Environment
Magnificent Shoalwater Bay, 300ks of wild coastline, location of the Talisman Sabre war games
War games are not just ‘games’. They involve real equipment, real troops, machinery, munitions, vessels, tanks – everything used in a real theatre of war. As such they pose real risks to the environment. And you couldn’t pick a worse location to hold war games than in the protected and precious regions of the oast and reef around Shoalwater Bay in Queensland.
In 2007 Friends of the Earth produced a response to the military’s Public Environment Report (a non-binding document, not an Environmental Impact Assessment). FoE found numerous reasons why the Talisman Sabre games should not go ahead:
1. International Treaties
2. Dugong habitat
3. Sonar
4. Green turtle habitat
5. Fish refugia & other species
6. Other environmental pressures on the region
7. Record of military contamination of environment
8. Nuclear risks
9. Other military pollution
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1. International Treaties
SWB is home to endangered dugong and one of only two large colonies in Australia
The Shoalwater Bay/Corio Bay area adjacent to the SWBTA is a Ramsar listed habitat for waterfowl – meaning it is of vital importance for the world, not just Queensland or Australia. It is Australia’s duty to protect these areas from any development as signatories to the Ramsar convention.
The Ramsar convention protects wetland of international significance for their environmental benefits accrued to clean water. In the case of the Shoalwater region, the water catchment for the town of Yeppoon arises from Waterpark Creek, an area adjacent to SWBTA.
Twenty-five bird species protected by the Japan-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA) and listed under the China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA) also visit the area.
It is arguable that the military zone should have been included in the Shoalwater/Corio Bay Ramsar listing. The environmental affects of toxic chemicals in land, sea and air do not respect artificial boundaries.
We are very concerned that the importance of international treaties on the environment that exist are not taken seriously in the Maunsell TS07 Public Environment Report or any subsequent reports commissioned by the military.
2. Dugong habitat
Shoalwater seagrass meadows form one of the remaining food habitats for the endangered dugong – the use of sonar, turbulence and potential toxic spills put dugongs at risk.
The dugong, Dugong dugon, is suffering from population decline in many parts of its range. It is found in greater numbers in Australian waters than anywhere else in the world. Dugong numbers halved in the decade between 1990 and 2000. There are currently about 4000 dugongs in Australian waters, which is where they are concentrated. Shoalwater Bay is one of the most important dugong habitats in Queensland due to its large north facing aspect, making it an ideal site for seagrass to grow.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority cites “Seagrass loss was a major cause of death of dugongs in Hervey Bay in 1992 following a flood. However, in the Shoalwater Bay area where dugong numbers have declined in recent years, studies since 1995 have shown that there has not been a major loss of seagrass since the 1980s.” This raises the serious question that military activity be the differing factor in Shoal water dugong decline – what evidence exists to show that the military is not having a detrimental impact on dugong populations?
The UN 2002 Report on Dugongs recommends that remaining dugong habitats in Australia be protected. Dugongs are already under pressure, hence their endangered status, from habitat loss and accidental death by boating collisions and in fishing nets.
In 2003 the U.S. DoD were taken to court by environmentalists in Okinawa, Japan for the expansion plans for the U.S. base there onto a nearby reef which would threaten the Okinawan dugong population. The U.S. DoD wanted to landfill coral reef and build a military base with 2,600m runway, aircraft hangers, large fuel storage tanks and many other facilities. Only court action and the adverse publicity it occasioned forced them to withdraw. The action and attitude of the US military in this case indicate a lack or commitment to sustainability or respect for the local and ecological community – exposing the poor track record of an organization now attempting represent itself as a responsible environmentally sensitive organization.
3. Sonar
Importantly for the SWBTA and TS07 is the use of active sonar in the oceans near the bay. Sonar is known to effect cetaceans, and dugongs also respond to sonar. Sonar was thought responsible for the deaths of whales and dolphins worldwide, the loud noises frightening the animals, causing brain hemorrhages and ‘the bends’.
