Forbes.com reported the other day that a Californian electricity company is lobbying the US Congress not to ban energy-wasting incandescent lightbulbs. Southern California Edison were forced to reveal that they spent over half a million dollars, in only the first half of 2007, lobbying against proposed climate change regulations.

It just goes to show that for all the talk about "smart energy" and "switching to energy savers", some companies are still adamant to carry on business as usual.

We're calling on the Irish Government to announce a model lightbulbs law next week. That should bolster efforts in other countries, where some retailers are changing already, but manufacturers and politicians are still dragging their feet. Have you signed the petition yet?

Posted by Eoin Dubsky at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Today Greenpeace launched a new edition of the electronics ranking guide. This time we've added some new types of hardware (games consoles and TVs) and as a result some new manufacturers (Philips, Microsoft, Nintendo, Sharpe, and Panasonic). Since, once again some of the worst performing manufacturers are ones people like here are some predictions.

* We will be accused of targeting these brands because they are high profile - and not because they make toxic products
* We will be accused of targeting these brands because we expect them to make donations - even though we accept no corporate or government money
* We will be told that these products meet existing legal requirements - even though we're quite clear we're asking for them to do more
* We will be told about the great strides these firms are making in areas like packaging, or energy use, or labour standards, even though this campaign is about toxic chemicals

What we won't hear too much is that we've already succeeded in moving the majority of the PC and mobile phone market toward a greener future, and that the smart money would be on the console makers and TV manufacturers following suit.

Meanwhile we'll be working to keep the pressure on companies who have already made commitments but are failing to deliver. See the story for more details

Posted by Martin Lloyd at 7:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Thanks to our friends over at BoingBoing and Reddit, Mr Splashy Pants is in the lead for the Greenpeace name-a-whale competition. What isn't so well known is the identity of the unsung hero that made it all possible. We don't know all the details but from what we have managed to piece together, it appears that someone found a way around our 'one vote per person' rule and began a clicking frenzy that was to change the face of the competition.

Read more »

Posted by Richard at 4:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (68)

AFP reports:

A Japanese company said Tuesday it would start offering whale curry in its takeaway business lunches, as the country pursues its controversial whale hunt in the Antarctic.

Asian Lunch, which says it sells 1,000-1,500 lunch boxes daily in Tokyo's business districts, will offer the meat once a week, starting Thursday with a South Asian-style keema curry.

[...]

As for protests against Japan's whaling, [Asian Lunch spokeswoman] Yamaguchi said the company just "does not want to waste meat once their lives were deprived of for research."

"We would feel uncomfortable if we hunted whales by ourselves for the purpose of eating them," she said.

Dear Ms. Yamaguchi,

You should feel uncomfortable selling whale curry. The whales that you are eating were "deprived of their lives" not for the purpose of research: there are non-lethal means of learning virtually everything which research with a harpoon can tell us. And while it would make you uncomfortable if the whales were killed for the purposes of eating them, this isn't the case either: 4,000 tonnes of whale meat sit unsold in cold storage while the Japanese Fisheries Agency attempts to launch desperate programmes to get rid of it through school lunchs and other subsidized programmes.

The reason you should feel uncomfortable, Mr. Yamaguchi, is that the whales that were killed to make your curry were killed to line the pockets of a very few bureaucrats who spend 945,550,000 yen per year, about US$ 8.6 million, subsidizing a whaling programme that generates no useful science and a lot of unsellable whalemeat.

Rather than feel uncomfortable, you should cancel your contract and demand an explanation of the Japanese Fisheries Agency and the parliamentarians who approve these scandalous subsidies every year.

There is no honour in eating a lunch made possible by a criminal waste of taxpayer's money.

Posted by brianfit at 9:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Just stumbled across a good post about how that if all of us that really care about the future could just live a little more ethically - we'd still be doomed.

So many organizations put the focus on changing lightbulbs, recycling and other helpful, sensible things like that. Here at Greenpeace we also want you to change your lightbulbs, that's step 1... Then we want you to help us outlaw energy wasting lightbulbs, shut down coal plants and be part of a total energy revolution.

