Greenpeace Blog

New nuclear power stations on Government agenda?

Posted by bex — 17 September 2001 at 8:00am - Comments
The UK press has been full of speculation for over a year that the Government is ready to launch a new nuclear power programme. Over the first few months of 2005 many articles speculated that as soon as the General Election was out of the way in May, the Government would support the construction of new nuclear power stations.

Flash floods in Pakistan

Posted by bex — 24 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments
Climate change: English country floods

Climate change: English country floods

Flash floods have killed at least 150 people in Pakistan in the last 48 hours. The floods have buried homes built of corrugated iron and wood, sent mountains of mud crashing into villages and turned dried canals into roaring rivers.

Torrential rains that began before dawn on Monday wreaked havoc in Pakistan's mountainous north-west, where rivers of mud slammed into villages burying homes and killing more than 120 people. Many more people are still missing and authorities fear they are buried beneath the mud.

Action stations as Greenpeace volunteers shut down Esso's fuel supply

Posted by bex — 24 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments
Esso Purfleet: tiger and banner

Esso Purfleet: tiger and banner


Update: 02:00
Hot, exhausted and but still growling, the volunteer who spent nearly 15 hours up a 60ft light mast in a tiger costume was finally craned off by the police and arrested at around 8pm. She was one of the last Greenpeace volunteers to be removed from Esso's fuel supply depot. As they were removed, one by one, and led away by the police the volunteers waved to the supporters at the gates and got waves and cheers of support in return.

Daily update COP6

Posted by bex — 23 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments

Update: 23rd July

0600 hrs: As dawn broke over the conference center in Bonn, our emotional roller coaster hit another trough, as word came through that the rumors of a deal that we had heard of a few hours earlier, had run onto the rocks again.

Most of us had been up all night, as well as most of the night before, and the strain was just enormous. As I left the conference center to run back to the office, the banner the students had hung in the trees stood out against the dawn, a forlorn plea for sanity and a stark reminder of the simplicity of the fundamental issue - to either move forward, or move backward in our fight to protect the climate.

Climate alarm - time to get serious

Posted by bex — 23 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments
sounding the climate alarm

sounding the climate alarm

Sirens set off by Greenpeace activists outside the United Nations climate conference sounded the alarm - it is time for ministers to start talking. Activists outside the conference unfurled a banner which read "Australia, Canada, USA - Climate Criminals" while inside Australia and Canada were doing their best to either stall or vandalise the Kyoto Protocol and frustrate attempts to combat climate change.

"It's desperation time for the world's climate and this conference," said Steve Sawyer, Greenpeace climate campaigner.

Greenpeace warns of beach loss

Posted by bex — 23 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments

Kiss the beach goodbyeStanding 24 feet above the high-tide line, Greenpeace volunteers and sunbathers at Smathers Beach Wednesday marked the loss the beach could face if global warming continues at its current pace.

"The Keys are going to go under," said Kitsy McMullen, Greenpeace climate impacts campaigner, as the group opened its Take Back the Earth Tour in Key West.

Rising sea levels threaten shorelines and coral reefs everywhere, and Greenpeace activists say President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney's energy plan is likely to speed up the effects.

Daily update COP6

Posted by bex — 21 July 2001 at 12:00am - Comments
Under threat - polar bear

Under threat - polar bear

Update: 21st July

The highlight Saturday outside the conference center, was a massive lifeboat organised by Friends of the Earth, constructed with planks covered in messages from all over the world, and towed throughout the city of Bonn and eventually into the Robert Schumann Platz at the conference center. A party atmosphere prevailed throughout the demonstration, and a good time was had by all.

Inside, Chairman Pronk outlined the process that he planned to use to get us through the final stage of negotiation, which is complicated enough to not bear repeating.

Suffice it to say that his plan called for a series of working groups which would report back to him. Then he would write up a text for consideration by the different groups. This was to happen sometime late in the afternoon. The paper finally arrived some time after 11 PM, so Greenpeace and all the other organisations got hold of copies and rushed off to put together commentary on it.

Daily update COP6

Posted by bex — 20 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments
Update: 20th July


The US Greenpeace students staged a mock wedding between Donny P (Perlman) and US Head Delegate Paula (Dobrianski), demonstrating for those who still had any doubt that the love between the US government and the fossil fuel industry is the kind that of love that only money can buy.

We also sounded the climate alarm today, reminding delegates of the urgency of the problems they are trying to solve.

However, police stopped Greenpeace from relieving delegates from the ear splitting siren in front of the conference centre. Just as the banner was taken down signalling the end of the intended short, sharp climate alarm, the police took away the activists who could have switched the siren off. Oh well, so the police had to drive the truck through Bonn with a very loud alarm still screaming. At least they gave it a police escort with flashing lights!

Pacific nation fears devastation from the ocean

Posted by bex — 20 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments
wave energy:  a green and sustainable energy resource

wave energy: a green and sustainable energy resource

A tiny South Pacific nation is planning to evacuate the islands because of rising sea levels. Tuvalu has asked Australia and New Zealand for help in resettling its 11,000 people. The government says the islands may be engulfed in 50 years.

A Tuvaluan government spokesman says New Zealand has agreed to help but there have been no guarantees from Australia.

Melting ice threatens blue whales' food supply

Posted by bex — 20 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments
Whale tail

Whale tail

Melting polar ice is threatening the main food source for Antarctic blue whales and could lead to their extinction, an international environmental group said yesterday. The whales feed on small sea creatures known as krill, which in turn eat microscopic marine algae. These live in sea ice and are released in the summer when the ice melts.

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