2011
WINTER ISSUE
IMPACT REPORT
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organization that acts to change attitudes and behavior, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace. Greenpeace China became Greenpeace East Asia in 2010, with offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Taipei and Seoul in order to strengthen its cross border environmental campaigning. To maintain its independence, Greenpeace does not accept donations from governments or corporations but relies on contributions from individual supporters and foundation grants. Welcome to contact us if you have any questions.
Hong Kong。Taipei。Beijing。Seoul Hong Kong Office 8/F, Pacific Plaza, 410-418 Des Voeux Road West, Hong Kong. Tel : (852) 2854 8318 E-mail: enquiry.hk@greenpeace.org
Taipei Office 1/F, No. 5, Alley 6, Lane 44, Jinmen Street, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 10088, Taiwan. Tel: 886 (02) 2368 5108 Email: donor.services.tw@greenpeace.org
Beijing Office 3/F, Julong Office Building, Block 7, Julong Gardens, 68 Xinzhong Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China 100027. Tel : (86) 10 6554 6931 Email: greenpeace.cn@greenpeace.org
Seoul Office 4/F Obelium, Hapjeong-dong 426-7, Mapo-gu, Seoul Tel : (82) 2 3144 1994 E-mail: greenpeace.kr@greenpeace.org
Dear Greenpeace supporter, I’m delighted to send you our totally new-look quarterly donor magazine. We’ve renamed it Impact to reflect its more dynamic content and our IDEAL framework. Each of the five main feature stories in this issue covers one aspect of our environmental work. We hope you find it more interesting, engaging and helpful in understanding how your gift is being put to work. Let me explain what IDEAL represents. This small word encapsulates a framework for our campaigns: Investigate (I), Document (D), Expose (E), Act (A) and Lobby (L). Having such a framework allows us to conduct more strategic and more effective campaigns to bring positive action that will save our planet. We’re also going a bit more hi-tech in our new magazine. We’ve added QR codes for all our readers who have smartphones equipped with QR code readers so that you can easily link to a web page or online video from a story. While all the campaigns we do never fail to move me, my favourite story this edition is about Greenpeace International Executive Director, Kumi Naidoo, who scaled an oil rig off the coast of Greenland while being pounded with freezing water from a water canon. He was trying to get the owner of the rig and the water canon, Cairn Energy, to make public their oil spill contingency plan. And we succeeded. Turn to page 23 to read a letter written by his teenage daughter when he was detained after that peaceful direct action. There’s a large window in our Greenpeace Hong Kong office. Whenever I feel tired I often look out at the Hong Kong skyline, and it reminds me of how far we are from the Arctic, where climate change has really taken grip with melting sea ice and glaciers. But it just makes me even more determined to work harder and make sure that our IDEAL approach is the right one to get positive results for our planet. Furthermore, knowing that we have people like you behind us gives me much heart that we can reach those IDEALs. So let me say a warm thank you for your continued support and hope that you enjoy this magazine as a small token of our thanks. We look forward to hearing your comments on our revamped look and your thought on ways that we can further improve. Please email us here at donor.services.hk@greenpeace.org or give us a call on 2854-8318. We look forward to hearing from you. Again, thank you for being part of the Greenpeace family.
Cristina San Vicente Fundraising Director, Greenpeace East Asia
ACT EXPOSE
CONTENTS GREEN HEADLINE
05
IDEAL: Greenpeace’s framework for positive action
INVESTIGATE
07
Going undercover to dig up the dirt on the fashion industry
DOCUMENT
13
Bearing witness to the hurt caused by industrial negligence
EXPOSE
17
Using vanishing sea ice to sound the alarm over climate change
ACT
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Braving icy water to protest oil drilling dangers
LOBBY
25
Going to court to save our oceans
GREEN FOOTPRINTS
29
In the world’s forest: the path to zero deforestation
GREEN SNAPSHOTS
31
Short environmental news updates
DONORS MESSAGE
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Birthday wishes to GREENPEACE
FINANCIAL SUMMARY Our transparency policy: How your gifts have been put to good use
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Greenpeace has offices in more than 40 countries around the world. The main driving force behind our work is the concept captured by the word IDEAL – Investigate (I), Document (D), Expose (E), Act (A), and Lobby (L). We use this effective framework to tackle climate change, promote clean energy, defend our oceans, protect forests, prevent pollution and campaign for food security across the planet. Greenpeace, together with you, works for positive change through action.
DOCUMENT
INVESTIGATE
LOBBY
A good way to help you visualize our work is with the word, IDEAL. Its letters spell out the different strategies we employ within our campaigns. It is a framework that incorporates solid science, positive action, networking, media relations, and the passion of our activists, while the glue that holds it all together is the support of our donors, people like you.
GREEN HEADLINE
IDEAL is ...... INVESTIGATE
Like scientists – in fact many of our staff hold PhD’s and masters in scientific disciplines – we investigate environmental crimes. We take samples, conduct laboratory tests, and use satellite mapping data. In this issue we reveal our undercover investigation into water pollution by the textile industry in China (see page 6).
