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May 3, 2010May 3: Gulf of Mexico - The Deepwater Disaster update; largest protest in Auckland for decades
BP seems to have forgotten about their green energy plans, instead the company is continuing to invest billions in the fossil fuel industry, the development of the Canadian tar sands being one of those investments.
On Friday The Guardian published an article by John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, on the Deepwater Disaster and spelling out how BP has managed to pursue with their dirty work by pouring millions into Washington, mainly through third-party lobby groups such as the American Petroleum Institute.
Mark Floegel of Greenpeace Louisiana was interviewed by Le Parisien appreciating that about 400 living species, as well as migrating birds will be affected by the oil spill. François Chartier, Greenpeace France oceans campaigner, fears that companies search for oil even takes them as far as wanting to drill in the Arctic Ocean.
Gulf oil spill worsens
Rivers of oil spreading over the ocean after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Platform Explosion
Five times more oil a day than previously believed is spreading into the Gulf of Mexico from a blown-out well of a sunken drilling rig, according to AP. A drilling rig leased by the oil company BP exploded and sank off the Louisiana coast last week in roughly 5,000ft of water after burning for two days. Now a new leak has been discovered in the pipes a mile below the ocean's surface. According to the article, BP is disputing these new alarming figures. "The US Coast Guard and National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) experts now estimate that 5,000 barrels a day of oil are spilling into the gulf - rather than the 1,000 previously estimated.". The news was discovered after test control 'burns" were undertaken to "burn off" the oil. No more fires were lit overnight, and President Obama has said the US Department of Defense will be available to help manage the spill.
The Waikato Times (New Zealand) reports that the 'burning tactic' came after "crews operating submersible robots failed to activate a shut-off device that would halt the flow of oil on the sea bottom 1.5km below." According to BP today a relief well will be drilled to relieve pressure from the blowout site, but this would take months to prove effective. A dome-like device is also been considered to cover oil rising to the surface by pumping it to container vessels, but again BP confirmed that this would take time.
Reuters have quoted GP in a 'factbox" about the potential environmental impacts of the spill, which includes a big threat for the Atlantic population of bluefin tuna, as their eggs float near the surface around this time of year. "We expect a spill like this could dramatically decrease the amount of bluefin tuna larvae that are surviving," said John Hocevar, the Oceans Campaign director for Greenpeace USA. Other animals which are in danger include species of bird and sea turtles.
Read more about the oil spill in our campaign blog from Greenpeace USA which includes a slideshow of the explosion.
President Obama has recently called for more offshore drilling as part of the US energy future but this growing disaster could have repercussions in the energy debate in the US.
Photo Credit: © Sean Gardner / Greenpeace
April 28: Greenpeace actions in Sweden, Turkey against dirty energy; BP blocked safety rules before oil spill in Mexican Gulf
Thirty Greenpeace activists in Stockholm have shut down the office of state-owned energy company Vattenfall, calling for 100 percent renewable energy © Greenpeace / Johanna Hanno
In Stockholm Greenpeace activists have occupied the offices of state-owned energy company Vattenfall, blocking employees from entering, ahead of the annual general meeting (AGM). Drums painted with radioactive symbols block the doors, and there is a banner on the roof, calling for 100 percent renewable energy and condemning investments in coal and nuclear. The company's press officer said "[w]e agree with Greenpeace's concerns about climate change. We are today one of the players in Europe that invest the most in renewable energy. And we are pressing on, but it will take time." However, Louis Tillman of Greenpeace Sweden replied "[a]s Europe's fifth-largest electricity company, Vattenfall would be Sweden's most powerful tool in the fight against climate change. Maud Olofsson [the Minister for Trade] has had over three years to begin the necessary transformation. But instead of investing in energy technology, we risk now new nuclear reactors in Sweden and many more coal plants abroad." Thirty activists from Germany, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Poland and Sweden are involved in the action, and so far they have not been removed.
April 27: Coal Not Sexy: EU, Australia, New Zealand put short-term profit before climate change again
Greenpeace activists who shut down Hay Point coal terminal in Australia last year have been fined, national news reported. Photo: © Greenpeace / Hamilton
Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has announced his government will postpone its carbon pollution reduction scheme (known as the CPRS) until the end of 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol is due to expire. Rudd backed away from his biggest election promise, citing parliamentary opposition to the emissions trading scheme (ETS) and "slow global progress" on tackling climate change. The decision, he said, would “provide the Australian government [in 2012] with a better position to assess the level of global action on climate change" - although it is not clear how the level of action taken by other governments will in any way improve Australia's "position" with regard to climate change, which Rudd referred to earlier as the “great moral and economic challenge of our time.”
Australia is one of the highest per capita carbon emitters in the world, and has some of the highest per capita carbon emissions of developed nations. As the world's leading coal exporter, Australia also gets 85 percent of its electricity generation from coal, accounting for 42 percent of the country's CO2 emissions (not including that which is exported).
April 26: BASIC leadership need to step forward; Koch Industries is greenwashing; 24 years since Chernobyl
24/04/2010 Greenpeace protest outside BASIC meeting in Cape Town
The BASIC countries (Brazil, South Africa, India and China) met in South Africa on Sunday to discuss how to speed up a process of finalising a global agreement that would require rich nations to cut carbon emissions and reduce global warming by 2010. Greenpeace Africa political advisor Themba Linden said in a statement: "Greenpeace urges the governments gathered in Cape Town to take the opportunity to make a clear and unanimous call for a fair, ambitious and legally binding deal to avert catastrophic climate change." The story appeared in France 24, after being picked up by the news wire AFP.
Greenpeace volunteers were present displaying banners reading “climate change needs BASIC
leadership” on a boat directly opposite the 12 Apostles Hotel in Camps Bay where the conference took place.
Greenpeace is highlighting the urgent need for the BASIC group of countries, four of the most influential emerging economies in the world, to take climate leadership in the run up to the next UN Climate Summit in Cancun, Mexico, at the end of the year.
April 23: No diplomatic solutions yet in the International Whaling Commission
The IWC disappoints
23/04/2010 Greenpeace activists set up a whale graveyard in front of the Executive Wing of the New Zealand Parliament Buildings, known as the Beehive. The protest is a reaction to further details released today from the IWC proposal which could legitimise commercial whaling and allow hunting to continue in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
Today, on the front lawn of New Zealand's Parliament, about 100 Greenpeace anti-whaling protesters held black whale-tail placards with "RIP?" written across them in white letters. Greenpeace New Zealand executive director Bunny McDiarmid condemned the International Whaling Commission (IWC) plan.
New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said that the IWC proposal, which would allow hunting to continue in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, falls seriously short of providing a strong basis for a diplomatic solution. Many whale species are in danger of extinction as a result from commercial whaling.
In northern Europe, TT-Reuters also reports in the Swedish Dagens Nyheter that the main issue is that the IWC regulations have loopholes, these have allowed Japan to continue practice of commercial whaling while claiming that it is being done for scientific purposes. The meat though, is sold on the commercial market and the industry is supported by Japanese taxpayers money.
AP cites a statement by Greenpeace Japan Program Director Junichi Sato, saying "At the moment, it appears that the whales are making all the concessions, not the whalers and this proposal keeps dying whaling industries alive and not the whales."
AFP cites Greenpeace oceans campaigner Phil Kline: "It's a bit like a bank robber who keeps robbing the bank. You can't actually catch him, so you decide to just give him a big pile of money."
Join us in the attempt of trying to restore whaling populations by demanding marine reserves.
April 22: Happy Earth Day!
"I want an energy revolution." - We have made a video celebarting Earth Day. Check it out and share it.
Happy Earth Day, everyone.
Around 40 years ago, environmentalists across the US came together in a teach-in to demonstrate just how big a force the environmental grassroots movement was in the first ever Earth Day (as the Chicago Tribune, the Seattle Times and the Boston Globe recall).
Today, this fragile Earth needs more people like you who care about environmental issues, more people who will use their voices to defend it - and more people who will take action to protect it.
Watch our new inspiring Earth Day video and get involved!
As Kumi Naidoo, our executive director, said today: "A green and peaceful future is possible - please join us in making it happen. The Earth needs our attention not just on Earth Day, but every day."
April 21: From Brazil, our "beautiful mountain" travels a long way...
Greenpeace activists yesterday dumped manure in front of the entrance of the Brazilian Agency for Electric Energy in a protest against the building of the Belo Monte hydro power plant.
The signs Greenpeace activists put up in front of Brazil’s National Electric Energy Agency yesterday left no doubt what it was they had piled next to them:
A “beautiful mountain of shit”.
Indeed. “This was the only way to show, in one image, the terrible legacy Lula’s government will leave to the country by insisting on this adventure,” Greenpeace Brazil said, referring to the planned hydroelectric dam Belo Monte, which translates as Beautiful Mountain.
Brazil yesterday awarded construction rights for the $11 billion-project in the Amazon rainforest - and Greenpeace was there to say what a catastrophe the dam will be for the area’s environment. We placed tons of manure in front of every entry of the government building where the decision was taken.
“Belo Monte represents backwardness in Brazil, by replicating an old energy model that benefits few through a huge social and environmental destruction”, Sergio Leitão, campaigns director in Greenpeace Brazil, said.
The dam is being built in south Pará, one of the most beautiful regions of the Amazon. Going ahead with its construction does not only demonstrate Lula’s blindness to friendlier types of energy generation, but also threatens a place of high biodiversity and displaces Indian groups living in the area.
“To defend Belo Monte means to look at the country’s development through your car’s rearview mirror,” Greenpeace Brazil said.
Our “beautiful mountain of shit”, meanwhile, travelled a long way, with stories on the action appearing in newspapers including the Wall Street Journal, El Pais, Liberation, La Nacion, and The New Straits Times, as well as in several smaller outlets.
April 20: On GE crops, tars sands & tissues
Today in Brussels: Greenpeace billboards of European Health Commissioner John Dalli and President of the Commission José Manuel Barroso, depicted as chefs cooking up 'GE recipes for disaster'.
Seven weeks after the EU Commission rushed through its decision to allow the genetically engineered potato Amflora, the first crops are being planted in Germany.
Under police protection, German agro-chemical company BASF has started sowing crops in a 15-hectares field in the country's north-east, German newspapers MZ, Sueddeutsche Zeitung and Handelsblatt report.
And they don't miss to mention how strongly we oppose GE crops.
Today, we placed billboards of European Health Commissioner John Dalli and President of the Commission José Manuel Barroso depicted as chefs cooking up 'GE recipes for disaster' around Brussels.
April 16: In case Nestle forgets…
Greenpeace protest inside Nestlé AGM
Yesterday Greenpeace activists left a 'reminder' above the heads of those attending the Nestle shareholders meeting in the western city of Lausanne (Switzerland). Activists dropped from the ceiling of the assembly hall to display a banner that read: "Nestle, give the orangutans a break". Swiss newspaper Le Matin reported that at the end of the meeting the activists were arrested by police in Lausanne.
