David Levy – Thinking about what “accountability” means – May 2013

The love of money is at the root of all evil.

The global rape of our oceans is dominated by a desire to catch fish unreservedly, something that we truly do not understand in terms of the impact it has on our planet.

We have a similar blinkered approach to consuming the world’s bounty. It borders on complete arrogance, and is founded on a belief we can always grow, manufacture and spend our way out of trouble. As a result we ignore all the signs that resources are drying up, and that perpetual growth is an abhorrence of nature.

Day on day, year on year, we take from the world’s resources with no management for the future – a situation which leaves our children with no future. And those tasked with protection against this approach to life have been negligent in their duty of care. It is as though they know there is no accountability today, but there may be tomorrow.

More than any other action, I feel the threat of legal challenge should always hover over the heads of those who have stood by and done nothing of consequence today. This legal challenge is known as The Law of Ecocide. It should be backed internationally, with the teeth of real custodial sentences.

That would mean that the failure to deliver real change in the Common Fisheries Policy could mean Fisheries Minister, Richard Benyon, being in the dock of an international court.

Some may say that this Minister is a good egg, and has been trying to improve things. But his Ministry has been slow to change and has not delivered the marine reserves needed to save our seas, therefore he needs to be made an example.

Marinet is currently shining a light into the murky waters of fishing subsidies, and is also promoting a new vision for our global waters which is based on their sovereign right to protection first, before any exploitation takes place. Wish our endeavours well.

David Levy
Chair

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