03
October 2008 - International — Our oceans
are being plundered by pirates. Illegal,
unreported and unregulated fishing – also
known as "pirate fishing" - has
become a global scourge. From international
waters around the world, to the islands
of the South Pacific and the coastal communities
of West Africa, fisheries are in crisis.
Pirates are pulling
in billions of dollars of fish that rightfully
belongs to coastal communities or falls
beyond any one country’s waters. Pirate
fishing affects communities that cannot
afford to be robbed of their livelihoods,
leaves the marine environment bruised and
battered, and undermines food security and
attempts at sustainable management.
Roll call
Official lists of pirate vessels are limited
in the information they contain and don’t
include the names of the big companies behind
these pirate fishing vessels. It's time
for the truth: for fish purchasers, retailers,
and the public to see who’s behind pirate
fishing, and for ship owners to start taking
responsibility in their role. Companies
often have illegal and legal vessels fishing
side by side. It is time they pay the real
price for piracy and have all their operations
held accountable when caught pirate-fishing.
We’ve launched an online database of fishing
vessels involved in illegal, unreported
and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and the companies
who own them. Check it out.
Our IUU blacklist is
the first independent record of fishing
vessels, support vessels and companies involved
in pirate fishing. It includes independent
observations from the legal fishing industry,
government authorities, and first-hand evidence
from Greenpeace and other NGOs who have
recorded the activities of these vessels
and companies at sea and in ports around
the world. The new database supplements
the existing IUU database that was launched
in 2007, which contained only those pirate
fishing vessels officially blacklisted by
regional fisheries management organisations
and governments.
Greenpeace is urging all retailers and seafood
traders to ensure they do not purchase pirate-caught
fish and, as a first step, ensure that they
do not trade with companies listed as operators
of pirate vessels.
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Activists board coal
shipment in Spain
06 October 2008 - Gijon,
Spain — At 2am this morning, four Greenpeace
activists boarded the Windsor Adventure,
a coal cargo ship importing coal from Colombia
into Spain. Activist painted “Quit Coal”
on the side of the ship as it entered Gijon,
one of the biggest coal harbours in Spain.
The Spanish government
relies heavily on coal, the most polluting
of all fossil fuels, for the country's energy
supply. The activists took action to call
on to the government to quit coal and switch
to subsidising clean, renewable energy sources.
Free Pass for Coal
The Spanish government imports 24 million
tonnes of coal and pays €2,500 million in
state aid to the coal industry every year,
more than the renewable energy industry
receives. A third of the world's CO2 emissions
come from coal, yet the Spanish government,
like all EU countries, has granted the coal
industry CO2 emissions rights for free.
The action comes one
day before the European Parliament votes
on the EU's response to climate change.
Greenpeace is calling on the EU to commit
to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at
least 30% by 2020, and to vote for measures
to block construction of over 50 new coal-fired
plants in Europe. The Spanish government
talks about tackling climate change while
feeding subsidies right into the industry
that are causing it. The potential of renewable
energy in Spain is enormous and with the
right investment, they can supply all the
electricity and even all the energy needed
with renewables.
Quit Coal Tour
This autumn, the Greenpeace ships Rainbow
Warrior and Arctic Sunrise, are bringing
the "Quit Coal" message to the
Mediterranean and Europe. The tour, from
Israel to Poland, is taking place in the
run-up to UN climate negotiations in Poznan,
Poland this December. Quitting coal will
be essential to a meaningful deal to save
the climate. European governments must show
leadership by phasing-out coal in their
own countries. Learn more about the Quit
Coal tour.
Greenpeace's Energy
[R]evolution shows how renewable energy,
combined with greater energy efficiency,
can cut global CO2 emissions by 5o percent,
and deliver half the world's energy needs
by 2050.
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Greenpeace's "Forests
for Climate" Tour reaches Indonesia
06 October 2008 - Jakarta/Jayapura,
Indonesia — Greenpeace today embarked on
the Indonesian leg of its "Forests
for Climate" ship tour, to shine the
spotlight on the rampant destruction of
the Paradise Forests - the last remaining
ancient forests of Southeast Asia.
The Esperanza arrived
in Jayapura, in the Indonesian province
of Papua, to an energetic welcome from a
troupe of traditional dancers, and local
dignitaries - including the mayor of Jayapura
- gave their support to our campaign. "Forests
for Climate" is not only the slogan
for our Paradise Forests tour - it's also
the name of a landmark proposal Greenpeace
has developed, for an international funding
mechanism to protect tropical forests.
Having just completed
a six-week tour of neighbouring Papua New
Guinea, the Esperanza will tour Indonesia
starting with the provinces of Papua and
West Papua, which represent the last frontier
of intact ancient forests in the country.
Over the next six weeks, the ship will be
touring the archipelago to document the
threats facing the forests of Papua and
Sumatra as well as the companies and politicians
responsible. Also, we will be highlighting
the short and long-term solutions to the
crisis so these forests can be permanently
protected.
As one half of the remote
and mountainous New Guinea island, Papua
contains the largest area of remaining forest
in Indonesia - with those of Sumatra and
Kalimantan on the island of Borneo largely
gone or degraded, this really is the last
frontier. The region is home to hundreds
of distinct tribes and clans with a corresponding
range of cultural diversity, and for biodiversity
is second to none, with animals and plants
new to science being recorded on a regular
basis.
That alone makes the
forests worth protecting, but we now realise
they're also vitally important when it comes
to climate change. Not only do the trees
and soil act as huge carbon stores, cutting
them down also releases that carbon in the
form of greenhouse gases. Indonesia is the
third largest emitter on the planet, largely
due to deforestation and its forests are
disappearing faster than anywhere in the
world, so to prevent climate change we have
to save the forests, including those in
Papua.
The way to do this is
to place a moratorium on all deforestation
across Indonesia, which will provide the
breathing space necessary to work on plans
to safeguard the future of these forests.
The Indonesian government is the one to
lay down a moratorium, but it also needs
the palm oil industry to provide ministers
the space to do so.
Following the victory
with our Dove campaign earlier this year,
we have been working with companies such
as Unilever to build a coalition in favour
of an immediate moratorium on forest conversion
for palm oil and insisting their palm oil
suppliers do not clear further forests.
The effects of climate
change are already being felt around the
world and we don't have long to prevent
the worst predictions becoming inevitable.
We still have time if we act now.