More activists dressed as orangutans handed out leaflets outside. "We are here today to tell Nestle to change its KitKatastrophic policies," said Greenpeace's International Head of Forest Campaigns, Pat Venditti. Swiss channel 24 heurs quotes Peter Brabeck, Chairman of the Board of directors of Nestle: "Join our moratorium against deforestation, we will be your first partner", but it is also quite critical the opening paragraph reads: "Nestle owners seemed more concerned about lack of access to the buffet at the end of the meeting" than any other economic stress of the moment.
Click here to see the YouTube video of how it all happened.
Further protests disrupting the Nestle AGM took place in Finland and Germany.
Photo Credit: © Greenpeace
April 15: A nuclear mistake
Nuclear Action in Sweden. Barrels marked with the nuclear waste symbol.
Japanese electronic giant Toshiba is developing mini nuclear reactors which could be buried underground (with the idea of providing safer energy). The reactors are only two meters high and have a width of 0.7 meters, but are expected to produce 10 megawatts of electricity. So reactors powered by highly enriched uranium, which is used for the manufacture of bombs, could be dumped inside people’s garages. In addition, they are cooled in a mixture of toxic lead. Toshiba is not the only one who has come up with this crazy idea of nuclear power generating man sized monsters. Hyperion Power Generation announced that it would commercially develop the technology in 2008. But it had to step back due for security reasons such the household disposal of nuclear waste. The sole idea sounds scary.
Photo Credit © Johanna Hanno / Greenpeace
April 14: Politics decides nuclear waste site
Politics decides nuclear waste site
Greenpeace activists in Dannenberg, close to Gorleben.
Greenpeace presented yesterday a document of government files on the Internet revealing that the site of nuclear waste disposal at Gorleben, Germany, was chosen for political reasons (in a few weeks…) in the 70s without analyzing the geological implications. "Geological criteria for a repository in salt rock played a minor role in all studies ", said Greenpeace nuclear expert Mathias Edler. The story has appeared today in major German newspapers. Despite the findings, the German government is till deciding whether the site will be used. Again, politics will have the last word...
Photo Credit: © Fred Dott / Greenpeace
April 13: A GE hot potato
Greenpeace activists close Europe's biggest depot for GMO (genetically modified organism) potatoes in 'Gut Buetow', Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
There are alternatives to GE crops. But The European Commission seems to think that the first statement is not worth worrying about and the second one can be ignored. It’s just too simple.
Yesterday Greenpeace activists blocked a warehouse in Germany in protests against GM Amflora potatoes from being distributed. The cultivation of GM Amflora potatoes (which are developed by German agro-chemical company BASF) was approved last month by the European Commission.
The Amflora potato carries a gene for antibiotic resistance which may pose a health risk, violating EU law. It needs to be put "behind bars," said Greenpeace's agricultural expert Martin Hofstetter in a statement. The potato is not meant for human consumption, but it will be used to produce starch and used in industrial products. If you want to know more about the risks, find out here.
Greenpeace is doing its part to inform both farmers and consumers of the risk of growing GM crops in a GE free bus tour which terminates next week in Madrid. Follow the bus (which is currently in France)!
Photo credit: © Bente Stachowske / Greenpeace
April 12: Another meeting which missed the point: Bonn
Greenpeace Climate campaigners hold up signs at Parliament Hill in Ottawa during the Copenhagen conference on climate change.
Meetings dealing with climate change seem to be taking on a domino-effect syndrome of failures. Meetings in Bonn to tackle climate change, which took place this weekend, were a repetition of the disastrous outcome of Copenhagen. Wendel Trio, Greenpeace international climate policy spokesman said: "Governments have a critical chance to repair the distrust caused by their failure to take the lead in Copenhagen." But, as UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph reports, the talks in Bonn were another disaster. "All countries agree greenhouse gases must be cut in order to stop catastrophic climate change, the question is how to do it. At the heart of the problem is the failure to even agree the best way to draw up an agreement." An article in German news under the headline "Climate pain in Bonn" reports in the opening paragraph that: "the hangover after the climate summit in Copenhagen-flop was probably not bad enough". After the talks it was agreed that there will be three preparatory meetings in Cancun. There is a strong motivation to meet, what they do in those meetings is still unclear…
Photo Credit © Greenpeace / Meaghan Eady
April 9: 'Russia is not a nuclear dump'; Nestlé learning social media etiquette
04/08/2010 Greenpeace is calling for an end to the dumping of nuclear waste in Russia.
Another action took place yesterday in the North Sea in Belgian waters, publications De Morgen and Het Laatste Nieuws from Belgium report. Greenpeace continued campaigning against the dumping of nuclear waste in Russia. The Greenpeace ship Esperanza pursued the Russian transport ship 'Kapitan Kuropte' which is on its way to Russia carrying nuclear waste from France to Russia. Activists in rubber boats got along side the ship displaying banners that read "Russia is not a nuclear dump", before being sprayed with water canons. Greenpeace hopes the action points to the large amount of nuclear waste being dumped in Russia. "We call on all European countries, including Belgium, to make an end to the dumping of nuclear waste in Russia," said Jan Vande Putte of Greenpeace.
04/08/2010
April 8: A solar plane; a palm oil retreat; and a landmark treaty, ready to be signed
Sunrise over a cleared peatland forest near Teluk Meranti in Kampar Peninsula.
The good news first: the prototype of a solar-powered plane has had its first full test flight – and it went well. The plane, which has the same wingspan as a super jumbo jet, but weighs little more than a small car, took off from an airfield in Switzerland and did a round powered by engines that take their energy entirely from solar cells on its wings.
You can see a video on the BBC website.
Palm oil: Don’t go back Unilever
Others are going in the wrong direction. As Reuters reports, Unilever, the biggest single buyer of palm oil in the world, has announced it wants to resume buying palm oil from Indonesia’s Pt Smart, which is part of Sinar Mas, if independent auditors clear the firm over alleged forest destruction.
*UPDATE April 9*: Following the Reuters report above, Unilever has made it clear that the company's only commitment at this stage is to consider reviewing its position on Pt Smart once the palm oil producer provides a complete response to the allegations made against them. “I have seen little evidence to suggest that Sinar Mas are really willing to embark on the fundamental change necessary to give me the confidence to resume trading relationships," Marc Engel, Unilever’s Chief Procurement Officer, said.
In other words: as long as Pt Smart isn't providing serious evidence that it has changed its ways, Unilever isn't going back.
The pressure is still on for those companies that are cutting down the lungs of the planet at a time when we need those rainforests more than ever and contribute massively to making Indonesia the third largest carbon emitter after the United States and China. Not to mention the habitat of the orang-utan, which is being trashed along the way.
April 7: "Russia is not a waste bin"
Action against nuclear waste in France
04/06/2010, Greenpeace activists chain themselves to the railway line in order to block a train transporting nuclear waste in Tricastin (Drôme) in the south of France. The consignment of nuclear waste is due to be loaded onto the transport ship 'Kapitan Kuroptev' at Le Havre with the destination of Russia. Greenpeace is calling for a moratorium on the export of nuclear waste.
Greenpeace activists yesterday blocked the train tracks for the train taking nuclear waste from the Eurodif nuclear plant in Le Havre (a subsidy of French company Areva) to Russia. Since the action Areva and its subsidiaries have asked the judge to ban Greenpeace from disrupting their transports. The penalty fine will be 75,000 EUR per violation. Reuters reports on the details of the court ruling in La Tribune, saying that the court prohibits the Greenpeace activists from approaching within 150 meters of the convoy on land within 300m offshore to the limit of territorial waters, hinder or obstruct the loading.
The action in France yesterday was covered by Le Monde, Le Figaro, TV5 Monde (AFP) TF1, France 3 and 20 minutes. The story was also covered in Russian paper Gazeta.
In print media French papers Aujourd'hui en France, l'actu, Liberation and the global edition of the New York Times featured articles with coverage and pictures of the action.
April 6: The Amazon; Action against fin whale meat transport in The Netherlands; and cloud computing
Slaughtering the Amazon
Cattle ranching at Monte Fusco livestock farm in Figueirópolis d´Oeste. Cattle ranching is the primary driver of forest destruction in the Brazilian Amazon, with 79.5 per cent of deforested land used for cattle pasture.
Brazil is the world's largest soybean exporter and the second-largest meat exporter, after Australia, which makes them the largest driver of deforestation in the world. The Amazon is estimated to store 80-120 billion tonnes of carbon. If destroyed, some fifty times the annual greenhouse emissions of the USA could be emitted.
The Seattle Times gives us the perspective of people that have no other way than of making a living from logging. They know what they are doing is bad and they do want to preserve their forests but have no other alternative for the time being. If the Obama administrations pledge to curb climate change succeeds billions from the US would start flowing into the Amazon to help dealing with deforestation. The funds, if they reach the conflict area could be used to police conservation areas, improve land fertility and help forest dwellers find better ways to earn a living than by making charcoal.
April 1: Drilling's not the answer, Obama!
Hopes dashed: Obama's plan to expand US oil drilling causes controversy.
President Barack Obama has announced plans to expand oil drilling off the US east coast - in a reversal of his 2008 campaign strategy, when he argued that lifting curbs on offshore drilling would take years to have impact and would not provide sufficient extra energy to be justified. The decision has outraged many environmentalists and Obama supporters who have raised concerns about the threat to wildlife and ocean habitats that would be affected. The plan also diverts money towards unsustainable and dirty energy developments that will only contribute to accelerated climate change. Greenpeace USA Director Phil Radford was quoted by AFP and Reuters (The Star Online) in international news saying "While China and Germany are winning the clean energy race, this act furthers America's addiction to oil. Expanding offshore drilling in areas that have been protected for decades threatens our oceans and the coastal communities that depend on them with devastating oil spills, more pollution and climate change."
March 31: The Internet, fueling climate change
Greenpeace activists do a die-in protest at the gate of the Cilacap coal power plant (Indonesia), to expose the true cost of coal.
Your internet server can have a huge negative impact on the environment (contributing to climate change), or it can begin going up the ladder towards a green revolution, which is sadly, at the moment, not the main priority for companies like Facebook.
Yesterday Greenpeace released a report on the negative impact that the Internet and big data centers have on the environment (Make IT Green: Cloud Computing and its Contribution to Climate Change). As explained by The Independent , "the vast amount of digital data that we upload and access via social networks and on websites such as YouTube is stored in what the internet industry calls the 'cloud', by which it means a vast numbers of computers owned by the likes of Google, Yahoo and Apple. These computers are housed in 'data warehouses' where electricity is generated mainly at coal-fired power stations."
The story has spread all over the online media raising concerns amongst users of Apple for instance, and sites such as Facebook, which recently announced the construction of a coal powered data base in Oregon. Join our mission to get Facebook off coal here (which has now more than 370,000 members).