DOCUMENT
One of Greenpeace’s core values is ‘bearing witness,’ or in other words documenting environmental disasters so that they cannot be forgotten or covered up. This year we rushed to the scene of an illegal chromium waste dump site that was killing cattle, poisoning people’s drinking water, and choking crops in Yunnan province. Here we present the evidence (see page 12) that helped to kick start a nationwide government cleanup plan.
EXPOSE
Through meticulous research, often in collaboration with some of the world’s top scientists, Greenpeace investigates key environmental issues. We were in the Arctic earlier this year to measure sea ice thickness (an indicator of the rate of climate change) with experts from Cambridge University. Gloria Chang from our Hong Kong office went to the Arctic to lend a helping hand (see page 16).
ACT
“Positive Change through Action” is one of Greenpeace’s guiding principles. Non-violent direct action helps bring our message of change to companies, governments, and the public. Read about the bravery (page 20) of our activists this year as they scaled an oil rig in freezing conditions in the Arctic to stop potentially devastating oil drilling.
LOBBY
We engage in dialogue with governments and companies on all our campaign issues – that includes toxic pollution, climate change, deforestation, and the health of our oceans. In effect, we are lobbying with the best of them. Our role as lobbyists is best illustrated with the story of Yu Fen Kao, our oceans campaigner in our Taiwan office who is facing court action because she told the Taiwan government to take responsibility for the problem of illegal fishing. See page 24.
05
“The use of hazardous chemicals by the textile industry is a widespread and pervasive problem.� Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry, Greenpeace report on the textile industry released August 2011
IDEAL – INVESTIGATE
07
How dirty is your laundry? We’re not talking about your Sunday washing but about top fashion labels and sportswear brands that many of us admire and wear. Greenpeace came out with serious results in our latest investigation published in full in the report Dirty Laundry 2. We analyzed clothing samples from 15 household names and 14 of them tested positive for nonylphenol ethoxylate. The word is a mouthful but simply put it’s a chemical that over time breaks down into a toxic compound which can then damage our reproductive systems and is dangerous even at low concentrations. Europe has already banned its use.
Timetable of investigate: Date/Time
Location
1. June 2010 and morning on March 2011
Pipe from Youngor Textile Complex
2. June 2010 and evening on March 2011
Pipe from Youngor Textile Complex
3. Morning on June 2010
Pipe from Well Dyeing Factory Limited
4. Morning on June 2010
Pipe from Well Dyeing Factory Limited
Discharge of effluent was observed
Discharge of effluent was not observed
No effluent was discharged
The colour and the temperature of the wastewater were observed to vary considerably over time.
White and blue foam of wastewater
These are the results from the lab. Date of sample analysis
Analysis by
Evidence from
Results
June 2010
Greenpeace International Research Laboratories
Wastewater from Youngor Textile Complex and Well Dyeing Factory Limited
The chemical analysis found a variety of hazardous substances, including the persistent chemicals nonylphenol and perfluorinated chemicals. They can cause adverse effects on the liver and act as hormone disruptors.
These chemicals not only pose a danger to the areas surrounding the factories where these clothes are made, but also to the countries where these clothes are worn because chemicals can leak from the clothes when they are washed. Which means Hong Kong is also at risk.
For more details, please click here:
We are targeting these top brands because they have sway. They dominate the clothing industry and so can influence their suppliers – such as textile factories in China – to eliminate the use of all hazardous chemicals from both the production process and from the clothing that we end up wearing. On this basis, our Toxics campaigners turned to each of these clothing giants and asked them: “Who will rise to the challenge and champion a toxic-free future?” Thanks to you and all our other supporters, we received some great responses.
IDEAL – INVESTIGATE
CLICKERS AND STICKERS MAKE
09
DETOX
We’re challenging some of the world’s most popular clothing brands to work with all of their suppliers to eliminate the release of toxic chemicals into our water. Campaign Name: Champion a toxic-free future Launch date: July 2011 Aimed at who: High street clothing brands Demands: DESIGN A BETTER FUTURE: Adopt clear company and supplier policies that push for a shift from toxic to non-hazardous chemicals with clear and realistic time-lines. WALK THE TALK: Prioritise the worst chemicals and eliminate these immediately. MAKE TRANSPARENCY EN VOGUE: Make data publicly available on suppliers, restricted substance list, hazardous chemicals. SET THE TREND: Catalyse change by working collaboratively with others. ACTION: It was time to throw out our challenge to these clothing companies to turn their polluting ways around. Hong Kong campaigners walked into a Li-Ning boardroom and hand delivered our demands to the company executives. And spreading around the globe was a viral video campaign, online petitions and public demonstrations, including outside Beijing’s Adidas and Nike stores. More than 600 volunteers participated in a “Detox flashmob striptease” outside Adidas and Nike stores in 29 cities in 10 countries. We also reached to the public at events such as Shanghai’s Zebra Music Festival. Before long one by one the companies came forward with pledges to Detox. These included: ■ To eliminate all hazardous chemicals from the entire product lifecycle and across the whole supply chain by 2020 ■ To ensure full transparency about the chemicals being released from supplier factories (to various deadlines) ■ To use influence, knowledge and experience to bring about widespread elimination of hazardous chemicals from the clothing industry
26 July: Puma 18 August: Nike 30 August: Adidas 20 September: H&M 21 Nov: Li-Ning 21 Nov: C&A We are still waiting for Abercrombie & Fitch, Calvin Klein, CONVERSE, G-Star Raw, Kappa, LACOSTE, Ralph Lauren, UNIQLO and Youngor.
