Author Archives: Malo Herry

And the winner is…Shell!

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Today, within eyeshot of the World Economic Forum (WEF), Greenpeace and the Berne Declaration (BD) presented the Public Eye Awards, thus denouncing particularly glaring cases of companies’ greed for profit and environmental sins. The public award goes, with a large winning margin, to the oil corporation Shell, in accordance with the wishes of 41,800 online voters. The US bank Goldman Sachs receives this year’s jury award. The star guests at the media conference in Davos were the author, economist and former bank regulator Professor William K. Black and the renowned business ethicist Dr Ulrich Thielemann.

Greenpeace and the BD presented the Public Eye Awards 2013 to two corporations which serve as examples of WEF members and companies whose social and ecological misdeeds show the downside of purely profit-oriented globalisation:

“Shell has invested 4.5 billion dollars into a senseless, highly risky plan and only produces problems,” says Kumi Naidoo, executive director of Greenpeace International. “The Public Eye Awards vote shows that the public keeps an eye on Shell and that its pigheadedness will continue to be sanctioned by public opinion.” Continue reading →

Greenpeace Radio: Arctic campaigner reveals Shell oil would rely on “mops and buckets”

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Greenpeace International’s Arctic Campaigner Ben Ayliffe talk to Greenpeace Radio host Kert Davies about Greenpeace’s fight to keep Shell Oil out of the Arctic and protect that critical region for the health of the whole planet.

Listen now

The coolest animals in the Arctic

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When it comes to the Arctic, we’ve been talking in numbers a lot lately. We’re going to take a break from the math for a minute to talk about one of the many reasons we’re working so hard to protect the Arctic: the wildlife. And for the record, Arctic sea ice experienced the lowest levels of sea ice ever recorded this August (we couldn’t resist)!
The Arctic is currently at risk from oil companies like Shell looking to profit from sea ice melt by drilling in the Arctic Ocean.
We have to prevent companies to drill in the Arctic as these low sea ice levels only encourage them. An oil spill in this area is not only a likely occurrence, it would be disastrous for the surrounding ecosystem particularly, not to mention the global climate.  Join us to protect the future of these amazing creatures and each of our futures as well.  Save the Arctic!

The Arctic fox, also known as white fox, polar fox or snow fox. Its fur changes color with the seasons: white in the winter, to blend in with snow and brown in the summer.

The narwhal is one of the most vulnerable arctic marine mammals to climate change.

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PHOTOS: A week after typhoon Pablo

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Around 780 people are still missing after the province was hit by Typhoon Bopha. Bopha is the most southerly typhoon ever recorded in the western Pacific Ocean, and the second strong typhoon to have hit southern Philippines in 2 years. Scientists predicted years ago that human-caused climate change would result in abnormally severe extreme weather events. The past few years have seen the Philippines, and other parts of the world, struggle to cope with the effects of drastically altered weather patterns. Pablo has left more than 1,500 people either dead or missing and has left at least PHP 14.30 billion ($348 million) in damages.

Continue reading →

Survival guide to holiday parties with climate deniers

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Two days ago, UN’s general secretary Ban Ki-moon said it was time to “prove wrong” those who still have doubts about climate change at the climate talks in Doha.

Since it’s the festive season and you never know when you’ll wind up at the same holiday party as Donald Trump, we’ve answered Ban Ki-moon’s demand. Here are our tips for replies when you get hit with “it snowed in Wisconsin last year” or “It’s extremely cold in NY and NJ, where is global warming?”

You’ve probably heard that several times. Global warming is just a hoax invented by environmental extremists and liberals who want strong regulations and big governments. But all major scientific institutions working on climate, ocean and atmosphere recognize that human CO2 emissions are the primary cause of climate warming. But what do scientists know? Indeed, British Petroleum said that “There is an increasing consensus that climate change is linked to the consumption of carbon based fuels and that action is required now to avoid further increases in carbon emissions as the global demand for energy increases.” Another one? Our favorite company Shell “shares the widespread concern that the emission of greenhouse gases from human activities is leading to changes in the global climate.” Continue reading →

Arctic sea ice larger than U.S. melted this year

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We all depend on the health of the Arctic. Oil companies such as Shell, BP or Exxon want to drill oil, fueling climate change and ice melting. The climate in the area can be severe and unpredictable making an oil spill likely and catastrophic. Over two million people have now signed our petition. Declare your support for a global sanctuary in the Arctic by signing on now.