Now is the time for big names such as Microsoft or Google to use their influence to lead greener practices by monitoring their carbon footprint and switching to renewable energies.
Companies like Facebook and Google can do better.
Have a look at Greenpeace’s Cool It Challenge.
Photo credit: © Greenpeace / Oka Budhi
March 29: Actions in Amsterdam and Finland; CITES outcomes - "The conference has been a disaster for conservation"
Monday morning - Greenpeace activists go to work
03/29/2010, Greenpeace 'clean- up' up Dell offices in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Greenpeace activist are blocking the Dell HQ in Amsterdam this morning. They are putting foam in front of the office trying to send Dell a message: they should do a spring clean of their processes by eliminate toxic substances from production.
Electronic devices are a complex mixture of several hundreds of materials. These dangerous substances cause serious pollution and put workers at risk when the products are produced or disposed of. Of particular concern is the exposure of children and pregnant women to lead and mercury. These metals are highly toxic and can harm children and developing foetuses even at low levels of exposure.
Three Finnish Greenpeace activists have climbed up Olkiluoto nuclear power plant construction crane demanding an end to the construction of the plant, reports IS-STT. Nuclear power is neither a necessary nor a beneficial part of a sustainable energy strategy and runs an unacceptable risk to the environment and to humanity. You can read more here.
March 26: Putting palm oil centre stage
Land clearing operations carried out by Sinar Mas for palm oil production in the rainforests near Danau Sentarum National Park.
Things are moving: Sinar Mas, the Indonesian palm oil supplier at the heart of our ongoing campaign against Nestlé, has announced that it plans to appoint several independent groups to “verify” what we have said about the company, as the Jakarta Globe reports this morning.
There is no doubt, though: Sinar Mas is breaking Indonsian law by clearing protected forests for palm oil plantations that are pushing into carbon-rich peatlands and rainforests. Not only are these areas key habitat for orangutans, their destruction is also a major cause of Indonesia’s rocketing carbon emissions.
It’s no wonder Sinar Mas isn’t amused. After we exposed the links Nestlé has to the palm oil producer in a damning new report, the Swiss-based food giant immediately announced its intention to end contracts with Sinar Mas. Yesterday, more good news came our way as Cargill, another of Nestlé's suppliers, said it was also reviewing its relationship with Sinar Mas (the Financial Times reported).
March 25: Fighting nuclear waste, forest-destroying palm oil, and dirty coal
Greenpeace activists block the gate to the French Embassy in Moscow, Russia in a protest against nuclear waste import from France to Russia.
From Russia to Indonesia via the Czech Republic, Greenpeace activists are making noise – and the media is taking note.
French and Russian newspapers are reporting on our anti-nuclear action outside the French embassy in Moscow and the French consulate in St Petersburg. Greenpeace activists yesterday chained themselves to barrels marked 'Radioactive' in a protest against nuclear transports from France to Russia.
They were arrested in both cities, but the message stuck: “Russia is not a dustbin.”
Nestlé isn't off the hook
The angry apes we let lose on the headquarters of Nestlé in Jakarta made it into the media in Mexico, Germany, Portugal, Thailand and Indonesia, where the Jakarta Post and the influential business newspaper Bisnis Indonesia ran stories showing our activists dressed as orangutans.
The pressure is still on for Nestlé to go all the way and cut all forest-destroying palm oil producers from its supply chain completely.
March 24: Neste, Nestlé - no excuse
Greenpeace activists dressed in orangutan costumes held a protest at Nestlé's Jakarta headquarters today.
Neste is giving some ground and, no, there shouldn’t be the letter l in that name. We’re talking about Neste Oil, a Finnish energy company that uses palm oil as the main component for its supposedly environmentally-friendly bio diesel.
We have been telling Neste for some time that its large-scale use of palm oil leads to massive deforestation and contributes to global warming. Today, the company has taken a step in the right direction and has asked one of its main suppliers of palm oil – IOI Corp of Malaysia – to have a good look at how it actually gets the stuff (as Reuters reports).
Sounds familiar?
March 23: From a Czech chimney to a river in Buenos Aires - Greenpeace delivers a message
Two baby orangutans play at the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS). The species, which is already endangered, is being pushed to the brink of extinction by the expansion of palm oil and pulp and paper plantations.
Our campaign to get Nestlé to stop using palm oil from forest-destroying producers keeps making waves. Today, media in Poland, Malysia and Belgium ran stories on our action last week - and Nestlé's response to it, which is widely seen as rather ill-advised (as the Miami Herald points out again today). If you haven't seen the hugely popular Kit Kat video that's causing all the buzz (700 000 visits and counting), watch it here - and spread it.
Prunerov chimney climbers cause a stir
Czech media have widely reported yesterday’s Greenpeace action at the Prunerov power station in the Czech Republic. As we wrote here yesterday, twelve Greenpeace activists climbed the coal-fired plant's 300m chimney and hung a banner saying: “Global Shame”. Check the video of our activists published by online paper Novinky. A collection of videos shot by our climbers can also be seen here.
March 22: No time for a break yet on coal, Nestlé & tuna
Greenpeace activists atop the Prunerov coal-fired power station in the Czech Republic.
Prunerov: a global shame
Last week, the environment minister resigned because of it; a whole island nation is up in arms about it. Today, twelve Greenpeace activists climbed the 300 metre high chimney of the coal-fired power station that won’t stop causing controversy until the Czech Republic’s government has taken the right decision: to stop it.
“The Prunerov coal plant is a global shame,” Greenpeace Climate and Energy campaigner Jan Rovensky, today said from the top of the plant’s chimney stack. “Plans to extend its life make a mockery of efforts to protect the environment, people and avoid catastrophic global climate change.”
Watch the activists on our live stream here.
Prunerov is the single largest source of Czech carbon emissions. Yet, rather than shut it down at the end of its life in 2015, its owner, the energy company CEZ, is pushing to extend its life using inefficient, outdated technology.
March 19: Bluefin Tuna dissapointment
Oceans Bluefin Tuna Action
"Stocks of Atlantic bluefin tuna, prized as a delicacy in Japan, have plunged more than 80% since 1970, according to CITES". Ok, that's clear.
Yesterday at the meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Doha, 68 countries, opposed a proposal from Monaco for a trade ban, and 20 governments voted in favor. There were 30 abstentions.
Something is just not right.
"The abject failure of governments here at CITES to protect Atlantic bluefin tuna spells disaster for its future and sets the species on a pathway to extinction," says Greenpeace International Oceans Campaigner Oliver Knowles.
Japanese fish dealers have welcomed the ban (Japan consumes about 80 percent of the world's Atlantic bluefin tuna). They believe that the ban is "too drastic". According to Kazuhiro Takayama, a fish wholesaler at Tokyo's sprawling Tsukiji fish market (as reported by AP): "a lot of people depend on this fish for their livelihoods".
But no effective measures have been implemented so far, so this was the next logical step to avoid tuna becoming extinct (more details in Greenpeace's report here).
"It's wrong — people telling us what we can and can't eat," said Yukio Unagizawa, a wholesaler at Tsukiji market (again in the Reuters article).
But, what will happen when there is NO tuna left? What will the fishery industry say then?
Time magazine (which includes two videos of the decline of tuna stocks worthwhile watching) attempts to explain the inexplicable decision of the UN to reject the ban and concludes:
"With the start of the Atlantic bluefin spawning season just two weeks away, Mediterranean tuna fishermen — and sushi lovers — have been granted a reprieve. One that will last, however, only as long as the bluefin does."
Photo credit: © Greenpeace / Gavin Parsons
March 18: Nestle in trouble
Forest Action against Nestle UK
Greenpeace's controversial video slamming Nestle's Kit Kat for using palm oil and contributing to the destruction of the Indonesian rainforests (and the Orangutans that live there) is beginning to make waves. So far the video has been described as ‘gory’ by the media, but eye-opening nevertheless.
It's bloody, but it's bloody right.
Nestle and Youtube pulled down the video yesterday claiming a ‘breach of copyright’ but, that has just made matters worse. For them, of course. The video has been posted and re-posted in many different languages in YouTube and in online newspapers such as Blick (Switzerland biggest tabloid).
Photo credit: © Jiri Rezac / Greenpeace
March 17: Ilegal GM rice in Chinese shelves
Rice farmers from the Yunnan Province
Despite that the Chinese government has not yet approved the commercial cultivation of GM rice, a Greenpeace study released on Monday found genetically modified rice in supermarkets in China, such as US retail giant Wal- Mart (watch video here). The study was conducted last October and November in the supermarkets of eight Chinese cities and revealed the existence of transgenic rice in Chinese supermarkets under the brands of Maoya and Xueyou. "The DNA transgenic fragments were found in rice sold at both supermarkets. The Maoya sample is, as tests showed, a pest-resistant BT variety," Wang Weikang, spokesperson of Greenpeace's food and agriculture programme said on Monday. A report has also been submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture. A member of the Chinese bio-safety committee, Huang Dafang said to China Daily: "I don't think their survey is trustworthy but the ministry is open to such inquiry on the precondition that it's based on sound scientific data. China has laws and designated establishments to oversee and regulate GM food and we've never heard of such a case from these sources."
The story, which has splashed all over the Chinese media, raises concerns of consumer trust when shopping for foods, that without their knowledge, could have serious long-term unpredictable consequences.
Photo credit: © Greenpeace / Bai Yunxian
March 16: Cover up of Spanish coast destruction
Illegal Hotel in National Park Action in Spain
Concerns over censorship and freedom of speech in Spain as the coasts collapse
There is an ongoing debate in Spain after the Spanish government yesterday decided to censure 2 min footage of a TV series that exposed severe coastal damage in Spain. The story was published in Spanish national newspaper El Pais (after being picked up by newswire EFE). Today the Ministry of Environment has apparently given the go ahead to the series after causing a stir in Spain, raising concerns over censorship and freedom of speech. What is not clear is whether the polemic footage will appear untouched. The article opens with the following line "the Ministry of Environment had a very complicated day yesterday." But the complications have just begun. Pilar Marcos, head of Greenpeace Coast, said the case was "just the tip of the iceberg of the many policies of coastal management that have been paralyzed".
You can see a summary of the controversial chapter of the Spanish series 'Banks of the Sea'.
Coast destruction in Spain has remained latent for many years with land speculation taking over the coast. Last year sixty Spanish activists from Greenpeace covered the illegally built hotel El Algarrobico which was constructed in protected in a conservation area. It’s license is still being discussed. Click here for more details.