IDEAL – INVESTIGATE Behind the scenes of our Detox campaign More than a year’s meticulous research went into our two Dirty Laundry reports. We have to be 100% sure of our facts before we go out there with you and pressure companies. Greenpeace East Asia toxic campaigner Zhang Kai talks about dirty pipes, going undercover and a toxic-free future.
Which part of the Detox campaign was the most challenging? The most challenging parts were the investigations into the production process and the supply chain: this included investigating the effluent from the suppliers’ sewage pipes and the precise relationship between the brands and the suppliers. In mainland China, factories do not clearly mark their effluent pipes, so we needed to confirm which pipe belonged to which factory and then we needed to make at least five sampling trips for each factory pipe. This was one of Greenpeace’s most complex investigations because the relationship between textile plants and the big brands was often opaque and it was vital to our campaign that we established the relationship clearly.
Which part of the campaign work left the deepest impression on you? The on-site investigation left the deepest impression on me. We spent about one year carrying out the investigation on the textile plants,
covering factories along the Yangtze River and in the Pearl River Delta. Our investigators had to work undercover and conceal their identity. For example we had some workers pretend to apply for work at the factory so they could take photos of the plant secretly, and others gathered information by just chatting to factory workers.
Tell us about some of the key moments in the campaign. 1) After the sampling results came back, we felt very torn. On the one hand, we knew that we had to
continue our investigation but at the same time we felt anxious because it was obviously urgent that we solved this toxic pollution problem as soon as possible. 2) Two weeks after we released our report, Puma came out with its promise to eliminate toxic substances from its supply chain. When we heard that we were overjoyed.
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What’s the next step? We will continue to pressure the big clothing brands to commit to eliminating toxic chemicals and we’ll engage with the China Textile Industry Association, research bodies and the environmental bureaus to promote clean policies and standards.
What do you hope to achieve in the next few years? We look forward to the day that the reckless behaviour of multinational companies no longer endangers the
health of Chinese people by turning their waterways into rivers of toxic poison. By continuing to monitor the operations of these clothing companies and their suppliers, holding them accountable to the promises they have made, as well as facilitate other companies to likewise make the “detox” switch, we hope to see a “detox revolution” move through the entire textile industry. In 20-25 years the entire textile industry will have eliminated the use of hazardous chemicals.
Greenpeace’s investigation team works around the clock to collect evidence of environmental pollution by the fashion industry. Our final aim is to persuade the big brands to change to clean production, that means no more water pollution. To help us target even more top clothing companies we would like to see if you could spare an additional gift. We can achieve clean production sooner and prevent the poisoning of the remaining 30% of water which is as of yet unpolluted on the Mainland. Please follow the link to donate online. www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/donate/
Greenpeace sent a rapid response team to area near the village of Xinglong to document the illegal dumping of chromium and raise awareness among the local people. When Greenpeace workers tested the water used by the villagers for drinking, the levels chromium VI were so high that the readings went off the scale.
IDEAL – DOCUMENT
13
Chromium waste dumpers in Yunnan taken to court. Earlier this year we were all shocked by the news that a chemical company in southern China’s Yunnan province had been illegally dumping toxic cancer-causing waste near the village of Xinglong. The problem was so serious that the Chinese press began calling Xinglong a cancer village. Yunnan Liuliang Chemical Industry had dumped 5,000 tons of the hazardous waste and had another 140,000 tons that would likely have ended up the same way if they had not been discovered. The waste should have been driven to the neighbouring province of Guizhou to a processing plant. The chemical waste, containing toxic chromium VI, had seeped into the soil, drinking water and crops. And the villagers did not know the real dangers. They were still drinking the water and walking in their fields barefoot.
As soon as we heard about the news, Greenpeace sent a rapid response team to the area to document the problem and raise awareness among the local people. When we tested the water used by the villagers for drinking, the levels of chromium VI were so high the readings went off the scale. Our work and the media attention kick-started a clean-up campaign. The local government fenced off the polluted area, surveyed the region for other illegal waste sites, tested for levels of contamination and then made the results public. There are many other chromium waste dump sites across China, endangering people’s lives and polluting the land and water. Following our work in Yunnan, the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced a national crackdown on chromium waste sites, with clear timelines. And it’s had a positive spill-on effect into other waste issues such as e-waste.
