NETWORK December 2008/January 2009
ŠCobb/Greenpeace
Newsletter for Greenpeace activists
www.greenpeace.org.uk/active
©Novis/Greenpeace
©Hilton/Greenpeace
INTERNATIONAL
Crew spray water to stop a Greenpeace activist taking direct action against a tanker carrying 27,000 metric tonnes of crude palm oil.
Forest news Mariana Paoli, forest campaign Since Greenpeace exposed how palm oil is driving deforestation in Indonesia, we have managed to get Unilever, the largest global user of the commodity, to support a moratorium on further destruction of Indonesia’s rainforests and peatlands for palm oil. We have yet to see the moratorium implemented, so we will keep working with Unilever and other companies to build a coalition to stop deforestation and will be pressuring them to cancel contracts with their worst suppliers. We will also expose companies that fail to support the moratorium. In the Amazon, having successfully extended the soya moratorium for a third year, we will begin to look towards another driver of deforestation, cattle ranching. We will be putting pressure on Brazil’s government to agree ambitious targets to reduce deforestation. Greenpeace’s new office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) opened in November. We will be focusing on supporting the new office in its work to stop forest destruction and its devastating impacts on the DRC’s people and the climate. In the run up to the UN Copenhagen climate conference in December 2009, Greenpeace will be using our Forests for Climate proposal to help deliver an effective system to secure international funding to protect tropical forests. We will be working to build support for a strong deal with politicians, corporations and other NGOs. One of the most critical is ensuring that rich, industrialised countries like the UK fund forest protection as well as, not instead of, reducing their emissions at home. We will also work to ensure that the UK government supports strong EU legislation to stop timber from illegal and unsustainable logging coming into Europe. So lots of work ahead. Watch this space for what you can do on these issues in 2009.
Activists take direct action to stop tuna fishing with destructive purse seine nets in an area of the Pacific that Greenpeace has marked out as a marine reserve.
Tides of change Willie Mackenzie, oceans campaign
Overfishing, destructive fishing practices and whaling continue to threaten the world’s oceans. During 2008, Greenpeace took action to tackle unsustainable tuna fishing and continued our work to bring an end to commercial whaling. At the start of the year, we launched our Seafood See Life work. Celebrity chefs including Raymond Blanc and Tom Aikens signed up to the campaign and we have been working with them to ensure that other key chefs, suppliers and restaurants understand and promote the importance of sourcing seafood sustainably and supporting marine reserves. Our work to stop overfishing for tuna continued throughout 2008. Internationally, the Esperanza and the Arctic Sunrise have been taking direct action to stop tuna fishing in the Mediterranean and the Pacific. We also closed down tuna stalls at the Brussels seafood industry Expo to stop them from promoting unsustainably fished tuna. Back in the UK, we succeeded in convincing the organisers of the International Sushi Awards in London to remove endangered bluefin tuna from the event’s menu. Greenpeace activists outside celebrity hangout Nobu sushi restaurant in London demanded that they take endangered bluefin tuna off the menu. Although they have so far only agreed to label any bluefin on the menu as endangered, we will continue to work to get it off the menu completely. In the meantime, at least customers can order something different. At the lower end of the market, Greenpeace tackled tinned tuna. Our league table ranked the major tuna brands sold in the UK, revealing John West as worst. Many current fishing practices for the skipjack tuna that ends up in tins, endangers juvenile and bluefin tuna, sharks, rays and turtles, all of which get caught in huge indiscriminate nets called purse seines. We have been meeting with John West to get them to change their policies. Our work to stop whaling started off successfully at the start of the year as we pursued whaling ship the Nisshin Maru in the Southern Ocean, stopping it from killing about 100 whales. Then in May, two Greenpeace activists revealed that crew from the Japanese factory ship were illegally selling the best meat cuts from its so called scientific research. Back on land, the scandal made whaling front page news, forcing Japan’s Prime Minister to publicly defend whaling. The most outrageous part of the story is that the campaigners who uncovered the scandal were arrested for stealing the evidence and face trial. We will be working hard to ensure that this trial, expected either this winter or in the spring, frees the two activists from jail, but also that it puts whaling itself on trial, forcing the Japanese government to bow to pressure to stop commercial whaling for good.
