Greenpeace

Greenpeace, Inuit Come Together To Fight Arctic Seismic Testing

July 28, 2014 Lee-Anne Goodman, www.theglobeandmail.com Resist! Arctic, First Nations, Greenpeace, Indigenous Rights, Oil & Gas

Greenpeace and the Inuit have joined forces to protest Arctic seismic testing, warning that plans to gauge oil and gas reserves with high-intensity sound waves in Baffin Bay and the Davis Strait pose grave dangers to marine life. Inuit activists are staging a protest Wednesday in Nunavut’s Clyde River, a tiny Baffin Island hamlet just above the Arctic Circle, a week after Greenpeace took their cause to the United Nations. An Inuit environmentalist also took aim at Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq, a Nunavut MP, accusing the Conservative government of “cultural genocide” for its efforts to open up the Arctic to oil and gas exploration. “We depend on these waters for food and the very existence of Inuit life depend on them,” said Niore Iqalukjuak in an open letter to Aglukkaq in the Nunatsiaq News. “We fear that what the Conservative government is doing is a cultural genocide and will end the Inuit way of life as we know it. ... You are our representative. Speak up on our behalf.” Aglukkaq’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Iqalukjuak’s letter or on the protest being held in Clyde River. Greenpeace, meantime, has thrown its support behind the community.

Greenpeace Movie Pulled from YouTube

July 12, 2014 Jon Queally, www.commondreams.org Educate! Arctic, Greenpeace, Lego, Protest, shell, Video

After initially having Greenpeace's super viral “Lego Movie” parody pulled from YouTube, Warner Bros. has withdrawn its complaint and the clip has been put back up on the video site. The video, which drowns characters from WB's mega-hit film in oil, was made as a protest against the toy company's $116 million sponsorship deal with Shell Oil. It had reached over 3 million views on YouTube in just a couple of days, before it was taken down late Thursday. UPDATE (1:02 PM EST): Statement sent by Greenpeace to its member regarding the banned video: It looks like LEGO and its corporate pals are more offended by a video than by the idea of Shell’s plan to drill for Arctic oil. Despite the real risk of a terrible and unstoppable oil spill in icy, pristine waters, Shell is determined to plunder every last drop of oil it can. Just like it’s not OK for a tobacco company to market to children, an oil company has no place promoting its brand on kids’ toys. So that's why we’re asking LEGO to show the world - and our children - that an ethical company won't work with Shell.

Greenpeace Blocks Chevron Shale Gas Site

July 9, 2014 Revolution News, www.revolution-news.com Resist! Chevron, Environment, Fracking, Greenpeace

Around 25 Greenpeace activists blocked access to a shale gas exploration site in Romania on Monday, in a third attempt to scupper the drilling operations of US energy group Chevron. Protesters locked hands and sat in front of the entrance to a drilling position in the northeastern village of Pungesti. They prevented a lorry from entering and displayed banners reading “No to fracking“. Greenpeace activists from Romania, Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary chained themselves to the fences and asked Chevron to leave the country. The protest lasted for 15 hours, then the Police evacuated all activists, while media access was also forbidden on site. Fracking is a controversial extraction technique that consists of injecting water and chemicals deep into rock to release gas. Environmentalists warn that chemical-laced waste could contaminate fresh water resources, while the fracking itself could cause minor earthquakes.

Russia Releases Ship Used In Gas Protest

June 7, 2014 Cassady Sharp, www.greenpeaceblogs.org Resist! Arctic, Greenpeace, Oil, Protest, Russia