Latest update: In October, local environmental NGO, Friends of Nature, filed a public interest law suit against Luliang Chemical for dumping the toxic chromium waste. This is the first time a grassroots Chinese NGO has successfully brought a public interest law suit to court.
Chromium VI: fast facts ■
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Heavy metal, highly toxic, commonly used in electroplating or in the manufacture of stainless steel; Included on China’s national list of hazardous waste, one of eight substances most harmful to the human body; Difficult to break down, it requires years or even decades to completely clean up; In the US, similar contaminated sites are still not completely clean even after 30 years.
Ma Tianjie, from Greenpeace in Beijing, was part of the Greenpeace rapid response team that was dispatched to Yunnan to investigate that toxic chromium dump. Here he shares with us his experiences.
IDEAL – DOCUMENT
15
Real witness: Chromium Waste Dead cows and sheep The drivers working for the chemical company were lazy and so they dumped the toxic chromium waste in several sites in the hills here. Rain washed the waste into a nearby reservoir killing dozens of cattle and sheep. And the bigger problem is that Liuliang Chemical still has more than 100,000 tons of untreated chromium waste. If there was a bad storm this waste could contaminate the source of the Pearl River and turn it into a toxic soup!
Xinglong, the cancer village We visited a nearby village, called Xinglong, which because of abnormally high rates of cancer has been dubbed
Sudden environmental disasters and natural disasters can have a huge impact on people’s lives. The damage and hurt can last for generations. Greenpeace’s rapid response team needs your additional help to meet the growing number of crises in the region. Our team has the expertise to not only help save the environment but also the professional experience to propose solutions. Please follow the link to donate online. www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/donate/
a cancer village by the media. We took some measurements from the mouth of an underground aquifer, which locals call ‘the dragon’s fountain’ and it was hundreds of times over the safe limit for chromium. But still local villagers plant their crops barefoot and put their cattle and sheep out to graze on this contaminated land. They told us crops fail and their livestock die for no reason.
The rescue is started Myself and the other members of the emergency response team put on rubber boots, gloves and masks, and dug through the chromium waste dump to take suitable samples. We also told the villagers how to protect themselves and urged the local government to take immediate action.
Sadly, this dump in Liuliang county is not the only one. There are similar toxic dump sites all across the country including in Tianjin, Henan and Hunan. They are like toxic time bombs. We hope that we can use this Yunnan example to kickstart a big cleanup everywhere. We have taken the first step.
“Glaciers are retreating. Ice caps are melting. Oceans are acidifying. The Arctic is under threat from both climate change and increased oil drilling.” – Hong Kong Campaigns Manager, Gloria Chang
IDEAL – EXPOSE
17
Walking on thin ice At the end of this summer, Hong Kong campaigns manager Gloria Chang joined independent ice scientists from the University of Cambridge’s Polar Ocean Physics Group on board our other ship, the Arctic Sunrise. Gloria was helping to measure Arctic sea ice thickness around Norway’s Warbah Islands. The thinning of sea ice reveals how fast and how serious climate change is happening. Gloria talks about how she measured the ice and her feelings up near the pole as she was faced with worrying environmental news. “I measured sea ice thickness in about a dozen places. It was fun because even I got to operate the tools – using just a tape measure! Some of the crew members would drill into the ice and then use me to measure the ice.” While we were measuring sea ice thickness bad news came from the US-based National Snow and Ice Data Center, which reported that the Arctic summer sea ice extent had plummeted to the second lowest level in recorded history. You might think this does not
sound so bad, but in reality it really is serious. The lowest level was in 2007, but that year the Arctic was experiencing some extreme weather conditions which was responsible for the sea ice coverage reaching record lows. But this year, there was no extreme weather in the Arctic, so we can see the serious extent of climate change and how it is causing rapid melting of Arctic sea ice. Out there in the seemingly endless Arctic Ocean of ice and waves, I felt the determination of the Greenpeace workers and the scientists with us who were keenly seeking the truth. We could feel the support of all our donors and activists, including you, and that made us even more determined to work together to save our fragile planet from its most serious threat.
The China Connection The melting ice is opening up new waterways to shipping, a clamor to claim rights to its natural resources and exploit its fish stocks. All these activities are a potential source of friction, likely making the Arctic the world’s next geopolitical battleground. And China appears to be starting to flex its muscles around Arctic issues, showing a keen interest in having a stake in decision-making for the region. Climate change is a global issue, and the melting of Arctic sea ice will involve Greenpeace East Asia just as much as all the other regional offices. For more details, please click here:
The Rainbow Warrior is not just one of the most environmentally-friendly ships ever made; she’s also a campaigner’s dream.