Photo credit: © Greenpeace / Mario Gomez
March 15: Kumi fights back climate skeptics
New Greenpeace International Executive Director Dr Kumi Naidoo (centre)
Greenpeace's head Kumi Naidoo took centre stage this Sunday to address the issue of climate change skepticism in an interview with Andrew Maar in the BBC. He said that errors in the IPCC (International Panel for Climate Change) report on the consequences of climate change had been taken out of proportion whilst other facts, which are key to understanding the very basis of climate change, could have been downplayed. He said that this gave him a sense of 'deja vu' as scientists in South Africa (Kumi's homeland) actually denied the HIV Aids link." As a result we lost and continue to lose thousands and thousands of lives", he added. He also addressed the issue of the Tokyo 2 (the two Greenpeace activists that are on trial after exposing corruption in Japan's government funded whaling programme) after he was asked if climate change was shadowing other "traditional Greenpeace concerns" such as whaling. Kumi said that this is not the case and that it is important to understand that climate change is a reality which affects other Greenpeace campaigns, such as forests because deforestation can lead to CO2 emissions (for more information about this click here).
British newspapers picked up on his comments that breaking the law is justifiable when fighting climate change (if done in a peaceful manner, as Greenpeace does) carrying this on the headline and using an image of Kumi which clearly illustrates their point. Kumi's full answer was the following:
"Well Mahatma Gandhi broke the law, Martin Luther King broke the law, Nelson Mandela broke the law. All of these people are revered now. So sometimes it is necessary to get a message across when we are in a context where our children and grandchildren's lives are under threat."
To hear an extract from the interview click here and here for the full transcription.
Photo credit: © Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert / Greenpeace
March 12: Bulgaria blocks GE, Monsanto under pressure; EU companies in CO2 trading scam
Greenpeace activists protest against GE in front of EU-parliament.
© Greenpeace / Eric de Mildt
In Bulgaria the parliament has voted to ban GE crop cultivation. The decision comes as opposition grows to the EU Commission's "quiet" introduction of GE potato (Amflora), while debate in the European Parliament was blocked. Many countries have now taken national measures to prevent what was the first GE-approved crop in the EU for 12 years. In India, controversy continues over the proposed regulatory bill that would remove State-level powers to control GE, placing sole jurisdiction in a centralized authority. The Hindu reported a Congressional Committee of the State of Andhra Pradesh has said states should be allowed to decide on commercial release of GE crops and that State Agricultural Universities should be empowered to evaluate and assess scientific aspects of GE crops and accordingly decide whether to permit them or not. They have also called on the government to fix the price of Bt-cotton seed, and prevent any further increases which have hurt farmers.
March 11: Greenpeace France block nuclear cargo
Greenpeace activists last night blocked a cargo of dupleted uranium going from France to Russia.
© Pierre Gleizes
Fifteen Greenpeace activists last night blocked a train carrying depleted uranium from leaving Val-de-Mar in France, calling for a moratorium on the export of nuclear waste. An AFP story reported the activists chained themselves at 01.00 to the railway tracks at the rear- and front-end of the cargo leaving the Areva nuclear plant at Pierrelatte (Drôme). Axel Renaudin of Greenpeace said they aimed to stay in place for ten hours to delay the convoy, which was otherwise headed to join the Kaptain Kuroptev bound for Russia. The activists were in place for nearly four hours. Areva claims the waste is going to Russia for reprocessing, to be returned to France, but critics say it is actually just waste. Over the past 15 years, Areva and Urenco (another, Brussels-based nuclear company) have dumped 140,000 tons of waste in Russia. Greenpeace France also took action to block a nuclear waste convoy 16 February this year. Learn about the campaign here.
March 10: Opposition in EU to GE-potato; China, India ratify Copenhagen Accord
Greenpeace has called for a renewed moratorium ("GE-Free!") in Switzerland on GE crops.
© Greenpeace.
Following the "quiet" introduction of genetically-engineered potato in the EU Commission (BASF's Amflora), more opposition has been stirring. Earlier this week an open debate on the issue was blocked in the European Parliament, to which the Greens responded by holding up banners calling "for a GE-Free Europe" at their plenary session in Strasbourg. Members "denounced" the EU Commission President Barrosso's "rush" to introduce GE potato. Twelve countries have now moved to block its cultivation, including recently Austria and Malta. Barrosso responded to the Greens' protest by saying “I salute your group’s enthusiasm. You have a very strong position against GMOs, which is your right. Personally, I do not have a position either for or against." Barrosso said the Commission "goes by the opinions of the European Food Safety Authority” and that countries in the EU would have the right to choose. However, a Green party member responded "if we start putting a finger in nationalization, we won’t have a European policy.” Health concerns have been raised in particular because the crop contains a gene that is resistant to some antibiotics, which, if introduced to the environment could result in increased bacterial resistance to life-saving medicines.
March 9: US fossil fuel lobby and senators in love; India, pest develops resistance to Monsanto's GE cotton
A security guard tries to catch the banner as it floats up through the atrium. Photo: Greenpeace
AP reported three Greenpeace activists yesterday released a balloon-powered banner in the Senate Hart Office Building, on Capitol Hill, Washington, showing the face of Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, reading "Lisa Murkowski, Happily matched since 2004," with the logos of Exxon, Chevron and Southern Co. on love hearts. Senator Murkowski is one of the politicians whose cushy ties to the fossil fuel lobby has been highlighted by www.polluterharmony.com - a mock dating website satirizing the condition of legislators on Capitol Hill 'in bed' with industry lobbyists. The direct action was picked up by The New York Times, Philly.com, The Miami Herald, Boston Globe and Seattle Post, citing Greenpeace US's Joe Smyth, who said the banner aimed to protest Murkowski's close ties to industry. The Alaskan senator's spokesman was quoted in response saying "this is another desperate attempt by an outside group to distract from the merits of the debate." However, the three activists, Rachel Humphreys, Alec Rothman and Samantha Corbin are all concerned US citizens. The peaceful direct action aimed to highlight the biased and undemocratic impacts politician's ties to industry have on real debate, which has been continually stifled in the US Senate thanks to lobbyists. Kert Davies of Greenpeace US said in a Huffington Post blog "Murkowski's continued counterinsurgency against Obama's EPA is part of a multilateral attack by corporations, corporate lobbyists and their friends in right wing think tanks and front groups." See more photos of the action here.
March 8: New Zealand says ‘yes’ to whaling
This is part of a trial series
Canned Tuna in New World Supermarket, New Zealand
03/26/2009
New Zealand says ‘yes’ to commercial whaling
New Zealanders are against whaling. Even their own government opposes whaling. So then, why has John Key’s government supported commercial whaling during the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting this weekend? The response is to “work to reduce the number of whales that are killed”. How this works out is a mystery.
According to Greenpeace New Zealand oceans campaigner Karli Thomas "our national values are under increasing attack by John Key’s government. First mining in our national parks and now it’s supporting a return to whaling. What’s next on the list? Nuclear ships in our harbours?" To hear Key’s full response click here.
This decision could give Japan the go-ahead to whaling after its controversial hunting "strategies" were exposed by Greenpeace activists Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki, known as the Tokyo Two. Over the next four days defense witnesses will back up Greenpeace’s claims on this issue. You can read the facts and join the whale trial pledge here.
But it doesn’t stop here. New Zealand’s destructive relationship with the sea fauna goes even further. Karli Thomas warned this weekend in New Zealand’s TV station TVNZ that scallop stocks in the country are on the verge of collapsing, which comes as news to New Zealanders, who believe that popular species found in their fish and chips are not endangered.
March 5: Exit Glacier in Alaska melting quicker as temperatures rise
This is part of a trial series
Glacier melt - proof of climate change
Exit Glacier in Alaska is said to be steadily melting, shrinking two miles over the past 200 years as it tries to strike a new balance with rising temperatures.
The great amounts of water stored in glaciers play crucial roles in river flows, hydropower generation and agricultural production, contributing to steady run-off for Ganges, Yangtze, Mekong and Indus rivers in Asia and elsewhere. But many are melting rapidly, with the pace picking up over the past decade, giving glaciers a central role in the debate over causes and impacts of climate change.
The "wrong" estimates made by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that Himalayan glaciers could all melt by 2035, an apparent typographical error that stemmed from using literature not published in a scientific journal, are coming back into focus. But now there is strong and overwhelming evidence that the glaciers actually are melting away very quickly. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said last month the government would establish a National Institute of Himalayan Glaciology in Dehra Dun in the north in order to more accurately study the changes of the Himalayan glaciers.
March 4: US will push for ban on overfished bluefin tuna
This is part of a trial series
Greenpeace activists hold banners reading "Ban Bluefin Tuna Trade" during a protest to demand immediate action to protect the endangered Mediterranean bluefin tuna from commercial extinction.
The US gets behind the call to ban international trade of Atlantic bluefin tuna
The US said on Wednesday they would bring up discussions on the topic during the March 13-25 meetings of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) which will take place in Doha, Qatar. They will declare the commercial trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna a threat to the species' survival, an issue that has split the EU. "US support could make a huge difference with the EU in particular," said John Hocevar, the oceans campaign director at Greenpeace USA.
See the tuna photo story by The Washington Post.
Stocks of bluefin tuna are on the brink of collapse from overfishing and the methods of catching them are causing devastation to the entire marine ecosystem. Read more here.
March 3: European Commission allows GE potato
This is part of a trial series
Greenpeace stage an action with banners against the GE industry, in the hall of the EU commission building in Brussels. The action speaks out against methods used by GE companies to lobby the EU law.
Survey shows that three quarters of Germans are against GE - despite the resistance it is being approved
The International Herald Tribune and newspapers around the world report, that the European Union has approved the first GE crop for domestic growing, ending what had been a long wait for a backlog of GE crops awaiting cultivation approval.
This decision will allow farmers to grow the GE potato Amflora developed by chemical giant BASF. For now it will be grown in Czech Republic and in Germany, where a Greenpeace-comissioned survey showed that three quarters of Germans are against GE.
Along with that decision the European Commission announced that it will allow European countries to independently decide whether to allow GE within their borders. "It is shocking that one of the Commission's first official acts is to authorize a GM crop that puts the environment and public health at risk," Greenpeace spokesman Marco Contiero said to AFP.
Les Echos reports that about 50 GE plants are currently pending approval this year. Spanish El Periodico and El Pais both stress how big of a threat this decision is to the environment and human health. If you understand German there is a video clip here.
March 2: Netherlands - people should know what they are voting for
This is part of a trial series
Greenpeace raises awareness of new nuclear plant plans
In Middelburg, Zeeland, the Netherlands, Greenpeace activists display an anti -nuclear banner at the city hall. The banner recreates cheerful people, smoking chimneys and a shining nuclear plant with text on the banner reading: "Greetings from glowing Zeeland". Beside the city hall a car is parked with a sound installation of waves breaking on the seashore. Greenpeace wants to raise awareness to the citizens of Zeeland at the choice they can make when they can vote either for or against a second nuclear plant in the province.
Japan will push for resumption of commercial whaling at the International Whaling Commission meeting
AFP reports that the main players in the feud over whaling will be gathering today to decide weather a compromise can be met during the International Whaling Commission meeting held in Florida.