Russia’s investigative committee (IC) this morning informed Greenpeace International that it has annulled the arrest of the ship Arctic Sunrise, which has remained in custody in Murmansk since a high profile protest against Arctic oil drilling last September. Greenpeace reacted positively to the news but reaffirmed its belief that the arrest of the ship was illegal under international law. Reacting to the news, Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo said: “Millions of people spoke out against the illegal imprisonment of the Arctic 30, and today the final member of the group is free to come home. Our ship was arrested during an entirely peaceful protest against Arctic drilling in international waters. There was absolutely no justification either for boarding the ship or keeping her for eight months. “This whole affair was a brazen attempt to intimidate those who believe that drilling for oil in the melting Arctic is reckless and unsafe. After months without proper maintenance our ship will need careful repairs, but like our campaign to protect the Arctic she will emerge better, fitter and stronger from this.” The investigative committee recently extended its investigation into the protest at the Prirazlomnaya platform by two months, until July 24th. However, lawyers acting for Greenpeace International were informed of the ship’s release unexpectedly during a meeting in the port city of Murmansk this morning. The ship should now be able to leave Russia in the coming days.

Greens ‘Frack’ At Cameron’s Cottage

June 6, 2014 Eoin O'Cinneide, www.upstreamonline.com Resist! David Cameron, Fracking, Greenpeace, Protest, United Kingdom (UK)

UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s country house has been turned into a mock fracturing site as Greenpeace steps up its anti-fracking campaign ahead of the Queen’s speech to Parliament on Wednesday. The environmental watchdog is protesting against a reform measure set to be brought in by the Queen, as she opens Parliament, that will allow fracking firms to drill under people’s homes without gaining prior permission. Early on Wednesday morning, a group of protesters descended on Cameron’s constituency home in Oxfordshire, a period cottage in the Cotswold hamlet of Dean, to cordon it off for presumably imaginary drilling operations. The protesters in hard hats and high-visability jackets sealed off the properties front gate and erected a sign reading, “We apologise for any inconvenience we may cause while we frack under your home”. Another group of campaigners also attempted to deliver a “lottery-style over-sized cheque for £50 [$83] – the maximum compensation ministers are willing to pay to individual home and landowners for allowing companies to drill under their property,” Greenpeace said. Greenpeace was later forced to abandon the protest after police ordered them off the site.

Greenpeace Activists Occupy Oil Rig In Norwegian Arctic

May 28, 2014 Brian Ries, www.mashable.com Resist! Arctic, Greenpeace, Norway, Oil

A group of fifteen Greenpeace activists from eight different countries boarded and climbed an oil rig in the Norwegian arctic Monday morning, protesting a Norwegian company's plans to drill there. The activists, who were in the area on the Greenpeace ship the MV Esperanza in the Barents Sea approximately 190 miles north of Norway, made the decision to board the drilling rig Transocean Spitsbergen, which was en route to the Hoop area in the Barents Sea, after learning that the Norwegian government had reversed an earlier decision blocking drilling in the region. See also: Another Day, Another Tech Protest — But Not for the Reason You Think Greenpeace says the drilling site, the most northernmost well in the Norwegian Arctic, is too close to the Bear Island nature reserve — and an oil spill would devastate the island's unique and unspoiled habitat. Greenpeace's message: Pull out.

Energy [R]evolution Report: US Can Transition To Nearly 100% Renewable

May 13, 2014 Joe Smyth, www.greenpeace.org Create! Energy, Greenpeace

Washington DC - The United States can quickly transition to nearly 100% renewable energy and phase out coal and nuclear power, according to a major new report from Greenpeace and the Global Wind Energy Council. Energy [R]evolution - A Sustainable USA Energy Outlook provides a blueprint for transforming our electricity, transportation, and heating systems to dramatically reduce carbon pollution, and demonstrates to policymakers and investors that rapid changes in the way we produce, distribute, and consume energy are possible and cost effective. “Growing concerns about climate change and air pollution, along with quickly falling costs of renewable energy, are already upending the utility industry’s business model and threatening to turn fossil fuel reserves into stranded assets. The Energy [R]evolution report demonstrates that the rapid changes in the energy sector could expand dramatically, with major implications for many industries,” said Sven Teske, a renewable energy expert with Greenpeace International.