Over at WorldChanging, Alex explains why:

Why do good people keep advocating lifestyle change? Well, the hope is that small steps will lead to a big change of heart: that a tipping point will occur when the crucial can falls into the critical recycling bin, and people all around the world will awaken to the sustainability imperative, and then that, in some vague-but-direly-hoped-for way, this awakening will change everything and all will be well (and everyone gets a pony!). I think of this theory as betting the farm on the arrival of a Mythological Universal Conversion Event.

Here's the biggest problem with this theory of social change: we've been at it for decades, it hasn't worked and it probably never will. Things are demonstrably worse than they were when we began advocating recycling and such, and they're getting much worse far faster than any lifestyle choices can make them better. In the absence of an unlikely change in the nature of humanity, buying bamboo shirts or sustainable furniture is like spitting at a forest fire.

Read more »

Posted by Andrew at 5:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You've only got one more day to help pick who gets the named as the lowest of the low. Vote here.

Oh but it is sooo hard to choose! Should I say ExxonMobile for, "purporting it is reducing its greenhouse gas emissions while in reality its emissions are increasing"; Shell for "an advert suggesting that their oil refineries emit flowers not smoke"; or the German Atomic Forum for, "abusing the public’s concern about climate change to promote nuclear energy".

Vote today for your least favorite.

Posted by Andrew at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Life is hard for the world's largest land carnivore, and getting harder. Even though they're named Ursus maritimus for their swimming ability, a new study has confirmed that without the ice they're in trouble. From the latest Nature:

A census of polar bears in Canada’s Hudson Bay has lent some hard numbers to the long-held fear that retreating sea ice is causing some bears to starve or drown.

Biologists have predicted that polar bears will struggle to survive as summer comes sooner to the Arctic. Less time spent on icy hunting platforms means the bears are slimming down before winter sets in. And there were anecdotal reports in 2005 of more bears found swimming far out at sea; a few were found floating dead, presumably drowned. But so far no evidence has directly linked the trend of melting sea ice associated with climate change to bear deaths.

Read more »

Posted by Andrew at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Excerpts from the Greenpeace Mediterranean press release:

The activists exposed themselves seconds before the president of Israel, Shimon Peres, started his speech in the Tel-Aviv University. Greenpeace activists opened three big banners reading "Strip the Middle East of Nuclear Technology" and "A New Middle East = Nukes Free Middle East ".

"We asked the organizers of the conference to a have an unbiased and more balanced panel to discuss the real nuclear challenges in the Middle East, instead of having a panel full of ‘security’ specialists, only justifying the Israeli need for nuclear weapons", said Sharon Dolev, Greenpeace Mediterranean Disarmament campaigner in Israel.

Read more »

Posted by Andrew at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Ok, no big surprise that taking the train is massively better for the climate than flying. But the folks at Eurostar took it a step further. The Guardian uses their good example to take some poor performers to task:

Last Wednesday, November 14, was a big day for Eurostar. Not only did it open its St Pancras International terminus, it also made all Eurostar journeys carbon neutral at no extra cost to its passengers. Both Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace - who can spot the merest splash of greenwash - have applauded Eurostar for the eco-friendly changes it has made throughout its business, as well as for how it is communicating them.

Through being transparent and truthful, Eurostar avoided accusations of "greenwash", a practice which receives an arresting definition in a new book, John Grant's The Green Marketing Manifesto. In it the co-founder of St Luke's advertising agency writes: "You can't put a lettuce in the window of a butcher's shop and declare that you are now 'turning vegetarian'."

p.s. Greenpeace UK's post about Eurostar.

Posted by Andrew at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Modern Mechanix (slogan - "Yesterday's tomorrow, today") found this ad in a 1956 copy of Popular Electronics:

Sun-Powered Receiver

An experimental pocket-sized radio receiver, powered by energy from the sun, weighs only 10 ounces and will work more than eight months in total darkness without recharging. Developed by General Electric, the set uses a miniature storage battery, four transistors, and seven solar cells. During the day, light rays hit the solar cells which convert the sun’s energy to electrical current. This current powers the transistors and, at the same time, charges the storage battery which takes over at night. Artificial light, such as an ordinary 100-watt bulb, may be substituted for sunlight.

