Huge areas of the Amazon rainforest have been cleared for soya plantations
As the human population and our consumption of resources grow, more and more land is being turned over to agricultural production. This is at the expense of natural habitats such as mangroves, wetlands and, of course, ancient forests. In particular, it's the growing importance of soya beans and palm oil as global commodities are key drivers of deforestation.
Posted by jamie — 6 July 2007 at 3:16pm
-
Comments
Right now, a group of Greenpeace climbers are perched on top of a set of cranes in the port of La Rochelle on the French Atlantic coast. They've been there since Wednesday night and as well as admiring a no-doubt magnificent view, they're also preventing a ship unloading its cargo of timber which has come from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Posted by jamie — 2 July 2007 at 4:37pm
-
Comments
With Blair's recent departure, recollections of 1997 in the media have been dominated by two things: his ascension to power and the Spice Girls. On the other side of the world in China, that same year was important for a couple of other reasons. Most famously, the lease ran out on a small but strategic piece of land called Hong Kong and the British Empire lost one of its last outposts as ownership return to the People's Republic of China.
But on that same piece of land, about the same time Chris Patten was bidding a teary farewell, something else significant happened (at least, we like to think it was) - Greenpeace China opened its doors. The importance of this particular office to the organisation can't be underestimated and, as this video shows, many of our campaigns can't help but take China's astonishing economic and social development into account. And with China now possibly the world's biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, the next ten years are going to be even busier over there.
Posted by jamie — 14 June 2007 at 11:14am
-
Comments
Not only are homes in the UK gradually becoming greener, their Asian equivalents could also heading in the same direction now that B&Q is removing all products containing illegal timber from their shelves in China.
We need your help to protect the Congo rainforest. It's the second largest rainforest on Earth (only the Amazon is bigger), supporting millions of people as well as being stuffed full of unique and engandered species, including gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos. And like all large forests, it is crucially important for regulating the local and global climate.
Beijing, China - Companies supplying China with illegal timber were dealt a major blow today when the world's third largest home improvement retailer, B&Q, announced a scheme to root out illegal supplies and guarantee within three years all products will be from certified responsible forestry programmes.
Two months ago, Greenpeace revealed that many timber species commonly sold in home improvement stores across China come from countries where up to 80 per cent of the logging is illegal and destructive.(1)
Posted by jamie — 6 June 2007 at 5:23pm
-
Comments
The BBC have published a gallery of images focusing on the work of the rangers in Virunga National Park. Found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it's the oldest reserve in Africa and home to the DRC's remaining mountain gorillas.
Posted by jamie — 30 May 2007 at 12:26pm
-
Comments
If the testimonies of our two Congolese visitors weren't enough to convince you that there's trouble of the arboreal variety brewing in the Democratic Republic of Congo, try this film for size.
Posted by jamie — 21 May 2007 at 5:12pm
-
Comments
Adrien Sinafasi Makelo (left) and René Ngongo (right) address MPs, civil servants and campaigners
On Thursday, I found myself at Portcullis House, an imposing edifice that sits across the road from the main Houses of Parliament building. The occasion was a panel discussion hosted by Greenpeace and (deep breath) the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Great Lakes Region of Africa, to discuss the crisis in the Congo rainforest. As the name suggests, it's a collective of MPs from all parties with a special interest in that part of the world who try to make sure issues affecting the region remain on the political agenda.