There have been clear tensions on the topic between Japan and Australia. Japanese Fisheries Minister has confirmed that Japan will push for resumption of commercial whaling. "This would take us right back to the 20th century of commercial whaling," said Phil Kline, oceans campaigner at Greenpeace USA. "And after a 10-year period of doing this, there is absolutely nothing beyond that, so it just opens up the floodgates again," Kline said.
March 1: Poll shows - 84.3 percent of the Chinese people feel unsure about GE food
This is part of a trial series
The online version of Chinese People's Daily focused on the report published by Greenpeace "Counting the Costs of genetic engineering". Polls show that 84.3 percent of the 50,000 asked had no sense of security in GE food.
GE crops have continuously brought problems to farmers and the environment all over the world where they have been grown. Greenpeace in China has called on the relevant Chinese government departments to re-examine the commercialization of GE rice and maize.
An anti GE action took place in Berlin yesterday, where around 550 Greenpeace activists unfolded a large banner outside the Brandenburg Gate. The Berliner Zeitung reported that the message read "Nein - zu gen-planzen!" (No to genetic plants!). Read more about the most recent developments on the battle against GE here.
26 February: Spain's endless nuclear debate
This is a trial series.
Nuclear Action in Garoña Nuclear Plant. Greenpeace activists install a resistance container painted with 'Antinuclear' in the main entrance of the Garoña nuclear power plant. A banner held above the container reads "Garona: Close it"
Spanish towns have been shaking in horror over the past months as the government discussed which of them would become a nuclear graveyard. The unlucky one is the town of Soria (North-East). Amid protests against this decision (which hasn’t been finalized), Spanish Greenpeace head Juan Lopez Uralde highlighted in Spanish newspaper ABC, the need to close Garoña (Spanish oldest nuclear power station which recently got it's license extended) after a younger nuclear plant in Vermont (US) faced closure.
Also, yesterday Greenpeace Spain denounced that the government is putting obstacles to renewable energies after wind energy had been wasted due to having to stop hundreds of mills to give way to nuclear power generation. On a windy day, a lot of wind energy is produced, which in addition to the continuous produce of nuclear energy, puts a strain on facilities. So, hundreds of wind mills are then stopped so that nuclear energy production can remain constant (pulling the plug off nuclear generations is too expensive).
(Photo credit:© Greenpeace / Mario Gomez)
February 25: Unilever blacklists deforestation palm oil company, Indonesia; China says "no cap on emissions yet"
This is a trial series.
Decimated rainforests in Indonesia, being cleared for palm oil plantations.
© Will Rose / Greenpeace
Reuters reported that Unilever has told dealers not to source palm oil from the Indonesian planter Duta Palma, due to concerns over rainforest destruction, an Indonesian industry official said yesterday. Duta Palma has been blacklisted - although it has not previously been a supplier of Unilever, following a BBC documentary which showed Duta Palma staff clearing rainforests for palm oil estates. In November Unilever also announced it was terminating its business relationship with palm oil and paper pulp company PT SMART due to a Greenpeace report which highlighted their involvement in forest destruction. Bustar Maiter of Greenpeace in Indonesia was quoted saying "we are pleased with these commitments, but we now expect action." Meanwhile, AFP reported in Swiss news, the Indonesian Minister for Agriculture Gatot Irianto has called for environmental groups to "stop demonizing palm oil," speaking at an international conference this week on palm oil and the environment. Irianto said the oilseed provides jobs, despite the widespread perception that it represents an "ecological disaster that contributes to global warming."
February 24: Members tell Facebook "say no to coal"; EU's GE cultivation decreased by 11 percent
This is a trial series.
Members tell Facebook to ditch coal power for clean renewable energy.
© Greenpeace
Facebook's decision to base its new data center in the Oregon town of Princeville - powered by coal from PacifiCorp, has drawn criticism from more than 8,000 facebook members who joined the facebook group started by Greenpeace, The Oregonian reported. (Actually the number was more than 9,900 at the time of writing.)
The 6-year old Silicon Valley company was originally applauded for bringing new jobs to Princeville, but has been called on by both Greenpeace and Change.org to use clean renewable energy, not environmentally damaging coal. Facebook chose Princeville in part because of property tax exemptions that Oregon offers to industrial projects in rural areas, the article reported. Daniel Kessler of Greenpeace was quoted saying "Facebook, by opening this center, is sending a signal: We're not quite done with coal yet." Facebook isn't ready to rule out utilities that burn coal, according to the company's spokeswoman, but she said the company is definitely paying attention to what it's hearing from the environmental community. "This has really jump-started the conversation internally as to what, going forward, we're going to do," she said. Kessler added "we understand that the data center is being built. They already have a power service agreement. This is really about where Facebook and the industry are going." (Tell Facebook to use 100 percent renewable energy by joining the group here.)
February 23: ban on illegal sushi and sashimi
Bluefin tuna
Due to uncontrolled overfishing, which would clearly put an end to bluefin tuna stocks, the European Commission called for a ban on international trade. Though not immediate (the ban will come into effect next year), "it is an important signal for the rescue of the Mediterranean tuna," according to Greenpeace. The final decision will soon be taken by EU fishery ministers after countries which opposed the ban, like Spain, Italy and France, changed their minds and decided to support it.
Greenpeace EU oceans policy director Saskia Richartz said: with a major reform of EU fisheries policy on the horizon, we hope that this U-turn by the Commission’s fisheries department on bluefin tuna is a sign of more to come. It's now or never for bluefin tuna and any setback at this point could threaten the survival of the species."
(Photo credit: © Greenpeace / Marco Care)
February 22: Kumi steps up against Japanese whaling
This is a trial series.
Kumi Naidoo on the Tokyo Two Trial
Greenpeace’s head Kumi Naidoo travelled to Japan to put some sense into Japan’s pro-whaling government heads, who refuse to back down. "I think that this is not only about whaling, it is about actually going to the heart of the quality of democracy, human rights, freedom of assembly, association and expression," he said in The Sydney Morning Herald. He also kept afloat support for the “Tokyo 2” (the two Greenpeace activists who are currently in trial for exposing corruption in the heart of Japan’s government-funded whaling program). Kumi’s efforts are baked up by Australia’s decision to take legal action against Japan, as it refuses to cease whaling in the Southern Ocean (despite Australia’s ultimatum).
(Photo: © Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert / Greenpeace)
February 19: Australia plans legal action on Japan's whaling; UNFCC chief De Boer steps down
This is a trial series.
Members of Greenpeace in Finland show support for the "Tokyo Two".
Photo: © Matti Snellman / Greenpeace
As the trial continues for the "Tokyo Two" (Greenpeace activists who exposed corruption behind the government-funded whaling program in Japan), AP, AFP and AAP have reported today that Australian Prime Minister Rudd has set a November deadline for Japan to stop its whaling program or else face international legal action. Saying he preferred diplomatic measures, Rudd added "if that fails, then we will initiate court action before the commencement of the whaling season in November 2010. That's the bottom line and we're very clear to the Japanese, that's what we intend to do." The whaling, which is said to be for "research" is widely believed to serve the commercial market for whale meat in Japan. An Australian legal expert said the hunt is conducted in international waters, but usually within the huge patch of ocean that is designated Australia's maritime rescue zone and that Canberra considers a whale sanctuary. (Watch the video about the case of the Tokyo Two).
February 18: Coal "huge" importance for Australia; India GE panel passes law
This is a trial series.
Greenpeace activist at the Hazelwood coal-fired power station, Australia 2009
Photo © Greenpeace
Australia's energy policy adds fuel to the fire
Business Week (Bloomberg) reported yesterday Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has ruled out introducing nuclear power into the country saying instead the country would pursue other low-carbon energy options, including "clean coal." Australia has the world's largest known uranium deposits. Rudd said coal's importance would remain "huge" until 2050 and carbon capture storage would make it "cleaner" he said. John Hepburn of Greenpeace was quoted saying CCS could create a "time bomb" for future generations. “There are concerns over whether it will actually stay underground, basically forever,” he said. “You may have to transport the carbon dioxide a long way to a suitable storage site, and there are risks associated with that.” Currently the country gets about 80 percent of its power from coal, and exports of coal in 2010 are estimated to be worth US$9.7 billion. Read more about Australia and its coal-dependency.
According to Reuters a climate scientist yesterday warned the permafrost in Canada around James Bay is retreating northwards, a decade long trend caused by climate change. The southern edge of permafrost in the James Bay area has moved about 80 miles north of where it was 50 years ago, Serge Payette of Laval University in Quebec City said. As it melts the permafrost releases huge quantities of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that will escalate warming.
February 17: Greenpeace France blocks nuclear waste dumping; Canada, US expand nuclear plans
This is a trial series.
Greenpeace activists in France blockade a uranium cargo headed for Russia.
Dumping radioactive waste in Russia
Greenpeace activists in France blockaded a rail cargo of uranium waste from leaving Tricastin, France, headed for Russia yesterday, French and German news reported. For more than nine hours they were chained to the gate of the enrichment facility, with a banner that read "La Russie n'est pas une poubelle" (Russia is not a trash can). By midday, it was reported, three activists were removed by specialized gendarmerie working for the company Pierrelatte.
Meanwhile, an AFP story in French and Swiss news reported that ASN - the nuclear safety authority - has announced it will increase discharges of tritium from a plant in Flamanville (northern France). Although the authority believes the substance (a radioactive isotope of hydrogen with a short half-life) is harmless, four environmental organizations including Greenpeace have objected, with one expert saying "we do not know the process of accumulation of tritium in living organisms. Nor its consequences on the food chain. Before deciding on an increase we would require epidemiological studies." Finnish media also covered a Greenpeace press release today critical of the infamous Olkiluoto nuclear reactor, saying quality control and safety are still failing to meet the required standards.
February 16: the "Tokyo Two" case continues; BA to power planes on London's household waste
This is a trial series.
Greenpeace activists in Russia show their support for the "Tokyo Two" in Japan.
The case of the Tokyo Two continued in news today, with an AFP story picked up across Asia, Australia-Pacific, quoting Greenpeace activist Junichi Sato's Twitter postings: "When insider information is brought to non-government organisations and other third parties, I believe the freedom to investigate it should be guaranteed. A society that protects its citizens' actions to blow the whistle against wrongdoing leads to a democratic society that puts its citizens at its core." AFP cited the opinion of the UN Human Rights Commission's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that Japan has breached several articles of the Declaration of Human Rights in the detention of the two Greenpeace activists. Take action to support the Tokyo Two for their actions to expose corruptions inside the government funded whaling industry in Japan.
Powering airplanes with household waste?
In the UK, British Airways has announced it intends to fly jets on "green fuel" made from London's rubbish by 2014. The company Solena will manufacture the fuel in London's East End, aiming to convert 500,000 tonnes of landfill waste - including household and industrial rubbish - into 16 million gallons of carbon neutral aviation fuel every year.