How cool is that? Hmmm, makes you wonder... What about a solar powered iPod (green, of course)?

(Via Treehugger, where the headline is much more clever.)

Posted by Andrew at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Reading my favourite technology website I find a piece on Gordon Brown's energy policy, his recent speech on climate change and what may be a commitment to a broader target on renewables.

I also know that our UK office has been heavily engaged with the UK government in pushing for meaningful change. While there have been some public signs that this discussion was ongoing it's nice to see that it's starting to generate policy results. Of course the real crunch will come in Bali when we'll be looking to European leaders to set the standard for the rest of the world in environmental responsibility.

Posted by Martin Lloyd at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We've just launched a collaborative video where you can urge your politicians to take urgent climate action at a vital December UN climate meeting in Bali.

So watch, enjoy, record and respond to be part of a Greenpeace video:

Everything you need to know to get started is here.

Read more »

Posted by tomD at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Got some good news. I heard from Toby, our publications guy, that the first print run of our Planet Ocean book has sold out. The book grew out of the Defending Our Oceans expedition, and tells the story of the oceans through amazing photos. Great that it's been a hit.

Better news - there will be a second printing. I've already bought my copy (of course), but if you haven't there is a second chance. To get the book that is. When it comes to saving the oceans, we only get one go.

Posted by Andrew at 11:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

© Greenpeace / Christian Aslund

This is actually from an email Sue sent yesterday from on board the Rainbow Warrior. I think it gives a good wrap up of their palm oil tanker blockade, and she was nice enough to let me post it:

We have now moved away from the wharf after being forced out of the way by tugs while the [palm oil tanker] Westama crept out of its berth.

You would have seen the press release from this morning stating that our blockade of the Westama is now over. The Westama tried to leave last night at midnight but due to our proximity it was deemed unsafe for it to proceed. We were served with an official notice to leave and the shipping agent had kindly ordered a pilot for us - who came on board around 11pm. We kindly declined the pilot's services and sent him off happily with a "Damming Crew" T-shirt, and continued to hold position. The tugs didn't turn up.

Read more »

Posted by Andrew at 5:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Lesley is the ship's medic on board the Rainbow Warrior right now, and she sent me an update about how things are going on the "road to Bali" - that's what we've been calling all this lead up work (actions against coal, nuclear power and deforestation around the world, plus tons of behind the scenes political work).

This all culminates with the United Nations Climate Change Conference - Bali, 3 - 14 December, when governments meet to decide the fate of our world (literally).

But as Lesley explains, the work is never as 'glamorous' as it looks from the outside:

The ‘Road to Bali’ has an exotic sound to it and while the Rainbow Warrior is on this road there are interesting and challenging sidetracks, some of which are less than exotic. India and Singapore are now behind us and this is day 6 at anchor in Dumai Port.

Some of these less exotic highlights of our time in Dumai port include:

An unusual anchoring system, which held the ship on the bow and the stern so that she did not swing around as the tide changed. Changing position and retrieving the anchors meant that some of us got to spend time laying the anchor chain in the chain lockers (several times!) These chain lockers are like small dark sweatboxes with rust dust and danger added. The person inside eventually exits with damp, blackened overalls and fascinating dark streaky features.

Read more »

Posted by Andrew at 4:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Last night in Valencia, the IPCC approved its Fourth Assessment Synthesis report, which sums up the key points from the three major reports published this year on climate change science, its impacts and the mitigation options. It will be the key reference document for policymakers in the coming years. (Should be anyway, unfortunately not all politicians like 'fact based' decision making.)

The IPCC is a pretty careful, conservative body, so there were no big surprises. (Our press release is here.) But the message behind these reports is becoming increasingly blunt. From the New York Times:

Members of the panel said their review of the data led them to conclude as a group and individually that reductions in greenhouse gasses had to start immediately to avert a global climate disaster that could leave island states submerged and abandoned, African crop yields decreased by 50 percent, and cause over a 5 percent decrease in global gross domestic product.

The panel, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last month, said the world would have to reverse the growth of greenhouse gas emissions by 2015 to avert major problems.

