Greenpeace Blog

Tuna get political support

Posted by Willie — 17 July 2009 at 4:03pm - Comments

Great news from the world of politics today for bluefin tuna, as reported in the Independent, although you might want it explaining a little.

The UK and French governments have both said that they will back a proposal by Monaco to have bluefin tuna listed by CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species).

Trident: wot no parliamentary debate?

Posted by Louise Edge — 16 July 2009 at 1:43pm - Comments

In recent months it has become increasingly clear that the UK has a massive hole in its national budget and whoever comes to power after the next election is going to have to slash government spending. The debate about what should be cut has just begun, but already emerging at the top of many people's lists (certainly mine) is the planned £76bn replacement of the Trident nuclear weapons system.

The ones that got away

Posted by Willie — 16 July 2009 at 12:31pm - Comments

Despite the old adage, it seems that crime does pay... at least if you are the Stevenson family of Newlyn.

As reported by the BBC, the family, who operate fishing trawlers in Cornwall, were prosecuted for routinely landing illegal fish. Not only were they landing species they had no quotas for, but they were doing so by passing them off as other species, so it was all pre-meditated and well-orchestrated. They also conveniently ran the auctions where the fish are sold, and falsified the records of what fish had been sold to match what the skippers said they landed.

Miliband's energy blueprint: more hot air or full steam ahead?

Posted by jamie — 15 July 2009 at 6:20pm - Comments

While today is unlikely to go down in the annals of history as Green Wednesday, it's still a significant day for those of us concerned about climate change as climate and energy secretary Ed Miliband unveils his big energy strategy.

The strategy - the Low Carbon Transition Plan, no less - comes in the form of not one but a whole ream of papers (including an energy white paper) covering renewable energy, transport, industry and carbon budgets. Together, they form a blueprint explaining how the government hopes to achieve the emissions reductions it's legally obliged to deliver, thanks to the EU renewable energy targets and the UK's own Climate Change Act.

Was it a red letter day for green energy? Let's see.

Glaciers and ice bridges: images from the Greenland ice sheet

Posted by jamie — 15 July 2009 at 2:37pm - Comments

The Arctic Sunrise is still in Greenland where the crew (including leading climate scientists and other ice experts) have been monitoring the ongoing disintegration of the Petermann glacier.

Photographer Nick Cobbing is on board, and we've all been oohing and aahing over his stunning images as they come in to the office. They're all the more poignant as the portion of the glacier they depict may soon cease to exist. 

You can view a larger version of this slideshow, and follow updates from the Arctic Sunrise on the Climate Rescue blog.

Video: Mili-band at Kingsnorth power station

Posted by reto — 15 July 2009 at 2:23pm - Comments

Video: From Sea to Shelf – fisheries for the future

Posted by reto — 14 July 2009 at 5:02pm - Comments

With around 80 per cent of fish stocks in trouble, species driven to extinction and ecosystems on the brink of collapse, it's time to rethink how we harvest our oceans. This new video shows how Greenpeace has been encouraging retailers to clean up their seafood shelves - by switching to a sustainable seafood sourcing policy they can change the world's fisheries and help to protect the world's oceans.

Limited edition sushi*

Posted by Willie — 14 July 2009 at 1:02pm - Comments

*Bluefin sushi will only be available for a limited period because bluefin will soon be extinct. © Ultimate Holding Company / Greenpeace

Bluefin tuna is an endangered species, and it's the oceanic equivalent of a tiger, rhino, or panda - yet it is still being served up as expensive sushi in restaurants. In London alone, there are dozens of venues serving up bluefin, although the celebrity hang-out Nobu is probably the most high-profile culprit.

Our politicians have failed on bluefin tuna, they ignore the scientific warnings, and continue to set quotas that are then ignored by the fishermen.

If we want to stop bluefin from becoming extinct in just a few years then we need to take action now.

It's time to stand up to the energy giants

Posted by jamie — 14 July 2009 at 11:36am - Comments

This piece by Greenpeace UK executive director John Sauven first appeared on Comment Is Free.

Against the backdrop of the worldwide economic downturn, it is ironic that the area often said to have the least business certainty, the renewables sector, is one of the few success stories. Globally this industry is bucking the trends, creating millions of new green jobs, increasing countries' energy independence and reducing climate-changing emissions. So it is scandalous that the CBI should come out attacking the prime minister and the climate change secretary Ed Miliband's commitment to boosting this industry in Britain just days before the launch of a fresh government initiative.

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