Eu

The climate solution? It's an energy [r]evolution we need, Mr Osborne

Posted by jossc — 16 July 2010 at 10:14am - Comments

This week Greenpeace launches our vision for a European energy revolution – a practical blueprint for a renewable energy future. Using only proven technologies we can phase out fossil-fuels, cut CO2 emissions by over 90% by 2050 and ensure energy security – without a huge reduction in living standards.

Article tagged as: climate change, energy efficiency, energy security, EU, renewable energy, reports

Victory! After 10 years of campaigning, EU votes to ban illegal timber

Posted by jamie — 7 July 2010 at 5:18pm - Comments

Exposing illegal timber used in the construction of the new Home Office building in 2003 © Greenpeace/Cobbing

It's been a long time coming but finally - finally! - the European parliament has voted overwhelmingly in favour of a law banning illegal timber from entering the European Union. Like many other organisations, Greenpeace has been campaigning on this for years - 10 long ones, in our case - so to see this become a reality is an amazing tribute to the thousands of people who emailed, donated or took direct action.

Article tagged as: EU, europe, forests, illegal timber, successes

Purse-seining season closes early for Mediterranean bluefin tuna

Posted by Willie — 9 June 2010 at 4:58pm - Comments

Greenpeace ships step in to stop bluefin tuna being fished to extinction © Hilton/Greenpeace

Today, or at 11.59pm tonight, to be exact, the purse-seining season for bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean is being closed. A week early.

I'm back on land now, having left the Arctic Sunrise in the Med. In London, we've had a flurry of media calls, excited by what they think is the "good news" that "bluefin fishing is being banned" in the Mediterranean.

So I thought, as well as putting the record straight with any journalists who'll listen, that I should maybe explain to everyone else what exactly is happening. And whether it is indeed "good news".

Article tagged as: bluefin, EU, fishing quotas, mediterranean, oceans, overfishing, purse-seining, tuna

Whaling: whose side are EU on?

Posted by Willie — 4 June 2010 at 2:15pm - Comments

By seeking to compromise, the EU may actually be sanctioning commercial whaling. Whale fail!

Ask anyone who the bad guys are on fish and whales. The resounding answer will most probably start with the letter 'J' and end in 'apan'.

And with good reason. Not only is the Japanese government's recent record on (and defence of) commercial whaling scandalous, but as huge consumers of seafood Japan plays a major role in driving the fishing industry worldwide. Like many developed nations, Japan has long since outgrown its ability to depend on local fish in its own waters, so it also has a distant-water fleet scooping up seafood around the globe.

Article tagged as: CITES, EU, IWC, japan, oceans, whales, whaling

Backing down on bluefin?

Posted by Willie — 16 December 2009 at 2:57pm - Comments

You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if somewhere someone decided to name a roller-coaster 'bluefin'. The ups, downs, twists, and turns are certainly hard to follow in this fish's political fortunes, and at the end it could end up making us all feel quite sick.

Post the farcical ICCAT meeting we have seen a follow-up meeting of ICCAT’s Pacific counterparts, whose jolly gathering in Tahiti showed a similar lack of ability and spine when it comes down to making useful or necessary decisions.

Article tagged as: big eye, bluefin, EU, icatt, oceans, overfishing, tuna

Why the Brussels meeting is so important for Copenhagen

Posted by jamie — 11 December 2009 at 3:36pm - Comments

"You know," Joss said to me in the other day, "one of the most important meetings of this summit isn't happening in Copenhagen. It's happening in Brussels where the heads of state are getting together."

As one of the political campaigning whizz-kids here in the Greenpeace camp, he knows what he's talking about and rather than me paraphrasing on his behalf, watch Joss's short vlog above to see what he means.

Article tagged as: brussels, climate change, COP15, copenhagen, EU

Subsidising extinction

Posted by Willie — 4 December 2009 at 11:39am - Comments

Bluefin tuna - sometimes you just can't believe how absurd the story gets.

News today from WWF and a Green MEP show that over an eight-year period the EU bluefin tuna fishing industry received subsidies totalling €34.5m. Yes folks, your tax helped fund the overfishing of a species now teetering on the very brink of extinction. A species that 21 out of 27 EU countries now think should be subject to an international trade ban.

Article tagged as: bluefin, EU, oceans, overfishing, tuna

Is the UK finally getting serious on marine protection?

Posted by Willie — 19 November 2009 at 12:04pm - Comments

As you probably know by now, marine reserves have a huge role to play in ensuring a future for our oceans, which is why we fish-huggers campaign so vehemently for them.

The scientists tell us that between 20 and 50 per cent of the seas need to be set aside as fully protected, no-take zones – off-limits to all damaging and destructive activity. That means no mineral extraction, dredging, dumping or fishing.

Getting progress on marine reserves is a bit like juggling with Slinkys  – it's one of those issues where the politics seems to agree with you, but just manages to deliver precious little. Our politicians all say the right thing when it comes to protecting areas of our seas, there are international commitments, and deadlines for creating protected areas, and there is a huge public demand for doing so. Even the fishing industry is not 'in theory' opposed to them.

Article tagged as: EU, habitats, lundy, marine bill, marine reserves, oceans, southern ocean

What happened to your promise to protect bluefin, M Sarkozy?

Posted by jossc — 23 September 2009 at 3:28pm - Comments

First of all, apologies to any non-French speakers watching this video, because it's not going to make any sense. So why do I want you to see it? Well, it's more just as supporting evidence (see the transcript below), because this is the statement made by French President Nicolas Sarkozy on 16 July, in which he promised "complete French support regarding the listing of bluefin tuna to the international wild species convention, in order to ban any trade in this fish".

Article tagged as: bluefin, EU, EU fisheries, france, oceans, sarkozy, tuna
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