"If there’s no action before 2012, that’s too late," said Rajendra Pachauri, a scientist and economist who heads the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. "What we do in the next two to three years will determine our future. This is the defining moment."

He said that since the panel began its work five years ago, scientists have recorded "much stronger trends in climate change,” like a recent melting of polar ice that had not been predicted. "That means you better start with intervention much earlier."

Clear enough for you?

Posted by Andrew at 6:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

That's Mike, current captain of the Rainbow Warrior, seen through the bridge window. As I write, the Warrior is still in position - blocking the palm oil tanker from leaving port. This morning activists added to the pressure by climbing on palm oil holding tanks with banners. [ Photo here. ]

We've never done this kind of action in Indonesia before so this is all pretty intense for people on the ground there. Full story here.

Here's captain Mike's account from yesterday:

Both main engines fed into the one spinning propeller. The old girl was alive with power and her anchor clear of the mud. The tide was swift - 3 knots - a spring tide. Cautiously at first - not wanting to be detected - I edged the Rainbow Warrior out of the anchorage. But once clear of the other ships I put the engines on full astern. A shudder came up through the steel deck beneath my feet. The old girl leaped backwards: two knots, three, five knots. We were abeam of the Westema, a motor tanker loading 30 000 tonnes of Palm Oil Product. We were just fifty meters off.

Read more »

Posted by Andrew at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Greenpeace and the Japanese Fisheries Agency have been locked in conflict over whaling for a long time, and sometimes the game of figuring out your opponent's moves can look an awful lot like the old Mad Magazine comic, Spy vs. Spy.

We know from server logs that the whalers read every word here at Making Waves and at our main website. (Which means I'm taking a bit of mischevious joy in the thought that somewhere in Japan right now, some researcher is trying to get a hold of a Mad Magazine to figure out what Spy vs. Spy is...)

But the whalers know, too, that we have a few sources who tell us inside stories from time to time.

Here's an interesting one: a rumour from a well-placed source that the Japanese Fisheries Agency has decided to quietly abandon plans to hunt 50 threatened humpbacks as part of their psuedo-research whaling efforts this year.

Now at this stage all we have is an unconfirmed rumour. And we don't know whether this was a decision taken over fears that selling the whalemeat from the "scientific" hunt might be a violation of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species, or if there were concerns about public outrage over the killing of the sea's most charismatic of whales, or -- who knows -- they've been convinced by the case we're making for non-lethal research via the Great Whale Trail.

But since Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda is meeting with George Bush today, maybe we could ask George to drop into that friendly, charming drawl and ask "Fukuda-san, is it true what I hear about you not harpooning them humpies?"

Posted by brianfit at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

About a year ago, BBC environmental correspondent, Richard Black, asked climate change skeptics to send him evidence that scientific institutions are biased against them, and promised to look into any concrete claims. As he says, "Given the fury evidenced by sceptical commentators, I was expecting a deluge."

What he got was, well, not much. From his story today:

No-one said they had been refused a place on the IPCC, the central global body in climate change, or denied a job or turned down for promotion or sacked or refused access to a conference platform, or indeed anything else.

If there is an anti-sceptic bias running through the institutions of science, it is evidently keeping itself well hidden.

Read more »

Posted by Andrew at 7:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We had another surprise for the World Energy Congress today - four remote controlled banners that unrolled from the ceiling of the conference hall with the slogan "ENEL: Do Not Export Nuclear Risk". [ Large photo. ]

ENEL is an Italian company currently completing two old Soviet-designed reactors at Mochovce, Slovakia. Their designs date from the 1970s and miss crucial safety components incorporated elsewhere following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986. The most glaring inadequacy is the plant's lack of “containment” - the solid structure above the reactor intended to prevent radioactivity escaping to the environment and to protect the reactor from external accidents such as an aeroplane crash.

Here's a report from the scene by Jan, one of our energy campaigners:

"Be the change you want to see in the world" - that is the quote that appeared on huge screen during opening of the last day at the World Energy Congress. Well then, we will try to follow this wise advice.

During the speech of Fulvio Conti, director of ENEL utility, a banner suddenly dropped out from the ceiling, saying "ENEL: do not export nuclear risk". Police immediately surrounded my colleague Francesco and I, asking us to leave the hall.

