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THE WITNESS
Cassady Sharp writes online content for Greenpeace. You can follow her opinions on environmental issues, news and culture @cassadyblair 
Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo making opening remarks at the People’s Arctic Council
The Arctic Council meeting in Sweden just wrapped up, and while we were thrilled to deliver photos of 280 global “I Love the Arctic” photos to the delegates including US Secretary of State John Kerry, we were disappointed that the meeting ended with no action to protect the Arctic. Continue reading
As newly appointed U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry serves as a delegate on the Arctic Council, the only diplomatic forum dedicated entirely to the Arctic region. Secretary Kerry will meet with representatives from seven other Arctic states to discuss the environmental and biological changes to the area.
Greenpeace has worked hard to encourage Secretary Kerry to be a champion for the Arctic as the U.S. delegate. We even sent a cheerleading squad and a marching band to our meeting at the State Department in Washington, DC last week!
The Arctic faces imminent threats from climate change, oil drilling and industrial fishing, but Secretary Kerry has the power to protect it from all three. Based upon his Earth Day speech, Secretary Kerry plants to work hard on climate change and protecting our beautiful planet. It’s our job to make sure he doesn’t forget the words he spoke.
The science is screaming at all of us and demands action. From the far reaches of Antarctica’s Ross Sea to tropical wetlands in Southeast Asia, we have a responsibility to safeguard and sustainably manage our planet’s natural resources, and the United States remains firm in its commitment to addressing global environmental challenges.
-Secretary John Kerry, Earth Day 2013
Check back for live updates from the Arctic Council meeting next week. In the meantime, you can call the State Department directly and request Arctic protection.
© Karuna Ang / Greenpeace
“400 ppm” is buzzing in the air like the impending ruckus of cicadas.
The immediate reaction to the news that the amount of atmospheric carbon surpassed the dreaded 400 parts per million milestone is to hang your head and sigh. (It’s okay if you’ve done that. I did too). It feels like you’re still running when the race is already over. Continue reading
Greenpeace activists unfurl a huge banner reading 'Syngenta Pesticides Kill Bees' from the headquarters of the agrochemical company, Syngenta.
Brussels – A clear majority of EU countries have supported the European Commission proposal to temporarily ban three pesticides that are scientifically shown to be harmful to bees: imidacloprid and clothianidin, produced by chemical company Bayer, and thiamethoxam, produced by Syngenta. Continue reading
It started out that Team Greenpeace would be running a 26.2 mile marathon in Big Sur, California to raise money to help protect the environment. But now, it’s become something more. Continue reading
Crossposted from the Institute of Southern Studies
A bill that would have ended North Carolina’s renewable energy program was voted down this week by a state House committee in a bipartisan vote by a surprisingly wide margin. Continue reading
From solar-powered emails to recycled cities, there are plenty of reasons to feel hopeful for our planet this Earth Day. Although protecting our forests, oceans and air is an endless job, we can also step back and appreciate all the really cool stuff going on all over the world thanks to people coming together and finding a better way. Big or small, these reasons all point to progress that is actually working. Continue reading
A building collapsed into floodwater near the Route 528 (Herbert Street) Bridge one day after Hurricane Sandy hit the New Jersey and New York.
While those impacted by Hurricane Sandy are still struggling to get their lives back to normal, forecasters at Colorado State University anticipate a hurricane season with 11 more storms than average. There is now a 72 percent chance that a major hurricane will hit the U.S. coast in 2013 compared to a previous average of 52 percent. Continue reading
Click this map to see where more than 400 chemical plants are located.
Five-15 people are reported dead and at least 160 injured after an explosion from a fertilizer plant in West, Texas, a town north of Waco. Our thoughts are with those impacted by this tragedy.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board has sent a large investigation team to the scene. The plant had 54,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia, a highly volatile gas used in making fertilizer. The town’s mayor said the explosion itself was like “a nuclear bomb,” and was picked up as a 2.1 magnitude tremor.
It’s the day after tax day, and while many of us may be cringing at the big checks we just wrote the IRS or celebrating our refunds, Duke Energy isn’t paying federal income taxes for the fifth year in a row. After its merger with Progress Energy, North Carolina based Duke Energy is the nation’s largest utility company and raked in more than $1 billion in profits last year.
Duke is using the deferral process to avoid paying taxes, which should have been $627 million. Instead it actually received a rebate of $46 million. Interesting timing since Duke Energy is also planning customer rate hikes to pay for investments in coal and nuclear energy. Continue reading