February 15: "Tokyo Two" have pleaded not guilty; Tar Sands Olympics
This is part of a trial series
"Tokyo Two"
Greenpeace activists, the "Tokyo Two" have been on trial in Tokyo today, where they have pleaded not guilty. If convicted they could face up to 10 years in prison. We believe the prosecution of Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki, is politically motivated and designed to silence opposition against whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Read more and take action by supporting the "Tokyo Two" here.
Tar Sands Olympics - Action against exploitation of tar sands in Canada
The Guardian print edition featured of the Greenpeace action in London on development of the tar sands in Canada. The online edition of The Guardian, quoted John Sauven executive director of Greenpeace UK, said he was pleased that investors were putting the oil company on the spot, adding that exploitation of the tar sands would become "a campaign battle ground for years to come". Tar sands projects threaten ecosystems over a huge area of Alberta; polluting and depleting waterways, endangering the health of wildlife and local communities, and contributing to climate change. Read more here.
February 12: Landowners in Papua New Guinea want to protect their forests; BT-Brinjal study to be reviewed; Shell exposed
This is part of a trial series
Illegal logging in Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea landowners are preparing to launch a legal battle against controversial Malaysian logging giant Rimbunan Hijau (RH). They claim the company is illegally cutting their trees and using brute force and bribery to take what they need. In 2006 Greenpeace released a report titled The RH group: Thirty Years of Plunder and in 2004 were threatened with legal action over the report titled The Untouchables - Rimbunan Hijau's World of Forest Crime and Political Patronage.
BT-Brinjal study to be peer-reviewed
European scientists have said the vital study cited by India’s Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh to justify his decision to delay the commercial cultivation of BT-Brinjal in India is flawed. The study that labeled the genetically engineered food, BT-Brinjal “unsafe” was conducted by France-based Caen University professor Gilles-Eric Séralini and his team. Ramesh told Hindustan Times he would like Séralini’s paper to be peer-reviewed.
February 11: Seal hunting scandal; New hope for a cleaner Baltic sea
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Political leaders, companies and foundations promise to clean up Baltic sea
Finland's President Tarja Halonen called for urgent measures to save the Baltic yesterday, as she opened a regional summit in Helsinki, to save one of the world's most polluted seas. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin together with representatives from Estonia, Denmark and Norway, the presidents of Latvia and Lithuania, and Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf are attending the meeting, as well as a range of companies and foundations. The Baltic is so over-fished, polluted by agricultural nutrient discharge and uncared for, Greenpeace was quoted as saying, that pregnant women should not eat its fish, (see The Independent). AFP reported that regional leaders confirmed their commitments to improving the treatment of waste water. Only a week ago German magazine Spiegel Online wrote about a "classified government report" which found that global ocean protection measures were failing, with thousands of tons of trash thrown into the sea every year, endangering humans and wildlife. It also said that high levels of pollution and plastic had led experts to warn against seafood consumption.
Controversy over Norwegian seal hunt
In Norway the media has reported on an independent report from one of three seal hunt vessels which documented widespread cases of young seals on the ice being injured by gun shots, but not killed. The Swedish paper Aftonbladet reported that NGO Djurens Rätt (Animal Rights Sweden) has said they will work together with their sister organizations in Norway to stop the hunts. Truls Gulowsen of Greenpeace Norway was quoted calling the situation "unacceptable".
February 10: India delays BT-Brinjal plans, saying it doesn't want a repeat of the Bt cotton disaster; China's 2007 water pollution levels more than twice government's estimates, report says
This is part of a trial series
Introduction of Genetically Engineered (GE) vegetables on hold in India
Reuters reports that the decision to delay introduction of GE vegetables in India until further tests have taken place, is seen as boosting the Congress party among its main farming vote base, much of which is fearful of GE use, and comes despite pressure from Farm Minister Sharad Pawar who supported the introduction of GE Bt brinjal. The Bt brinjal story travelled in world news receiving attention in the UAE, in The National print edition, also featuring the Greenpeace action in India. The Guardian and The Guardian International print editions also feature the Bt brinjal campaign, mentioning that several warnings have been flagged to the government from scientists and opposition from the public following the Bt cotton controversy. The Hindustan Times print edition warned once again against the potentially disastrous consequences of introducing Bt brinjal.
Poland’s Environment Minister, Janusz Zaleski, says there is no convincing data that GE crops are harmful or could have negative consequences for local farming if introduced. However, Greenpeace campaigner Luke Supergan highlighted that GE crops could spread spontaneously and take over non GE plants through contamination, making farmers dependent on big biotech companies for buying and producing GE crops.
February 9: Detention of "the Tokyo Two" contravenes international covenants on human rights, says UN; decision about CEZ's plans for rebuilding coal-powered power plant Prunerov, delayed
This is part of a trial series
The "Tokyo Two" were featured in ABC News (Australia) saying the UN's judgment is a blow to Japan's judicial system. The UN report says the activists' detention contravenes international covenants on human rights. Read the interview with Junichi Sato here.
Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director of Greenpeace International, is traveling to Japan to support Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki during the trials this week. Read his entry in The Huffington Post here.
IPCC climate scientists focusing on the physical science of climate change in the 2007 reports have criticized colleagues in the field of social and biological science, saying the latter's error has maligned their work, The Guardian reports. The WWF report was cited again for a separate human health section which also referenced two reports from Greenpeace, the World Resources Institute as well as insurance companies. In German news claims about the Netherlands and "Africagate" have traveled with comments from Greenpeace Austria, reaffirming that Greenpeace supports the IPCC and did not call for Dr Pachauri to resign.
February 8: MEP Godfrey Bloom apologises; Britain could save £12bn of public spending over four years - report by WWF, the The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Greenpeace; Australia is launching research flagship for sustainable agriculture
This is part of a trial series
British Member of the European Parliament, Godfrey Bloom, was filmed at the climate change summit in Copenhagen congratulating the French for bombing the Greenpeace ship the Rainbow Warrior. Later Mr Bloom said he had forgotten that one man was killed and French secret service agents were convicted of manslaughter after the bombing, reports The Australian. Greenpeace, that demanded an apology to the crew of the Rainbow Warrior and the Pereira family, got the reply from Bloom "We can disagree about climate change without celebrating the killing of a man." He also told Radio New Zealand "I am very very sorry, my belated deep condolences to him and his family. I think it's a great shame that you lose any innocent lives in something like this, I deeply regret that," Mr Bloom said.
Ministers in Britain could save £12bn of public spending over four years by clamping down on tax breaks and support for polluting oil exploration, cement, aluminium and transport, according to a report from WWF, the The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and Greenpeace. Doug Parr, Greenpeace's chief scientist, said: "Britain can be a world leader in renewable technologies and low-carbon transport but only if we stop bailing out the dirty industries of the 20th century."
February 5: Greenpeace Germany release pesticide "black list"; US, Canada going backwards on climate; world leaders, UN reaffirm support for IPCC
This is a trial series.
451 pesticides allowed in the EU are used on our food. Photo: Greenpeace / Holde Schneider
Greenpeace Germany has published a "black list" of the most dangerous pesticides, which includes 451 different chemicals that are used worldwide and pose health or environmental risks. According to the report, around half of the list are permitted for food production in the EU. "In conventional agriculture chemicals that make people sick and destroy the environment can still be used" said Greenpeace chemicals expert Manfred Santen. The report updates a 2008 version comparing and evaluating the hazards posed by various chemicals in widespread use. The full report is available here (page 12 for English translation).
February 4: Tuna Ban in 18 Months, EU pledges; Success in India as 10 states block BT-Brinjal; and the US Federal Trade Commission plans to crack down on "greenwash"
This is a trial series.
Yellowfin tuna at the Honolulu fish market, Photo: Greenpeace / Alex Hofford
France voted yesterday to suspend international trade in bluefin tuna after an 18 month-period in which new scientific research will be carried out to assist Brussels policy-making, potentially with conditions that allow for some continued artisanal fishing. The Minister of Ecology said it was a serious decision but "necessary, since most scientists believe that the resource is in danger." Currently, 80 percent of world tuna is bought by Japan, which according to French media reports has already begun a campaign to lobby against the future ban. The decision may also be adopted at the next meeting of the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) being held next month. France has twenty-nine votes, and so far Germany, the UK and Italy also supported a ban. Francoise Chartier of Greenpeace France raised concerns about the 18-month interim period, saying that by the time the ban would actually be introduced, it could be too late.
February 3: More outcry over Brazil's controversial Belo Monte mega-dam; Fossil Fuel Lobbying for 2009 sets record high; and Greenpeace Germany ranks toxic lettuce
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View of the Jericoá Rapids at the Big Bend of the Xingu River. Photo: Monti Aguirre.
Brazilian mega-dam causes outcry
The $11-17 billion project in the heart of the Amazon, on the Xingu River in the northern state of Para, aiming to meet Brazil's soaring demand for electricity, will be the second largest damn in the world. There has been outcry over the environmentally destructive impacts of the dam and displacement of indigenous people. The government minister in control of the project, Carlos Minc said - according to Reuters - 250 square kilometers (96.5 sq miles) of land would be flooded by the Belo Monte dam and that this had been reduced from 5,000 in the original plans for ecological reasons. AFP reported that 500 sq km would be flooded. Among the utilities wanting to build and operate the dam are Brazil's state-run Eletrobras.
February 2: More nuclear waste arrives in Russia for dumping; Countries' half-hearted emission targets draw criticism; and the Amazon receives a double-blow with planned hydro-electric plant and Shell-biofuel deal
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Indigenous people from Altamira at a rally protesting the construction of dams on the Xingu river, Brazil. Photo: Monti Aguirre.
The Brazilian government has granted an environmental license for the construction of a controversial hydro-electric damn in the Amazon rainforest. It comes however with the condition that the company awarded the contract will have to pay $800 million to protect the environment. Indigenous tribes say the Belo Monte dam poses a threat to their way of life, and 40,000 people could be affected by the flooding of 500 sq km of land. Also in Brazilian news, Shell has made a deal with Cosan - a biofuel producer - worth $1.2 billion. This will make Shell the biggest investor in biofuels (see The Guardian or Times Online)
February 1: Canada agrees on greenhouse gas emission cuts lower than initial target; Baikal Ecological Wave group is being raided without a warrant; and Yvo de Boer, saying climate talks will have to continue in Mexico
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Today in French and Canadian news, The Canadian Minister of Environment, Jim Prentice, announced that Ottawa would align with U.S. objectives in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and gave himself ten years to reduce emissions by 17% compared to those of 2005 levels. This is of course lower than the initial target of 20% and still not legally binding. "The new target will lead to increased emissions of greenhouse gas rather than reducing it," stated Greenpeace.
The diplomatic traumas suffered by China in Copenhagen, where Beijing took much of the blame for the summit's failure, has hardened opinions, said Li Yan, Greenpeace China's climate campaigner to The Guardian: "Now there are stronger conservative voices and more concerns about the changed diplomatic circumstances and the economic downturn."
