press releases

European environment ministers, including Ed Miliband, today agreed Europe's position going into December's global climate summit in Copenhagen when they met in Brussels.

By failing to bring commitments on emission cuts in line with scientific requirements, Europe has now fallen behind Japan and Norway, and Europe's position is not strong enough to unlock the stalled international climate negotiations.

The controversial proposal to build a new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent has been thrown into doubt tonight. An email from German utility giant E.ON to Greenpeace reveals the company no longer thinks construction is currently economic. The email reveals the company is shelving the project for 2-3 years at least.

At a signing ceremony in Sao Paulo today, four of the world's largest beef and leather companies (1) agreed to ban the purchase of cattle from newly deforested land in the Amazon (2). The four - Marfrig, Bertin, JBS-Friboi and Minerva - dominate the world export market and supply the UK.

One of the world's largest leather suppliers, and Brazil's second-largest beef exporter today backed Greenpeace's call for a moratorium on the purchase of cattle from farms involved in new deforestation in the Amazon with immediate effect. (1).

Bertin's announcement follows tough new policy statements from shoe retailers such as Clarks, Nike, Timberland, Geox and Adidas, in response to a Greenpeace report entitled Slaughtering the Amazon, which was released in June.

The government's plans to expand Heathrow Airport were dealt another blow today following a High Court decision that a hearing should be held to consider the case against the controversial decision to build a third runway.

The Judge ruled that the case needed to be heard in an open court given the significant public interest element and the need for clarification over the Transport Secretary's statement to Parliament in January in which he gave the green light to the third runway.

Commenting on the announcement by Transport secretary Lord Adonis of a new policy to replace domestic flights with a high-speed rail network across Britain, Greenpeace transport campaigner Vicky Wyatt said:

A new analysis of oil demand forecasts from the world's leading energy agencies has uncovered a significant emerging risk for international oil companies investing in Canada's environmentally destructive tar sands. The report, entitled Shifting Sands, calls into question the long term profitability of unconventional oil assets due to major downward revisions of growth in global oil demand over the next decade.

The global sportswear company Nike has announced that it is to stop buying leather from the Amazon region of Brazil, following concerns that its shoes and trainers could be driving the destruction of the world's largest rainforest and contributing to climate change.

Commenting on the occupation by workers of the Vestas wind turbine factory on the Isle of White, the head of the Greenpeace climate change campaign Robin Oakley said:

Overview

Responding to today's government energy announcements, John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace, said:

"If this plan becomes a reality, it will create hundreds of thousands of green jobs and make Britain a safer and more prosperous country. This will be good for the British economy and, in the long-run, save householders money as we reduce our dependence on foreign oil and gas.