Greenpeace UK blogs

Links for 2008-08-19 [del.icio.us]

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Maasai 'can fight climate change'
Nomadic tribes have skills which can help the whole continent cope with climate change, according to Oxfam.
Jatropha cultivation for biodiesel to be expanded in India
Millions of acres of waste ground are being eyed up for jatropha plantations by the government of Uttar Pradesh.

Some good news for Indonesia's rainforests

saunvedan — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:33:59 +0100

The Governor of the province of Riau on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia has pledged to halt deforestation, which could help protect Riau's vast peatlands and forests that store 14.6 billion tonnes of carbon. Just to give you an estimate of what that figure means, it's the equivalent of an entire year's greenhouse gas emissions for the entire planet. Moreover, aside from being an important carbon store, this area is also important for biodiversity and critical for the people that depend upon these forests for their survival.

There are many causes of forest destruction here - from palm oil and timber to pulp and paper. We are urging that Riau's moratorium will stay in place until a permanent law can be passed.

Meanwhile, we are currently focusing our efforts on a halt on any further expansion of the palm oil industry in Indonesia and the wider region. We are lobbying for a proposal to halt such destruction to be accepted at the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, which meets in November.

If Riau's stance is an indication of things to come, then we'll definitely have more good news to write about.

Links for 2008-08-15 [del.icio.us]

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500

China takes a lead on renewable energy
A recent report named China as the world's leading producer of renewable energy

It's official: EU fishing policy is crazy

jossc — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:01:23 +0100

The crew of the Prolific discarding their catch

So at last the sheer waste involved in modern trawling has been captured on camera. Last week a Norwegian coastguard cutter filmed the crew of a Shetland trawler, the Prolific, openly dumping over 5,000 kg of cod and other dead white fish in UK waters. Now this footage is rightly causing a wave of revulsion in the media at the scale of unnecessary waste at a time of rapidly rising food prices and, ironically, when our own Prime Minister is telling us not to waste food.

Such discards are not isolated incidents. They happen routinely all around our coasts, but are almost never documented. They represent a scandalous waste of perfectly marketable fish. The reasons given are many and varied; the fish either are too small, the wrong species, exceed the fishermen's allotted quota, or will fetch too low a price at market. In the case of the Prolific it seems they were discarding tonnes of low-value small (but legally caught) fish in order to fill their quota with higher-value big fish. This time, though, the fact that fish caught in Norwegian sector of the North Sea were dumped in UK waters has outraged the Norwegian government, who released the footage in support of their demand that all fish killed must be landed.

So who's to blame? Current EU policy only sets quotas for fish landed at ports, so fishermen are free to keep trawling until they're happy with the value of their catch, discarding the contents of previous, less valuable trawls. Basically it's a license to 'maximise profit' The EU has been quick to try and characterise this as an isolated event, but ICES, the scientific body which advises the EU on fisheries quotas, suggests that as many as half of all cod and haddock caught in the North Sea are thrown back dead as discards. And the problem is made worse because EU quotas are set for single species, but trawling is an indiscriminate way to fish, so there will inevitably be a large percentage of wasted species caught up in the nets.

Basically the current system is crazy. The only real beneficiaries are the gulls that follow the fishing boats. We urgently need a radical overhaul of the way we manage fisheries, that includes making it a requirement to land all the fish that have been killed, and setting aside large areas as no-take marine reserves where all marine life, including commercially important species, can get some respite from relentless overfishing. The evidence suggests that where marine reserves have been established then, over time, fish stocks begin to recover and end eventually start to thrive again.

The award-winning environmental journalist Charles Clover, in his powerful attack on industrial fishing 'The End of The Line', made the point that if trawling were to take place not at sea, but on land in plain sight of everyone, then it would be quickly banned because the levels of indiscriminate destruction involved are so high that we would all be sickened by the sight. This Norwegian coastguard video has given us just a small taste of what that might feel like and, it seems, we can't stomach it.