French newspapers report that France is deliberating a possible ban on blue-fin tuna imports, hoping that this would have a domino effect. Greenpeace's Francois Chartier is hoping that this will become part of the Doha agreement.
January 29: The EU and the US come out with their targets for the Copenhagen Accord; Greenpeace to build a fortress to block Heathrow's third runway
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AP reports that the EU has officially set out its emissions-reduction target at 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. It has promised to cut its emissions by 30 per cent, but only if the world's two biggest polluters, the U.S. and China, also cut back. The article states that Greenpeace says the EU must set an example by making bigger cuts.
The Guardian reports that Greenpeace has invited some of the UK's leading architects to design an "impenetrable fortress" to be built on land earmarked for the third runway at Heathrow. Greenpeace bought the parcel of land last year and then distributed ownership to more than 60,000 supporters around the world. The small individual plots will create a legal headache for any government trying to push ahead with the expansion plans.
AAP reports on the Greenpeace statement that the frequency of forest fires will triple in Australia if no action is taken on climate change.
January 28: Roche and the Royal Bank of Canada crowned the two worst enterprises of the year at the Public Eye Awards; Obama promises green jobs
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The biggest Greenpeace-related news of the day is the coronation of pharmaceutical giant Roche and the Royal Bank of Canada as the two worst enterprises of the year at the Public Eye Awards in Davos, Switzerland - Roche because it uses the organs of executed prisoners in its medical testing and RBC because it facilitates the extraction of oil from the Albertan tar sands. This story received widespread European coverage.
In Obama's first State of the Union speech, the American President devoted more time to climate change than had been predicted, renewing his promise to create clean energy jobs, but held out little hope that Congress would pass a climate change bill this year. The Guardian reports that environmental groups such as Greenpeace welcomed Obama's commitment to create clean energy jobs as a priority for this year.
EFE reports that scientists from Australia and New Zealand launched an expedition to prove that it isn't necessary to kill whales to research them and thus discredit the Japanese view. The article states that Greenpeace prefers to try to change public opinion in Japan so that Japanese citizens themselves force their government to ban whaling.
AFP reports that Greenpeace awarded Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono the "World Cup of Forest Destruction" on Tuesday as the real football Jules Rimet Trophy passed through Jakarta.
January 27: Greenpeace calls for a moratorium on industrial activity in the Arctic; Countries start finalising their numbers for the Copenhagen Accord
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AFP reports on Greenpeace's call for a moratorium on industrial activity in the Arctic. The article quotes Greenpeace's Mads Flarup Christensen, who said that while such activity could in the short term provide jobs and economic growth, it could destroy the delicate ecosystem and affect local communities.
In Czech news, the decision on whether or not to 'modernise' the country's Prunerov power plant after an objection by Micronesia has once again been postponed by serveral weeks.
The Guardian reports that British government officials have labelled environmental campaigners extremists and listed them alongside dissident Irish republican groups and terrorists inspired by al-Qaida in internal documents. Greenpeace's Ben Stewart said, "The climate movement has never once sought to further its political aims by using violence, which is something that Jack Straw, foreign secretary during the invasion of Iraq, can most certainly not claim. His Ministry of Justice would be better occupied reminding itself that peaceful direct action has a long and noble history in this country."
January 26: Greenpeace says no to nuclear in France and Spain; As the BASIC meeting ends in India, the World Economic Forum begins in Switzerland
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There has been further coverage of the action in Cherbourg, France, in which Greenpeace activists chained themselves to train tracks to block a shipment of nuclear waste heading to Russia. The action was picked up by AFP and has received widespread coverage in France and Switzerland. It was also picked up in Finland.
AAP reports that the political and business elite heading for the Davos forum this week have been told to leave their polluting limousines behind. Under a new climate change initiative, the World Economic Forum is blocking the fuel guzzling cars that normally clog the roads around the congress. The article quotes Bruno Heinzer of Greenpeace Switzerland, who states that "It's really just to give [the WEF] a good image."
Indian paper The Hindu reports that Greenpeace has welcomed the position taken by Ministers of BASIC, the grouping of Brazil, South Africa, India and China, who met in New Delhi on Sunday to continue negotiations to clinch a fair and ambitious climate agreement within the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. However, Greenpeace emphasised that such an agreement should be legally binding. In a statement, Greenpeace said it was encouraged by the willingness of BASIC to support vulnerable countries, by ensuring their participation in open and transparent negotiations and providing them with technological and or financial support. However, the BASIC countries must make their support more tangible by the time of its next meeting to be hosted by the South African government in April 2010. Pointing to the further consolidation of the BASIC countries as a group, Greenpeace urged them to assume the responsibilities concomitant to an alliance of such influential economic powers.
January 25: BASIC countries meet up to boost climate talks; The EU falls short of its 30% goal; Greenpeace activists say no to nuclear by chaining themselves to train tracks
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Reuters reports that environment ministers from the BASIC countries (Brazil, South Africa, India and China), which helped broker the Copenhagen Accord along with the United States, met in New Delhi in a bid to work out a joint strategy to push forward stalled international climate talks after setbacks in Denmark last month. Greenpeace China's Yang Ailun is quoted, stating that "China is reluctant to make its carbon intensity pledge internationally binding, and it is hard to predict what China is going to present to the world as its mitigation actions." Also quoted is Greenpeace India's Siddharth Pathak: "Basic will have to fill the vacuum of leadership on climate left by the developed world and ... must take into account the consequences of global warming for other developing countries."
Also reported by Reuters, a draft letter to top UN climate official Yvo de Boer shows that the European Union will stick with its lowest offer for cutting carbon emissions under a UN climate accord, fulfilling the wishes of industry. The 27-nation bloc has committed to unilaterally cutting carbon dioxide to 20 percent below 1990 levels over the next decade but will keep open its offer to deepen those cuts to 30 percent if other rich countries make similar efforts. The article quotes Greenpeace campaigner Joris den Blanken, who states that "Tackling climate negotiations with the same strategy as trade negotiations will simply get them bogged down like the current Doha round of trade talks."
AFP reports that four Greenpeace activists chained themselves to train tracks in Cherbourg, France on Sunday night to block a shipment of nuclear waste heading to Russia. The activists have all been removed.
January 22: Director of Greenpeace Spain, Junatxo Lopez de Uralde, reflects on the Red-Carpet action
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In an exclusive feature in El Mundo, the Director of Greenpeace Spain, Junatxo Lopez de Uralde, reflects on the Red-Carpet action, stating he generally thinks that it was a success in giving a voice to those who those who don't have one.
Film Director Peter Mettler offers us a silent, 43-minute montage of aerial shots, taken from a helicopter flying over the Athabasca river in Alberta, Canada, which together make one of the most profound statements on this issue to date. His film, Petropolis, is at once a quiet meditation on the transformation of serene forest into industrial nightmare and an unabashedly-presented-by-Greenpeace political statement, soaked in a subtext of shame, writes the Canadian newspaper National Post.
January 21: Swiss Red-Carpet activist Christian Schmutz recalling the experience of being imprisoned
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Hopes for stronger world action in 2010 to curb climate change have dimmed after the U.S. Democrats lost a key Senate seat to a Republican opposed to capping emissions, experts said on Wednesday. The Independent describes the Democrats' loss to the Republican Scott Brown in Massachusetts as humiliating. Scott Brown's win in the special senate election in Massachusetts means that the Democrats' grip on the senate loosens. That prospect was already ringing alarm bells beyond America's borders as governments around the world consider whether they will be willing to go further on curbing emissions if the likelihood of the US playing its part is further diminished. "On the international front, China is constantly looking to the U.S. on climate bills ... This is definitely bad news. It doesn't bring new confidence to international negotiations," Ailun Yang of Greenpeace in Beijing said to Reuters.
January 20: Political and top business leaders meeting behind closed doors in Switzerland - "public eye is watching you"
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The elite of Switzerland gather behind closed doors in an annual meeting in Rive-Reine. The 40 most powerful Swiss company bosses, political leaders of the governing parties, a lone union leader, two priests and two Federal Councils meet this week. Security is tight and the agenda confidential. Public Eye, the Anti World Economic Forum protested supported by Greenpeace and Forum for the Berne Declaration, projected a laser on the facade of the building, reading:"public eye is watching you".
January 19: Micronesia: Climate change is real and it is happening on our shores
Copyright Greenpeace/Greenpeace activists on a crane of the Electricite' de France's (EDF) proposed new European Pressurized Water Reactor (EPR) on the second day of action against the construction site.
The story of the Federal States of Micronesia taking on Czech utility company, the CEZ Group has been featured in The New York Times. “Climate change is real and it is happening on our shores,” Andrew Yatilman, the director of Micronesia’s office of environment and emergency management, told Reuters. “It’s a matter of survival for us. If you look at the map of the Pacific, we’re just dots in the middle of the ocean.” The continued emissions from the power plant in Prunerov, the largest single source of carbon dioxide emissions in the Czech Republic, could threaten Micronesia’s existence in the future. The action is supported by Greenpeace that demanded last month that the Czech Republic decommission the plant by 2016. Czech paper Hospodarskie Noviny commented on the legal procedures of the case.
In Russia, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signed a government decree that would allow the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill (BPPM) once again to produce pulp, RIA Novosti reports. This activity used to be prohibited in the Baikal ecological territory, and an appeal is likely to come from a larger group of environmentalists to President Dimitry Medvedev. "We are shocked by this regulation. It means that waste production is resumed” said the spokesman and campaign director of Greenpeace Russia, Ivan Blokov.
January 18: New Greenpeace flagship, Greener Guide to Electronics, and Japanese whale activists in the press
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Copyright Greenpeace/Greenpeace staff Junichi Sato (seated left), Toru Suzuki (seated right), and their lead counsel, Yuichi Kaido (seated centre) face reporters at a press briefing following their first pre-trial arrangement hearing at Aomori District Court, Japan.
Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo has an appearance on the hard-hitting flagship news programme shown on BBC World News and the BBC News channel, HARDtalk. If you are in the UK you can access the interview on BBC iPlayer.
The European Commission has cast doubt on research commissioned by the Federal Government that questions the need to have laws to block illegally logged timber imports. The EU has also questioned the research's estimates on the value of illegal timber imports into Australia and found that timber in furniture is not included. A Greenpeace forestry campaigner, Reece Turner, quoted in The Sydney Morning Herald, said it was time for the Government to fulfill its 2007 election promise to ban illegal timber. ''The European Commission has exposed the Government's attempts to fudge the figures on illegal timber imports,'' he said.
January 15: Two Greenpeace activists were temporarily detained at Berlin Exhibition Grounds after a GM potato action
Copyright Greenpeace/Organic potatoes grown in Kristianstad Sweden
Two Greenpeace activists dumped a basketload of potatoes at the feet of the German Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Ilse Aigner, as she was praising German agricultural products. The activists also shouted "Stop the cultivation of genetically modified potatoes!" and unfurled a banner. They were temporarily detained for trespassing and disruption.
