceful under the trees if it weren’t for the speeding cars and the bright lights of the Hilton across the road.

Caffeine and conversation until the very wee hours. Then sleep.

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2315, ICC hall, Baobab plenary/computer labs/occupied offices, inside: The Chair has taken the plenary through all agenda items relating to SBSTA quite quickly.  The meeting is adjourned until sometime in the morning.  Word is that the last texts were too pro-US.  YOUNGO people are wandering the halls taping signs saying “Where is my future? I’m sure you have it.” to things (mostly to themselves).  We have set up camp in an abandoned office.

It’s all getting a bit JG Ballard.  Rumours are flying around on Twitter.  People are sleeping in the halls of the ICC.  The Canadians have a designated sleep room occupied in the DEC.

We have no idea when this will finish.  Some delegates apparently have suggested adjourning to Rio+20 next year.  Others have suggested working through until Sunday, even (which perhaps makes more sense, as Rio+20 is a three-day conference!).

Interesting times.

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2046, ICC hall, Baobab plenary, inside: The plenary is currently debating rules of procedure.  We have hunkered down in the corner with copies of the draft texts.

You can read a transcript of the Colossal Fossil here:

“New Zealand wins the 1st place Fossil. The New Zealand government got a Fossil this week for severely mixed messages about its Kyoto Protocol 2nd Commitment Period stance. This time, it made it clear, describing Kyoto as ‘actually an insult to New Zealand’. The only insult is to the citizens of New Zealand and the rest of the world, who will have to suffer the costs of climate change.”

2014; DEC hall, inside: We’re back in the conference centre after a quick dinner break (bunny chow down the road), heading into the ICC to see what’s happening.  The DEC is almost empty.  A few NGO campaigners are still in the cafeteria, plotting the long haul ahead tonight.  They’ve already started to take apart the entry hall and the expo area outside.

New Zealand won a Fossil of the Day today, for the Minister, Tim Groser MP, declaring that a second commitment period woud be an “insult“.

Canada, unsurprisingly, won the Colossal Fossil, but kindly passed the moral victory on to the USA.

Heading to the ICC now!

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1740, DEC hall, inside: We’re preparing for the final Fossil of the Day ceremony now.  We’d just like to draw your attention to the great intervention that Anjali gave this morning on behalf of YOUNGO:

I speak for more than half the world’s population.

We are the silent majority. You’ve given us a seat in this hall, but our interests are not on the table.

What does it take to get a stake in this game? Lobbyists? Corporate influence? Money?

You have been negotiating all of my life. In that time, you’ve failed to meet pledges, you’ve missed targets, and you’ve broken promises.

Here’s a video, courtesy of Katie O’Brien from Sierra Student Coalition:

1728, DEC hall, inside: Videos from the last hour.

1720, DEC hall, inside: Just returned from the ICC.  Those protestors who chose to remain and be removed have mostly been escorted out.  UN Security were extremely reasonable.  There were no signs of violence until the very end.  Small groups of peaceful protestors chanted as blue-shirted security escorted them out.  One of our delegates overheard the head of security explaining that he did not wish to have them removed, because so many were so young, and also because their home countries might object.  The only scuffle I saw was brief, and at the very end, after the last few protestors chose to begin a sit in, when security shoved a photographer.

A large crowd had gathered in support.  They joined the chanting, and sung songs of support.

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1634, DEC hall (coming down around us), inside: Video from the protest 1:

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1623, DEC hall (being dismantled), inside: We just got back from the ICC.  For those who don’t know, COP17 is split into two main venues: the DEC hall, where most of the civil society booths and side events are; and the ICC, where the real negotiations are going on.  In the DEC, t-shirts and jeans have been the norm all week; in the ICC, suits and ties.

Currently, the main floor of the ICC is blocked off outside the plenary hall by a mass of chanting protestors.  Two lines of volunteers and UN security are keeping access open to the plenary session.  On one side of this corridor, the protestors are yelling and chanting, often through the “human microphone”.  On the other, the media (and bloggers) are amassed, filming the crowd.  It’s a little surreal.  A line of blue-shirted volunteers control access to the foyer of the plenary hall.

Inside the ICC, all social media are offline.  The internet appears to be working otherwise.  The rumour mill says that social media have been blocked on wifi.

Videos and photos coming soon.

