Greenpeace news

Russia’s oil leaks – a forgotten disaster

Fri, 25 May 2012 03:28:00 +0200

It’s late in the evening, but the sun has not yet settled here in Usinsk in the northernmost part of Russia where my Russian colleague and I arrived in a storming blizzard a few days ago.

Located just at the border of the Arctic, Usinsk is the oil capital of Russia’s Komi Republic and even though the city has a meagre size, the oil industry’s influence is unfortunately far from meagre.

Usinsk is located close to a basin of rivers, which were once full of life. But this was before oil was discovered back in the 1970s and today the picture is completely different. The area has turned into a dystopia, where smoke from burning oil and gas flares paint the horizon.

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Flaring — besides emitting massive amounts of CO2 to the atmosphere — is releasing a wide range of toxins into the environment and is known to cause cancer. The Russian government promised back in 2007 that it would stop the use of gas flaring (at the time Russia was responsible for more than 25 percent of all flaring in the world).

Apparently this is not the case in Komi. The threshold for when flaring poses a health risk is several thousand times less than the threshold from which the chemicals from the burning can be smelled. Today I drove for more than half an hour through an area where we could barely breathe due to the distinct, foul smell from the flaring. I can still taste it even now.

But flaring is far from the only problem. Today, there is no control of the oil industry and its safety measures. The oil pipelines are left to corrode and the never-ending repairs are happening at an excruciatingly slow pace. This means oil spills are a weekly, it not daily event.

We also visited Kolva, one of the local villages in the area. Here the locals told us about their everyday life and how it has been affected by the oil industry. They named the village after the river, which the village is located next to. The Kolva River used to be the villagers’ source for fresh water and food. They used to be able to drink the water directly from the river and the fish used to be plentiful. Today the river is more known for transporting ice painted black by the oil. In fact, oil slicks cover almost the entire surface.

The days when the locals could drink the water are long gone and there are hardly any fish left. But when asked about the worst consequences of the pollution, the villagers don’t even mention their own situation. No, the worst consequences were for the villages further downstream. As they don’t have any wells, they don’t have any other choice than to drink the water from the river. As a result, the cancer rates in those villages have gone through the roof.

While in Usinsk, I also did some research on the official numbers of spills and the findings revealed why the situation is so grim. While there are no isolated figures for the Komi region, the Russian Minister for Nature estimated in April that about 300-500 million litres of oil are leaked into the Arctic through Russia’s rivers every year.

Let’s put that in context.

We all remember the Gulf of Mexico catastrophe, when the BP-operated Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, killing 11 people and causing a staggering 780 million liters of oil to leak unchecked into the Gulf of Mexico. The spill was America’s worst environmental disaster and caused long-term damage to the delicate ecology of the Gulf region. The terrible photographs and videos of oiled seabirds and turtles illustrated the true cost of extreme oil.

But in Russia each year up to 500 million liters of oil leaks into the river systems that feed the Arctic Ocean. In other words, although the BP oil spill was an isolated incident, the same amount of oil that wrecked the Gulf coast spews from Russian oil fields into the freezing waters of the Arctic Ocean every 18 months.

But unless you live in this region, or have visited it yourself, it’s unlikely that you’d ever know such incredible environmental destruction was happening so regularly.

This is the hidden story of Russia’s Arctic nightmare.

As a Greenpeace campaigner, I’m used to confronting and being confronted with the challenges and problems our world is facing. Over time I might even have toughened up a bit, so the almost daily doses of destruction and ongoing indifference to the world we live in didn’t break my back or my spirit.

But this is one of the times, where I have to admit that I’m not able to keep a personal distance. Even as I write this, I feel guilty as my words sound hollow compared to what we are seeing here. I honestly don’t know if it is too late to save this once beautiful area, but I know that if we don’t act now — here and in the rest of the Arctic — what I’m witnessing will only be the tip of the iceberg.

Jon Burgwald is a Greenpeace Nordic Arctic campaigner

KFC Executives Have Their Heads in a Bucket

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:56:00 +0200

Earlier today we released a report exposing KFC for driving rainforest destruction and pushing tigers toward extinction.