IDEAL – EXPOSE
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Ship of Dreams The Rainbow Warrior II
The New Rainbow Warrior
You may have had a chance to board the Rainbow Warrior II this February when she docked in Hong Kong on her farewell voyage around Asia. We retired this beautiful campaigning ship after 22 years of service last August and she is now a floating hospital for Friendship, a Bangladesh-based NGO.
The new Rainbow Warrior III, built with your support, is the world’s first ship constructed from the keel up to win the battle for the future of the Earth. Constructed in Poland and Germany, she was launched in Hamburg this October.
The Rainbow Warrior is synonymous with Greenpeace. She helped us end nuclear testing in the Pacific Ocean, block coal ports and close down destructive fishing operations (to name but a few). The original Rainbow Warrior I was bombed by French secret service agents in 1985, killing one of our photographers.
The Rainbow Warrior 3 is Greenpeace’s most iconic tool to help save our planet. With your extra gift we could fund her on more campaigns, making positive change to protect our world for all of us and all of our children and our children’s children to come. Please follow the link to donate online. www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/donate
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Total length: 57.92 m Helicopter landing deck Mast length: over 50 m Sailing speed: 15 knots Accommodation: 30 people Hull: designed for superior energy efficiency Environmentally-friendly paint Engine heat is used to heat water for crew use
The Rainbow Warrior III
She’s fast: she can speed as fast as many industrial vessels, with action boats that can be deployed in minutes – even in waves up to 3.5 m high. Her helicopter landing pad means we can deploy a vital eye in the sky, enabling us to spot illegal fishing operations and shipments of illegal wood.
She’s built for science: she can carry 8 tonnes of scientific equipment. By supporting original scientific research we help build understanding of what is happening to our planet’s ecosystems.
She’s built to communicate: the on-board satellite communications system – featuring a built-in satellite uplink – means she is able to stream live footage from the scene of environmental crimes direct to the world’s media and direct to you.
Arctic sea ice acts like the planet’s air conditioning system and, like miners who used canaries to warn of deadly gases, we have the extent and volume of this ice to warn us of climate change.
IDEAL – ACT
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Canaries made of ice The most visible impact of climate change is the disappearing Arctic sea ice. Melting sea ice creates an evil feed-in loop, further accelerating the melting and climate change itself. How does it work? Warmed air
Pool Ocean Methane released to atmosphere
Lake Active layer Permafrost layer Unfrozen layer
Methane hydrate
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Gorgeous Arctic As sea ice recedes, the face of the Arctic is changing: wildlife lose their home, climate change is kicked up a notch, sea channels are opened up increasing shipping and the associated dangers of oil spills, and oil companies begin to jostle over the right to exploit for oil and gas. Let’s take a moment to enjoy the beauty of the Arctic today, so that we can build up our movement to preserve it for tomorrow.
Step One: As the white reflective surface of ice melts there is less white space to reflect the sun’s rays and so the darker ocean surface ends up absorbing more heat, meaning warmer seas and more ice melting. Step Two: The warmer seas and climate change are melting Arctic permafrost (frozen soil). Underneath are massive pockets of methane gas which are released when the permafrost melts. Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas, thus intensifying climate change.
“The campaign to stop Arctic oil drilling is one of the defining environmental battles of our age” – Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director of Greenpeace International
IDEAL – ACT The first oil company to sneak into the Arctic was Cairn Energy, a small British exploration company which set up an oil rig nearly 200 km off the coast of Greenland in the freezing waters of the Davis Strait. As soon as the oil rig was up Greenpeace sprung into action. This summer we sent team after team of activists, including our own international executive director Kumi Naidoo, to scale the oil rig, the Leiv Eriksson. They got to the top even though Cairn fired freezing water cannons at them. Some teams even managed to stop the rig’s operations for several days at a stretch. We were asking the company to immediately halt the drilling and leave the Arctic. And also, crucially, to publish its oil spill response plan which it resisted for months. Although all our brave activists ended up drenched, and some arrested and detained in jail for a few weeks, we won the key battle. Our peaceful direct action and the support of more than 100,000 people who signed petitions, forced Cairn to make public its oil spill response plan and it wasn’t pretty. During the long, winter months, Cairn admitted it would have to abort any clean up operation, and for the rest of the year clean up operations would be largely ineffective. They said it would be better to simply let beaches recover over time.
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A letter to Kumi from his daughter (Extracted)
Dear Dad, As my friends and flatmates go to visit their fathers on father’s day, I am both proud and saddened to know that you are being held in custody in Greenland after standing up against the madness of Arctic oil drilling. Watching the videos of you braving the freezing water cannons to scale that massive Arctic oil rig, I can truthfully say that I will spend this father's day being proud to be your daughter. There are many reasons why I am glad you are my father. First, you made sure that as a child I became aware of issues of social, economic, gender and environmental justice. It has never been more to clear to me that the Earth is a fragile place that needs protection, and if it continues to be exploited in ways such as is currently being done in the Arctic, it will not be long before there is nothing left. It seems completely crazy that the melting ice may spur a whole new oil rush there in the Arctic. It is clear to me, and all the many Greenpeace supporters across the world who are behind you, that brave and direct action like yours is the only hope we have that sanity may prevail over madness. Lots of love, Naomi
The Arctic is one of the most pristine, fragile and vulnerable ecosystems in the world – home to wildlife that includes almost all of the world’s Narwhal whale population as well as blue whales, sea bird colonies and polar bears. The world’s oil giants are watching Cairn’s rigs with great interest. If it strikes oil,
although to date most of its exploration wells have shown up dry if it strikes oil Exxon, Chevron and the other big oil companies (which have already bought up Greenland licenses to exploit for oil) will begin drilling in the area and the Arctic oil rush will be on. We can’t let that happen. Are you with us?
