47. Why is whaling still... a thing? (Joji Morishita)
08/05/24 • 59 min
There are few environmental issues more emotive than the hunting of whales. Although the focus of environmentalists has shifted to other topics in recent times, whaling remains contentious whenever it is brought up. This is understandable considering that, for the first half of the 20th century and into the 1970s, several whale species were hunted to near-extinction. But as crude oil took over from whale oil as the fuel of industry whale populations began making impressive recoveries. Nevertheless, a handful of countries and populations continue to hunt them, much to the chagrin of the rest of the world. Perhaps the most high profile whaling country is Japan. To add to the saga, in 2019 Japan ended about seven decades of membership of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) - the global body responsible for the “management of whaling and conservation of whales”.
There are countless sources providing the anti-whaling point of view, to some of which I will provide links in the podcast description. But comprehensive accounts of the other side of the story are less easy to find. Joji Morishita has been, among many other things, Japan’s Commissioner to the IWC (2013 - 2018) and IWC Chair (2016 - 2018) and I doubt there is any better person in the world to tell Japan’s side of the whaling story. In this fascinating discussion he explains why Japan withdrew from the IWC, and he takes on many of the core arguments against whaling.
Links to resources
- Japan whaling: Why commercial hunts have resumed despite outcry - 2019 BBC overview of the topic
- Japan's Withdrawal from International Whaling Regulation - Book co-authored by Joji in 2023
- Commercial Whaling - International Whaling Commission statements on the whaling moratorium and commercial whaling
- History of Whaling - A chronology of whaling going back to the 9th Century, on the website of the Japan Whaling Association
- Save the Whales - GreenPeace website on whaling
- Reflections on the Future of the International Whaling Commission - The first of a four-part series of articles by Joji
There are few environmental issues more emotive than the hunting of whales. Although the focus of environmentalists has shifted to other topics in recent times, whaling remains contentious whenever it is brought up. This is understandable considering that, for the first half of the 20th century and into the 1970s, several whale species were hunted to near-extinction. But as crude oil took over from whale oil as the fuel of industry whale populations began making impressive recoveries. Nevertheless, a handful of countries and populations continue to hunt them, much to the chagrin of the rest of the world. Perhaps the most high profile whaling country is Japan. To add to the saga, in 2019 Japan ended about seven decades of membership of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) - the global body responsible for the “management of whaling and conservation of whales”.
There are countless sources providing the anti-whaling point of view, to some of which I will provide links in the podcast description. But comprehensive accounts of the other side of the story are less easy to find. Joji Morishita has been, among many other things, Japan’s Commissioner to the IWC (2013 - 2018) and IWC Chair (2016 - 2018) and I doubt there is any better person in the world to tell Japan’s side of the whaling story. In this fascinating discussion he explains why Japan withdrew from the IWC, and he takes on many of the core arguments against whaling.
Links to resources
- Japan whaling: Why commercial hunts have resumed despite outcry - 2019 BBC overview of the topic
- Japan's Withdrawal from International Whaling Regulation - Book co-authored by Joji in 2023
- Commercial Whaling - International Whaling Commission statements on the whaling moratorium and commercial whaling
- History of Whaling - A chronology of whaling going back to the 9th Century, on the website of the Japan Whaling Association
- Save the Whales - GreenPeace website on whaling
- Reflections on the Future of the International Whaling Commission - The first of a four-part series of articles by Joji
Previous Episode
46. Can agriculture become nature-friendly at scale? (Philippe Birker)
Agriculture has been by far the biggest driver of land change and land degradation worldwide. And yet, it is also fundamental to the very existence of humankind. This mismatch often comes up in public discourse. Over the past year or two, for example, several European countries have seen extensive farmer protests - against rising costs and restrictive environmental regulations, among other things. Environmental groups have responded to the farmers’ appeals mostly with indignation... and yet farmers and environmentalists have a lot in common - at east potentially.
Philippe Birker is co-founder of “Climate Farmers”, and his work is aimed mostly at promoting regenerative agriculture. He and I cover a range of topics in the discussion that follows, from the farmer protests to the relationship between agrochemical companies and government. Along the way, there were several “rabbit holes” that we could have gone down, and several points that I would have liked to challenge Philippe on in greater depth. But, with limited available time, I needed to bookmark most of these for another time and for future guests.
Next Episode
48. What about free market environmentalism? (Ronald Bailey)
Protection of the environment is strongly associated with regulation of the human activities that threaten it, and regulation is usually administered by government. Although almost everyone would probably agree that some regulation is necessary, regulation has a patchy record when it comes to environmental protection. And there is another approach to achieving environmental goals. Free market environmentalism, instead of protecting nature from market forces, harnesses those forces to protect nature. Or at least that's the idea.
Ronald Bailey is the longtime science writer for Reason Magazine, a renowned American libertarian news & opinion outlet that’s been around for more than 50 years. Ron joins me to flesh out the case for free market environmentalism.
Links to resources
- Ronald Bailey - Ron's profile page on the Reason website
- The limits to growth - 1972 book about the possibility of exponential economic and population growth
- Population bomb - 1968 book by Paul Erlich that speculated about the dangers of overpopulation
- Silent Spring - 1962 book by Rachel Carson about the effects of pesticide on the environment and people
- Environmentalists Shocked That Local People Protect Forests Better Than Do Governments - 2014 article of Ron’s in Reason Magazone, including links to further information, about how indigenous peoples and local communities can be good stewards of the environemnt
- The Environmental Trinity — 2024 article by Jesse Ausubel about ecomodernism and decoupling from resource-use
- Our World in Data - A website that shows global trends in easy-to-grasp graphic format
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