The Green and Peace Award was established to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Greenpeace Japan and provides a forum for supporters to voice their thoughts on human rights, peace and the environment. Applicants represented all age groups, from school age to a 96 year old.

Norikazu Okabe's won first place with his piece about the art of caring for urban trees and new forests. Below is the English translation of his article.

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Posted by Melissa Wilson at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This is part of a trial series. Update: You can now listen to today's news. Please leave feedback in the comments section below.

The coverage of the detained red-carpet activists continues in Denmark and Switzerland. Danish papers report that Greenpeace campaigner Dima Litvinov, who organised the action, has assumed responsibility. News agency Ritzau quotes Litinov, who said that while the Copenhagen summit was a failure, the action may have influenced some world leaders to do better next time. Swiss news agency SDA reports that the country's foreign minister Micheline Calmy-Rey continues to press her Danish counterpart to release the activists.

There has been some continued coverage of Greenpeace Brazil's Sergio Leitao accusing the country's President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, of having double standards in signing a law requiring Brazil to cut its emissions 39 percent by 2020. Leitao states that Lula vetoed three provisions in the law, including a reference to promoting the development of clean energy and the gradual phasing out of energy from fossil fuels.

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Posted by Sasha at 9:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This is part of a trial series

AFP reports that Greenpeace Spain delivered 50,000 signatures to the Danish embassy demanding the release of Juan Lopez de Uralde and the other red-carpet activists. This was reported in Europe and Latin America. Danish news agency Ritzau reports that police released "even the architect of the action", Greenpeace Nordic's Dimi Litvinov.

Also reported by AFP, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has announced a "voluntary commitment" and signed a law requiring that his country cut greenhouse gas emissions by 39 per cent by 2020 in order to meet the commitment made at the Copenhagen summit. Despite its ambitious targets, Greenpeace's top representative in Brazil, Sergio Leitao, called it merely a list of good intentions and accused Lula of using double standards in environmental issues. "Brazil usually makes good speeches on the international stage, as in Copenhagen, but in practice it doesn't keep its word," he told reporters. Before signing the new law, in fact, Lula vetoed three of its provisions, including a reference to "promoting the development of clean energy sources and the gradual phasing out of energy from fossil fuels". The story travelled throughout Europe, Australia and Latin America.

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Posted by Sasha at 9:20 AM | Permalink

This is part of a trial series

Greenpeace- and Copenhagen-related news have slowed dramatically. The only major Greenpeace story is the continued coverage of the arrest of the red carpet activists. Spanish paper El Mundo reports that a huge card signed by thousands will be delivered today to the Danish Embassy to ask for the release of Juan Lopez de Uralde, and a reporter at El País published an opinion piece stating that it is world leaders who should have been held in Copenhagen rather than Greenpeace activists. Danish media reports that the Spanish government, as well as several Greenpeace offices are lobbying for the activists' release. One article quotes Greenpeace campaigner Jan Søndergård, who states that it is difficult not to perceive this case as punishment without trial. Another quotes a Greenpeace statement that the punishment is disproportionate. All are fairly balanced in tone.

In non-Greenpeace news:

Reuters reports that Brazil will make its 2020 greenhouse gas emissions targets legally binding even though global climate talks failed this month. "We will fully comply with the targets. It doesn't matter that Copenhagen didn't go as well as we had hoped," Environment Minister Carlos Minc told reporters after meeting with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

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Posted by Sasha at 9:39 AM | Permalink

The title says it all. Watch this great web video from Greenpeace France, and leave a comment below of your activism memories from 2009.

Posted by Eoin at 6:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This is part of a trial series

The arrest of the Greenpeace activists who unfurled banners reading "Politicians talk, Leaders act" on the red carpet at the Danish queen's palace on December 17 is still being covered in Switzerland and Spain. Rudolf Rechsteiner, a memeber of the Swiss National Council, has called on the country's Foreign Minister to take action to get the activists, who are still being detained in Copenhagen, released from jail. Coverage in both countries is supportive of the action.