We decided not to, because we had paid for registration and had not do anything bad or illegal. When the first wave of alarm cooled down, an ordinary rank and file policeman tried to explain me in Italian that he is happy that we raised our message, repeating " grazie, grazie!".

Read more »

Posted by Andrew at 5:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Slovenia may not be high on many people's radars, but from the beginning of 2008 Slovenia will be President of the European Union. Our Slovenian office and EU specialists will be keeping an eye on them at http://www.greenpeace.org/slovenia/

Posted by Martin Lloyd at 1:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A while ago Al Gore asked why more young people weren't out protesting about coal power stations in an effort to save the climate.

Australia
Greenpeace has shut down the Munmorah coal power station, about 110 km north of Sydney. Fifteen arrested.

Spain
Greenpeace blocks the unloading of coal in the harbour of Tarragona. Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise detained.

More later...

Posted by Martin Lloyd at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

[If you missed this story, info and slideshow are here.]

Well here's something you don't see every day. Apparently, the Icelandic Minister for the Environment, Mr. Oessur Skarphedinsson, is an ardent blogger, which is cool enough right there. Skarphedinsson was at the opening ceremony of the World Energy Congress in Rome when Greenpeace activists unexpectedly 'dropped in', and he's blogged about it!

Here's a (very rough) translation of the ministers update:

Greenpeace stal senunni! [Greenpeace stole the scene!]

Prodi, the Italian PM, lost the spotlight totally yesterday while he addressed four thousand people at the World Energy Council in the eternal city of Rome. The Council is held in the gigantic hall, reminiscent of many interconnected, hangars for airplanes

In the midst of Prodi’s speech, two men, dressed as mountain climbers, with helmets, appeared from the rooftop. Both had heavy rug sacks as if they were climbing down the glacier after having camped on the roof for several days in order to avoid police and security guards.

While this went on I sat in the front row together with a few Italian Ministers and other Ministers of other nations, and listened to Prodi as I detected the shadows of the two fellows above my head.

Read more »

Posted by Andrew at 7:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Just posted a story about the Kerch oil spill. Was checking around for news coverage and noticed a few good stories about our oil addiction. From the BBC:

Oil is the poison in the diplomatic mix. The need to buy it means that energy-hungry giants like China will find another reason not to side with the US at the UN Security Council.

Vladimir Putin and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran, 16 Oct 2007 Russia and Iran have more sway because of their big oil reserves The need to sell it means that countries like Venezuela and Russia can replace the stagger of poverty with the swagger of wealth without reforming their economies.

We are addicted to oil and so are they. The addict and the pusher are equally doomed.

(Oh yeah, and we're still at war in Iraq - partly thanks to our oil addiction.)

Read more »

Posted by Andrew at 4:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The four biggest emitters of CO2 in the world are the USA, China, Indonesia and Brazil. We all know about the top one, the second place isn't too surprising but Indonesia and Brazil?

Well with CO2 released from deforestation making up almost a fifth (17%) of the worlds' carbon emissions nations which cut down a lot of trees end up releasing a lot of carbon. If we could stop deforestation in Indonesia and Brazil which between them account for almost half of the deforestation then around 10% of global emissions would be saved. That's a big chunk of what's needed to hold off dangerous climate change.

Learn more about how we're putting pressure on Indonesia and the global food companies fuelling the deforestation in our report 'cooking the climate'

Posted by Martin Lloyd at 2:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It was a small action that happened in London this morning, but in the interests of the entente cordial I thought it was worth a mention, not least because the title for the press release chosen by our media officer made me laugh: 'Greenpeace says 'yes' to something shocker'.

The shiny new rail terminal at St Pancras station opened today to much fanfare, including balloons and biodegradable confetti from the climbers hanging a banner from the ramparts. Not only is it the new home of Eurostar, it sees the start of high-speed services between our parochial little island and the rest of the world. Well, Paris and Brussels but it's a start.

There is, however, a caveat. While everyone is basking in the glory of this technological and architectural achievement, we need to remember that our government is still hell-bent on building a new runway at Heathrow airport, making a nonsense of any attempts to reduce climate change emissions.

