Greenpeace
Leaving the Arctic under Northern Lights and shooting stars
We had a fairly quiet weekend on board the Esperanza - especially compared to the ¨all systems go¨ mode we were in last week during the action. Yesterday Babu, our wonderful cook, had a well deserved day off and some of us volunteered to prepare brunch and dinner in the galley for the rest of the crew. Brunch was served at 12 and we were treated to a feast of scrambled eggs, fried green tomatoes, baked beans, sauted potatoes and piping hot mushrooms. This was all made by Jon and Leila, our two climate campaigners, and Will - our photographer - who was rewarded for his efforts with a bloody head. Poor Will banged and cut his head on the extractor fan over the stove.
You might expect our photographer to get ´wounded in action´ but we all take many safety precautions and prepare for our actions so well that we´re more likely to fall over a shoe while trying to get into our bunk bed or walk into the extractor fan in the galley while cooking eggs. That´s my observation at least. I have a colourful collection of bruises from losing my balance every time I am in the shower and red fingers after burning my hand while trying to make a cup of tea.
For dinner - I helped Leila and Luke cook. Leila made a giant pasta bake, Luke made garlic bread and I made salads while we listened to music. Every time I help out in the galley I always walk away with even more respect for our cook than I had before. It is a humbling experience when you realise how difficult it is to cook for 35 people and deliver everything on time - without slicing off your fingers in the final 5 minute rush.
We have been heading south this weekend and crossed back over the Arctic Circle yesterday. Last night - after a beautifully sunny day we saw the sunset for the first time in what feels like an eternity. We were stuck in fog and overcast conditions at Cairn Energy´s drill sites and almost forgot what sunshine looked and felt like. There´s nothing better than sunshine to recharge your batteries - and I mean that both literally and figuratively!
At around 10pm we were finally able to see the Northern Lights dancing in the sky above us. I always expected them to be low on the horizon and reaching upwards from there but they went all the way across the sky - right over the ship. We watched them just like you would watch a firework display. Pointing with ¨ooh!¨ and ¨ahh!¨ and ¨WOW!¨ as the green streaks of misty light swirled around above our heads.
I saw a shooting star fall right across the Aurora and quickly snatched the opportunity to make a simple wish for our future. You can probably guess what it is but of course I can´t tell you.
-- Lisa
Image: © Greenpeace/ Will Rose
Nuclear News: Germany to extend life of nuclear reactors
AFP: Germany to extend life of nuclear reactors
‘BERLIN - Germany will extend the life of its 17 nuclear reactors by 12 years on average, Environment Minister Norbert Roettgen announced Monday after marathon talks on the controversial issue. The decision came after 12 hours of talks between senior politicians and forms a key component of the future energy policy of Europe's largest economy. The lives of older plants will be extended by eight years and those of newer ones by 14 years, Roettgen said, adding that Germany would spend three billion euros annually to develop renewable energy. Chancellor Angela Merkel's predecessor Gerhard Schroeder had decided to mothball the reactors by around 2020. Merkel wanted to postpone the shutdown as part of a new "energy concept" for the country due to go before her cabinet on September 28. The announcement immediately met with mixed reactions. "We have together found a way to take Germany forward," said Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle. But the decision was
criticised by Greenpeace and other environmental groups as well as Germany's Green Party.’
The Jerusalem Post: Israel eyeing nonmilitary nuclear technologies
‘Israel is moving forward with plans to build civilian nuclear power plants, although no specific goals have been set, The Jerusalem Post was told on Sunday. National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau (Israel Beiteinu) has been pushing nuclear power as a way for the country to meet its long-term energy needs, and it will feature as part of the ministry’s national master plan for energy, once it is drawn up. It issued a tender last month for a consultant. However, since the master plan is far from complete, the ministry does not know what percentage of electricity production would come from nuclear power, or what percentage it would comprise of the fuel basket, if at all, the Post was told. Any nuclear plans are at the very least a decade away from fruition.’
AFP: EDF may face criminal trial over Greenpeace affair
‘NANTERRE, France - Prosecutors have called for French state energy giant EDF, accused of spying on environmental campaigners Greenpeace, to face criminal trial, EDF lawyer Alexis Gublin said Saturday. The energy company, and former executives Pierre Francois, who was the company's second highest security official, and his immediate superior Pascal Durieux, are also implicated, along with two other employees. It will now be down to the judge Thomas Cassuto to decide on whether or not the case should go to the criminal court. In 2009 the two EDF executives were suspended for "unlawful intrusion into information systems" and accused of hacking into the computer of the former head of campaigns for Greenpeace France, Yannick Jadot, in 2006. "It is vital that the potential responsibility of EDF is confirmed and the chain of responsibility in this very serious affair is established," said Jadot, now a deputy in the European Parliament. The energy giant had said it was a victim of the detective firm Kargus, and that it had registered as a civil plaintiff in the case.’
