press releases

Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth vow to fight on as the controversial MOX plant faces three more court challenges

A High Court Judge today ruled that the Government's recent decision to give British Nuclear Fuels Ltd the go-ahead for the MOX plant at Sellafield was not unlawful under European Law. Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace had made the case that the Government had wrongly disregarded the £70 million it cost to build the plant when giving the economic justification under EU law (1). In a controversial judgement, Mr Justice Collins ruled that the costs of setting up a new nuclear plant should not be weighed in the balance of economic costs and benefits when deciding whether any nuclear practice is economically justified. Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth will consider whether to appeal Mr Justice Collins' decision.

Saturday 10th November, Marrakech: At the close of COP7, the latest negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol, the international agreement aimed at preventing dangerous climate change, Greenpeace today described the outcome as a hard won battle for a token outcome.

The Judicial Review of the Government's recent decision to allow British Nuclear Fuels plc (BNFL) to begin operations at the mixed oxide (MOX) plant in Sellafield ended at lunchtime today. The legal action was brought by Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace.

Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace argue plant is not economically viable

The Government goes to court today (10.30 am 8/11/01) to defend itself in a joint legal action by Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth to prevent the controversial new Sellafield plutonium plant from being opened.

A Los Angeles Federal court today agreed to delay the trial of fifteen Greenpeace activists and two freelance journalists facing charges carrying up to six years in jail for their involvement in a peaceful protest against the Star Wars programme (1).

Date: Thursday, 8th November, 2001
Place: the High Court, The Strand, London, WC2

The Government is being taken to the High Court on Thursday 8th November to prevent the controversial new Sellafield plutonium plant from being opened. The joint legal challenge by Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth means a High Court Judge will judicially review the Government's recent decision to allow state-owned British Nuclear Fuels to give the go-ahead for the mixed oxide or MOX plant at Sellafield. BNFL is expected to switch on the plant later this month.

Greenpeace sets up live video link between Kilimanjaro and international climate talks in Morocco

Mount Kilimanjaro, one of the few places in the world where ice and snow can be found on the equator, could lose its entire ice field by 2015 because of global warming, Greenpeace said today. This loss symbolises the fact that global warming may be felt first and hardest by the environment and people of Africa.

Australia, Canada, Russia and Japan are attempting to undermine the landmark Kyoto Protocol, by watering down its language and exploiting loopholes, Greenpeace warned as climate negotiations resumed today in Morocco. Greenpeace are concerned that these countries must not be allowed to weaken the Protocol further after the US walked away from the vital agreement reached in Bonn in July.

Governments at international climate negotiations underway in Morocco are being asked today to support an ambitious project to help tackle poverty and fight climate change, by providing renewable energy to more than two billion people globally.

Today two giant eyeballs delivered a message to the Japanese Embassy in London imploring the Japanese Prime Minister not to send his whaling fleet to Antarctica to hunt minke whales, and to let Japan know the world is watching. The message delivery is part of a Greenpeace global day of action against whaling.