Blog: Forests

Brazil sets targets to stop deforestation, but is it enough?

Posted by jamie — 4 December 2008 at 11:42am - Comments

Flying over forest fires in the Amazon © Greenpeace/Beltra

Flying over forest fires in the Amazon © Greenpeace/Beltra

With the current climate talks now underway in Poznan, the Brazilian government has finally fulfilled a promise it made at the previous round of talks in Bali last year and set targets for reducing deforestation in the Amazon. It's great to see they finally have some targets to work towards (and it's been a long time coming) but as is often the way with these political initiatives, it all falls short of what's really needed.

Article tagged as: amazon, amazon fund, brazil, carlos minc, deforestation, forests, forests for climate, lula, poznan

Protect the Congo's forests says Greenpeace DRC

Posted by jossc — 24 November 2008 at 4:28pm - Comments

Arctic Sunrise arriving at the DRC port of Matadi

Arctic Sunrise arriving at the DRC port of Matadi

Today we're celebrating the opening of a new Greenpeace office in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Hurrah! We marked the occasion by inviting Congolese officials aboard the Arctic Sunrise, which is currently docked in Matadi, the country's principal port for timber exports.

This is a crucial time for the Congo rainforest, the world's second largest, as the DRC's government is the final stages of reviewing over 150 land titles, which cover millions of hectares of forest. While a number of titles were recently rejected by the government, the current 'appeals process' could see many of them returned to their former owners, the logging companies. The logging industry is using the present economic downturn to pressurise the govrnment to allow them to keep hold of (and exploit) what effectively amounts to millions of hectares of forest, and carry on business as usual.

Article tagged as: arctic sunrise, congo, DRC, tropical timber

Launching Greenpeace Africa

Posted by bex — 14 November 2008 at 6:28pm - Comments

"While the environmental threats facing Africans are urgent and critical, Africa is in a position to leapfrog dirty development and become a leader in helping to avert catastrophic climate change and protect the natural environment. We are here to help make that happen."

Amadou Kanoute, Executive Director of Greenpeace Africa.

 

Greenpeace Africa is here! Marking a whole new era for Greenpeace, we opened our first African office yesterday, in Johannesburg. In the coming weeks, we'll be opening two more - one in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the other in Senegal.

Article tagged as: about, africa, climate change, congo, forests, oceans, senegal, south africa

The 'twiddling fingers' part of direct action

Posted by jamie — 14 November 2008 at 11:41am - Comments

A dance troupe from Manokwari take a tour of the Esperanza's bridge

A dance troupe from Manokwari take a tour of the Esperanza's bridge in October 2008 © Greenpeace/Rante

Jamie wrote this - his thoughts and reflections on the ship tour so far - as he was waiting for something to happen in Indonesia last night. Eventually, something did.

Direct actions can be quite boring at times. The few moments of excitement are the ones which make the headlines and the photos, but anyone who has participated themselves will know there can be long, drawn-out stretches when not much is happening. Direct inaction, if you will.

I'm currently experiencing that now. As I write this, nestled in the campaign office on board the Esperanza, we're playing a waiting game. You've probably read about what the crew here has been up to in the Indonesian port of Dumai, painting and blockading palm oil tankers.

Article tagged as: climate change, direct actions, dumai, forests, indonesia, palm oil, papua new guinea, ship tours

The 'twiddling fingers' part of direct action

Posted by jamie — 14 November 2008 at 11:41am - Comments

A dance troupe from Manokwari take a tour of the Esperanza's bridge

A dance troupe from Manokwari take a tour of the Esperanza's bridge in October 2008 © Greenpeace/Rante

Jamie wrote this - his thoughts and reflections on the ship tour so far - as he was waiting for something to happen in Indonesia last night. Eventually, something did.

Direct actions can be quite boring at times. The few moments of excitement are the ones which make the headlines and the photos, but anyone who has participated themselves will know there can be long, drawn-out stretches when not much is happening. Direct inaction, if you will.

I'm currently experiencing that now. As I write this, nestled in the campaign office on board the Esperanza, we're playing a waiting game. You've probably read about what the crew here has been up to in the Indonesian port of Dumai, painting and blockading palm oil tankers.

Article tagged as: climate change, direct actions, dumai, forests, indonesia, palm oil, papua new guinea, ship tours

Indonesian ship-to-ship blockade becomes a tug of war

Posted by jamie — 14 November 2008 at 9:04am - Comments

Hauling on the mooring lines © Greenpeace/Novis

Hauling on the Esperanza's mooring lines © Greenpeace/Novis

After painting and obstructing various palm oil tankers in Dumai earlier this week, we of the Esperanza have been playing a waiting game. There was one tanker due in which the campaigners were particularly interested in - not only was it bound for Europe, but it was picking up a cargo of palm oil from Sinar Mas, the largest palm oil company in Indonesia. As soon as it arrived, a climber was installed on the anchor chain and then there was some more waiting. A lot more waiting. 

Article tagged as: climate change, deforestation, direct actions, forests, indonesia, palm oil, ships, sinar mas

Indonesian ship-to-ship blockade becomes a tug of war

Posted by jamie — 14 November 2008 at 9:04am - Comments

Hauling on the mooring lines © Greenpeace/Novis

Hauling on the Esperanza's mooring lines © Greenpeace/Novis

After painting and obstructing various palm oil tankers in Dumai earlier this week, we of the Esperanza have been playing a waiting game. There was one tanker due in which the campaigners were particularly interested in - not only was it bound for Europe, but it was picking up a cargo of palm oil from Sinar Mas, the largest palm oil company in Indonesia. As soon as it arrived, a climber was installed on the anchor chain and then there was some more waiting. A lot more waiting. 

Article tagged as: climate change, deforestation, direct actions, forests, indonesia, palm oil, ships, sinar mas

Update from Indonesia: Greenpeace climber brought down

Posted by bex — 12 November 2008 at 12:42pm - Comments

A policeman pushes a Greenpeace climber down from the anchor chain of the Gran Couva

A policeman pushes a Greenpeace climber down from the anchor chain of the Gran Couva © Greenpeace/Novis

An update from Indonesia: yesterday, the climber occupying the anchor chain of a ship carrying a cargo of palm oil was brought down, arrested and later released without charge.

Yesterday, we also received the intriguing photo above (later chosen by the BBC for its day in pictures). As it took us in the office a while to get our heads around what was happening, I thought I'd pass on Jamie's explanation:

Article tagged as: climate change, deforestation, direct actions, esperanza, forests, indonesia, palm oil, ship tours
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