©Greenpeace
SPOTLIGHT
Cover: Climbers scale the Bank of England calling for Alistair Darling to kick start the economy by investing in a new green industrial revolution. Above: Greenpeace campaigners ground a domestic flight at Heathrow to oppose a third runway.
El is looking forward to an active 2009.
Heathrow: decision time
El Jones, Network co-ordinator for Birmingham and the Black Country
Anita Goldsmith, climate campaign
The year started with Greenpeace exposing the government’s fixed consultation on Heathrow expansion back in January. A dismal start to the year perhaps, but it shows us just show far we have come in 2008 following a year of direct action and hard work. In February, four Greenpeace volunteers grounded a British Airways London to Manchester flight at Heathrow, wrapping a ‘Climate Emergency, No third runway’ banner around the tailfin. That night, over 2000 people attended a rally at Westminster Central Hall, opposing the Government’s plans. And the ‘Make a Noise’ carnival in April saw over 3000 people, from babies to pensioners, march around the perimeter of Heathrow airport in opposition to expansion. They then spelt out a giant human NO in Sipson, the village that will be bulldozed if the third runway goes ahead. By working closely with local authorities and residents, as well as NGOs and MPs, we have made huge progress. The recent Parliamentary Heathrow debate showed that the Government is now isolated in its support for the aviation industry. The opposition parties and, increasingly, businesses are calling for a rethink on aviation policy. In 2009, aviation expansion will continue to be central to the debate on how to make the changes necessary to tackle climate change. If aviation is allowed to expand, it will be impossible to meet the government’s new target of an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050. With the decision on expansion of Heathrow due any day now, the imminent public inquiry over Stansted and increasing pressure to review the aviation White Paper, Greenpeace will be at the heart of the ongoing campaign, so be ready to get active.
Banking on green investment
How did you first get involved with Greenpeace? I’ve been interested in environmentalism for a long time – it was always part of my family life. Then, about a year ago, I was invited along to the local Greenpeace group by a friend. I was immediately inspired to get more involved and do something.
What were your best moments during that first year? Definitely the Dove campaign! Getting out on the streets and talking to people and taking photos of them to show their outrage at Dove was really inspiring. People were keen to get involved and join us in demanding that Unilever, the company that owns Dove, stops trashing the Indonesian rainforest for palm oil. And there was the CAT (Centre for Alternative Technology) skillshare weekend too. It was great to meet Greenpeace active supporters of all ages and hear really good and challenging presentations on some of the latest climate science and forest campaigns. Another good thing this year was going over to Telford – birthplace of the industrial revolution – to support local campaign group TANC, Telford Against New Coal.
Robin Oakley, climate campaign
What are your plans for 2009?
With an immediate global financial crisis on everybody’s minds, ensuring that the longer term climate crisis remains a priority is of utmost importance. On the morning of the Chancellor’s pre-budget report, four Greenpeace activists scaled the walls of the Bank of England to tell the government that the long term solutions to the economic crisis are also the solutions we need to tackle climate change.
The thing that I most want to do in 2009 is to make a real difference. I really want to raise the profile of Greenpeace locally, draw in a lot more activists and build on our core group of active supporters so that we are ready for campaigning on the streets or wherever action is needed in 2009.
The UK needs a clean energy economy. Renewable energy and energy efficiency are where the jobs of the future are being created. The government needs to bring itself up to date by kick starting clean energy in the UK to help pull this country out of a recession and tackle climate change at the same time.
