Update Winter 2009

8/14/2019 Update Winter 2009

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update winter


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On the cover: As world politicians met in Bangkok for talkson global warming, Greenpeace exposed the fossil fuel proble

at one of its sources, in the Arctic, carrying out an action at theSvea Coal Mine and hindering Arctic coal from being exportedto European coal fired power plants. Coal burning is the greatthreat to climate, accounting for over 40% of all global warminpollution, making it the largest single source of the problem.Greenpeace is urging the world leaders to secure a fair,ambitious and binding agreement at the Copenhagen climatemeeting this December.

Christian Aslund/Greenpeace

Our Mission

update winter 09

Greenpeace, Inc. is the leading independent

campaigning organization that uses peaceful directaction and creative communication to expose globalenvironmental problems and promote solutions thatare essential to a green and peaceful future. Pleasevisit greenpeace.org to learn more about GreenpeacInc. and greenpeacefund.org to learn more aboutGreenpeace Fund, Inc.

ISSN: 8899-0190. Unless otherwise noted, all contenare Greenpeace, Inc.

Managing EditorRobyn Fuller

Coordinating Editor & Staff WriterSebastian Jannelli

Special Thanks to our Contributing EditorsTim Aubry, Kacey Cox, Kellen Dunlap, Lisa Finaldi,Deepa Isac, Robert Meyers, Billie Robertson,andMark Smith

Dazzling in its imagery and powerful in its message of conservation, Greenpeaces 2010Calendar features a dozen oversize, full-color portraits by the worlds top naturephotographers. Each picture is a poignant reminder of exactly what is at stake in ourbattle to save the planet. Order yours today at greenpeace.org/calendar. As always,royalties from the sale of this calendargo directly to supporting Greenpeaces campaigns.

DELUXE WALL CALE

NDAR

GREENP

EACE20

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From the Executive Director GLOBALWARMING Climate Destruc

King Coals Cho

Climate Fraud Stop the Tar Sa

2

8

12

FORESTS A Kleercut Victo

The ReindeerForests of Finlan

OCEANS Polar Oceans

Pacific Voices

Save the Steller

On December 7th, the worldsleaders will meet in Denmarkfor the United NationsCopenhagen Climate Confer-ence. There they will try to

hammer out a new global warming treaty, whichscientists tell us could be our last hope to stop globalwarming and save the planet.

Regrettably, President Obama will be coming tothe table in Copenhagen empty-handed, despitecampaign promises to lead the fight against globalwarming.

With no national global warming legislationapproved, no firm commitments to reducing global

warming pollution, and no substantial plans to aiddeveloping countries, the United States governmentunfortunately remains part of the problem not thesolution.

So, where is the change that we were promised?Why has our new president, who inspired so muchhope in all of us, been unable to deliver on the mostimportant issue of our generation?

Plain and simple, the oil and coal industries haveused their financial power to tighten their chokehold

on our government and they are refusing to let go.Though President Obama said no industry lobbyistswould be welcome in his White House, Big Oil andKing Coal have pried open the doors and prevented

meaningful global warming legislation from beingpassed.

What we need now is leadership to reach out andpull our country back from the brink.

We know what must be done to halt global warming:developed countries must reduce global warmingpollution 40% by 2020. We have both the technologyand the resources to accomplish this. And we knowwhat the catastrophic consequences will be if we donot do what is needed.

Failure to act is not an option.

Greenpeace will mobilize millions to call for thePresident to make our hopes a reality. We will

continue to expose and counter the dirty influence ofcoal and oil interests in politics. And we will lead theway toward a green and peaceful future.

As John F. Kennedy said, Our problems areman-made, therefore they may be solved by man.Now is our moment to come together, as Americansand as citizens of the world, and solve the problemof global warming before it is too late. Please standwith us in this, our planets most desperate hour.

For a Green and Peaceful Future,

Philip D. RadfordExecutive Director

RobertMeyers/Greenpeace


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A

s the worlds 20 richest economies, also known as the G20, met

Pittsburgh to discuss the upcoming Copenhagen Climate Convention

Greenpeace activists hung a massive warning sign off one of the cityiconic bridges.