Security has told the protestors that, if they move outside, they can keep their badges and continue to protest.

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1500, DEC hall, inside: Just 12 hours left.  Maybe even 18,  The atmosphere here in the Convention Centre is grim.  In the DEC hall, where civil society has mostly been encamped, all the booths are coming down.  The businesses, universities, NGOs, and IGOs are packing up their things and going home.  It feels like civil society is leaving.

Our delegation has split into two.  The majority are off to join a variety of protest actions, making a last push for, in short, two very simple things: a plan for a solid, real, new treaty by 2015 and a second Commitment Period of the Kyoto Protocol.  There are countless other issues tied into those, but all ultimately come down to two last minute hands of poker.  We’re all in: If the cards go one way, global temperature rise may stay below two degrees this year.  If the other, we will have locked in a warming of at least two degrees, probably largely in our lifetimes, causing suffering and death on an incredible scale.

Two or three of us are staying in here. Until. It’s. Done.  We will be liveblogging on Twitter and continually updating this post as we learn more of what’s happening inside and outside the ICC/DEC convention centre.  Keep checking back.

If you don’t like what you’re reading on this blog or Twitter or in the international press, please: Contact Tim Groser MP.  Contact your local MP. Email them.  Message them on Facebook.  Tell them what you think on Twitter.  This negotiation isn’t over until it’s over, and there remains a very, very slim chance that New Zealand might soften its stance.  Let’s keep pushing and hope.

Syndicated: Fossil of the Day Roundup

In November and December 2011, I attended the United Nations climate change conference (COP17) in Durban, South Africa.  I will be periodically syndicating my blog posts from other websites here on the Solution.  I’m doing this for two reasons.  First, I want an archive of my work here, on my site, under my name.  Second, as I will discuss in a forthcoming post, climate change is an animal rights issue.  I hope that Solution readers will be interested, therefore, in my commentary on the climate talks.

Syndicated: The Durban Platform: Progress?

In November and December 2011, I attended the United Nations climate change conference (COP17) in Durban, South Africa.  I will be periodically syndicating my blog posts from other websites here on the Solution.  I’m doing this for two reasons.  First, I want an archive of my work here, on my site, under my name.  Second, as I will discuss in a forthcoming post, climate change is an animal rights issue.  I hope that Solution readers will be interested, therefore, in my commentary on the climate talks.

Over a month has passed since the last Friday of COP17 stretched on into a Saturday, then into a Sunday.  Personally, I have grappled with the issues raised by the Conference constantly, turning the outcome – the ‘Durban Platform for Enhanced Action’ – over and over in my mind, alternately looking for holes and seeking silver-linings.  At first I yelled at fellow youth delegates that the outcome was worse than Copenhagen; then, I identified several areas of progress; and, then, I swung slowly back towards my first view (but not all the way). Continue reading →

Back from Durban

I’ve been blogging a lot over the last few months.  Just, not here.  I attended the United Nations climate change conference, the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in Durban in November and December, and blogged about it for the New Zealand Youth Delegation and Adopt a Negotiator.  I’ve also put up a guest blog on the UN Youth site.

Over the coming weeks, I will put up some reflections here on the links between climate change and both human and animal rights.  I will also reflect on some of the things I have learned through the COP process.

But, first, a bit of background. New Zealand’s media has been typically quiet about the Conference. So, a quick summary. Continue reading →

UK Animal Experiments Rise by 1% – or 37%?

From the Guardian:

More than 3.7m scientific procedures were carried out using animals in 2010, an increase of around 100,000 on the previous year, according to data released by the Home Office. The rise is largely due to the production of more genetically modified mice and greater use of fish in basic biological and medical research.

But read on:

Barney Reed, senior scientist at the RSPCA, described the rise in procedures as “astonishing”, pointing out that they equated to a 37% increase in animal use over the past decade. He also raised concerns over the implementation of a new EU directive on animal research into UK law that would legally allow the UK to drop its standards in many areas of inspection and practice in the use of animals. “A watered-down law could mean laboratory animals in the UK being allowed to suffer ‘long-lasting, unalleviated, severe pain, suffering or distress’, it could allow some animals such as dogs to be kept in even smaller housing, and some UK laboratories may not be visited by Home Office officials for years at a time – this is simply unacceptable,” he said.

Ouch.