Opinion polls regularly put figures of over 60 per cent on the number of UK people opposed to further airport expansion (a recent one pushed it as high as 70 per cent), so to visualise that opposition, we've launched the Stop Heathrow Expansion video wall. If you're incandescent with rage about the unfettered growth of aviation, feel free to add your own short video.

Posted by Jamie at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

What do you say to people who, despite mountains of scientific evidence, keep denying that climate change is a problem? My favorite so far...

Climate Change Denier: I don't think climate change is a big deal because blah blah blah blah blah.

Me: Have you won a Nobel Prize?

CCD: Ummm, no.

Me: Then shut up.

Ha ha ha ha! No that's not on the BBC's list, but it cracks me up.

Read more »

Posted by Andrew at 6:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

For the full story read, "World Energy Congress and nuclear madness", or jump straight to the briefing.

Posted by Andrew at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From the Economist I learn that oil production by the so called oil majors has fallen by 9% last year

http://www.economist.com/business/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10104852

That's not to say overall oil production has fallen, or indeed that the world is running out. Despite the name the majors don't account for the majority of world oil; that comes from the National Oil Companies of places like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Venezuela, Nigeria and so on. Still, with a shortage of 12.5 million barrels per day predicted for 2015 it seems we should expect the current high oil prices to continue...

Posted by Martin Lloyd at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Someone just sent me a highly amusing/depressing post about how the Bush administration is spending US taxpayer's money. I can't really sum it up here. You'll have to read the original on Daily Kos.

Be sure to read all the way to the bottom for the punchline. (Thanks Page!)

Posted by Andrew at 6:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) started their final 2007 meeting today in Valencia, Spain. We greeted them with three banners bearing the message “Warning: save the climate now.”

Read more »

Posted by Jo at 4:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Can an oil company really get away with saying something as ridiculous as, "Heating with oil: for more climate protection"? No you can't. Not today anyway. Today we won a ruling against the Swiss Oil Association.

We pointed out the (fairly obvious) fact that oil is a fossil fuel. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, contributing to global warming. The Swiss advertising industry’s board for integrity agreed with us and asked the company to stop using the slogan and other similar claims. [Full copy of the decision is here (MS Word doc).]

Read more »

Posted by Andrew at 2:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last weekend there were two oil spills. One took place in the Black Sea, where a Russian tanker split in two, releasing 2000 tonnes of oil. The other took place in the San Francisco Bay, where 58 000 gallons of oil were spilled after a cargo ship collided with a bridge.

Neither of these accidents should have happened. It has been reported that the oil tanker was a soviet era vessel designed for use on rivers which found itself facing eight meter high waves in the Black Sea. In San Franciso the LA times report that

"There were skilled enough individuals on board this ship," said Rear Adm. Craig Bone, the Coast Guard's top official in California. "They didn't carry out their missions correctly."

and there's the thing. In the first case safety rules either didn't exist or were ignored, in the second case it seems that something just went wrong.

This kind of thing happens all the time. In developed western nations we're used to most things working almost all the time, but no-one is really too surprised by events like this. In the developing world it's the other way round. For some reason though the notion that accidents will, and do happen often evades policy makers. They don't consider it when thinking about how to manage nuclear power stations, they don't consider it when looking at whether Genetically Modified Organisms can be released into the wild and they don't consider it when deciding whether or not it's a good idea to transport massive quantities of oil through pristine wilderness.

The moral of the story? If you do enough risky things sooner or later you'll get caught out. However good your processes and practices are.

Posted by Martin Lloyd at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An excellent piece about what getting oil from tar sands really means. Some highlights

"The extraction of the oil requires heat, and thus the burning of vast amounts of natural gas - effectively one barrel of gas to extract two of crude"

"The oil sands excavations are changing the surface of the planet. The black mines can now be seen from space."

"Two barrels of water are required to extract one barrel of oil; every day as much water is taken from the Athabasca river as would serve a city of a million people."

Now, that sounds like a solution. Right?

The full story is at http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/oct/30/energy.oilandpetrol

The real answer is the Energy Revolution.