Links for 2008-08-13 [del.icio.us]

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Complaint upheld over Shell advert
The ASA will announce today that it has upheld a complaint against Shell by WWF, the environmental charity, about the oil company's claims that oil sands in Canada were a "sustainable" energy source.
Charles warns GM farming will end in ecological disaster
In an outspoken assault on GM crops, Prince Charles accused unnamed "gigantic corporations" of "conducting a gigantic experiment with nature, and the whole of humanity, which has gone seriously wrong".
Amazon rainforest threatened by new wave of oil and gas exploration
With over 35 multinational companies racing to tap into oil and gas reserves situated in peak biodiversity spots, conservationists urge an environmental impact assessment
IPCC 'wrong' on logging threat to climate
The new work suggests that the role of untouched temperate forest as either a carbon sink – or a carbon emitter, if the forest is logged – should be upgraded, and carbon accounting models should be altered.
India goes mega-solar

Waiting for a nuclear disaster

saunvedan — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:40:53 +0100

More breaking news on nuclear safety from Nuclear Reaction this morning; we found the Olkiluoto 3 construction site in Finland, where they are building the so-called state of the art European Pressurised nuclear Reactor (EPR), to be unsafe after examining leaked documents from Areva, the French company building it. Olkiluoto 3 is a white elephant whose construction has been mired with 1,500 flaws, is £1.5 billion over budget and is already running 2-3 years late.

Add to this the revelation that welders haven't got a clue how to construct the nuclear reactor and are receiving only two weeks’ training on the job - instead of the proper degree that’s required on this specialised project.

(Areva by the way is the same company that's been given the contract to manage Sellafield in Cumbria, home to vast quantities of radioactive waste stockpiles, and the reactor design is the same one that Gordon Brown would like to see built here in the UK.)

This news follows a recent accident in France, where there was a nuclear leak in Tricastin that shocked the world. As France advertises itself as a nuclear energy pioneer with 80 per cent of its energy coming from nuclear, this couldn't have come at a worse time.

It's become clear that the problems associated with Olkiluoto 3 are a result of shoddy construction work by the sub-contractors that Areva employs to carry out the job. Compromising on the quality of construction material to cut spiralling costs should be a strict no-no when you're building a nuclear reactor. But all that goes out of the window when all Areva is interested in is getting Olkiluoto 3 up and running as it desperately tries to sell its dodgy reactor around the world.

But, as things go from bad to worse for Areva, the safety concerns we've exposed not only make it a risky project that could have catastrophic consequences in case of a leak, but reinforces the argument that the only way forward is to halt the project and put environment and public safety first.

John West: the worst on tinned tuna

jossc — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 11:10:27 +0100

Tinned tuna is big business - there's a can in almost everyone's cupboard. Here in the UK we can't get enough of it - we're the second biggest consumer in the world after the USA. Globally tuna exports are worth more than any other fish species, at around 2.7 billion dollars per year.

But there are big problems with the way tuna is caught. Our new briefing paper, Tinned Tuna's Hidden Catch, explains how large numbers of sea turtles, sharks and other fish are all being wiped out by the global tuna industry. And tuna is in trouble itself, with some species critically endangered by overfishing.

Here in the UK some of our top selling brands, like John West and Princes, are among the worst at ensuring the fish they sell are caught using sustainable methods. We've produced a league table ranking the large tuna retailers according to various sustainablility criteria, and John West, the nation's biggest tuna brand, is languishing right at the bottom. Until things change, John West are officially John Worst.

You can see the complete results for our tinned tuna survey here. Please use this league table as a guide to choosing the tinned tuna that you buy, and steer clear of the brands that are sourcing tuna irresponsibly. You can also help us to press for change in the UK tinned tuna trade, by emailing the CEO of the company which finished at the bottom of our league table, John West.

The animation below shows how destructive fishing methods using Fish Aggregating Devices and purse seine nets affect both the tuna and the species that live around them.