The American Cetacean Society (ACS) says, “The U.S. Navy, in developing and testing its SURTASS-LFA (Surveillance Towed-Array Sensor System — Low-Frequency Active, called “LFA” for short) sonar system, was caught bypassing domestic environmental laws and taken to court by environmental groups”.
ACS says the U.S. navy have the capacity to ensonify 80% of the world’s oceans. Dr Marsha Green, for the Ocean Mammal Institute says that, “low -frequency (LFAS) and mid -frequency can have a source level of 240 db, which is one trillion times louder than the sounds whales have been shown to avoid.”
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority cite, “detonations of explosives, the use of live munitions and the use of active sonar and other acoustic devices” as threats to marine life in the area.
Sonar and ocean noise has also been found to affect fish, injuring or killing them by vibrating their swim bladders, reducing catches and affecting the viability of eggs.
The Maunsell TS07 Public Environment Report says that naval sonar will be used “well off coast outside of migratory paths of cetaceans” (p34). We contend that LFA sonar can travel hundred of kilometres underwater and is affected by water depth. We, therefore, do not see that the above proposition as credible.
We are very concerned that the importance of protecting this declining species has not been taken seriously, despite the admirable things said about dugongs by the Maunsell TS07 Public Environment Report or any subsequent reports comissioned by the military.
SWB is the premier mating location globally for the endangered green sea turtle
4. Green turtle habitat
Shoal water Bay is absolutely vital breeding habitat for the endangered Green Turtle Chelonia mydas: it has the highest concentration in the world of this declining species, this is their premier breeding habitat. The population of Green Turtles is thought to be declining worldwide. Turtles are sensitive to sonar emissions undersea and could be susceptible to naval use of sonar in the same way as cetaceans and dugong.
A former U.S. DoD military dump sites in the Pacific are listed as a threat to green sea turtles there by the Recovery Plan for U.S. Pacific Populations of the Green Turtle.
We are very concerned that the importance of protecting the Shoalwater population of Green Turtles is not being taken seriously, despite the admirable things said about Green turtles by the Maunsell TS07 Public Environment Report or any subsequent reports comissioned by the military.
5. Fish refugia & other species
In November 2006 the British Journal of Science published a report on the state of the world’s fisheries that indicates if we do not protect fish habitats and restrain fishing, fish stocks will collapse by 2048.
Shoalwater Bay is home to many species of fish and its protected situation and extensive mangrove ecosystem makes it an excellent fish refugia and breeding habitat. The seagrass meadows, on which dugongs totally depend, are also the breeding place for environmentally and economically important species such as rock lobsters Panulirus cygnus, blue swimmer crab Portunus pelagicus and 20 species of prawns. Other endangered species such as the logger head turtle also visit Shoalwater Bay. In fact the Maunsell TS07 Public Environment Report lists 38 endangered and vulnerable species in Shoalwater Bay alone, and over 100 endangered and vulnerable species in the combined training areas used in the Talisman Sabre excercises
6. Other environmental pressures on the region
The reef and other relatively undisturbed marine habitats are already under pressure from global warming and comprise a piece of natural heritage that should be preserved at any cost.
U.S. Military vehicles and operations are known to be a source of significant greenhouse gas emissions. One of their most commonly used vehicles, the Humvee, is notorious for its fuel consumption and emissions. The U.S. DoD have sought blanket exemption from the U.S. Clean Air Act and the U.S. Solid Waste Disposal Act amongst others mentioned below. These are not the actions of responsible environmental stewardship.
7. Record of military contamination of environment
- Australian Defence Force
The ADF have a fairly innocuous environmental record, however, the ADF have practised sea-dumping of war related pollutants including mustard gas and the radioactive hulls of ships used in the British nuclear tests.
As they have been practicing in the Shoalwater Bay region for some time, it is likely that contaminants and unexploded ordnance are already in the soil, especially in the Dismal sector where live bombing occurs.