The banner, 80 feet by 30 feet in size, took the form of a stylized road sign an

read, Danger. Climate Destruction Ahead. Reduce CO2 Emissions Now.

Greenpeace activists across the globe will continue to take action until the world

leaders commit to science-based politics to stop global warming. For the Unite

States, this means reducing

global warming pollution by 25-

40% below 1990 levels inthe next 10 years to avoid

catastrophic, run away global

warming.

Greenpeace activists arewilling to risk arrest in defense

of the planet and to push

politicians to do what is right.

Climate Destruction Ahead

TAKE ACTION@ greenpeace.org/america-honors-leaders

0

10

20

30

40

50

International Commitments To CO2 Reduction

Germany

United

States

Japan

EuropeanUnion

U.N.Recommended Range

Pete Muller/Greenpeace


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Earlier this year, nearly 5,000 peo

willing to risk arrest joined Greenpea

in a march on Washington D.C.s cofired Capitol Power Plant. Together,

sounded the call for a clean energy revolut

and an end to King Coals reign. In addition

being the single largest source of glo

warming pollution in the U.S., coal

responsible for some horrific external cost

from mountaintop blasting to toxic pollution.

Judy Bonds, a community activist from W

Virginia, was one of the thousands who le

her voice to the chorus during the Cap

Climate Action. She shared the stage with

likes of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., NASA scien

Dr. James Hansen, and environmental activDaryl Hannah. With a bullhorn held to her li

Judy described how coal production w

directly affecting her life and the lives of tho

she loves.

I dont mind being poor, and I dont mi

King Coals Chokehold On Americ

Tazz/Greenpeace


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4

being made fun of but I draw the line

at being blasted and poisoned!, she

exclaimed.

Imagine... men, women, and childrenin America are literally being blasted

and poisoned in order to produce coal.It is both disgusting and uncon-

scionable for us to allow mountaintop

removal for coal mines and toxic

contamination from coal waste to

continue devastating our communities.

At least 500 ancient mountains are already gone, thousands of

miles of rivers and drinking water poisoned, significant portions

of the worlds most biologically diverse forests destroyed.Just days before Christmas 2008, one billion gallons of toxic

coal ash sludge burst out of a storage area at Tennessees

Kingston coal-fired plant and flooded into the Emory and

Clinch Rivers, tributaries of the Tennessee River, which

supply drinking water to millions of people. The Kingston

spills toxic sludge the product of more than 50 years inoperation left an enormous path of destruction in its wake,

covering more than 300 acres and rising some 65 feet.

Today, toxic coal waste is sitting in 600 sites in 35 states.

Yet, the new Democratically-backed global warming bill pav

the way for a whole new generation of coal plants and give

billions of taxpayer dollars to the dirty lie of clean coal. W

cannot allow this destruction to continue. You can learn mo

about how the United States can meet its energy needs usi

todays technology in Greenpeaces Energy Revolutionrepo

LEARN MORE@ greenpeace.org/energyrevolution

Judy Bonds

Nell Redmond/Greenpeace

Kate Davison/Greenpeace


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Aleaked memo that was anonymously sentto Greenpeace on August 9th, revealed

that the American Petroleum Institute(API) is asking oil companies to recruit their em-

ployees, retirees, and contractors to take part in

Energy Citizens rallies against global warming

legislation.

This Energy Citizens campaign is an attempt

to use a tactic known as astroturfing, in which

a group funded by major corporations with

vested political interests is given the appearance

of a genuine grassroots movement.

So, on August 18th, several Greenpeace activists

laid down real astroturf in front of the APIs Wash-

ington, D.C. headquarters, and erected a sign that

read Climate Fraud Funded By Big Oil.

The action received major media attention,

including an editorial piece in The New YorkTimes, and helped expose the American

Petroleum Institutes Energy Citizens campaign

for what it truly is.

Climate Fraud Funded By Big Oil

Robert Meyers/Greenpeace


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6

Which country is the largest supplier crude and refined oil to the UniteStates?Iraq? Saudia Arabia? The United Ara

Emirates?

Wrong. The answer is Canada. Undernea

the ancient soils of the North America

Boreal Forest lie enormous reserves

fossil fuels called tar sands. Today, the t

sands operation in Alberta, Canada is thworlds largest industrial complex, producin

more than one million barrels of oil a da

most of which is sent directly to the Unite

States.