Sadly, KFC executives have responded by putting a big bucket of denial on their heads.
The company first said that 60% of their packaging in the US comes from “sustainable” sources. Then, they said it was 80%. Hmmm. Then, they started to claim that they don’t buy from Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) in the UK or US.

There are so many things wrong with this statements, we’re going to have to take them one by one.

First, KFC is clearly buying paper products that originate from APP. There is plenty of evidence in our report. I hope KFC executives take the time to read it. But, another way to prove this is with pretty pictures. Above is a photo of a box containing napkins destined for use in KFC. If you look at these napkins you’ll notice that the name PT Pindo Deli. This is an APP company based in Indonesia. Beyond this clear link, we had the napkins tested by an independent lab. You know what they found under the microscope? Mixed Tropical Hardwood wood fiber – in other words, the remnants of rainforests.

Second, KFC executives are using the word “sustainable” in a very creative way. Their mysterious 60%-80% figures seems to include controversial clearcut logging that has been criticized for years by conservationists. If this is what the Colonel calls “sustainable” he has a bad case of denial.

Third, KFC’s statement is specific to the US. This ignores it’s massive global operations. China – not the US – is KFC’s largest market now. And, buying policy standards (or lack thereof) made in Louisville effect forests around the world.

This is all getting way more complicated than it needs to be. KFC and parent company Yum! Brands clearly have problems in their supply chain. They can be fixed. Other companies have taken on the same issues and figured it out. A global policy that sets standards for the kinds of paper the company will buy – if properly implemented – would do the trick.

But, that won’t happen with a culture of denial. The first step is admitting you have a problem. C’mon Colonel…we know you can do it.

Want to help pull the bucket off the Colonel’s head? Click here to get involved and spread the word worldwide.

KFC’s Secret Recipe: Rainforest Destruction

Wed, 23 May 2012 22:34:00 +0200

No matter what you think about fast food, you’ll no doubt agree that rainforests shouldn’t be trashed to make packaging destined for the trash. But that’s exactly what’s happening. Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) is supplying KFC with packaging products that are made from Indonesia’s rainforests.

The original Colonel Sanders couldn’t have imagined the company he founded in 1930 would be driving rainforest destruction half a world away from where he started it in Kentucky, USA.

But a new Greenpeace International report, ‘How KFC is Junking the Jungle’ shows just that. Thorough supply chain research and forensic testing has revealed how KFC is buying paper products made from rainforest fibre, supplied by APP - the parent company of NZ Cottonsoft toilet paper brand. APP sources rainforest logs from the habitat of the endangered Sumatran tiger. Last week the company made what it claimed were 'new commitments' to protect forests. In reality it will still continue to rely on rainforest clearance.

Today Greenpeace is launching a global campaign to persuade KFC and parent company Yum! to clean up their act by cutting rainforest destruction out of their supply chains. To kick things off we’ve released a new video showing the Colonel freak out as his famous secret recipe is finally revealed. Watch it here.

Meanwhile activists at the KFC headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky have also given executives a wake up call they couldn’t ignore as they arrived for work this morning. A giant banner with a Sumatran tiger has been placed on the front pillars of the KFC headquarters reading: “KFC Stop Trashing My Home.” The building, nicknamed “the White House” because of its resemblance to the US Presidential residence, looks out on a lake where another team of activists deployed another banner to hundreds of Yum! Brand employees with a similar message.

KFC and Yum have done the least of any of the top fast food companies to rid their supply chain of rainforest destruction, ignoring the evidence and dragging their feet for years as we and others have tried to get them to change their sourcing. If endangered animals like the Sumatran tiger are to survive in the wild, companies like KFC cannot continue to turn a blind eye to rainforest destruction.

But a revolt is in the air and we need thousands of people like you to join it.

We know KFC and Yum! can do better. Help tell the Colonel that his secret recipe for rainforest destruction is ‘no good’. Right now people across the world, from Indonesia to China, Australia to America and around Europe are telling one of the world’s biggest fast food company that responsible companies don’t turn rainforests into trash.