Posted by Martin Lloyd at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

[ Copyright: Greenpeace/Michelangelo Gisone ]

I work at Greenpeace and even so sometimes I've got to ask, "How did they do that?"

This is the stage of the World Energy Conference (held by the World Energy Congress), in Rome. [Click for larger photo.] We got word that the World Energy Congress has a plan that lets global warming emissions keep increasing until 2030 AND proposes an expansion of nuclear power.

Looking at the sponsor list for the Conference, that's not a big surprise. One of the main sponsors is Enel - Italy's biggest power company. They aren't building any nuclear reactors in their own country of course. Italy had a referendum and the people voted against nuclear power. But they are working on finishing a plant in Slovakia - one that was designed in the (pre-Chernobyl) 1970's.

In fact, the sponsor and speaker lists are packed with companies still stuck in back in the nuclear age. No wonder they're pushing nuclear, and no wonder it takes so long for greenhouse gas emissions to peak under their plan.

How's this for an idea instead: Take all that money they want to spend on dangerous, polluting nuclear plants and put it into energy efficiency and renewable energy instead. Make a real energy revolution!

And one more thing. I love the photo posted with the web feature about this. The guys on stage are still clapping, and just look at all those camera phones! Makes me grin.

UPDATE: There's a video on YouTube. Love the part where every one applauds.

Posted by Andrew at 9:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now anyone who follows technology news knows the Apple rumour phenomenon well. Sometimes they are true, occasionally they have some basis in fact but more often they are completely made up. This week there was a "Greenpeace to protest at iPhone launch" rumour that despite being repeated widely belongs firmly in the 'completely made up' category.

Watching it develop this week was a bit like an amusing version of Chinese whispers online. Last Sunday Zeina gave an interview to the UK newspaper The Sunday Times with this quote about the UK launch:

"The iPhone is a unique product and for us it is a missed opportunity for Apple to combine the innovation of the product with a green performance."

The EETimes then took the same story and headlined it "Greenpeace tries to gatecrash Apple's Euro iPhone party" (nice and attention grabbing headline but in the article nothing about gatecrashing). Next up was MacNN who made it into "Greenpeace to show up at Euro iPhone debut" stating "Greenpeace is planning a rally during Apple's launch of the iPhone in Europe to protest the use of alleged toxic chemicals in the device.." Even Macworld UK reported it.

Read more »

Posted by tomD at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today's mailbag contains a couple of encouraging reports from the field:

Last Wednesday we had pretty good wind conditions in Germany. Due to the fact that just 12 out of 17 german nuclear reactors were running (the rest are either broken, under maintenance or have other problems) - electricity production on the 7th November was 340 million kWh from nuclear.

On the same day, german wind turbines produced 275 million kWh.

Germany nearly had as much of its electricity from wind as from nuclear -- and it's only a matter of time before wind exceeds nukes -- the question of course is how much time. "Faster, speed racer, faster!" being our motto, given that the world has only 100 months to get CO2 emissions moving toward decline.

And the good news for wind power this weekend (as well as for kite fliers, kite surfers, and extreme sailors): the forecast calls for force 9 winds.

In the same vein, Greenpeace pal Rémi reports seeing a sea of solar panels in Turkey.

Good news on the climate front is hard to come by: we need more nuggets of hope like these!

Posted by brianfit at 9:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

[ A forest is seen through smoke, days after being burnt down along the Kapuas
River in Indonesia. (Photographer: Natalie Behring.) ]

According to recent estimates Indonesia is the third largest greenhouse gas emitter after China and the United States, mainly due to the destruction of peatland forests. A lot of this clearing is being done to make way for palm oil plantations. Palm oil's one of those things that goes in to lots of snack products (KitKat, Pringels, that sort of thing).

The report we released today is getting quite a lot of attention all over the world - from Al Jazeera to the Washington Post, from the BBC to the Philippines Inquirer. Even food publications are picking it up. No doubt our team taking peaceful action in the forest against this destruction will be glad to hear the word is getting out.

There's also a feature story upon our site. But here are some quick factoids from our report...

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Posted by Andrew at 8:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The more I look at Chevron's Energyville game the more I think it's a fantastic example of oil industry greenwashing. Here are some of the things that really stand out for me.

