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Flexed Biceps

Unit 3 - Biodiversity & Conservation

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Globe Showing Europe Africa

Unit 1 - Foundations Of Environmental Systems & Societies

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Herb

Unit 2 - Ecosystems & Ecology

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Writing Hand

Unit 4 -Water & Aquatic Food Production Systems & Societies

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Deciduous Tree

Unit 5 - Soil Systems & Terrestrial Food Production Systems & Societies

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Cloud

Unit 6 - Atmospheric Systems & Societies

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Thermometer

Unit 7 - Climate Change & Energy Production

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Briefcase

Unit 8 - Human Systems & Resource Use

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Bar-Chart

Internal Assessment

<ul>
	<li>Biorights refer to the ethical considerations and rights associated with living organisms. They are often debated in the context of species harvesting. Imagine you&#39;re asked whether it&#39;s right or wrong to pick apples from a tree in your backyard. Now replace that apple tree with a whale. It&#39;s a bigger, trickier question, right? That&#39;s the kind of stuff biorights deals with.</li>
</ul>


<ul>
	<li>Back in the 1930s, whaling was massive, with over 50,000 whales being killed every year. It&#39;s like the entire population of a small city was wiped out every year!</li>
	<li>By 1986, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) had seen enough. They said, &quot;No more!&quot; and imposed a ban on commercial whaling, kind of like a strict teacher banning phones in class.</li>
</ul>


<ul>
	<li>While commercial whaling was prohibited, some indigenous communities were allowed a pass. Think of it like an exclusive club membership. North American Inuits, for example, were allowed to catch 336 bowhead whales between 2013 and 2018.</li>
	<li>This wasn&#39;t just for fun though. Whale meat makes up about half of the Inuits&#39; diet, so it&#39;s like their bread and butter. Literally!</li>
</ul>


<ul>
	<li>Japan, like that kid who won&#39;t follow the rules, continued to catch whales, even after the 1986 ban. They reduced their quota, but still managed to nab between 500 and 1,200 whales annually from 2005 to 2010.</li>
	<li>In 2019, Japan decided they were done playing by IWC&#39;s rules, and announced they would be leaving the IWC and starting commercial whaling again. Talk about a rebellious move!</li>
</ul>


<ul>
	<li>Whales and seals face more than just harpoons. Their lives are being made difficult by pollution from chemicals and plastic waste. Imagine trying to live in a home filled with trash. Not so pleasant, right?</li>
	<li>Noise pollution and collisions with ships also pose major threats. Imagine trying to sleep when your neighbour&#39;s having a loud party, that&#39;s noise pollution for these creatures.</li>
	<li>Lastly, by-catch is another major issue. This is when whales unintentionally get caught in fishing nets. Kind of like when you accidentally catch a bug when you&#39;re trying to catch a butterfly. Only, in this case, the &quot;bug&quot; is a massive, majestic whale.</li>
</ul>

<p><strong>Remember: </strong>The crux of the matter is that the debate over biorights involves many stakeholders, each with their own viewpoints and interests. It&#39;s like a big tug-of-war game, and we need to find a balance that protects both the rights of the species and the needs of different human communities. Not easy, but totally worth it!</p>


Whale Rights Debate: A Global Dilemma

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Standard Level

Environmental Systems & Societies SL

Unit 3 - Biodiversity & Conservation

Whale Rights Debate: A Global Dilemma

Table of content

Biorights

History of whaling

Exception for indigenous communities

Unlock the Full Content!

Unit 3 - Biodiversity & Conservation

Whale Rights Debate: A Global Dilemma

Table of content

Biorights

History of whaling

Exception for indigenous communities

Unlock the Full Content!