Dutch Arrest 44 Greenpeace Activists Blocking Russian Arctic Oil Tanker

May 1, 2014 John Vidal, www.theguardian.com Resist! Arctic, Greenpeace, Oil, Russia

The very different reactions of European countries to Greenpeace protests was seen on Thursday when 10 Dutch armed anti-terror police boarded the environment group’s flagship outside Rotterdam port and arrested 44 activists trying to stop a Russian tanker from unloading its shipment of Arctic oil. Although the activists were taken to several Rotterdam police stations and the Rainbow Warrior towed ashore, the ship and most of the protesters were released without charge within a few hours. This represented a stark contrast to September 2013, when 20 armed Russian navy commandos boarded the group’s Arctic Sunrise icebreaker, towed it 200 miles to Murmansk and jailed the crew of 28 environmental activists and two freelance journalists for more than two months on charges of piracy and then hooliganism. Greenpeace activists, who used paragliders, climbers, a fleet of boats and inflatables in Rotterdam, said the action was a serious attempt to prevent the Gazprom tanker Mikhail Ulyanov from entering the port and was not stage-managed, despite a boatload of journalists being present and the port given advance warning of a protest.

Greenpeace Readies To Confront First Arctic Oil Shipment

April 30, 2014 Andrea Germanos, www.commondreams.org Resist! Arctic, Greenpeace, Oil

The first Arctic oil is making its way towards Europe, and environmental campaign group Greenpeace International announced that it is preparing to confront that shipment as part of its ongoing fight to save the Arctic. Russian's state-owned Gazprom sent off on April 18 70,000 tons of oil from the Prirazlomnaya oil field in the Pechora Sea to Rotterdam. The Prirazlomnaya rig is the the same one challenged last year by members of Greenpeace's "Arctic 30," who were detained and charged with hooliganism following their peaceful protest to protect the region from fossil fuel exploitation. Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior III, captained by an Arctic 30 member, set sail Monday from Rotterdam to intercept the Arctic oil shipment, though it is unclear what kind of confrontation is planned. "We do not disclose in advance what we are going to do, but I can assure you we will send a clear message to the world that this oil is very dangerous," campaigner Willem Wiskerke, who was aboard the Rainbow Warrior, told Agence France-Presse.

Activists Scale ExxonMobil Rig On Anniversary Of Spill

March 25, 2014 Greenpeace, www.ecowatch.com Resist! Energy, Greenpeace, Oil and Gas

Today, on the 25th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, Greenpeace climbers scaled an ExxonMobil rig destined to drill in the Russian Arctic. The activists are calling for a ban on offshore oil drilling in the Arctic and for renewed efforts to fight climate change. “We are here today, on the 25th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez disaster, to protest against ExxonMobil’s plans of drilling in the Arctic,” said Ethan Gilbert, a U.S. activist who lived in Alaska when the disaster happened in 1989. “I was a young child living in Alaska when the Exxon Valdez disaster happened and the effects there are still being felt on the people and the environment even today.

Russia Drops Cases Against Greenpeace Activists

December 27, 2013 Staff, www.reuters.com Resist! Energy, Environment, Greenpeace, Oil and Gas, Russia

Russia formally dropped criminal charges against Greenpeace activists arrested in a protest over Arctic oil drilling on Wednesday, under a Kremlin amnesty extended to all 30 who had been facing up to seven years jail if convicted. The environmental group said 29 of the 30, who are still inRussia after being freed on bail, have now been amnestied and will be free to leave for their home countries as soon as they secure exit visas. One more activist's case will be reviewed on Thursday, it said. Russia's treatment of the activists - who spent two months in detention and had faced hooliganism charges punishable by seven years in jail - had drawn heavy criticism from Western nations and celebrities. Their amnesty will remove an irritant in relations in what Kremlin critics say is a move timed to improve Russia's image ahead of the Sochi Olympics. "This is the day we've been waiting for since our ship was boarded by armed commandos almost three months ago," Peter Willcox, who captained the Greenpeace vessel used in the protest, the Arctic Sunrise, said in a statement. "I'm pleased and relieved the charges have been dropped, but we should not have been charged at all."