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Posted by Martin Lloyd at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I've just settled down to play Chevron's new climate simulation game 'EnergyVille'. It's a bit like Sim City, you get given a city of 3.9 million virtual people, and you have to power it. Join me, as I discover just how far an oil company simulation can go toward a green future...

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Posted by Martin Lloyd at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Greenpeace doesn't take any government or corporate money. Period. It's something we don't always explain clearly enough, and some of our supporters quite reasonably ask us why we don't just take the money - after all, once it's in our hands it's going to a good cause.

Well, here's one reason why. One of the things you can do on our website, right now, is challenge the IT industry to develop a green computer. We have to challenge them, because right now a green computer just doesn't exist.

One of the other things you can do on our website is download a ranking guide which shows Sony Ericsson to be one of the greener manufacturers of hi tech electronics. Now, suppose we took money from Sony Ericsson. All the other companies on the list would cry foul and say we were only being nice to Sony Ericsson because of the money - and a lot of people would believe them.

Or suppose we took money from one of the lower scoring manufacturers, like Panasonic. Suddenly we'd find ourselves in a very difficult position, having to trade off spending the money on (say) saving the Amazon versus campaigning against Panasonic.

So by restricting ourselves to donations from individuals we make sure the only questions we have to ask ourselves when spending money are 'would our supporters approve of this?' and 'will this make a difference to the environment?' It keeps things simple and it lets our supporters have confidence in us.

So, if you feel like joining the 3 million or so individuals around the world who support our work just click here. You'll be in good company.

Posted by Martin Lloyd at 5:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

From the Oxfam website:

Biofuels may offer the potential to reduce poverty by increasing jobs and markets for small farmers, and by providing cheap renewable energy for local use, but the huge plantations emerging to supply the EU pose more threats than opportunities for poor people. The problem will only get worse as the scramble to supply intensifies unless the EU introduces safeguards to protect land rights, livelihoods, workers rights and food security. ... The UN estimates that 60 million people worldwide face clearance from their land to make way for biofuel plantations. Many end up in slums in search of work, others on the very plantations that have displaced them with poor pay, squalid conditions and no worker rights. Women workers are routinely discriminated against and often paid less then men.

In Indonesia almost a third of palm oil is produced by smallholders most of whom lost their land to advancing plantations and were ‘rewarded’ with a two hectare plot. These smallholders are bonded to the palm oil companies which provide them with credit and are required to sell to them – which means they do not get the best price for their oil.

We've got a team on the ground in Indonesia documenting the situation first hand, and joining locals in direct action. Read more in the Indonesian Forest Defenders Camp blog.

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Posted by Andrew at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Tech journal the Register reports that California has commissioned a 300 MW solar plant.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/03/california_300_megawatt_soloar_facility/

Solar power is one of the most obvious solutions to growing power demands in many of the developing countries who will need more power in the coming years to support their development. It's easy to deploy in a decentralised form and has a very small environmental footprint.

It's also of course a great source of energy for places like California and recent research by scientists from the German Space Agency into the feasibility of DC (Direct Current) lines for power distribution even suggested that CSP plants could be rolled out in a Euro-African network bringing power from the African Sun to homes in Northern Europe.

Posted by Martin Lloyd at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Speaking at the Guardian's summit on Climate Change Ken Livingstone describes what some of the world's biggest cities are doing to combat climate change. It's heartening to see how the leaders of individual cities are going out to drive these solutions forward around the world.

Watch the 8 minute video

He also has an excellent take on the benefits of decentralised power and the need for (no) new power stations. Ken Livingstone, welcome to the Energy Revolution.

Posted by Martin Lloyd at 2:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

From the BBC today:

Most people say they are ready to make personal sacrifices to address climate change, according to a BBC poll of 22,000 people in 21 countries.

Four out of five people say they are prepared to change their lifestyle, even in the US and China, the world's two biggest emitters of carbon dioxide.

Three quarters would back energy taxes if the cash was used to find new sources of energy, or boost efficiency.

Pretty strong results, and completely at odds with what we're hearing from Bush, etc.