The Mirror: Nuke test veterans health files to be probed after they die
‘A nuclear test veteran has discovered the Government has ordered secret research into his health - after he dies. David Whyte has been included in a programme giving scientists access to his NHS records. He now fears thousands of others are also being secretly monitored. Mr Whyte, an ex-Army engineer, said: "To find out you will be included in medical research you have not agreed to after you've died is horrifying." The events came to light after Mr Whyte applied for his MoD records and noticed his name was on a mysterious "health physics" list. Using the Freedom of Information Act, he was told he had been included in a mortality study. Mr Whyte was among 22,000 men told to witness atomic tests in the South Pacific between 1952 and 1967. The Government is battling a High Court compensation bid by 1,000 veterans and widows for health problems.’
Unjust sentence for Tokyo Two
Arctic defenders deported from Greenland
Sadly, all four of our climbers will not be coming back to the Esperanza after all. Jens, Sim, Timo and Matt are flying home to Germany, USA, Finland and Poland respectively. Their personal belongings are still on board and they are going home in spare clothes bought for them by friends in Greenland. I'm sure they'll be glad to see their families again but we're really going to miss them on the ship and we haven't finished our 'Go Beyond Oil' tour yet.
Yesterday we were hoping they would be back on board and Victor even made them a Welcome Home banner. I have sent them all the supportive messages people wrote us over the last few days by emai
l so at least they can read those when they get home. The atmosphere on board feels very mixed. We're feeling pretty down about losing four of our crew who we all became friends with over the last few weeks. But we need to remind ourselves of what we have achieved as we say goodbye to our four heroes today.
Every minute they were up there occupying the rig was another minute Cairn Energy couldn’t drill. We want to stop them sparking an Arctic oil rush. And at the very least we've made it less likely they’ll strike oil this year before the winter weather conditions force them to leave the area.
We shut down drilling by taking action on the high seas, but if dangerous deepwater oil drilling is to be stopped for good then action also needs to be taken in the world's capitals. Our leaders need to take us beyond oil, to invest in clean energy solutions for the sake of the climate and the preservation of pristine environments like the Arctic.
Later this month, environment ministers from countries bordering the North Sea will meet in Norway, where Germany is proposing a moratorium on new deepwater drilling. We're backing Germany's call because we don't want to see another disaster, similar to that in the Gulf of Mexico, happen at new deepwater sites across the world. And we need to go beyond oil to protect our climate.
Our journey continues…
--Lisa
Image 1: (left to right) Jens, Timo, Sim and Matteo - waiting to be deported from Greenland today - wearing clothes given to them by friends. © Greenpeace/ Sune Scheller
Image 2: The Stena Don oil rig in the Arctic - occupied by Greenpeace climbers for over 40 hours. © Greenpeace/ Will Rose
Image 3: Our four heroes getting some fresh air outside the police station yesterday while they were still in police custody. © Greenpeace/ Sune Scheller
Arctic defenders still in police custody
We are still waiting for our climbers to be released but hoping they will be back on board the Esperanza soon. They are sorely missed - especially Timo's lovely guitar playing in the evenings. Anais is talking about preparing a "Welcome Back!" banner for them and every time the captain or our campaign leader walks past we keep asking "any news?". The answer is still no. Nobody knows exactly when they will be out and perhaps they wont be allowed back to the ship at all.
Sim, Timo, Jens and Matt are truly heroes! I don't think I have ever witnessed such an amazing direct action in all my time with Greenpeace. Timo, Matt, Jens and Sim scaled the oil rig by climbing a structure that looked unclimable to me. When I look at the footage of their ascent - my jaw drops open in amazement. They spent over 40 hours up there - suspended above the churning Arctic waves through freezing winds and periods of loud noise from the thrusters that keep the rig in position. They kept themselves in good spirits throughout the occupation and never complained about the conditions they were in. We're so very proud of them for stopping Cairn's Arctic drilling for so long. They really stopped it for 40 hours - and that's quite an achievement.
While our climbers were on the rig and since they have been arrested - we have received some very touching messages of support from so many people. I've been gathering them today so that I can show the climbers when they're back on board. I thought it would also be nice to share them here (see below) and say thanks to everyone who sent us these messages - and the others I haven't managed to copy yet. It means a lot to us to receive them and I have already printed off several pages of them and passed them around over dinner in the mess. I even saw our chief engineer reading them and watched his face light up with big smiles. And he rarely smiles so this is quite an achievement!