Lean, green killing machine

jamie — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 11:51:58 +0100

In a story not as weird as the environmentally-friendly bullets one but still somewhat unnerving, it appears the US military is gunning for an increase in the amount of energy it derives from renewable sources. Military chiefs want to see 25 per cent come from the likes of wind, wave and solar by 2025 and while it accounts for 1.5 per cent of US energy consumption, the biggest impact could be the civil application for military developments in technology and efficiency so the rest of the country could be following in its khaki-coloured wake.

My feelings about this are understandably mixed. On the one hand, any shift away from fossil fuels towards greener alternatives is a good thing; on the other... well, it's the military.

There's no point ranting about the development of new technologies to support an institution who's ultimate aim is (let's not beat about the bush here) killing people because there are countless everyday items with their origins in military development, from the internet to Superglue. But when the military PR machine is proud to claim that human rights vortex Guantanamo Bay has it's own wind turbines, you have to admire the stomach-churning irony.

Links for 2008-08-08 [del.icio.us]

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500

The nuclear ‘renaissance’: who benefits?

What it’s like at Climate Camp

saunvedan — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:01:06 +0100

It was a beautiful morning, if a little muggy, as I passed through the Kent countryside to Strood yesterday on my way to Climate Camp. I had to find out for myself what it was really like at the farm opposite Kingsnorth coal fired power station, where E.On wants to build the first new coal plant in the UK for over 30 years.

Joined by fellow climate campaigners, we received friendly smiles from local people who pointed us in the direction of Kingsnorth, egging us on our journey. (After all, not everyone wants to live next to a coal fired power station.)

Approaching the climate camp, we were greeted by a police garrison complete with horses, dogs and vans. Herded like cattle, we were stopped and searched extensively - after which we cheerfully resumed our journey to join the hundreds of climate campaigners peacefully enjoying the bright sunshine in a picturesque rural meadow. Or dangerous criminals plotting to cause grievous bodily harm, depending on who you listen to.

I haven't been out of London in ages, and I virtually skipped among the hundreds of colourful tents as I was given a tour of the camp and its various workshops, kitchens and eco-washing facilities. I was literally tripping over solar panels; the entire power supply to the camp comes from small windmills and solar cells. Even the cinema was bicycle powered and ground water purified for use with ingenious eco-filtration techniques.

I attended a few workshops that were running in a couple of the tents, like the Plane Stupid discussion on next steps to oppose building of the third runway and sixth terminal at Heathrow. What I found was that although there were speakers for these workshops, there wasn't any official leader. The philosophy behind the workshops is to open them up for discussion without having a chain of command dominating them, which I found liberating.

By mid-afternoon I found myself playing Frisbee with some of the campers and singing along to songs someone was playing on her guitar. Children played freely and were blissfully unaware of the police helicopter that landed nearby. I also visited the stand-off point on the farm where police raided the camp at dawn on Monday.

It was evening, and time for me to go (after being frisked again) as I had to be in to write this blog today. On my way back to London, I pondered on what's made the government go backwards on energy technology, when the future so clearly lies in renewables. I guess when E.On says jump, the government jumps.

Get involved: Give coal the boot!

bex — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:55:21 +0100

We urgently need you to be a part of a growing movement across the UK urging Gordon Brown to give coal the boot. Get involved!

Burning coal is the single greatest threat to our climate - and it's totally unnecessary in the UK. Yet the government is about to give the green light to a new generation of dirty coal-fired power stations. We need to make sure this doesn't happen.

We urgently need you to be a part of a growing movement across the UK urging Gordon Brown to GIVE COAL THE BOOT. Please sign up today to become a part of the campaign, and we'll be in touch soon with ways you can help.

Sustainable plywood and how to find it

saunvedan — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:00:48 +0100

The UK is flooded with illegal and unsustainable plywood made from tropical hardwood from the world's last remaining ancient forests, commonly used on construction sites. With this in mind, we have released a new report Setting A New Standard, which provides practical advice to companies on how to get it right on timber, by specifying wood that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

The construction industry is by far the largest consumer of timber products in the UK, so they have a vitally important role to play in ensuring that their timber use does not contribute to the devastation of rainforests around the world.