The ADF have been less than responsive to the needs of the local people living near the SWBTA. These people are exposed to low flying aircraft, military convoys passing through their towns and vibrations and noise associated with live firing and bombing contributing to a stressful environment to live int. In one instance they have been told the military have “no sympathy” for them.
A eyewitness account by a local fisherman who has worked in the Shoalwater Bay area of over 20 years indicates that he has seen extensive damage to mangroves as a result of the use of white phosphorus, used for signaling, screening, and incendiary purposes . He was told, upon inquiry, by Senator Robert Hill that it was due to drought. This he judged to be a very inadequate assessment not based on the evidence, in his experience. In addition, local residents are concerned about potential groundwater pollution from explosives in the water catchment for Waterpark Creek, part of the water source for the town of Yeppoon.
Perchlorate commonly used in rocket fuel has been detected in many groundwater sites where the U.S. forces have practices bombing in both the U.S. and worldwide.
It is true that the land around Shoalwater Bay would have been more severely degraded had the military not repossessed in 1965 it from the cattle farmers that have degraded the surrounding area.
However, other factors are now coming into play, not the least is the importance of the area as a wildlife refugia in a world increasingly under pressure from global warming, and the growth of human habitation in the area.
- United States Department of Defence
The record of the U.S. military with regards to environmental contamination is abysmal, and yet we propose to let them use one of our most environmentally sensitive areas.
The U.S. DoD has been described as the world’s biggest industrial polluters, given the toxic legacy that their bases and facilities have created worldwide. Project Censored estimates that “the U.S. military generates 750,000 tons of toxic waste material annually, more than the five largest chemical companies in the U.S. combined. This pollution occurs globally as the U.S. maintains bases in dozens countries.” The U.S. DOD has sought exemptions from many important environmental laws in the U.S. including the Migratory Bird Treaties Act, the Wildlife Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. Hardly the actions of good environmental stewards.
Perhaps the worst cases of U.S. Miltary pollution offshore would be the cases of Vieques, Puerto Rico and Clarkson Air Base in the Philippines. In Vieques, Depleted Uranium was used extensively, leading to birth defects and high rates of leukemia. Perchlorate contaminated the water table and ghost nets set adrift by massive naval vessels continue to devastate the fisheries. At Clarkson Air Base, the Philippines government used the land to house victims of the Pinatabu eruptions because they did not know the extent of the contamination, resulting in illness and birth defect affecting hundreds of people.
The Military Toxics Project says of Vieques:
Since 1940, the U.S. Navy has used three-quarters of the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico for bombardment, munitions disposal, and other activities. There is strong evidence that heavy metals and other munitions toxins move in the air from the bombing range to the civilian areas. The toxic explosive compound RDX was found in drinking water supplies in civilian areas in the late 1970s. In 2000, excessive levels of mercury were found in the hair and fingernails of 45% of Vieques residents tested. Vegetables and plants growing in civilian areas are highly contaminated with lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals. From 1985-1989, Vieques children aged 0-9 were 117% more likely to contract cancer than children of the same age on the main island of Puerto Rico. Children aged 10-19 were 256% more likely to contract cancer. A 2001 study found that Vieques residents are 73% more likely to suffer from heart disease than residents of the main island, 64% more likely to develop hypertension, 58% more likely to have diabetes, and 18% more likely to be diagnosed with asthma.
Both Vieques and Clarkson Air Base are now closed down and the full effects of their contamination can only be assessed after the military have vacated the premises. No compensation has been offered to these communities devastated by U.S. DoD toxins. Moreover, the U.S. DoD is reluctant to compensate even U.S. citizens for environmental pollution. One study has found that the U.S. DoD is even polluting the national food supply. There are about 140 superfund listed U.S. military sites. The Military Toxics Project estimates contaminated sites number in the several thousands in the U.S.. The U.S. Navy has estimated it would cost them U.S. $33b just to clean up the contaminated navy sites.
Contaminants on those sites include buried munitions, unexploded ordnances, spilled oil, fuel and solvents, toxic explosives compounds including TNT and perchlorate and heavy metals including lead and tungsten. In a stunning double standard, depleted uranium is not permitted to be used on U.S. testing ranges.