Why not drill for oil in the Arctic? Oil spills are devastating at the best of times, but an accident in the Arctic would be many times worse. The sea ice, extreme weather, and remote location would mean that it would be almost impossible to clean up.
Kao Yu-fen is an oceans campaigner and oceans defender in our Taiwan office, and as we go to press she is involved in a court case because she stood up to the Taiwan government.
IDEAL – LOBBY
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Oceans Defender At the beginning of this year, Greenpeace reported that the MV Lung Yuin, a 3,431 ton flag of convenience refrigerated fish carrier ship, was in breach of Taiwan’s flag of convenience ordinance. The Lung Yuin has a murky past and has long been on Greenpeace’s radar. She was apprehended in Japan in 2004 for illegal fishing and has faced allegations of onboard human rights abuses in recent years. We have identified over 235 FOC vessels which should have registered with the government. To date the government has ignored this problem. You might remember the protest we staged against the Lung Yuin back in January. Our brave activists prevented the ship from leaving Kaoshiung port for several hours by locking themselves to the anchor chain.
Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency skirted their responsibility, and claimed that since the Lung Yuin is a cargo ship it did not need to register and now Chang Soon Corp, the ship’s owner, has pressed charges against Fen Kao. This case here in Taiwan has just begun and we will continue to tell the people who should be managing our oceans that they have to do their jobs and manage them for the benefit of the billions of people around the world who need the oceans for food and jobs. After all, fishing industries, governments and most importantly ordinary people like you and me, all have a vested interest in our oceans.
Kao Yu-Fen tells us why she loves her job “I want to use my knowledge to fight injustice and change the way that information is controlled by people with privilege. I want to start a public debate on our oceans, because interest groups have all the power here, but their fate affects people across the globe. I see my mission as revealing the truth, pushing the issue to the forefront of our lives, using the media, and asking the public to consider our marine planet. I love my job!”
Recent scientific evaluation has shown that if nothing changes, most commercial fisheries will have collapsed by 2048.
IDEAL – LOBBY
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Not Enough Fish in the Sea And thus we arrive at the last of our IDEAL letters, Lobby. Let us tell you the story of our new Taiwan office as it is perhaps the best current example of our lobbying work. It was a passion to protect our oceans and the fish that sustain many millions of people that impelled us to open an office in Taipei last year. Taiwan sits at the edge of the Pacific Ocean where the bulk of the world’s fish stocks live. 60% of the world’s tuna come from the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. Because they are near the top of the food chain, their numbers indicate the health of a marine ecosystem. The news is not good.
Tuna in trouble This wonderful fish - the majestic bluefin tuna weighs in at 700kg, can accelerate faster than a Porsche and swim as fast as 43mph – has been exploited since large-scale industrial fishing began in the 1950s. Bigeye and yellowfin tuna are fully exploited or over exploited in all oceans. Large modern fishing ships are able to take as much tuna in two days as whole countries can take in a year.
What’s Taiwan got to do with this? Taiwan is at the center of the crisis facing our oceans. It has fishing boats in every ocean of the world, and it has the largest fishing fleet in the Pacific. Due to international condemnation after the number of its fishing vessels had spiraled out of control Taiwan cut the number of its distant-water fishing vessels to 2,200 in 2009. However, the number of Taiwanese has continued to rise because many of them just register under a flag of convenience (FOC). The number of FOC vessels operated by Taiwanese fishermen has grown rapidly in recent years. Factoring in FOC ships, Taiwan has one of the biggest tuna fleets in the world.
What’s our answer? As well as getting the Taiwan government to crack down on FOC
vessels, the worldwide problem of saving our oceans has a simple solution: a network of marine reserves (national parks in the sea), where fishing and mining would be prohibited. Ideally, these reserves would cover about 40% of the world’s oceans. Greenpeace is committed to campaigning for the establishment of marine reserves in the high seas off the coasts of Taiwan and South Korea to save our fragile marine ecosystems. If you can spare an additional gift it would really help our Ocean Defenders campaign catch illegal fishing vessels, lobby for sustainable fishing practices and the setting up of marine national parks. Please follow the link to donate online. www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/donate/
GREEN FOOTPRINTS
2005
2006
2007
2008
Photocopy giant Xerox agrees to stop buying timber pulp from StoraEnso, the Finnish national logging company which is cutting down one of Europe’s last remaining ancient forests.
