May 2007

September 2005: Greenpeace activists disrupt the IUU fishing activities of the factory trawler 'Murtosa' in the Barents Sea

If you've been following our oceans campaign over the past year or so, you'll know that many fish stocks around the world are in a dangerously depleted state. And while we've had some success here in the UK persuading major retail chains to take a responsible attitude about where the seafood they sell comes from, far too many of the fish we eat still come from unsustainable sources - either from destructive and wasteful fishing methods like beam trawling, or from illegal 'pirate' fishing.

A month ago, we reported that E.ON had applied to build the first new coal-fired power plant in the UK for 33 years. This new application, we said, could open the floodgates to a spate of new coal power plants in the UK.

If the testimonies of our two Congolese visitors weren't enough to convince you that there's trouble of the arboreal variety brewing in the Democratic Republic of Congo, try this film for size.

If we needed more proof that the Bush administration is still ignoring the global scientific consensus on climate change, we now have it - in the form of a leaked document from the G8. Track changes in the Word document - a draft communique on climate change and energy security - reveals the edits made by the Bush administration.

The opening paragraph says it all really:

It's time for us whale lovers to hold our breath and cross our fingers yet again as we watch developments at the 59th meeting of the International Whaling Commission, now underway in Anchorage, Alaska.

For the past few years the IWC, charged by the United Nations with protecting whales, has been the focus of serious lobbying by some whaling nations to allow a resumption of commercial whaling - suspended since 1986 following a dramatic decline in the number of great whales worldwide.

Today, the government has finally published its energy white paper. After last year's energy consultation was ruled "seriously flawed", "misleading" and "manifestly inadequate and unfair" by a High Court Judge, this white paper outlines a new energy policy - and a new nuclear consultation.

Yep, despite a few ineffectual concessions to renewables and efficiency, Tony Blair is still busily spinning the nuclear industry's line: that nuclear power is the answer to climate change. And we still think he's dangerously wrong.

Adrien Sinafasi Makelo (left) and René Ngongo (right) address MPs, civil servants and campaigners

On Thursday, I found myself at Portcullis House, an imposing edifice that sits across the road from the main Houses of Parliament building. The occasion was a panel discussion hosted by Greenpeace and (deep breath) the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Great Lakes Region of Africa, to discuss the crisis in the Congo rainforest. As the name suggests, it's a collective of MPs from all parties with a special interest in that part of the world who try to make sure issues affecting the region remain on the political agenda.

Follow the crew of the Arctic Sunrise on their campaign for Marine Reserves in our North Sea Tour blog

A weekend in Lerwick allowed us to bring the campaign to land, and bring people from land to the campaign. Leaving Shetland marks the end of the North Sea ship tour, but of course we'll be taking the campaign back to our various offices around the North Sea. Meanwhile, the Rainbow Warrior is in the Mediterranean continuing our European work on marine reserves.