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vendredi 17 mai
Time for civil disobedience (Greenpeace International)

The tradition of civil disobedience is being reignited. The need is growing and the call to action is becoming impossible to ignore ! Non-violent direct action can help re-establish a balance where our rights have been overtaken by the self interest of powerful economic elites, willing to sacrifice our children’s future for their short term gain and profit. Peaceful acts of civil disobedience has been at the heart of many major struggles humanity has fought over the past several decades (...)
Fukushima Nuclear Crisis Update for May 14th to May 16th, 2013 (Greenpeace International)

Here’s the latest of our news bulletins from the ongoing crisis at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Nuclear Regulation Authority A panel of seismic experts from Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has determined that a fault running directly beneath Japan Atomic Power Company’s (JAPC) Tsuruga power plant in Fukui Prefecture is active, which means that the reactor will almost certainly never go online again. It is the first time since the March 2011 nuclear disaster that (...)
Why we are happy, but not celebrating the Indonesian forest moratorium (Greenpeace International)

Image.. I have been fielding calls non-stop over the last couple of days, because as you may have noticed, there has been widespread coverage lately (see here, here and here) on the Indonesian government’s extension of its forest moratorium. It’s good news. And it’s encouraging that the President of Indonesia, known as SBY, is renewing his commitment to protect forests – and cut my country’s massive carbon emissions. If the powerful palm oil lobby here in Indonesia had got their way (...)
jeudi 16 mai
Economic governance in Europe - the case of the ECB and the Banking Union (Corporate Europe Observatory)

Location : Résidence Palace - International Press Centre, Rue de la Loi 155 - Bloc C, Brussels Date : Thursday, May 23, 2013 - 09:30 to 11:30 The Transnational Institute (TNI) and Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) are taking the initiative to organise this Public Debate in response to the unprecedented series of Directives and legislation which are fundamentally restructuring economic and political governance in the EU. In view of (...)
I Love Arctic meets Arctic Council (Greenpeace International)

The air was abuzz this morning in Kiruna. As delegates and press were mingling in the breakfast hall, Foreign Ministers were entering their policed motorcades and a group of Greenpeace volunteers was making final preparations to greet the decision makers with banners and signs along the road. But in the midst of all this, we were honoured with a quiet yet very special moment. In a branch of the hotel lobby we gathered with four representatives of Arctic Indigenous Peoples ; amongst (...)
Untangling the Gordian knot between the oil industry and the Arctic Council (Greenpeace International)

The Arctic Council — the body concerned with the future management of the region — met today in Kiruna, Sweden’s most northern city, built around the world’s largest underground iron mine. As is perhaps inevitable when digging an enormous hole in the ground, the iron mine is now found to be pulling the town down into it ; Kiruna is either going to fall in, or its going to be moved, brick by brick, 4km away. The sense of a community on the edge permeates this tough Northern outpost. Kiruna (...)
mercredi 15 mai
A beacon of hope in the Arctic Council’s shadow (Greenpeace International)

I’m here in a city called Kiruna in the northern part of Sweden, just inside the Arctic Circle. It is a small city with less than 20,000 inhabitants and in the foggy scenery, one thing stands out : The worlds’ largest underground iron mine, which can be seen from anywhere in the city. From where I sit, I can see the iron mine to the left, and wind turbines a few kilometres to its right. It’s a strange dichotomy, and yet so appropriate — a fitting reminder that the Arctic is at a (...)
Court ruling over privileged access for business in EU-India free trade talks (Corporate Europe Observatory)

eu-india-fta-protest.jpg The EU's General Court has announced a date for the judgement in Corporate Europe Observatory's legal action, suing the European Commission for withholding information related to the EU’s free trade talks with India. The Commission is accused of discriminating in favour of corporate lobby groups and of violating the EU’s transparency rules. The judgement will be delivered on 7 June 2013. Attached files (...)
mardi 14 mai
Bringing the voice of 17,000 people to Kiruna (Greenpeace International)

Almost there ! My train is slowly approaching Kiruna, a city in the very North of Sweden, right above the Arctic Circle. Looking outside the window, I see the beautiful, snow covered landscape of Lapland, home to the Sami, the Indigenous Peoples who inhabit this land. It’s the furthest north I’ve ever been. I’m travelling to Kiruna on behalf of more than 17,000 people who came together on the “I love Arctic” Global Day of Action in 38 countries across the globe to call on our political (...)
Knowledge is key to biodiversity, not technology (Greenpeace International)

Agribusiness and commodity traders are thin on the ground at this week’s FAO conference in Rome on Forests for Food Security and Nutrition. Despite its title, this event is of little interest to Big Food. After all, this conference is about feeding people – especially poor people in rural communities – not about feeding global commodity markets. Sponsored by agriculture and development agencies, this conference – if it was « selling » anything at all - was « selling » biodiversity by (...)
Forest destroyer kicked out of club (Greenpeace International)

Image.. It was one of those days when we felt like change was in the air – even if it was a small victory it was an important one. Yesterday, we confirmed that notorious palm oil producer and forest destroyer, Duta Palma, has (finally) been ejected from the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil – an organisation with the declared aim of ensuring environmentally responsible palm oil production. You might remember Duta Palma : we’ve been investigating and uncovering their practices for the (...)
Fukushima Nuclear Crisis Update for May 10th to May 13th, 2013 (Greenpeace International)

Here’s the latest of our news bulletins from the ongoing crisis at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. State of the Fukushima Reactors In a surprise move, the Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations has delayed making a decision on TEPCO’s recent request to divert a quarter of the 400 tons of groundwater that currently pour into reactor buildings each day at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. TEPCO hopes to pump the water before it can become (...)
lundi 13 mai
Not only is another world possible, she’s on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing. (Greenpeace International)

Opening remarks at the Peoples’ Arctic Conference in Kiruna, Sweden. Greetings my friends, and welcome to the conference, the Peoples’ Arctic : Unified for a Better Tomorrow. My name is Kumi Naidoo and I have the pleasure and honour of welcoming you here today. First I would like to thank the Sami Peoples of Sweden for welcoming us all here and allowing us to host this meeting on their traditional territory. Ohlo-Keeto ! I would also like to thank the people of the Nordic region, (...)