Our campaigning results in a presidential decree in Brazil which creates a conservation area in the Amazon rainforest twice the size of Belgium (16 million acres).
We lobby China’s largest home improvement retailer B&Q to pledge not to sell any wooden product that is made from illegally felled timber.
We persuade Unilever and Italian chocolate maker Ferrero (creators of Nutella) to stop buying palm oil from companies that destroy Indonesia’s rainforests to plant palm oil trees.
That air you are breathing comes to us courtesy of our planet’s great forests. They support all life on earth. They help in the fight to stop global climate change; sustain a myriad marvelous animals (two thirds of the world’s total). Why is it crucial that we end deforestation? • “Remaining forests are critical to stabilize and maintain our climate. If we don’t maintain our forests, this will only increase climate change. Plus, forest ecosystems are where most of the earth species are held.” Greenpeace campaigner 2011 • To end deforestation globally, the international community must urgently agree on a mechanism to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation in developing countries – where most of the world’s remaining ancient forests are found. • Greenpeace is lobbying for an international framework that could do just that. This mechanism or program is known as ‘reduced emissions from degradation and deforestation’ (REDD). • We are campaigning for massive funding to be made available to developing countries to increase their capacities to manage and monitor their forests to protect the global climate, as well as to develop economic alternatives to tropical forest destruction.
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We help save Canada’s Great Bear Forest. An area half the size of Switzerland is protected from logging.
Europe passes law banning trade in illegal timber after a 10-year Greenpeace campaign.
Three of the world’s biggest toymakers – Lego, Mattel (maker of Barbie dolls) and Hasbro (maker of transformer toys and Monopoly) – respond to our campaigns and pledge to stop buying paper and packaging from companies that destroy Indonesia’s Paradise Forests. Mattel also promises to increase the amount of recycled paper and Forest Stewardship Council certified paper and wood products it uses for its packaging.
Go! Zero Deforestation! Greenpeace is campaigning for an end to all deforestation of tropical rainforests by 2020 – a step that is critical to protecting the global climate, biodiversity and forest dependent communities. To get there, we need massive, coordinated political action on an international and national scale.
Greenpeace and eight other environmental organizations reach an agreement with 21 logging companies for an immediate moratorium on logging in nearly 29 million hectares of Canada’s Boreal Forest.
GREEN SNAPSHOTS QR Codes To enable your device to read QR codes simply search for “QR Code” apps in the iTunes store, Android Market or wherever you download apps. Popular iPhone apps for reading these codes include QRReader, BeeTagg Reader, and Barcode. Popular Andriod apps include QR Droid, QuickMark and QR Code Reader. After you’ve installed the app, select it, point your device’s camera at the QR code, and follow the link that pops up. It couldn’t be easier.
It’s not just QR codes that Greenpeace is getting into. We’re also au fait with all kinds of apps and microblogs, particularly those that keep us to date with real-time air quality in mainland China and Hong Kong. In October we published a round-up of the best ones, official and unofficial, made by us and made by others. Scan the QR code here to see which one works for you.
International Greenpeace campaigner and Hong Kong-native, Iris Cheng, is getting published. Her article, Chernobyl: distorted reality, and unanswered questions will feature in the new Cambridge Checkpoint English Student Book 3. In her text, she dwells on the dangers of nuclear power after a taking a trip with 70 journalists to the site of the Chernobyl disaster in the Ukraine earlier this year.
The Greenpeace bible, Greenpeace: How a Group of Ecologists, Journalists, and Visionaries Changed the World, by Rex Weyler, has finally been published in Chinese on the mainland. The book, originally out in English in 2004, relates how a loosely-knit protest group in Canada in the 1970s, took on the name “Greenpeace” and transformed itself from an effective, but decidedly underground, international heckler into a mobilized, global ‘eco-navy.’ It is our story.
31 Greenpeace has been pushing the Hong Kong government to scrap energy-guzzling incandescent light bulbs since 2007. Four years later, Hong Kong finally bowed to pressure and has just finished a three-month public consultation on restricting the sale of these light bulbs. It’s bright to ban the bulb. Let’s hope the government sees the light.
While Apple’s former CEO Steve Jobs was never a Greenpeace fan he did respond to our campaigns and take Apple from the bottom of our green electronics ranking to somewhere nearer the top. In 2008, Apple led the industry with the first computers virtually free of toxic PVC and BFRs. Rest in peace Steve Jobs, and thank you for leaving the world a greener Apple. Please scan for the latest Greener electronics guide!
We trust that you came along to our “Car-free Day” last September. Well, we were honoured to be shortlisted for the 58th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity with our with Car-Free Day ad. The ad showed two tire tracks with the text: “You’re not just driving poochie, you’re driving chronic droughts. Every day, cars speed up global warming by emitting 2,992 tons of greenhouse gasses. Give the earth a break on Car Free Day this September 22.” The ad was designed by Leo Burnett, Hong Kong.
