Tag Archives: Energy

We can, must and should end the age of coal

Posted on by

Coal threatens everything we love and treasure and we now have new research to establish this in our report “Silent Killers”. We must stand together and bring an end to the age of coal. Our renewed fight will kick off on the 29th of June with an international day of action.

“Silent Killers”, based on research conducted by the University of Stuttgart, reveals how coal power plants in Europe cause serious health problems and even leads to premature deaths. In Europe 300 power plants burn coal to produce electricity, spewing out millions of tonnes of pollution, every year. Hour after hour these plants fill the air with toxic pollutants, including mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium and tiny sulphate and nitrate particles that can go deep into people’s lungs.

Pollution from coal is a silent killer. The air breathed in Europe harms everyone – babies, children and adults, especially the elderly. An estimated 22,000 people died prematurely in Europe in 2010 because of toxic emissions from coal plants, the report reveals.

We need to stand up and demand that governments and energy producers respect the fundamental right to breathe clean air and not see it as a threat to their profits.

Continue reading →

Save the Arctic! Save the Ocean!

Posted on by

Living in San Diego CA, soaking up the beautiful weather, amazing beaches and tasty waves, it can sometimes feel like the Arctic is a far away wilderness only relevant around the month of December while discussing the origins of one Santa Clause and his reindeer. What makes the Arctic so important and why is offshore oil drilling in the Arctic an awful idea? I’m asked this question on a daily basis while directly engaging the public on the streets of San Diego.

Continue reading →

Southeasterners can thank Duke Energy when global warming gives them twice as many thunderstorms

Posted on by

A new study suggests that global warming could increase thunderstorms in the Southeast

A new study from NASA suggests that global warming could increase the number of violent, damaging thunderstorms that strike the U.S., particularly in the Southeast, which could see a 100 % increase in the number of days with thunderstorms. Continue reading →

Two North Carolina coal plants turn off today, ending a century of pollution

Posted on by

This is no April fool’s joke. Today, two of Duke Energy’s dirty, outdated coal plants – Riverbend and Buck, in North Carolina – are officially turning off.

Duke Energy is the county’s largest electric utility, and until today operated 14 coal fired power plants in its home state of North Carolina. But because of the organizing efforts of everyday North Carolinians, two of those coal plants have been shut down before Duke had otherwise planned. Continue reading →

We did it for the future

Posted on by

Film and TV star Lucy Lawless and seven activists were today convicted and sentenced to 120 hours community service each
and for attempting to stop an Arctic-bound oil drilling ship last year.

Along with six Greenpeace volunteers, the New Zealand actress occupied the Shell-chartered Noble Discoverer in New Plymouth last February in a move that captured headlines around the world.

Actor Lucy Lawless, right, aboard Shell drillship

It’s almost a year since we climbed the Shell-contracted drilling rig, Noble Discoverer.  Landing on the pier that day we felt dwarfed by the vast 53 meter drill tower that sat atop this rusting hulk which Shell was to use to pioneer their drilling programme in the Arctic.

Insignificant as we were we felt something had to be done – a light had to be shone on Shell’s insane plans to drill for oil in the icy Arctic wilderness.

Not in my wildest dreams did I think we would succeed as we did remaining atop the drill tower for over 77 hours. Continue reading →

The $6 Billion Auction: Finally, A Plan to Get Money Out of Politics

Posted on by

The following is a guest blog by Josh Silver, executive director of Represent Us, campaign to pass the American Anti-Corruption Act which would overhaul campaign finance, impose strict lobbying and conflict of interest laws, and end secret political money. Unchecked campaign finance hinders the work of groups like Greenpeace to motivate our elected officials to get things done for our people and our planet while in office. The interests of lobbyists gets in the way of actual public representation in the White House and on Capitol Hill.

The election spending numbers are in and they broke all the records.  President Obama and Governor Romney each raked in more than $1 billion, independent groups spent $1 billion more and super PAC king Sheldon Adelson told the Wall Street Journal that next election he’ll double the $100 million he spent this time. The total tab for federal elections? More than $6 billion. Continue reading →

Year in PHOTOS: Greenpeace celebrates a year of global victories thanks to YOU

Posted on by

From stopping “scientific whaling” in South Korea to protecting the Arctic from Shell’s oil rigs to shutting down dirty coal plants here in the United States, we’re celebrating a 2012 full of victories for our planet. But none of it would have been possible without the help of each of you who choose to support our work.  Whether we’re pressuring a major company to clean up their supply chain or convincing the government to ban dirty energy, none of it would be possible without our dedicated supporters.  It’s with the positive momentum of 2012 that we continue to campaign for our futures the next year and the next year and the next year. Continue reading →

Climate change concerns majority of Americans. Response from country’s leaders: “Meh.”

Posted on by

Greenpeace climbers rappel down the face of Mount Rushmore in 2009 to unfurl a banner challenging President Obama to lead on global warming.

Our leaders appear mum on the issue, yet the majority of Americans now think climate change is worsening extreme weather events such as the record-breaking heat and hazardous storms this summer, according to a recent survey. Where has climate change been in this election?  Will today’s debate between the vice presidential candidates actually address the environment, a topic not even mentioned in the presidential debates? Continue reading →

In search of a greener cloud: Google vs Microsoft

Posted on by

Microsoft wants the world to think it has its groove back – that it’s moved beyond the ignominy of the Mac vs. PC Apple ads, Windows 95 and Clippy, the helpful mascot everyone loved so much. Microsoft is looking to the cloud to change its old-fashioned perception, starting with its cloud-centric Windows 8 due out later this month. Microsoft has also made a lot of claims about how clean and green the cloud is, but is the Microsoft cloud still attached to a past energy era? We’ll try to answer that question in this article, and others to come, by comparing Microsoft to Google, one of its main competitors. Continue reading →