Originally posted to CBS News.

DOHA, QATAR- An area of Arctic sea ice bigger than the United States melted this year, according the U.N. weather agency, which said the dramatic decline illustrates that climate change is happening “before our eyes.”

In a report released at U.N. climate talks in the Qatari capital of Doha, the World Meteorological Organization said the Arctic ice melt was one of a myriad of extreme and record-breaking weather events to hit the planet in 2012. Droughts devastated nearly two-thirds of the United States as well western Russia and southern Europe. Floods swamped West Africa and heat waves left much of the Northern Hemisphere sweltering. Continue reading →

Miranda Kerr Reconsidering Victoria’s Secret Contract After Greenpeace toxics investigation

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Model Miranda Kerr rumored to cut ties with Victoria's Secret after Greenpeace toxics investigation

Our toxics team was happy to hear that even supermodels care about toxic-free fashion.  Hopefully, Victoria’s Secret model Miranda Kerr will lead a trend to a more sustainable fashion industry globally. Read more about our toxics report. Originally posted to Marie Claire.

Miranda Kerr is the most famous face, and figure, of Victoria’s Secret but it appears she’s may have been forced to reconsider her relationship with the lingerie brand, following a report by Greenpeace that has exposed its manufacturing methods. Continue reading →

Herakles Farms Continues Forest Clearing in Cameroon

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Originally posted to Greenpeace Africa.

A US-owned company is clearing natural forest in the southwest of Cameroon to establish a large-scale palm oil plantation, heightening social tension as serious questions about the legality of the project persist.

Aerial footage by Greenpeace taken earlier this month shows how trees in the largely forested concession area have been cleared by SG Sustainable Oils Cameroon (SGSOC), a subsidiary of New York-based Herakles Farms.

The deforestation is taking place despite the fact SGSOC is operating via a 99-year land lease that has not yet been approved by Presidential Decree and is therefore questionable under Cameroonian Law.

If it is not stopped, the planned 730km2 concession will eventually be almost half the size of the greater Johannesburg metropolitan area, or 10 times the size of Manhattan. It would destroy a densely forested area in a biodiversity hotspot, resulting in severe consequences for the livelihoods of thousands of residents and for the global climate. Continue reading →

Climate change is now reality; Doha talks must spark clean energy revolution

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Press release originally posted to Greenpeace International.

Volunteers assemble a wind turbine during the opening of Greenpeace's 'Solarising Borobudur' project and Climate Rescue Station at Borobudur Temple, Magelang, Central Java.

Doha, November 26, 2012 – As governments meet for climate talks in Doha, Greenpeace warned on Monday that they must wake up to the reality that climate change is already gripping the planet and take urgent action to avoid catastrophic global warming.

 

This year has already seen devastating storms, droughts and floods causing significant loss of life, including in the US, China, India, Africa and Europe. This should be seen as a warning signal and a test of whether governments will protect their people.

“Climate change is no longer some distant threat for the future, but is with us today. At the end of a year that has seen the impacts of climate change devastate homes and families around the world, the need for action is obvious and urgent,” said Martin Kaiser, Greenpeace climate campaigner.

At stake in Doha is the future of the Kyoto Protocol, the only legally binding cap of greenhouse gas emissions, whose first commitment period expires at the end of this year. Continue reading →

Ken Burns: Before Sandy, there was the Dust Bowl

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Originally posted to Grist, by James West.

As the East Coast licks its wounds from superstorm Sandy, many in New York and New Jersey are still without power, wondering how on Earth it got this bad. Ken Burns, the great innovator of the American documentary, thinks this is the perfect time to seek some wisdom from generations past.

His new film, The Dust Bowl, tells the story of the the worst human-made ecological disaster in U.S. history. For it, Burns and his team tracked down the last remaining survivors of the catastrophic dust storms of the 1930s and matched their intimate stories (most were children at the time) with lush archival footage. Continue reading →