Full feedClimate Defenders Camp
Our team in Indonesia has set up a camp in the heart of the rainforest where activists will remain for several weeks in order to bring urgent attention to the role that deforestation plays in driving dangerous climate change.
Our Climate Defenders Camp is on the threatened Kampar Peninsula, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Here, the forest peat soils are particularly deep - storing some 2 billion tones of carbon and forming one of the largest natural carbon stores on the planet. This ecosystem is a vital global defense against climate change.
Much of the forest that once surrounded the Kampar Peninsula has been destroyed to make way for plantations, largely for products like paper and palm oil, which are transported worldwide and used to make chocolate, toothpaste and so-called ‘climate-friendly’ biofuels.
Our climate defenders are taking up position at the frontline of forest and climate destruction to tell world leaders that to avert climate chaos they must tackle deforestation here and now.
Here's an update from Bustar - one of our forest campaigners at the new camp in Sumatra
Dear Friends,
I am very happy to inform you that the Climate Defenders Camp was officially opened in Teluk Meranti in Kampar peninsula of Riau in Indonesia today, at a simple but colourful ceremony attended by over 200 community members, village elders and representatives of local NGOs and administration.
During our official welcome - we expressed thanks for the proactive support and hospitality from local community members. They have helped us realise our goal of protecting the peatlands and forests of Indonesia. Local leaders then expressed their full support for our work and their own commitment to protect their forests and their homeland.
The opening ceremony concluded with a blessing that was followed by a gala lunch with for all our honoured guests. Besides the local journalists we also had US Public radio and CNN at the camp today.
A number of volunteers have worked hard alongside our staff over last few days to give finishing touches to the camp and now the spanking new camp is ready to host activists, media and political personalities from around the world to drive home the message of forest protection as the first step for global greenhouse gas reduction, protection of biodiversity and interests of indigenous people dependent on them.
Thanks to our technical team here our communication lines are up and running smoothly so that I am able to send you this message and our media team is now blasting out images, videos and stories from here.
Watch out for pictures and video coming soon from the forest!
Yesterday activists and volunteers from Thailand and Philippines joined our team here to make this camp a big success. We hope you'll stay with us - through the next month. There will be a lot happening here and together let us tell the world leaders, how to stop climate change. Zero deforestation now!
Salam,
Bustar -- on behalf of the Greenpeace Climate Defenders in the Sumatran Rainforest
>> Take Action - Call on world leaders to agree on a firm pact in Copenhagen that includes a fund to save our forests.
>>Click here to read more about our work in Indonesia
Comments
I live in pku, an hour from kampar. if something happen in kampar forest so pku will get the direct impact. keep control
Posted by: dita nurviasari | October 27, 2009 3:22 PM
I really want to help defend our nature...
Posted by: jp fuego | October 28, 2009 12:36 PM
Anthropogenic climate change is a scam. If it were truly about science, there would be debate on an international level. Debate, especially scientific, does not consist of agreement among a consensus. Remember people, at one time consensus told us that the earth was flat and the sun revolved around us.
There are THOUSANDS of scientists that ... Read Moredisagree with the idea of man made global warming and they have not even been given an opportunity to be heard, when they are holding SCIENTIFIC FACTS and SCREAMING "let us present our side and findings" and they are given a deaf ear and blind eye.
As one noted climatologist stated, "if this were about science there would be debate, but there is none, so this is about economic and political power."
Just remember that to this date the leading advocates of A.G.W. HAVE NOT DEBATED in ANY format OTHER PEOPLE who DISAGREE with their THEORY
Posted by: Russ | October 31, 2009 5:36 PM