These kinds of actions call into question the role of defence, who exists to protect citizens, not harm them. ADF collusion with them, including increased use of the same kind of weapons that the U.S. Forces have used to poison their own people, does not reflect well on the reputation of Australia’s Defence Forces.
Much of the pollution is the result of day to day maintenance and training like that which occurs during the TS war games.
8. Nuclear risks
A larger nuclear-based accident could be catastrophic for humans and wildlife alike – it is our understanding that no nuclear preparedness has be considered by this assessment, nor has it been deemed nuclear by the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act – we believe this is a wrong assessment.
Nuclear powered vessels, potentially carrying nuclear weapons and almost certainly carrying depleted uranium munitions, were used in the TS05 joint war games. It is likely that the same happened for TS07, yet this does not trigger the EPBCA according the the Department of the Environment.
If this is the case, then the EPBCA is flawed because the presence of nuclear vessels carrying nuclear weapons does pose a nuclear risk. In Tokyo, Japan 2006 radiation was detected in the waters around a nuclear powered submarine, the U.S. Honolulu, although the U.S. navy denies this and maintains they have a good record.
Some Japanese ports see the risk of nuclear accident from visiting U.S. warships so great that they hold nuclear leak drills to test their preparedness. Indeed, the 1989 Senate Standing committee on Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Inquiry into Nuclear Powered Ships Visiting Australia found that risk assessment based on past record of accidents could not be used as a predictor of future accidents. In other words, it was a clear case of using the precautionary principle because of the clear risk associated with an accident. In any case, if the military choose to go by their record on accidents we can only say it is inadequate and probably understated due to military security. There have been at least 10 serious peacetime accidents involving U.S. nuclear submarines on the public record. As recently as March 2005 a U.S. nuclear sub was involved in an undersea crash that killed crew members.
A witness to the 1989 Senate inquiry found that the paucity of reported accidents involving nuclear submarines was probably due to, “tight secrecy surrounding sensitive military information” and “it would take blind faith to believe that disaster and near disasters as yet undisclosed, had not occurred in NPW reactors” (p 135). In fact, media outlets site incidents in the many hundreds.
The Brisbane Port Authority does not disclose its state of preparedness for a nuclear based accident and there seems to be no such plan for the Shoalwater region. Despite having management plans, other ports do not detail what kind of training or protection will be available for emergency service workers. It is our understanding that SES workers in the Stannage Bay region, who are some of the first people to be called to a nuclear, or any other type of emergency at Shoalwater Bay, have not been trained in nuclear response and are in fact all volunteers.
9. Other military pollution
We contend that contrary to the Public Environment Report, all military action and munitions involve chemicals.
Soldiers run through red phosphorus cloud used as a marker, during TS09 at SWB
Some of the chemicals or hazardous materials that have been released into the Shoalwater Bay area in the past by military activities include: intentional introduction of toxic materials such as red phosphorus marine markers, seawater ballast potentially containing introduced species and the intentional disposal of ship-board waste at sea. These events that should not be tolerated in a World Heritage listed marine park, nor in the important Shoalwater Bay.
The proposal for TS07 includes the possible use of “new” weapons (PER p 75). There is no way that an environmental assessment can be complete without knowing what effect these undisclosed, untested weapons may have.
Perchlorate
Perchlorate, the primary ingredient in rocket fuel, is the chemical causing the most concern worldwide with regards to the U.S. DoD’s operations. It has been found contaminating groundwater in 20 U.S. states as a result of its use at rocket test sites, military bases, and perchlorate-production plants. It has been linked to thyroid problems, birth defects and inhibited newborn development. A recent study has found perchlorate is even contaminating the U.S. food supply and that ‘safe’ level standards are inadequate.
The people of Byfield and Yeppoon are concerned that perchlorate may be leaking into their water supply because the live firing area in the Dismal sector at SWBTA is part of the catchment for the Yeppoon water supply though Waterpark Creek. They have not be successful in getting local authorities to test the water. It is incumbent on the military to take action on their concerns.