If you are interested in getting active in Birmingham and the Black Country, you can get in contact with El directly at greentreewarrior@hotmail.co.uk
TALKING POLITICS
Activists prepare for a peaceful flotilla at Kingsnorth. The flotilla carries the flags representing 30 countries, the combined emissions of which are equal to the expected CO2 emissions from E.On’s proposed new coal power station at the site.
Progress for clean energy
Throughout 2008, Greenpeace worked to shape the Energy and Climate Change Bills, responded to consultations, promoted solutions with new reports, lobbyied MPs and MEPs, talked to decision makers on the Rainbow Warrior and pushed for change at party conference climate clinics. We also won an award from MPs and Lords for ‘best environmental communicators with Parliamentarians’. Both opposition parties are now against a third runway at Heathrow and advocate an Emissions Performance Standard ruling out new unabated coal. The full impact of unsustainable biofuels is also now firmly in the political consciousness.
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©Rose/Greenpeace
Simon Clydesdale, policy and solutions unit
Jim Footner, climate campaign
At the start of 2008, the government was on the verge of consenting to the first of a new generation of coal-fired power stations at Kingsnorth in Kent. A lot has changed. Greenpeace has spent the year tirelessly lobbying ministers and opposition leaders to convince them that giving the go ahead for new unabated coal would ruin the UK’s chance of taking real action on climate change. A wide and powerful coalition now exists – people united in their concern about climate change and support for clean energy solutions. In March, we disrupted the coal industry’s annual conference to tell them the real effect of coal on the climate. Then, six Greenpeace activists were charged with criminal damage by shutting down Kingsnorth power station. Following evidence from the world’s leading climate scientist, Professor Jim Hansen of NASA and Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith, the jury concluded that their actions to prevent emissions, and therefore the damage caused by climate change, were justifiable. Shockwaves from this decision are still being felt. The new Energy and Climate Change department in government gives us real hope that the government will finally take on board advice from the likes of Hansen, Professor Nicolas Stern, the Environment Agency, The Sustainable Development Commission and The Royal Society – and say no to Kingsnorth.
Creating Ed Miliband’s new Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is a long overdue move, but it remains to be seen if he can deliver positive and sustainable energy solutions. Greenpeace’s work within Europe this year has prioritised ensuring that the UK government keeps EU energy and car emissions legislation as strong as possible. Politics at the end of 2008 is transformed from the beginning of the year. Bush is on his way out and UK polls are narrowing. International agreements and target setting will not deliver change, but political will and practical action can. In 2009 we will continue to push for the solutions needed to combat climate change.
ACTIVE SUPPORTER NETWORK OVERVIEW
The volunteers who made it happen Richard Martin, active supporter unit
The Rainbow Warrior’s recent Give Coal the Boot tour included receptions for politicians, open boat days for supporters, direct action at Kingsnorth power station, fundraising events, a Kent climate impacts tour and an NGO joint declaration on coal. The passion, skills and enthusiasm of over 200 volunteers enabled us to work with influential individuals near Kingsnorth, high level political figures in Westminster and strengthen opposition to new unabated coal. Open boat days attracted over 3500 visitors, raised £12,000 and brought renewed enthusiasm to the Southend network.
Greenpeace’s active supporter network is made up of network coordinators, local networks and individual active supporters. Today we have 106 Network Coordinators, 92 networks and 24,037 active supporters.
CONTACT DETAILS getactive@uk.greenpeace.org Rachael King 020 7865 8174 rachael.king@uk.greenpeace.org Jo Melzack (Scotland, North England & Northern Ireland) 0161 448 1929 jo.melzack@uk.greenpeace.org Malcolm Carroll (West) 020 7865 8172 malcolm.carroll@uk.greenpeace.org
GET ACTIVE! Do you live near a proposed new coal-fired power station or coal mine? Find your local independent coal campaigning group at http://leaveitintheground.org.uk
Richard Martin (South England) 020 7865 8178 richard.martin@uk.greenpeace.org
Canonbury Villas London N1 2PN t 020 7865 8100 f 020 7865 8200 www.greenpeace.org.uk