Join the revolt today and help change KFC’s secret recipe for destruction.

New allies in the oceans revolution

Tue, 22 May 2012 22:42:00 +0200

Over the past few years we’ve seen increased consumer demand for sustainable tuna products. At the moment, the best option on the shelves is pole and line caught skipjack tuna, the population of which is still relatively plentiful. Pole and line is a simple technique that catches tuna one by one. If we want ample tuna supplies tomorrow, we need global investment and support for sustainable fishing methods such as pole and line today.

There is now a new ally in reforming tuna fisheries for the benefit of the oceans and the millions of people dependent on them for food and jobs. The International Pole and Line Foundation recently launched, advocating for the welfare of socially and economically disadvantaged fishing communities around the world. By bringing together coastal states, market players, fisheries development experts and scientists, IPNLF will be able to hasten the transition of the fishing sector to truly sustainable and equitable fishing. This launch is proof of the momentum our movement has in creating a future of healthy oceans.

Generally, pole and line fishing allows coastal communities to participate in not just catching tuna, but also in profiting from it. Most of the world’s tuna fisheries take place in the waters of some of the most vulnerable and poorest communities in the world. By choosing pole and line fishing over more destructive fishing such as mainstream tuna methods of purse seine fishing on FADs, the tuna industry can ensure jobs and food for the future, avoid bycatch of sharks, dolphins and turtles.

In order for pole and line fishing to succeed on a global scale, it needs sustainably caught fish used as bait. We are working with IPNLF to ensure that baitfish fisheries are managed better so that when you buy a can of tuna, you can be sure it is completely responsible.

These aren’t just issues of tuna, the tuna industry employs millions of people who need long-term jobs. Without fish, billions of people will have no future. It is likely that the price of pole and line caught tuna will be more than tuna caught using destructive methods. But we believe that it is time to pay a price to avoid hunger, empty oceans and increased unemployment. You can help by asking your government to end all subsidies of wasteful fisheries and support pole and line fishing in your country. Leaders should be supporting ocean conservation measures such as those championed by Pacific island nations who are leading the way in another arena of sustainable tuna fishing FAD free purse seine fishing and keep the fishing profits in the hands of those who need them most: fishing communities, not huge industrial fishing companies.

Sari Tolvanen is a Greenpeace International oceans campaigner based in Amsterdam.

Protecting Antarctica, the heart of the ocean

Tue, 22 May 2012 22:24:00 +0200

For many people the Antarctic is little more than a far-away frozen region, literally at the edge of the world; with sterile glaciers, icebergs and colonies of not-so ‘Happy Feet’ penguins, buffeted for much of their lives in the extreme Antarctic wind. The ice-covered waters of Antarctica are actually bursting with life. Magnificent whales, orcas, seals, fish and soaring seabirds come here to forage on krill-rich waters. Below the icy ocean surface, the seafloor is covered with a carpet of creatures of different shapes, colours and sizes, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth. Every year scientists find yet more species. The Antarctic is the world’s last wild frontier. And it is one that we need to protect before it’s too late.

The Antarctic peninsula is one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth. Changes in sea ice has had an impact on krill - the basis of the Antarctic food web, whose depletion might cause potentially devastating effects on whales and other ocean life. After depleting over 80% of fish populations that live close to shore, greedy industrial fishing fleets are moving to the remote Antarctic regions to hoover up fish and to suck up krill to feed the growing seafood demand on the other side of the world.

The future of the Antarctic is in the hand of a group of countries that are members of the ‘Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources’ (CCAMLR). They have put in place a unique set of rules to protect waters around Antarctica. This system contains a mechanism to establish marine reserves, national parks at sea where fishing and other destructive activities are prohibited. In 2009, CCAMLR members agreed to protect key Antarctic waters by 2012. The clock is still ticking, but progress has been very slow.