Copenhagen coverage has slowed dramatically but continues to flow in, mostly negative in tone. In British news, John Prescott, the former deputy Prime Minister, has defended China's role in the summit, saying the blame for its flawed outcome must lie with the US. Greenpeace UK campaigner Joss Garman wrote about the level of China's culpability in The Guardian, stating that while it "is right to apportion some blame to China for the failure of Copenhagen . . . the fact is developing countries came to the negotiating table collectively offering deeper carbon cuts than the richest countries." China, meanwhile, has been defending the role of its Premier at the summit. Xinhua reports that "China showed the greatest sincerity, tried its best and played a constructive role." Hong Kong paper The Standard quotes Greenpeace China campaigner Gloria Chang Wan-ki, who blamed Washington because its goal of cutting carbon emissions was just 4 percent - a small figure compared with China's reduction of 40 to 45 percent of carbon intensity by 2020. "Some developed countries do not realize they are responsible for the previous emissions of greenhouse gas and try to shift responsibility to the developing countries," Chang said. Scientist James Hansen, who just released a book entitled Storms of My Grandchildren wrote a piece in The Guardian stating that Copenhagen provided a great opportunity. "The old deceitful, ineffectual approach is severely wounded and must die," he writes. "Now there is a chance for the world to get on to an honest, effective path to an agreement."

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Posted by Sasha at 10:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This is part of a trial series

Like yesterday, lingering COP15 news reports on the failure of the Climate summit and the updates on the arrested activists.

In the Washington Times, Gabe Wisniewski was quoted, "Two years have passed since world leaders promised all of us a deal to stop climate change. After two weeks of U.N. negotiations, politicians breezed in, had dinner with the Queen, a three-hour lunch, took some photos, and then delivered what could only be described as the 24-hour Head of State tourist brochure of Copenhagen instead of a climate treaty."

Grist however seems optimistic about The Copenhagen Accord and calls it a big step forward. "The Copenhagen climate deal that President Obama hammered out Friday night with the leaders of China, India, Brazil and South Africa broke through years of negotiating gridlock to achieve three critical goals," it said.

The German Tageszeitung reports that 12 activists have been released from a Copenhagen prison but our 4 Greenpeace activists remain in "solitary confinement." Norwegian and Spanish media continue to report strongly on this topic in favor of the GP activists.
AP reports that in the case of Norwegian activist Nora Christensen, Danish investigators who usually take on cases of murder, robbery and other serious violent crimes have been put on the case of Nora.

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Posted by Anne-Marije at 2:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

This the first in a trial series

Unsurprisingly, the biggest story in environment and Greenpeace news this week has been the disappointing outcome of the COP15 summit as major NGOs are turning focus on Mexico in 2010. Only US media seems careful to judge the summit as harshly as the European Press.

There are some interesting new names for the Copenhagen summit floating around in the media. Which was first Hopenhagen is now Flopenhagen or Brokenhagen in French media.

L'Express reports that the last two weeks have seen "45000 accreditations, 12 days of negotiations and 46,200 tonnes of carbon only to lead to "a crime against humanity" the major NGOs have turned to Mexico in 2010, are angry after the flop of Copenhagen." Kumi Naidoo was quoted saying, The Copenhagen Accord has "holes so big you could cross them with the Air Force One!"

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Posted by Anne-Marije at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Ben Jasper is international projects co-ordinator at Greenpeace Czech Republic. Pictured above - occupying the top of the smokestack at Prenerov II coal fired power plant. Below he shares some encouraging news on how a small Pacific Island State is taking a stand against this plant.

This week, reporters in Prague have been buzzing with excitement at the news that there was an official request from the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), a small Pacific Island State, to participate in the Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment (TEIA) proceedings on plans to increase operations at the dirtiest and highest CO2 emitting coal-fired power station in the Czech Republic, Prunerov II. This is the first time a state - particularly vulnerable to impacts of rising sea levels, water supply insecurity and extreme weather events - has used legal provisions to demand information on CO2 emissions from an industrial project - in a foreign country. They are demanding to know how this project in a developed country will effect small island states such as FSM due to global climate change. This offers an exciting new opportunity for current and future victims of climate change to stand up for themselves against dirty energy companies. It is perfectly reminiscent of the classic David vs. Goliath battles for justice and survival.

Prunerov II is a coal-fired power station of monstrous proportions: it emits 10% more CO2 than the iconic Kingsnorth power station in the UK and over 40 times as much annually as the whole of FSM combined! Greenpeace Czech Republic has waged a long campaign with a coalition of Czech NGOs to decrease the damage that this plant does to the climate and the local area. Our activists twice occupied the 300 metre high chimney and most recently hung a huge banner on it saying “STOP CO2” which stayed up there for several days. There have also been numerous other happenings and direct communications with ministers to demonstrate the widespread mistrust and dissatisfaction in the way the giant energy company CEZ runs the power plant.

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Posted by Lisa at 3:06 PM | Permalink

Posted by Brian at 12:01 PM | Permalink

Nokia's CEO Olli Kallasvuo: time to take action on climate change?
Photo by dottavi on Flickr.

