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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.

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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."

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Source: Data taken from The Center for Responsive Politics, cited New York Times 02.02.10

Last week the New York Times reported on the latest lobbying figures for oil and gas industries in Washington D.C., published by the Center for Responsive Politics, (also featured in our news blog on February 2). The article frighteningly (but not so surprisingly) contrasted the immense lobbying weight of oil, gas and electric utilities against the feeble (but growing) dollar-voice of renewable energy industries and environmental groups. Above is the stark reality, expressed in millions of dollars. In 2009, the oil and gas industry spent $154 million on lobbying, a 16 percent increase on 2008; electric utilities $134.7 million, down from $161.3 in 2008. Meanwhile, alternative energy companies spent only $29 million, up from $22.1 million in 2008; and environmental organizations spent $21.3 million, up from $18.3 million the year before.

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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)

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Posted by Melissa Wilson at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I once asked my mother what was exactly across the planet from where we lived (Lyon, France). She told me that was New Zealand, and as a seven year old, I was as impressed as it gets. I imagined a country completely different, with people standing on their heads and doing everything backwards. As far as I was concerned, New Zealand must have been the exact contrary of France, in everything.
It turns out, as I found out a few year later, the only thing on the other side of the planet is a lot of water and less and less fish, (I also found out New Zealanders do not, in fact, stand on their heads) but for the purposes of this story, we'll pretend my Mom was right.

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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.

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Posted by Teresa at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

One journalist thinks tabacco companies are to blame for climate change. Well, sort of. He's noticed that the oil/gas/coal industry used the same tactics perfected by the tabacco industry to help scuttle the Copenhagen climate summit last December.

From The American Reporter:

But one big obstacle to reaching an agreement is arguably the ongoing, cleverly orchestrated and well-funded campaign of junk science designed to mislead people into thinking that there is a difference in scientific opinion about climate change.

It's not a particularly new tactic. The tobacco industry perfected it years ago. They called it "manufactured doubt." In the early 1950s, there was a spate of scientific reports linking cigarette smoking to lung cancer that were starting to have an effect on cigarette sales; people began to be concerned about the health risks associated with smoking.

...

Michaels wrote that Hill & Knowlton's strategy was simple. "The industry understood that the public is in no position to distinguish good science from bad. Create doubt, uncertainty, and confusion. Throw mud at the anti-smoking research under the assumption that some of it is bound to stick. And buy time, lots of it, in the bargain."

There's a new book on the tabacco industry tactids by David Michaels (epidemiologist at George Washington University), tittled, "Doubt is Their Product: How Industry's Assault on Science Threatens Your Health".

What do you think? Should we call it "tabacco gate"?

Posted by Andrew at 9:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Organic cotton farmers in India

Reyes, a scientist working on our sustainable agriculture campaign, explains the latest controversy surrounding organic cotton in India:

Life is hard for the thousands of organic cotton farmers in India, but it's much harder for the millions of genetically engineered (GE) cotton farmers in the country. These farmers in India continue to amount huge debts in order to afford the expensive GE seeds and the chemicals that come with them. And as we travel along the cotton growing regions of Andhra Pradesh, we also find many organic cotton farmers who rely on cheap, locally available resources - instead of GE seeds and chemicals - making a better living with less debt.

The recent news about the GE contamination of organic cotton in India highlights a serious situation that is hard for farmers and complex for anyone else to grasp fully. The genetic contamination could come from many sources: from illegal or ‘fake’ GE seeds to negligence during the processing of the cotton. People in the cotton fields of Andhra Pradesh believe this contamination happens far away from the farm - when middlemen deceptively sell the abundant GE cotton at the premium rates paid for organic cotton. It is impossible to point to one single culprit. And there are thousands of committed organic farmers growing top quality organic cotton in India that are now at risk.

Seed and agrochemicals shop in Andhra Pradesh, India. Indian farm shops sell only GE cotton seeds. © Greenpeace/ Peter Canton

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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.

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One of our communications managers, Dietlind Lerner, wrote the following remembrance of Historian Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States:

Yes, I did feel a bit silly asking Howard Zinn to pose for this souvenir picture, but if it bothered him he was kind enough to pretend it didn't. Zinn is of course the handsome white-haired man on the left, I am the woman in purple on the right and my friend Philippe the man in the middle.

This picture was taken in 2005. Philippe and I lived in Paris and had traveled to the States to make a movie about the US anti-war movement for ARTE.

We wanted to know if the American people were really as apathetic about the war in Iraq as the European press had been reporting.

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Apple's new tablet PC -- the awkwardly named iPad -- has much of the internet's gadget and IT bloggers in a frenzy today. It looks like an oversized iPhone to me, but there's much more to the iPad than the device itself.

There are already a few stories about the environmental impact of Apple's shiny new gadget. CNet was first out of the blocks with this green angle, and Inhabitat asks "Still, few people are likely to replace their iPods or laptops with the iPad. So we have to wonder -- is this really anything more than an unnecessary luxury item?"

Kate Mackenzie wrote an Obligatory iPad-emissions post on the Financial Times website this morning. Mike Gaworecki in our US office was even faster off the mark with this blog post last night. They both move beyond the e-books versus paper debate, to the less obvious concern of energy use in production of these gadgets and in the data centres which support them. Definitely worth a read!

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Posted by Eoin at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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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.

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Posted by Sasha at 10:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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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."

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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