In order to extract this crude form of oforests are bulldozed and giant machin

claws dig into the face of the Earth, bringin

the oil to the surface. Pristine woodlan

ecosystems, full of unique plant and anim

species, are transformed into stinking, blac

wastelands that belch toxic fumes into th

sky.

Stop The Tar Sands!

Greenpeace

Ray Giguere/Greenpeace Tae Lim/Greenpeace John Woods/Greenpeace


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Extracting tar sand deposits doesnt only destroy forests,

pollute waterways, and endanger the health of wildlife and local

communities it is enormously dangerous for our planets

climate, with nearly 100 million tonnes of carbon being

produced per day.This September, a team of Greenpeace activists infiltrated a

tar sands site and locked themselves to several pieces of

machinery, effectively bringing the entire operation to a halt.

Teammates unfurled a giant ban

reading Climate Crime, while

activists remained chained to the sitenearly 30 hours. Less than a week la

Greenpeace activists were back w

another blockade.

There is no excuse for this crime aga

our climate. Greenpeace is calling

the American and Canadian gove

ments to stop extracting oil from the

sands, for the sake of people and tplanet.

There are other options. Greenpeac

recently released green jobs rep

Working for the Climate, shows that a greenenergy future isonly possible, but it is beneficial to jobs in the energy sector.

2030, the report projects we could have eight million renewa

and efficiency power sector workers. In contrast, if we contin

with business as usual the energy sector will most likely loabout 500,000 jobs by 2030.

TAKE ACTION@ greenpeace.org/stop-the-tar-sands

Tae Lim/Greenpeace


10/20

On August 9th, 2009, after nearly five years of bein

targeted by Greenpeaces Kleercut campaig

Kimberly-Clark has finally agreed to use mo

sustainable fiber in their tissue products. Moving forwar

the company will work with Greenpeace to protect endan

gered and ancient forests.

The agreement marks an enormous win for the Nort

American Boreal Forest and all of the wolves, bearcaribou, and songbirds that call the forest home. Prior

this, Kimberly-Clark was relying heavily on paper and pumade from clearcut ancient forests, including the Nor

American Boreal.

Kimberly-Clark, maker of Kleenex, Scott, and Cottonelle,

the largest tissue producer in the world. This groundbrea

ing move by the company sets an entirely new precedent

the corporate world. It opens up opportunities for thexpansion of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC

increased use of recycled fiber, and further protection o

Endangered Forests.

A Kleercut Victory

Richard Brooks/Greenpeace


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So what was the formula for our success? Greenpeace

waged a strategic three-part campaign that ultimately

convinced the tissue giant to change its ways.

With our Forest Friendly Tissue Guide, a consumers guideto disposable paper products, we educated and empowered

the public. The Greenpeace guide ranked the worlds leading

tissue companies based on whether or not the products

contained recycled content. Informed shoppers knew to steer

clear of Kimberly-Clark products.

Greenpeace also rallied grassroots support on college

campuses across the nation. Our activists were successful in

getting over 20 colleges to remove Kimberly-Clark products,pass student resolutions, or cancel contracts.

Finally, Greenpeace activists did what they do best.

Greenpeace activists locked down, hung banners, and took

non-violent direct action at Kimberly-Clark

facilities around the world.

But our job is not done yet. Tissue giant

Procter & Gamble has yet to follow inKimberly-Clarks footsteps. Big companies

can become big leaders in the battle to save

our planet from environmental destruction,

and Kimberly-Clark has proven that. Its time

for others to follow suit. Greenpeace has

already begun turning up the heat on Procter& Gamble. Weve collected thousands of

petitions, from Greenpeace members allacross the country, that we will be delivering

to the company very soon. Gavin Newman/Green

Daniel Beltr/Green

Andrew Male/Greenpeace

Les Stone/Green

Andrew Male/Green


12/20

1 0

The ancient Reindeer Forests of Finland are considered

by most Europeans to be the traditional home of Father

Christmas. With snow-covered pine trees towering

overhead and the gentle jingle of sleigh bells all around, its not

hard to imagine why.