Eureka! In what appears to be a slowly evolving trend (on a petri dish), yet another ICT CEO has come out with a statement on the climate crisis!

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Posted by Melissa Wilson at 5:28 PM | Permalink

Dell CEO Michael Dell has a climate concern moment.
Photo by Joi on Flickr.

As the time and opportunity for bold pre-Copenhagen gestures finally wound down last week with the summit opening Monday, Dell came out of the smog with a last minute show of dedication. Good for Dell; but can IBM and Microsoft tow the advocacy line?

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Posted by Melissa Wilson at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Contamination of normal plants by GE (genetically engineered) plants is something we’ve been shouting about for years at Greenpeace. In 2006 we released a report that showed that the “accidental” release of GE rice by Bayer into the US rice supply led to global costs of between US$ 741 million and US$ 1.285 billion.

Some of those costs are now coming home to roost. A jury in the US ruled on Friday that Bayer is to pay two Missouri farmers over US $ 2 million. Not a huge amount for a multinational company, but this ruling relates to two cases amongst thousands currently pending. If the average remains US $ 1 million per farmer, Bayer could end up dishing out a nine digit figure! Although we are all rather happy here at Greenpeace that liability is landing where it belongs, it is crazy what it takes before those responsible are brought to justice: Does our food supply have to be contaminated and millions of dollars of damage done before legislators wake up to the need to stop this stuff? Genetically Engineered strains should simply not be released into the environment: the scientific understanding of their impacts on ecosystems and human health is inadequate, and once out there, we can't put them back in the lab. Bayer actually admitted during the trial that “[e]ven the best [containment protocols] can’t guarantee perfection” – they were always aware that contamination was possible, and even unavoidable.

This GE rice variety has never been commercially planted, and despite this, an estimated 30% of US rice stocks were contaminated. All we know is that Bayer conducted experimental field trials that were stopped in 2001, and there has been no explanation of how it occurred to this day. The next court cases begin in January with farmers from Arkansas and Mississippi – it looks like Bayer is in for a bumpy ride.

It’s time GE was assigned to the technology scrapheap and the way paved by governments and investors in agriculture for modern ecological farming.

Posted by Brian at 6:02 PM | Permalink

Photo by uCrave.com.

Microsoft replied to our twitter petition today - more than 230 twitterers with more than 110,000 followers, retweeted our message. Our near crazed fantasies about Steve Ballmer morphing into a climate change hero have been met with a some response. Microsoft has just announced on their blog that it will be going to the Copenhagen climate summit. Wunderbar!

But wait, what for again? Well, before you all reach for your greenwash panic alarms - lets look at the details.

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Posted by Melissa Wilson at 5:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Congratulatations to René Ngongo, who receives the Right Livelihood Award (otherwise known as the "Alternative Nobel Prize") in Stockholm this evening. While we all hope we'd be ready to put our personal freedoms on the line for something we really believe in - like averting dramatic climate change - René was put to that test and passed.

During the civil wars that ravaged the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), René turned down several opportunities to leave the country. "Millions of people in the DRC count on the forests for their livelihood", René has said of his decision to remain. "I knew that if we didn't manage to protect the forests there could never be real peace because people would be left without homes, food and jobs."

René has worked tirelessly with grass roots organisations to save the forests from industrial loggers by helping communities to understand their rights. He has also created programs to give locals tools to fight "slash and burn" agriculture and develop income alternatives for local farmers.

René s skill at political negotiations, his expertise in forest conservation and his ability to work with people from all walks of life, have made him not only one of the foremost environmental leaders in DRC and Africa, but in the world, as evidenced by this prestigious award.

René likes to say that this award is for all of those in Congolese Civil Society who have continued to work for change under difficult conditions. Just days before the beginning of the UN Copenhagen Climate Summit, René's Right Livelihood Award signals the critical importance of saving the world’s forests, not only for the people who depend on them, but also for their role in averting catastrophic climate change.

Thank you René for making us all proud to be part of Greenpeace.

Posted by Kumi at 1:33 PM | Permalink

Why is Microsoft - one the world's biggest corporations - having such a struggle pulling up its pants on climate change policy?

UPDATE 1: Microsoft responds, goes to Copenhagen.

UPDATE 2: Dell's op-ed in Forbes (Sponsored by Microsoft?) sets the bar for IT leader advocacy on Copenhagen

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Posted by Melissa Wilson at 12:25 PM | Permalink