Today the Antarctic Ocean Alliance, which includes Greenpeace and partner groups, is launching a new publication, 'Antarctic Ocean Legacy: A Vision for Circumpolar Protection' which makes the case for the creation of a network of 19 large no-take marine reserves and marine protected areas covering over 40% of the Southern Ocean and the precious habitats and marine life within it. There is no time to waste. We need to act now before it is too late.

At the next CCAMLR meeting in October 2012, CCAMLR members will have the unique opportunity to create this largest network of marine reserves. A good outcome - with our pressure - will demonstrate to governments and politicians that we need a global network of marine reserves in the rest of the high seas, which are still largely unprotected.

We need your help to save the Antarctic oceans! Sign the AOA petition and let governments know that we are watching and we expect them to make the right decision, to protect our oceans for the future we need.

Veronica Frank is a Greenpeace International oceans campaigner based in London.

Shell: Dear Greenpeace, we know where you live...

Fri, 18 May 2012 00:41:00 +0200

This morning, staff at Greenpeace New Zealand received an important-looking letter from Shell - well, Shell’s Legal Services department. Over the last 24 hours or so, identical letters have arrived at other Greenpeace offices around the world, including Mexico, UK, France, Hungary, Greenpeace Nordic, Japan, Greenpeace Mediterranean, Poland, Greece, Czech Republic, Belgium, Canada and even Greenpeace’s Science Unit. I think it’s fair to say Shell had something they wanted to say to us.

The oil giant’s message was: I know where you live and I’ve seen where you sleep. I swear to everything holy that your mothers will cry when they see what I’ve done to you.

I’m paraphrasing, obviously. But it is true to say that Shell clearly wants to make certain that every Greenpeace office in the world a) knows about the injunction Shell has taken out against Greenpeace USA, and b) understands that if any office was to even think of going to Alaska and peacefully protesting near one of their drill ships, Shell will break out the big legal guns and point them straight at us.

As it happens, they didn’t need to go to the effort. All Greenpeace offices are well aware of the injunction Shell has taken out against Greenpeace US - mostly because, in our long history of being not very popular with corporate polluters, Shell’s injunction stands out as one of the most draconian and sweeping legal measures ever taken against a Greenpeace office. It’s up there with Cairn’s social media gagging order against Greenpeace UK and Greenpeace International (which is still in force today).

The injunction stops Greenpeace USA from holding peaceful protests (legal or otherwise) anywhere near Shell’s drill ships in the US. Why? Well, according to Shell’s letter (pdf), Shell doesn’t want any protests to threaten “Shell’s right, interest and investments in exploring for oil and gas on United States leases”.

Interestingly, Shell also claims to be concerned about “the threat posed by such activities [protests]... to the surrounding environment” - but apparently not about the threat posed by drilling for oil with outdated equipment in one of the most ecologically sensitive environments on the planet.

While Shell’s lawyers battle on to prevent free speech and the right to protest, Shell’s drill ships are steadily approaching the Arctic. If Shell has its way, its drills will grind into action in just a couple of months’ time, beginning the transformation of Alaska’s pristine icescapes and waters into an industrial wasteland.

The good news though, is that Shell is clearly feeling the heat. The injunction - along with Shell’s extraordinary pre-emptive legal actions against a range of organisations - suggests to us that the massive groundswell of public opinion against them and a series of peaceful protests against their ship have taken the company by surprise, and are making it nervous.

While Shell plans to irreversibly damage the Arctic, we plan to keep standing up to Shell. Greenpeace USA is appealing the injunction and continues to mobilize the public opposed to Shell’s plans. And we too will keep fighting to stop Shell and Save the Arctic. Please stand with us - and with the 450,000 people who are campaigning to stop Shell and Save The Arctic.

Film Review - Gone Curling

Thu, 17 May 2012 23:16:00 +0200

What does the sport of outdoor curling (think bowls on ice) have in common with climate change?

The connection is subtly revealed in ‘Gone Curling’ which has just won the best New Zealand short film at the 2012 Documentary Edge Film Festival.

