Videos

Actress Marion Cottilard discovers the problems of the Congo rainforest

Posted by jamie — 6 August 2010 at 11:12am - Comments

In June, Oscar-winning French superstar Marion Cottilard - currently playing in Inception at all good multiplexes - took a trip to the Congo rainforest with Greenpeace campaigners to see for herself the effect that the logging industry is having on the forest and the people who live there.

Proposed forest law threatens Amazon rainforest

Posted by jamie — 5 July 2010 at 12:17pm - Comments

In Brazil, moves are afoot to amend a piece of legislation which has been protecting the Amazon rainforest for over 70 years, and not for the better. If the changes are voted through, it could mean that the area of the Amazon which can be legally destroyed will double, and it's the backers of these changes - the agriculture, biofuels and energy barons - who stand to benefit as they argue that pesky forest laws are a hindrance to economic development. 

Biodiversity Inc: providing natural services to all our shareholders

Posted by jamie — 28 June 2010 at 3:42pm - Comments

Bio Diversity Incorporated from carleton creek on Vimeo.

Carlton Creek, who submitted a video to our HSBC advert challenge, has also produced this great little film which takes the ongoing discussions about attaching monetary worth to the natural services provided by our planet and turning them on their head. It's a neat little thought experiment into what the sales pitch for a company representing all life on Earth (or 'shareholders') would be like.

Elsewhere, artist and architect Maya Lin (previous work: Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC) is working on a collaborative, multi-media and multi-space project called What Is Missing? The current website highlights species which have been lost or are severely threatened, and if nothing else hovering your mouse over the map markers and hearing a soundscape of endangered creatures is haunting.

Let it all out - Glasto shouts against rainforest destruction

Posted by jossc — 28 June 2010 at 2:43pm - Comments

Once again this year we teamed up with Mi7 Records to put on live music in the Greenpeace field. Following last year's success with the Departure Lounge, where we put on acts including Laura Marling and Mumford and Sons, this time around we decided to step up our game.

Video: what happens when grappling hook meets leg

Posted by jamie — 7 June 2010 at 1:48pm - Comments

For a taste of the violence Greenpeace activists encountered on Friday as they tried to free bluefin tuna from purse-seine fishing nets, look no further than the video below. But be warned: there are some close-up images of a serious injury which are liable to make you lose your lunch.

We just had a discussion about whether to promote this video. Other Greenpeace offices have chosen to use it (including our Turkish colleagues, hence the Turkish title) although it's quite close to the knuckle (or shin bone, to be more precise). Yet it shows not only the determination of everyone on board our two ships to put the brakes on the extinction of bluefin tuna, but also the violence and intimidation they've been confronted with. So here it is.

HSBC adverts are just greenwash, so why not make your own?

Posted by jamie — 3 June 2010 at 11:08am - Comments

If this man's tree-top home was in the way of profit, do you think HSBC would really stop the bulldozers? 

Update: Thanks to the thousands of emails sent and the videos you made, HSBC have since sold their shares in Sinar Mas.

HSBC's advertising creates a world where this monolithic financial institution truly empathises with the cultural, environmental and deeply symbolic relationships people have with trees and rainforests. It's a make-believe world, of course. The bank's actions speak far louder than the syrupy voiceovers and twee sentiments in their adverts, so just like BP's logo, they're ripe for a makeover. So why not make one of your own?

Acid test for the oceans

Posted by jamie — 13 May 2010 at 3:43pm - Comments

Ever wondered what this ocean acidification thing is? Wonder no longer, as this new animation from our international office explains everything you need to know in just over a minute. 

The basic upshot is that climate change is not just making the oceans warmer, it's also making them more acidic. It's only by a relatively small amount so you won't lose your toes if you go paddling, but the effects on the ocean's chemistry is dramatic. Most widely reported is the threat this poses to coral reefs - as the water becomes more acidic, the polyps aren't able to create the calcium carbonate skeletons which form the reefs.

The consequences travel up the food chain - watch the video to find out more.

Heathrow third runway cancelled: we won!

Posted by jossc — 13 May 2010 at 11:20am - Comments
by-nc. Credit: John Cobb / Greenpeace

Handing in the Airplot deed at No 10 this morning

Fantastic news - climate-wrecking plans for a third runway at Heathrow airport have been axed.

The Cameron/Clegg government confirmed yesterday evening that it will not only scrap the third runway at Heathrow, but also refuse additional runways at Gatwick and Stansted. So all our Airplot campaigning has finally won out - and a huge thank you is due to all you Airplotters, and everyone who's written to their MP or taken part in one of the many protests demanding that the plan be shelved.

The Airplot Competition: we have a winner!

Posted by jossc — 13 May 2010 at 10:25am - Comments

This morning we're proud to announce the winner of the Airplot Contest - our competition to find the ideal structure to fortify the Airplot so that, if the police come to turf us out, we can peacefully resist them. There were two categories - one for architects and architecture students to come up with some practical solutions for how we can defend the land, and the other open to everyone to let their imaginations off the leash.

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