Greenpeace opposition is barely mentioned in an opinion piece in The Australian. Instead it states that the reasons for the continuation of whale hunting are tradition, identity and whales still being categorised as fish by the Japanese and the argument that they live a long happy life in the open ocean. It highlights that they see nothing more morally wrong with whaling than with slaughtering pigs and that the conflicts are merely a result of Western political hypocrisy.
The company Offsetters, the "official supplier of carbon offsets to the 2010 Olympic Games", is preparing to open an innovative souvenir kiosk at Vancouver International Airport. Productive. Greenpeace and "some of the other more-irritating environmental groups that seem to make more noise than supply solutions" are being encouraged to take Offsetters's example by The Vancouver Sun.
January 14: Red-carpeter Joris Thijssen in Spanish media; New German film follows the Greenpeace ship Esperanza on its quest to end whaling
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Copyright Greenpeace / Daniel Beltra
The red-carpet four remain in the news, though coverage has died down a little. Spanish paper El País has published a feature on Joris Thijssen, which quotes him as saying that climate is the most important issue of our generation and that if someone can do something about it, it is Obama. A columnist for La Razon has essentially called the Danes fascists.
The release of the movie Jagdzeit, which follows the Greenpeace ship Esperanza on its journey to intercept whaling ships in the Southern Ocean, has been covered in Germany.
AP reports that three environmental groups, including Greenpeace, are going to court to try and stop a particularly contentious timber sale of old-growth trees in America's largest national forest. The groups filed the lawsuit Monday in U.S. District Court in Anchorage. It alleges that the U.S. Forest Service failed to comply with federal environmental laws in approving the Logjam timber sale last year in the Tongass National Forest.
January 13: The red-carpet four are back in the news as the Copenhagen police admit to two illegal wiretapping cases; Micronesia challenges the extension of a Czech power plant
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Copyright Greenpeace
The red-carpet four are back in the news today as Danish news reports that the Copenhagen police have admitted to two illegal wiretaps during the summit. The Chief prosecutor confirmed previous evidence of at least 15 known wiretaps which were later approved, but the two illegal ones will now be reviewed by the Attorney General - they details will not, however, be divulged to the press. The known interceptions are stated to have mainly been implemented against Greenpeace. The article states that a Greenpeace lawyer, Jacobs Arrevad, has stated that wiretapping was used to apprehend "his client, a Dutchman" (Joris Thijssen, presumably). Juantxo has reappeared in Spanish media, having responded to questions from ABC readers. The article quotes the Greenpeace Spain director as saying that the far greater crime, the destruction of the earth, remains unpunished. An opinion piece in Norway states that both the red-carpet action and the activities of Sea Shepherd have derailed the environmental struggle. (Note: Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd are not affiliated.) The New York Times environmental blog Green Inc. reports on the red-carpet incident and the detention of the activists. The blog quotes Nora, who said, “I don’t think that the authorities’ reaction reflects what we actually did. The action was relatively innocent, and I am not opposing the people who say that we are being punished for exposing poor police work. But I hope and believe that the system in the end will be just and give us a fair trial," adding, "It was very frustrating for us, that the leaders went to a dinner party instead of working on a solution.”
January 12: The Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics still on the move; New poll suggests the Japanese are pro-whaling
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Oddly enough, coverage of the red-carpet four has suddenly ceased. The biggest Greenpeace news is now the release of version 14 of the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics, which was featured in The New York Times blog Green Inc., as well as in Latin America, Europe and Indonesia.
The Australian reports that a poll by Japanese video-sharing website Nico Nico Douga following the sinking of Sea Shepherd's ship showed 67 percent of respondents believed Japan needed to promote itself better "as a whaling country", and only 9.1 percent thought that hunting should now stop. The article states that this is disheartening for Greenpeace Japan, who is "trying to run a hearts-and-minds campaign against whaling". (Note: Despite some confusion on Twitter and in the blogosphere, Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd are not affiliated.)
Saudi newspaper Al Jarida reports that oil is a finite commodity and that renewables will meet future needs. The article quotes Greenpeace UK's John Sauven on Britain's switch to renewable energy.
January 11: The media hype surrounding the red-carpet four continues; The Guide to Greener Electronics is on the move
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Copyright Greenpeace
The leading Greenpeace news is still follow-up on the red-carpet four. The coverage is concentrated in Spain and Switzerland but remains strong in Denmark and has also traveled to Norway, Colombia and the UK. Spanish papers are running features on Juantxo, many of which detail the time he spent in prison. El País has called the activists' detainment "Killing a fly with a cannonball". La Vanguardia has stated that repression of peaceful protest creates martyrs and has deemed Denmark undemocratic. A cartoon in El Correo Digital depicts Juantxo as the Cheshire Cat standing trial in front of the Danish Queen of Hearts. Many Spanish papers contend that the real crime is that leaders did not take the appropriate measures to combat climate change. Christian Wetzikon has been featured in several Swiss papers. Both Tages Anzeiger and Blick have published feature articles on his time in prison. Christian states that the success of the action has left him with a sense of accomplishment. A journalist for Danish paper B.T. has called the activists' imprisonment "hysterical" and disproportionate to the offense. News agency Ritzau reports that the Danish police has explained that the "blunder" was a misunderstanding between the officers at the gala and the Foreign Ministry representative. Another Ritzau article states that, while official relations between Denmark and Spain remain unharmed, Denmark's reputation among ordinary Spaniards has declined sharply. Norwegian paper Aftenposten reports on last week's announcement by Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero that he hopes this never happens again. Colombian paper El Colombiano contends that members of NGOs such as Greenpeace have become a sort of universal consciousness. The Guardian has published an editorial by Greenpeace International's Jasper Teulings, in which he states that "It is in the interest of all of us to make sure that prolonged preventive and pre-trial detentions are not used to stifle freedom of expression and that they remain the exception."
The release of version 14 of the Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics has been featured in the print version of The International Herald Tribune, reported by EFE, AFP, DPA and ANP, and has traveled internationally.
January 8: Media whirlwind on the release of the red-carpet activists continues; Greenpeace Guide to Greener Electronics version 14 released; more on the sinking of the Ady Gil
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Copyright Greenpeace
The biggest Greenpeace story continues to be the release of the red-carpet activists. This has made international news, though most coverage is coming out of Spain and Denmark. Spanish paper El Periódico features video footage of the press conference on the Rainbow Warrior that followed the activists' release, and another article refers to Danish excess, stating that the Danish reaction was unwarranted and completely disproportionate. Danish paper B.T. reports that Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero has stated he hopes this never happens again. An AFP piece with the title "Greenpeace says made to 'pay' for climate summit failure" has traveled in France and Switzerland. The article quotes Juanxto, who stated that "We were made to pay for the anger of the Danish government after the problems of the Copenhagen summit" and that "[w]e were very shocked by the way in which we were treated." He continues, "If it was not for all the support which we received, I think the intention of the Danish authorities was to keep us in jail for a long time. I don't regret anything, on the contrary. I think if I had the same opportunity, at such an important moment, when there were 120 world leaders gathered at the same place, I would do it again to try to pass on a message urging them to do something about climate change. All four of us are very proud of what we did." The Guardian features the Greenpeace video "The Story of the Red Carpet Four" and quotes Joris Thijssen: "We did it because at the time there was only 24 hours left for world leaders to reach a global agreement. It was like a building was burning and we wanted to put out the fire. Yes we did something a bit naughty but we felt it was proportionate. We did something naughty to try to stop climate change becoming climate chaos. The judge needs to trade off the act we did against the bigger crime we were trying to prevent. We thought it justified."
TODAY: Red-Carpet Hero's welcomed on release with actual red carpet and champagne by supporters
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© Klaus Holsting / Greenpeace The Red Carpet Activists released yesterday from prison in Denmark.
The major story at Greenpeace this morning is of course - the release of our four red-carpet heros - after a grueling 20 days in Fængsel Vestre Prison in Copenhagen. At the same time, Spanish media reported, a vigil was held at the Danish embassy in Madrid. Images of a relieved and happy-looking Juan were accompanied by comments from the activists, "they treated us like dogs" (de Uralde) and their treatment was "completely disproportionate" and outrageous (Nora Christiansen). GP Spain's Miguel Angel Soto was quoted asking the Danish embassy in Madrid "what all this has served?"
TODAY: Conditions "harsh and disproportionate" for red-carpet activists and Sea Shepherd bat-mobile sunk by whalers
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© Pedro Armestre / Greenpeace Mobilization continues around the world in support of the activists' release.
Coverage in Spain and European free dailies continued yesterday on the campaign to release the four red-carpet activists in Copenhagen. Spanish news documented the condition of Juan Lopez de Uralde in prison as "thinner than usual", with a quote from Kumi Naidoo referring to conditions as "harsh and disproportionate". Reports described a cell with only a mattress and security camera.
TODAY: The fight continues for the release of the red-carpet activists with an action in Spain and 16 kilos of protest letters; the Dutch say no to CCS
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Copyright Scanpix / Jens Norgaard Larsen
The strong coverage of the detained red-carpet activists continues in Spain and Denmark. Spanish media report that Greenpeace Spain unfurled a banner reading "Liberdad para Juantxo" (Freedom for Juantxo) from a building in the Puerta del Sol, one of the busiest squares in Madrid. The newspaper El Mundo reports that the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior will deliver 16 kilos of letters demanding the release of the activists to the Vestre Faengsel prison, while El País speculates about the outcome of their January 7 trial, stating that Greenpeace worries the Danish court might try to use his case as a warning to future activists. Meanwhile, Danish paper Jyllands-Posten reports that the country's queen has praised the Copenhagen police for their efforts during the climate summit, which has reportedly been the cause of some resentment, due in part to the treatment of the detained activists. Ekstra Bladet reports that the Copenhagen police have admitted to some mistakes during the summit, one of which was the admittance of the Greenpeace activists to the queen's gala. The article calls the action funny and spectacular but calls into question the claim that it was dangerous. The detainment of the activists was also mentioned in Australia, though with little detail.
TODAY: The fight continues for the release of the red-carpet activists; Greenpeace disses Lula's law
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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.
TODAY: 50,000 back our red-carpet activists; Greenpeace disses Lula's new law
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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.
TODAY: Spain comes through for detained Greenpeace activists; Brazil goes legal despite Copenhagen failure
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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.
TODAY: Santa didn't come through as activists spend Christmas in jail; Everyone's playing the Copenhagen blame game
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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."
TODAY: Will Santa Free Our Activists for Christmas? COP-FLOP Stories of Woe Continue; Swiss City Bans GP Supporter Recruitment
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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.
TODAY: Brown blames COP-Flop on China, US; Mexican cars take a dive and Climate heroes spend Christmas in jail
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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