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WORLD NEWS Friday 28 OctOber 2022
Russia may again block Antarctic marine protections

By NICK PERRY Ukraine was trying to re-
Associated Press build its National Antarctic
WELLINGTON, New Zea- Research Center in Kyiv,
land (AP) — Delegations although ongoing drone
from Russia and Ukraine attacks made that difficult.
are among those meeting “Cracks in the walls, broken
in Australia this week to de- windows, destroyed equip-
cide the future of Antarc- ment led to the impossibil-
tica’s pristine waters. ity to use these facilities for
Conservationists say new work,” he wrote.
marine protected areas Russia’s delegation did not
and rules to prevent over- respond to a request for
fishing are desperately comment.
needed, but that Russia Medina said the U.S.
could use its veto-like pow- backed the walkout be-
ers to once again block cause it condemns the war
progress. in Ukraine, but it remains
Achieving the required hopeful for progress in Ho-
consensus for action bart.
among this diverse group “Right now, Russia is block-
of 27, which also includes ing consensus on adoption
China, the United States of three MPA (marine pro-
and the European Union, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, second right, with her partner Clarke Gayford, right, tected area) proposals, but
has always been an im- are explained the sites by Antarctica New Zealand chief executive Sarah Williamson shortly after China is as well,” Medina
mense challenge. stepping off the plane in Antarctica, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022. said. “So we are here trying
And when two of the mem- Associated Press to work through the issues
bers are at war and rela- with both countries. Not
tions between China and assistant secretary in the online. national support and that one-on-one necessarily,
many Western nations State Department. It comes as New Zealand’s Russia had no right to be at although we will be trying
have deteriorated con- In an interview with The Prime Minister Jacinda Ard- the table. with the People’s Republic
sensus looms as an even Associated Press, Medina ern makes a rare visit by a “A state that kills the civilian of China to work through
bigger obstacle. Just this said Antarctica was “a re- world leader to Antarctica, population, destroys the air the issues informally.”
month, Russian bombing in ally fragile, crumbling part to see firsthand the scien- and ground civilian infra- She said Russia had been
Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, par- of the planet that needs all tific research taking place structure of another coun- using what amounts to its
tially destroyed Ukraine’s our help to withstand the and to mark the 65th an- try and defiantly violates veto power to block prog-
Antarctic research center. challenges we face with niversary of New Zealand’s the basic provisions of in- ress not only in Hobart but
Yet despite the enormous climate change.” Scott Base. ternational law should defi- at a number of internation-
political hurdles, some re- The meeting in Hobart in The two-week meeting in nitely be limited in its right al forums.
main hopeful that scientific the Australian island state Hobart began Monday to participate in the activi- “It can block consensus.
arguments will win through. of Tasmania is the first in- with a mass walkout when ties of international organi- That is a huge impediment
The U.S. is paying more at- person gathering of the the Russian delegates start- zations such as CCAMLR,” to our ability to move for-
tention to the region under Commission for the Conser- ed speaking. he wrote in an email. ward on some things here,
President Joe Biden, and vation of Antarctic Marine Kostiantyn Demianenko, Still, he acknowledged, but other things do go
this year has sent a rela- Living Resource in three who is leading the Ukrai- Russia remained a member ahead in a sort of ordinary
tively high-level delegation years, after the COVID-19 nian delegation, said they of the group. course of business,” Medi-
led by Monica Medina, an pandemic kept meetings were grateful for the inter- He said that back home, na said. q

U.K. says new PM Rishi Sunak won’t go to U.N. climate conference

LONDON (AP) — British expected to attend. Prime Minister Boris John-
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Sunak took office on Tues- son.
will not attend a major day, replacing Liz Truss, A Sunak spokeswoman
United Nations climate who stepped down af- said Britain remained com-
conference next month, ter a seven-week term mitted to reaching net
the government said Thurs- in which her tax-cutting zero carbon emissions by
day. Sunak’s office said plans sparked economic 2050, “and to leading in-
the decision was made and political mayhem. ternational and domestic
because of “pressing do- Officials from almost 200 action to tackle climate
mestic commitments” in- countries are due to change.”
cluding preparations for gather in Sharm el-Sheikh, Opposition Labour Party
an emergency budget Egypt, starting Nov. 6 to spokesman Ed Miliband
on Nov. 17 and does not discuss how to tackle glob- said Sunak had made “a
reflect a downgrade in al warming at the confer- terrible decision.”
the Conservative gov- ence known as COP27. “These summits matter,”
ernment’s commitment Britain hosted last year’s he told the BBC. “They are
Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leaves 10 Downing Street for
the House of Commons for his first Prime Minister’s Questions to combating climate COP26 conference in forcing mechanisms for
in London, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022. change. Other senior U.K. Glasgow, Scotland, which action on the biggest issue
Associated Press government ministers are was attended by then- we face as a world.”q