Arctic 30 Members Welcome Russian Amnesty, But Refuse to Apologize

December 23, 2013 Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, www.democracynow.org Resist! Energy, Environment, Greenpeace, Oil and Gas, Russia, Video

Amidst international criticism of Russia’s human rights crackdown ahead of the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, the country’s parliament has approved a mass amnesty for as many as 22,000 prisoners. The move is officially meant to mark the 20th anniversary of the passage of Russia’s post-Soviet constitution. Among the tens of thousands set to be released are the Arctic 30, members of Greenpeace who were arrested in September after trying to stop Russian oil drilling in the Arctic. "We’re glad it happened, but we’re still wondering why we need to be amnestied for something we didn’t do," says Peter Willcox, who was the captain of the Arctic Sunrise and has worked with Greenpeace for decades. "According to the World Court, we were arrested illegally on the high seas, illegally brought into Russia, and illegally detained." Willcox joins us from St. Petersburg, Russia, along with Dimitri Litvinov, a Russian-born U.S. and Swedish citizen who has worked with Greenpeace since 1989.

Last Of Arctic 30 Released On Bail

November 28, 2013 Staff, www.greenpeace.org/usa/en Resist! Energy, Environment, Greenpeace, Oil and Gas, Russia

Australian activist Colin Russell has been granted bail today by a St. Petersburg court, the last of the Arctic 30 detainees to be ordered released on bail after a peaceful Arctic oil drilling protest. He has spent 71 days in detention. Like those of the Arctic 30 who were granted bail before him, Colin is to be released upon posting of a 2 million ruble bail ($60,000). Greenpeace International expects to pay the bail today, aiming to have the legal paperwork finalised to allow Colin’s release from prison before the weekend. Colin's wife Christine, who was today flying to Russia with the couple’s daughter Madeleine, said: “This is such wonderful news – my daughter and I are one step closer to being in the arms of my darling Col. I am so relieved that my beautiful, peaceful man will soon be out of detention. I want to thank everyone for their wonderful support during this nightmare of a time."

The International Tribunal For The Law Of The Sea Rules For ‘Arctic 30’

November 23, 2013 Greenpeace, www.PopularResistance.org Resist! Energy, Environment, Greenpeace, Oil and Gas, Russia

The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea today ordered the Russian Federation in a binding ruling to release the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise and the 28 activists and two freelance journalists on board upon payment of a EUR 3.6 million bond. In response, Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo said: "Today is a historic day - a day when the fundamental rights of the Arctic 30 have been upheld by an international court of law. These 30 men and women were detained only because they stood up and courageously took peaceful action against Arctic oil drilling and to halt the devastating impacts of climate change. “Now that the Tribunal has ordered their release, I would remind you that President Putin recently said in a letter to the American people: ‘The law is still the law, and we must follow it whether we like it or not.’ “Greenpeace would not disagree. The law is the law and this ruling goes a long way towards rectifying the great injustice against the Arctic 30 and we welcome it with open hearts. Twenty-nine have now been granted bail by Russian courts, but this is not enough. This Tribunal has clearly stated that all 30 should be free to leave Russia until the arbitral proceedings have been concluded.

Arctic 30 Activist Speaks Out: ‘Sometimes You Have to Get the Ball Rolling’

October 28, 2013 Common Dreams, www.comcommondreams.org Educate! Environment, Greenpeace, Russia

Over a month after the capture and imprisonment of the Greenpeace Arctic 30, a published letter from Swiss activist Marco Weber promises that he has no regrets: "Sometimes you have to get the ball rolling." Published Sunday in the German newsweekly Sonntagszeitung, Marco writes (translated) that the "situation is hard to bear," though adding, "but the cry that went after our arrest by the world, and the knowledge to have acted on behalf of many people is incredibly invigorating."

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