Film makers Rachael Patching and Roland Kahurangi have made a delightful study of the people and the traditions which keep outdoor curling a vital and colourful aspect of life in Central Otago. Naseby now has an indoor curling rink which means games can be played any day of the year although at least one of the stalwarts of the outdoor game scoffs at the very thought and says he’ll never put a foot inside.

This film helps explains why the outdoor game is held in such high regard. When the conditions are right the whole region stops work for the Baxter Cup tournament. There’s even talk of funerals being postponed to avoid any interruptions in play. But despite the best efforts of the curling fraternity they could be facing a losing battle as changing climate means the lakes they use are freezing over less frequently.

Not that everyone sees climate change as the reason behind this. When the movie premiered in Naseby, Rachael says it received an enthusiastic response but there were a few “hecklers” in the crowd who didn’t like the climate change reference preferring to attribute warmer winters to a cyclical weather pattern for now.

Regardless of your point of view this is great storytelling and film making. It’s unique, beautifully filmed and mainland humour runs throughout.

The film will screen three more times during the festival which has just started in Wellington. You can check out the trailer for it below. The film makers also hope it will get an audience on the international film circuit.

Recommended.

Gone curling has been accepted into the Edge Film Festival and Reel Earth Film Festival.

Directed and produced by
Rachael Patching and Roland Kahurungi

Shark hates rainy days

Thu, 17 May 2012 04:59:00 +0200

That’s right the headline is correct. While sharks are at home in the water it seems at least one hates being caught in a downpour. It’s not that he doesn’t like getting wet it’s just that it makes it harder to fly. So, this week’s wintry blast and frequent showers have not been good for Bruce Fin, one of our two mascots for sustainable tuna, who has been out to get our Change your Tuna, Sealord campaign ‘off the ground’ again.

So it was with excitement he woke this morning to an almost clear sky over Auckland allowing him to take to the skies. While motorists inched along the motorway towards the city few would have been aware it was a shark at the controls of the small plane circling above. However, they are sure to have noticed the banner behind the aircraft which read:

“Nice Logo Sealord. Bad Tuna. Sealord’s canned tuna is caught unsustainably.”

We flew this same banner last year and we had hoped by now that we’d be recycling it rather than reusing it. Sadly, it seems Sealord needs to be reminded that it is lagging behind brands in other parts of the world, and here in New Zealand, when it comes to taking steps to protect our tuna fisheries.

That’s because Sealord buys its tuna from vessels which use fish aggregation devices (FADs) combined with purse seine nets resulting in shameful waste of ocean life including the innocent shark cousins of our friend Bruce. To find out more about FADs check out this short animation to see what’s involved. Then, if you’re prepared for some graphic footage witness what is happening on some tuna boats in the Pacific.

You don’t have to buy tuna caught this way. Since we began our campaign last year there are now FAD free and pole and line tuna cans available in New Zealand supermarkets. Pams sells a range of pole and line caught tuna along with Fish 4 Ever. Pams also sells tuna that has been caught without the use of FADs so check the label first.

Tuna brands around the globe are making similar changes in response to consumer demands for sustainable products. Sealord may be the biggest fish in the pool when it comes to the New Zealand canned tuna market but if it doesn’t follow the rest of the world it will soon be a fish out of water.

Which brings us back to rain and Bruce and his aerial activism. If you saw his banner, or are reading this, join the more than 10,600 consumers who have already contacted Sealord on this issue and send your own message now.

With World Oceans Day approaching on 8 June let’s hope Sealord changes its tuna soon. Otherwise, expect to see the Fin Brothers in a town near you.

Cottonsoft recycles broken promises on deforestation

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:17:00 +0200

Yesterday, the notorious rainforest destroyer Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), the parent company of New Zealand based Cottonsoft, made a grandstanding announcement that it was committed to protecting the natural forests of Indonesia.

Now you may recall that last year we released the result of scientific testing that conclusively showed that Cottonsoft products contained rainforest fibre. And needless to say, yesterday Cottonsoft issued a statement welcoming "a raft of new sustainability measures by its Indonesia-based supplier Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP)" which includes "a commitment to suspend the clearing of natural forest on its own pulpwood concessions in Indonesia".