But these forests, which are some of the last ancient forests

in all of Europe, are the true home of an indigenous peoplecalled the Smi. The Smi have herded reindeer in this region

of Finland for thousands of years and, following a major

Greenpeace victory to protect the Reindeer Forests, they will

be able to continue doing so for many years to come.

Until very recently, the Reindeer Forests were under siege by

the Finnish governments own logging company, Metshallitus.

The logging company was destroying critical reindeer habitat,

fragmenting grazing pastures, and eliminating tree-hanginglichen essential to the reindeers diet.

Finally, after seven years of intense Greenpeac

campaigning, the Finnish government has agreed to leave th

ancient Reindeer Forests standing and, with them, the live

hoods of the Smi people. The Finnish logging compan

must now adhere to a 20-year moratorium on deforestation

The Reindeer Forests of Finland

Matti Snellman/Greenpeace Matti Snellman/Greenpeace

Matti Snellma


13/20

This is Romeo. Romeo is a loneAlexander Archipelago wolf arare and beautiful subspecies of

timber wolf found only in the TongassNational Forest. Romeos story hasbecome legend in Alaskas capital cityof Juneau, which borders the Tongass.

As Juneaus locals will tell you, in2003, a party of hunters wiped outRomeos entire family pack. Romeoand his mate, Juliet, were the sole survivors of the slaughter. Tragicathe winter after the pair escaped the hunters, a she-wolf was found de

on the side of a road with four unborn pups in her belly it was JulietEvery winter since, Romeo has returned to the edge of the forest afilled the night sky with his heart-wrenching howls.

Romeos story will see itself played out again and again if the Obamadministrations subsidized government logging projects continto clearcut the Tongass National Forests old-growth, roadless areessential to the Alexander Archipelago wolves survival.

In 2008, Greenpeace sued the U.S. Forest Service for destroying twolves critical habitat and endangering their food supply. Plea

support us now, as we gear up for another major legal battle to protect prince of the Tongass, the Alexander Archipelago wolf, and all the wildthat call the forest home.

Romeo the WolfWe hope that the negotiated solution will work

as a model for Metshallitus to resolve similar

conflicts in other parts of the Smi Homeland as

well, says Sini Harkki, a Greenpeace forest

campaigner in Finland. Harkki believes that 20

years will be the right amount of time to find amore permanent solution to the conflict betweengovernment forestry and the Smis traditional

way of life.

Matti Snellman/Greenpeace

John


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T

he icy waters of the Arctic and Antarctic are considered

by many to be the purest examples of true wilderness

left on this planet. They are home to fascinating wildlifethat has adapted to the extreme environmental conditions, like

the Arctics polar bears and the Antarctics penguins. The rich

feeding grounds in our planets polar oceans also sustain

large populations of seabirds and marine mammals, includingthe majority of the worlds great whales.

For millenia, these distant realms at worlds end hav

remained largely untouched by mankinds greed. In fac

Greenpeace was instrumental in getting the Antarctic Trearatified in 1991 to protect the continent from looming oil an

mineral interests.

But today, both the Arctic and Antarctic are under assault arapidly accelerating global warming, increased industrializa

tion, and the unchecked consumption of our planet

resources threaten their existence.

Greenpeace is calling upon the United Nations and leadearound the world to commit to the following course of actioto save the Arctic and Antarctic:

Polar Oceans

Daniel Beltr/Greenpeace

Nick Cobbing/Greenpeace

Paul Hilton/Greenpeace


15/20

First, establish an immediate moratorium on indus-

trial development in the area of the Arctic Ocean that

has historically been covered by sea ice year-round.This line in the ice is the average minimum sea ice

extent from 1979-2000, the period before significant

sea ice loss due to global warming was recorded.

Second, create a long-term solution by agreeing on a

permanent, comprehensive treaty that protects the

Arctic Ocean ecosystem and the people who dependon them.

Finally, we are calling on the member states of t

Antarctic Treaty to honor their commitment to p

serve the continent for peace and science and plement their obligations by establishing a network

marine reserves protecting the waters of Antarctic

In the coming months, we will be calling on our membershelp us take action to save the polar oceans. You can re

more about the campaign by downloading a briefing pape

greenpeace.org/polar-oceans

If you do not have access to the Internet and would like a coof the campaign plan, please call our supporter care cenand we will send you one.

