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THE WITNESS
A polar bear family in Svalbard.
One of the most rewarding things about my work is that I get to meet people almost everyday who are inspired by Greenpeace.
I met Pennsylvania fine artist Justin Ballew over twitter a couple of weeks ago. Inspired by our save the Arctic campaign, he tweeted us this illustrated poem. The poem is fun and simple, and I emailed him to ask him what inspired him to do this. Here’s what he said: Continue reading
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
Opening remarks at the Peoples’ Arctic Conference in Kiruna, Sweden:
(Not interested in reading all the way through? You can listen to Kumi Naidoo’s speech here).
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. 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.
Greenpeace marching band and cheerleader activists help call attention to the threat the Arctic faces from climate change and off-shore drilling during a visit to the State Department
Today is Foreign Affairs Day, a holiday for the US Department of State, where Greenpeace will be among world diplomats communicating with Secretary Kerry. Our message: the United States loves the Arctic! We delivered a photo album to Secretary Kerry with photos from around the country of people showing their love for the Arctic. And we delivered that message in a very unique way: with a marching band and Arctic cheerleaders!
Call the State Department now and ask Secretary Kerry to be an Arctic champ! Continue reading
Often as an environmental campaigner, I find myself thinking the planet would be in much better shape if more thought was given, and caution taken, before industries are given free rein to exploit its precious natural resources. Not to mention the time, energy and money that would be saved in mopping up the mess of a particular environmental problem. As the age old saying goes, prevention is better than cure.
This same logic applies to the Arctic – surely it is better to stop oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean now before there is a catastrophic spill. Experience tells us that inevitably there will be a spill, which will be impossible to clean up in such harsh conditions. Similarly, it is far better to draw a line now and stop the northwards charge of large-scale industrial fishing vessels that are taking advantage of the melting sea ice than to do nothing and find out in a few years’ time that the fish are all gone and that fragile marine habitats have been destroyed. Continue reading
I wasn’t always a traveler. In fact, I preferred to stay home in the icy oasis of the Arctic surrounded by thick ice and a healthy food supply. Unfortunately, I’ve had to adopt the life of a nomad, wandering outside my element searching for food and a place cold enough to call home. Continue reading
Last Saturday, on April 20, more than 10,000 people came together all across the globe to take a stand for the Arctic. Organisers hosted human banners in the shape of a heart, spelling out ‘I Love Arctic’, in more than 280 cities in 38 countries from Chile to New Zealand and from Norway to South Africa. Looking at these beautiful photos, the results speak for themselves.
It was the 5th of October last year when more than 20 of my colleagues and I met in Paris. We are all Volunteer Coordinators here at Greenpeace, and the question that took us to France on that day was “How can we take our demands for Arctic protection to the streets, and and make sure those in power hear the voices and creativity of an ever growing movement committed to saving the Arctic?” Continue reading
Four young people on a mission with Greenpeace have planted a flag on the seabed beneath the North Pole, at the same spot where a submarine planted a Russian flag claiming the Arctic for Moscow. The young people planted their ‘Flag for the Future’ four kilometers beneath the ice at the top of the world and called for the region to be declared a global sanctuary.