Eight cowering pelicans, stained a sickened brown colour from an oil slick stand huddled together. This moving picture won Greenpeace photographer Daniel Beltra the title of Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year in October. Daniel made his winning picture for Greenpeace at a temporary bird-rescue facility in Fort Jackson, Louisiana, while documenting the environmental impacts caused by the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
DONORS MESSAGE Thank you When Greenpeace marked its 40th anniversary earlier this year many members sent us kind birthday wishes. We thank everyone for their inspiring support. We can share a few of those messages of warmth and blessing with you. Is yours among them?
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I hope that more people will notice Greenpeace’s program of positive change through action and will join their support to ours. Over the next 40 years, I hope that Greenpeace will continue to uphold its values and strive for a greener, more peaceful and fairer world, and continue to use non-violent direct action to alert people to environmental issues.
Wang Chung Yee
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Jackie Tang
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I particularly like the way Greenpeace promotes a greener society and a sustainable future for human beings. Please keep bringing this message to governments. I also applaud how Greenpeace persuades large multinational manufacturers to protect the environment. Keep up with the good work. My best wishes to all the people who work for Greenpeace.
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I sincerely hope that more and more people will understand the urgent need to take action. I also think that Greenpeace projects should extend into the local community and work more closely with corresponding local government officials so that everyone will take real action to save our Earth!
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Winnie Ng
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Rachelle S Y Lau
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I hope to see Greenpeace campaigning more on energy-saving and providing achievable solutions for the next generation. Happy Birthday to Greenpeace and to a clean and healthy planet for everyone!
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Greenpeace, please keep fighting for a beautiful and healthy world!
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Chan King Ki Kimmy
Fu Ling
I am very impressed with how Greenpeace campaigns for food safety and against pollution by big companies. I hope Greenpeace will bring us more achievements. We will support you and be by your side always.
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Ruby Ng
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I hope Greenpeace can educate the public to be more concerned about our living environment and its limited resources. If not, we will need to pay the price one day. We need to work hand-in-hand to protect the world before it’s too late. I hope Greenpeace will have the capability and the power to make all nations listen and that we will all work together as one.
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Ng Suk Ping April
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I love how Greenpeace dares to challenge authorities on green issues. Please keep independent and unbiased.
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FINANCIAL SUMMARY (JAN-AUG 2011)
Financial Summary A big thank you for your donation. Please be assured that we make full use of every single dollar, converting it into effective positive action for the environment. In order to make our financial accounts more transparent we will now start publishing our accounts – how we divide and spend your donations – each quarter. We also hope it will give you a better feel for the impact your gift is making on saving our planet. If you have any questions, or simply want to know how you can involve in Greenpeace’s work, please feel free to call our Member Services Hotline on (852) 28548318. We will do our best to answer any questions you have.
Protecting Pristine Forests
Climate and Energy
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Highlighting the plight of Hainan Island’s rare gibbons due to deforestation; ■ Joining our international rainforest campaign against APP to protect Sumatran tigers in Indonesia
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Food safety
Defending Our Oceans
Eliminate Toxic Chemicals
Testing for pesticides on rice and fresh produce in mainland supermarkets; ■ Filing a law suit against Tesco and Lianhua for illegal pesticide levels;
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Released report on Taiwan Fishery Agency’s ocean-destroying subsidies; ■ Chasing Taiwan long-liner vessel in the high seas calling for marine reserves;
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Measuring sea ice thickness in the Arctic; Calibrating pollution from coal ash dump sites; Assessing mercury contamination from coal power plants. Rallied the Hong Kong public to petition China Light & Power (CLP) to make its billing policy fairer for us and harder for big corps to gobble up energy. A response from the Government and CLP is expected by December.
Going undercover to collect evidence on textile plant pollution; ■ Cleaning up the fashion industry with our Dirty Laundry reports; ■ Took direct action to push Adidas and Li-Ning to join the Detox challenge globally, in which our action was able to get positive response from Li-ning's top management. In Hong Kong, we gave Adidas the yellow card to get them to detox. ■ Sending a rapid response team to illegal chromium dump in Yunnan.
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18%
Fundraising, Donor communications & Donor maintenance in both Hong Kong and Taiwan offices
16%
Organizational support (Senior Management governance, Finance control, IT infrastructure, Human Resources and office support)
57% Campaigns and supporting funds
9%
Administration
(Statistics from January until August 2011)
Address：8/F, Pacific Plaza, 410-418 Des Voeux Road West, Hong Kong Supporter Services Hotline：2854 8318 Email：donor.services.hk@greenpeace.org
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POSTAGE PAID HONG KONG PORT PAYE
ECONOMY
The Rainbow Warrior spirit lives on Our new Rainbow Warrior III sets sail Defending our planet, with no fear of storms
Please watch out for the Rainbow Warrior III’s 2012 Defending the Amazon Rainforest Tour
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