Two very interesting things struck me about this. Firstly, there's nothing new about this statement. Back in 2006, Asia Paper and Paper made very similar commitments in the New York Times, stating its intention to protect high conservation value forests. And yet it failed to deliver on these promises. Although, I guess if you call recycling old statements a commitment to 'sustainability', then perhaps it's on the right track.

But this actually begs a more important question. If APP are just repeating earlier, broken promises, then what has been going on for the last six years?

When our investigation exposed the use of rainforest fibre in some Cottonsoft brands, the company and its apologists were quick to retort that this could not be the case claiming that "Cottonsoft products do not contain any high conservation value wood" and that they only sourced from sustainable sources. On the contrary, APP's latest announcement would seem to suggest otherwise.

The thing is that APP has continued and will continue to be supplied timber from natural forests, including those of high conservation value for years to come. So is it any wonder that forensic testing found rainforest fibre in Cottonsoft toilet paper?

This is a missed opportunity and once again smacks of the greenwash and hollow rhetoric that that has become synonymous with the APP brand and betrays APP's customers around the world.

It could have been so different if APP followed the approach taken by its sister company in the Sinar Mas Group, Golden Agri Resources (GAR). GAR introduced a forest conservation policy last year that committed the company to not develop its plantations on forests or peatland. By failing to adopt similar necessary and responsible action, APP has just ensured it will continue to lose customers whilst the rainforests of Indonesia continue to be trashed.

Want to do something about it? Click here to take action.

Occupying an anchor chain, thinking of freshly baked muffins

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:01:00 +0200

What do you need most on an anchor chain in the middle of the Atlantic, when you’ve been there for over 24 hours, and it’s pouring with rain? Muffins.

Freshly baked by our chef, Walter, and put into waterproof tins ready for loading into speedboats. Speedmuffins. Pronto pastries. Two young Brazilians - Leonor and Elissama - are waiting across the water having been up most of the night and little things like this make all the difference. Fruit is great, but nothing beats that fresh-from-the-oven comfort of spongey goodness.

Occupying an anchor chain for over a day is a pretty challenging operation. Just getting off the Rainbow Warrior onto the inflatables is difficult, as the waves make stepping off the ship onto the moving boat like playing Super Mario Brothers for real. Then it’s a ten minute boat ride across the water with salty spray drenching everything in sight – camera gear, sunglasses and baked goods.

Once Leonor arrives on scene she receives the signal from the boat driver and gets onto a tiny stepladder (Supermario again) before scrambling up towards the platform. Well, I say platform – it’s more of a small plank with Greenpeace written underneath it. It’s all done safely and carefully, but that doesn’t stop the heart racing when you see how high up she is.

And then... well, not much really. Hours of sitting there, making sure she is safe, and waiting. No crowds of supporters cheering her on, just a safety boat with a driver giving her the thumbs up once in a while. It’s a bit like David Blane without the ego. When I was out there with I tried to give her my best winning smile and to think positive thoughts, but I’m not sure that was helping very much.

What really keep these girls going are the messages of support we’re receiving not just here in Brazil but around the world. This isn’t a ‘grey area’ environmental protest, where there are two valid points of view – we’re exposing things like slave labor and the illegal destruction of forest that is home to uncontacted tribes like the Awa. These are things that Brazilians – as well as people all over the world – have decided are unacceptable in our society.

It’s pretty hard to explain the link with ships like this one in words, but I’ll try. If Elissama and Leonor hadn’t stopped it, the Clipper Hope would be loading pig iron and taking that to the USA. Pig iron is used to make steel for cars, but here in Brazil it is leading to huge deforestation and is sometimes produced using slave labor. The Brazilian President and companies like Ford, GM and BMW - have a big role to play in stopping this from happening, but at the moment they’re turning a blind eye to the problem.

See? Much easier to close your eyes, think of the young Brazilians and imagine the smell of freshly baked muffins.

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