White Phosphorus
White Phosphorus was found responsible for the contamination of the estuarine environment at Eagle River Flats near Fort Richardson base, Alaska, U.S.A. The fishing grounds of local Alaskans were destroyed and thousands of water birds killed, “every year for almost two decades” according to the Military Toxic Project. They also say unexploded ordnance “may exist in, on, and/or under up to 2 million acres of lands and waters outside the current boundaries of the base.”
An eyewitness account by a local fisherman indicates that white phosphorus has been used at SWBTA, which is adjacent to the Ramsar listed Shoalwater/Corio Bay wetlands.
Phosphorus markers
Marine markers are reputed to have washed ashore in Yeppoon near the SWBTA on two occasions in the months after the TS05 games. The marine markers were reported in the media to be red phosphorus, MK58 type.
Eyewitnesses say the ADF was slow to respond to the presence of the unexploded marker in a populated area. However, there was a fast response from the PR department, which led to misinformation being told the media, who reported the marker disposed of prematurely. The presence of potentially explosive and dangerous military equipment on a populated beach is intolerable to the local population and presents a clear risk, especially to vehicles that drive on that beach. The marker also increases the mental stress to people living in the area.
Ballast
The Maunsell PER says it is likely that ballast water will be expelled at non-defence ports. Ballast
water is a known mechanism for the transfer of exotic species into Australian waters.
This risk is not peculiar to military vessels however, but it compounds the number of risks being
introduced by the presence of U.S. vessels in environmentally sensitive areas.
Marine debris
After TS05 games, shipboard generated domestic waste was found washed ashore on the Sunshine
coast at Mudjimba and on the Sunshine Coast.
Defence PR say that "minor disturbance... by a recent naval exercise is washed away the next time the tide comes in". Yet fires, structural damage, unexploded ordnance and chemical spills are routinely ignored by Defence documents. IMAGE: USDoD
Apparently it is the policy of the U.S. navy to dispose of their waste in this manner, and the bag was accompanied by a letter that said as much. The waste included plastic debris and paper. Entanglement in marine debris can restrict an animal’s movement, causing starvation, bodily infections, amputation of limbs and drowning of marine creatures. The Australian Department of Environment and Heritage lists the Green Turtle as one species particularly vulnerable to the dangers of marine debris.
“Harmful marine debris” has been listed as a key threatening process under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Disposing of plastics at sea is totally prohibited by the International Convention. Despite this, the EPBCA excludes “marine debris resulting from the legal disposal of garbage at sea”, which we presume includes the U.S Navy.
Friends of the Earth fails to see how legally disposed of garbage could be any less threatening to sea creatures than non-legally disposed of garbage and condemns yet another flaw in the legislation. Due to the failure of legislation, it is incumbent on the military to end this threatening process. The Maunsell PER states that it is almost certain that there will be, “Inadvertent release of solid materials (non-waste) such as equipment into the sea during anchoring within ports. (p 82) and that military personnel will inappropriately dispose of wastes. These practices are unacceptable.
Plane crash
On their return journey from participation in maneuvers in Australian waters in January 2006 a U.S. FA-18 Hornet strike fighter plane crashed in the ocean 200km SE of Brisbane. No attempt was made to retrieve the $37m aircraft, nor were the public made aware of the potential environmental contaminants contained within the sunken aircraft or its mother ship, the nuclear powered aircraft carrier the USS Ronald Reagan.
Written by Kim Stewart, BA. BSc (honsA)
Friends of the Earth Brisbane
The Peace Convergence is a biannual peace protest held in various locations Australia wide. It's primary goal is to oppose the U.S.-Australian joint military excercises, Talisman Sabre. We believe that the excercises pose a risk to people and the environment, firmly entrench Australia in the U.S. regime of "preemptive" warfare and are not conducive to peace-making. More broadly, they are training Australians to die and kill in more U.S. led wars.
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