Jiri Rezac/Greenpeace Daniel Beltr/Greenpeace


16/20

T

he Esperanzahas just returned home from a tour

the Pacific, where she spent time with island people

documenting the effects that global warming having on their lives. Although most of us think of glob

warming as an issue that our children will have to deal witPacific Islanders are already experiencing its impacts toda

Joined by Keisha Castle-Hughes, star of Whale Rideran

the youngest person to ever be nominated for a Be

Actress Oscar, the Esperanza crew listened to the storieof Pacific people who are confronting sea-level rise as

threatens their homes, contaminates their soil, and ruintheir crops.

Our team documented reports that the droughts abecoming more severe, the seasons are changing, storm

and cyclones are getting worse, mosquitoes are increa

ing, while fish species are disappearing. Global warming

also threatening the Pacific peoples food supply from th

coral reefs, as increased temperatures bleach and kill cor

habitats.

The people are friendly and the land is plentiful. I wou

go as far to call it Paradise on Earth. Seeing the effects

Pacific Voices Tour

James Alcock/Greenpeace


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climate change and knowing theres a possibility

that the land could possibly be ruined...is devas-

tating, says Keisha.

The injustices of human-driven global warming

are starkly apparent here. For thousands of

years, Pacific Islanders have been maintaining

very low-impact, sustainable lifestyles. Yet, they

are now the first ones to suffer from the devel-

oped worlds lack of political will to properly tacklethe causes of global warming.

As Greenpeace bears witness to the devastation

global warming is having on the Pacific Islands,

we will continue to broadcast the voices of the

people being directly affected by this crisisaround the world.

LEARN MORE@ greenpeace.org/pacific-voices

TSUNAMI UPDATE: Teams from professional disaste

relief agencies are now firmly in place in Samoa, so with the

agreement of local authorities, the Greenpeace ship Esperanza

has left the area to return to its campaign work.

The Esperanzawas close by when the tsunami hit the Pacifi

Islands and was able to help immediately. Greenpeace team

carried out aerial surveys to search for survivors and transported and donated supplies of fuel, water, medicine, and food


Green


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What you should know about this paper:This document has been printed on CyclusPrint paper. It is 100% post-consumer waste as certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) inDenmark. (FSC is the governing body dealing with post-consumer wastecertification). The mill has converted from using fossil fuels to biofuel and hasreduced its CO2 footprint by 90% and its total energy consumption by 60%.

Publications to inspire our members,like this one.

Frontline staff, who stand on busy street cornersacross the nation to raise funds and engage citizensin discussion. Frontline staff turn individuals intograssroots activists one person at a time.

Only 15% goes to fundraising,which includes:

Praise for Greenpeace Fund, Inc.

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Allocation of Charitable Contributions to Greenpeace, Inc. Based on 2009 financial

audit information; the most recent data available.

84% programs

Ranked by Charity Navigator

as a good investment choice.

Four Star Charity Rating.

Top-rated environmental charityby the American Institute of

Philanthropy - Grade A-.

Awarded Best in America Seal

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America. Of the one millioncharities operating

in the USA, less

than two thousand

have beenawarded this

prestigious seal.

Proud to meet all of the Better

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Giving Alliance Standards for

Charity Accountability.

Dear Greenpeace,

I believe that it is my responsibility as a human being to do what I can to tryand fix the mess that we as a people have created on this planet. Aside fromvolunteering to clean up the earth and doing all that I can to personally lowermy carbon footprint, I know that doing that is simply not enough. Yourorganization has the power and the will to do many things that I cannot, beingonly one person. I have decided that because your organization is fighting toend what is in my opinion the greatest crisis of our time, global warming, youneed as much fiscal support that you can gain in these rough economic times.

As part of my Bat-Mitzvah, I have decided to donate a portion of the moneythat I received as a gift to a charity that I think is working to solve the mostpressing issues of today. Enclosed is a check for $2,600.00 that I hope canbe put toward ensuring the future of our planet.

Sincerely,

Jackie

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