The report shows that there is no technical reason why unsustainable plywood cannot be replaced by FSC-certified Oriented Strand Board (OSB) which is competitively priced, locally sourced and already available on the UK market. We have compiled a checklist to help construction projects use as much environmentally and socially responsible timber as possible.

While this report focuses on the timber used by the UK construction it is vital that politicians also act, to stop the import of timber that comes from illegal logging. Currently the EU has no laws to stop illegal timber and we are campaigning for EU wide legislation to address this as a matter of urgency.

See the plywood checklist for a summary of the recommendations and an explanation of the terminology used. Getting it right on timber is becoming much easier, but the impacts of getting it wrong are devastating for the world's forests.

Climate actions in Gatwick, Essex and... Legoland?

jamie — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:39:01 +0100

Not one, not two but at least three climate change-related happenings popped up around the country yesterday, many of them carried out by Climate Camp attendees. Although the camp is primarily focused on coal and the proposed new power station at Kingsnorth, today's activities also highlighted other climate threats such as aviation and biofuels. Here is just a taste of what's been happening:

Campers made their way this morning to a biofuel depot in Essex to take part in a blockade. According to news reports, people created a barrier in the road to prevent lorries gaining access to the depot, while others were chained to a fuel storage tanker. And this on the day that a government report finds that supposedly sustainable biofuels might not be so sustainable after all.

Meanwhile campers of the Plane Stupid variety headed to Gatwick Airport, where they occupied the roof above the train station and the arrivals lounge with banners unfurled with aplomb. Others provided leaflets about the climate impacts of aviation to passengers and staff.

Elsewhere, with an example of what is perhaps the smallest banner ever seen, Legoland in Windsor experienced its own visitation. The miniature replica of Kingsnorth power station (who'd have thought there'd be one in the first place?) was decorated with a teeny tiny banner reading 'Stop Climate Change'.

Follow events at Climate Camp via Twitter here and here.

Jellyfish and chip supper?

jossc — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 10:46:12 +0100

A new report by the Institute of Marine Sciences at the National Research Council in Barcelona links the rapid growth of jellyfish populations throughout the world's oceans to overfishing of their natural predators such as tuna and as a result of global warming.

So it seems that Raymond Blanc may have not been too far from the mark when he set out a stark choice for chefs: "Sustainable bouillabaisse today or jellyfish burgers tomorrow." Listen to Raymond's comments:

Let's hope that we manage to persuade enough of them to sign up to our new Seafood See Life campaign to keep jellyfish off the menu.

Jellyfish are mostly harmless, though some deadly varieties exist, and have been described by marine experts as the cockroaches of the sea: tough, durable and able to survive in damaged environments. Not something that you would really want to take home to eat in a newspaper!

Read the full article here.

Links for 2008-08-07 [del.icio.us]

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Brazil may restrict ethanol plants in wetlands
More and more 'stuffs: what can you do without?
Consumption spreads faster today than it did in the past - a handy graph shows how.
Map shows front lines of Arctic carve-up

Links for 2008-08-06 [del.icio.us]

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Computers pile up in Ghana dump
The Beeb on e-waste in Africa
Pictures from Kingsnorth Climate Camp 2008
Pictures from Climate Camp
Can Google Earth Help Save the Planet?
The stakes could not be higher. Everything hinges on stopping coal
The climate camp must succeed. In the absence of political backbone, our only hope is an avalanche of public revulsion
'Lost world' of gorillas discovered in the Congo
Even more reason these forests should be protected.
MIT develops way to bank solar energy at home

Links for 2008-08-05 [del.icio.us]

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500

Coal Scuttled
The climate camp outside the Kingsnorth power station is contesting the biggest issue of them all
Negotiating with Iran is maddening, but bombing would be a catastrophe
US military posturing towards Tehran lacks credibility and, in any case, such action would fail in all its purposes