Thank you so much. I'll let you know more news on our heroic Arctic defenders when I have it.
-- Lisa
Timo and Matt on the Esperanza before the action. We want them back along with Sim and Jens! (Images © Greenpeace/ Will Rose)
Messages to the climbers via Twitter:
OwenJ92
Aug 31, 11:49pm via Web
@gp_espy keep it going! what you're doing is amazing, I've never seen a protest like it! stick to it!
Emmabob3
Aug 31, 11:23am via Twitter for iPhone
@gp_espy - Well done for your amazing/brave/inspiring action. You have my total support & best wishes ; )
jonesthelight
Aug 31, 11:27am via Web
@gp_espy All the very best with that and what a great way to start my day :)
GinniKipper
Aug 31, 11:39am via Web
@gp_espy Massive congratulations and gratitude for what you are doing for us. I'm still gathering followers on FaceBook :-)
wolf_hazel
Aug 31, 11:54am via Web
@gp_espy Well done guys for the work on Cairn Energy! Hang in there! I support you and wish you all the best!
r3to
Aug 31, 12:10pm via CoTweet
@gp_espy Spectacular action!! Well done! Hope you can stop Arctic drilling for good.
patrickolszo
Aug 31, 12:21pm via Echofon
@gp_espy - this is amazing work - keep going - we are all rooting for you! A global moratorium on oil drilling now #gobeyondoil
givepeasachance
Aug 31, 12:36pm via Web
@gp_espy Well done to all, we're all cheering you on back home! Keep up the good work guys and gals. Much love and solidarity xx #beyondoil
Lear88
Aug 31, 2:21pm via Web
keep up the amazing work in the Arctic @gp_espy. You continuously inspire change - where others would rather take it away. :) #beyondoil
JohnBaldy
Aug 31, 3:21pm via Web
Follow @gp_espy for an object lesson in both saving the planet and in making a twitter feed exciting. Big up Greenpeace!
kateogden
Aug 31, 3:25pm via Web
@gp_espy You guys are an inspiration! Stay safe! #beyondoil
mayhew60
Aug 31, 4:05pm via Web
@gp_espy I woke up with a smile today. You guys are doing a great job. It is time to send a message that oil is not the future
tennilesunday
Aug 31, 4:33pm via Web
I effing love greenpeace @gp_espy for working to shut down Cairn Energy's oil rig in the arctic. http://www.gobeyondoil.org
alisonjanehealy
Aug 31, 6:28pm via Web
@gp_espy Guys, keep up the amazing work. When right is on your side, then many things are possible
iXalapa
Aug 31, 6:46pm via Web
@gp_espy Great Job!!!! even with the navy behind you do the job !!! we are proud and surprise
Chelspresso
Aug 31, 8:15pm via Twitpic
@gp_espy http://twitpic.com/2jy774 - Beyond impressive. Keep up the good work, MUCH love and respect.
OwenJ92
Aug 31, 11:49pm via Web
@gp_espy keep it going! what you're doing is amazing, I've never seen a protest like it! stick to it!
celiaalario
Sep 01, 12:02am via txt
Rt @Greenpeace: Wishing our4activists occupying Cairn'sArctic oil rig&everyone onboard @gp_espy a good sleep! http://bit.ly/bys
mariamonica
Sep 01, 3:06am via Twitpic
@gp_espy http://twitpic.com/2k0d3y - I've no words now that I've seen your courage.I wish I could do something from here. Pls. take care.
350
Sep 01, 11:00am via HootSuite
If you're not following Greenpeace's @gp_espy, you're missing a helluva adventure in the fight against #oil in the Arctic.
Emmabob3
Sep 01, 3:27pm via Web
@gp_espy- Just thought I'd check in to say well done for stopping the drilling in the arctic for 24 hours. Go go go (but keep safe) ; )
daisystreet
Sep 01, 3:31pm via Saezuri
@gp_espy : Good morning, Esperanza! Enjoying the updates. Thank you for not only believing, but *doing. Take care. Stay safe. Be wonderf
AshleighF68
Sep 01, 4:25pm via Web
@gp_espy you guys are doing so well!! being brave enough to go against what others think! you have my total support :)
Lear88
Sep 01, 5:55pm via Web
Hang in there @gp_espy the world is watching in awe. Let's all make a wave. #beyondoil
gotsound
Sep 01, 5:55pm via Web
@gp_espy For the past week every morning I wake up feeling inspired after reading your live tweets from the arctic. Keep up the battle!
soup1531
Sep 01, 6:05pm via Web
@gp_espy Hold strong ya'll. We are all extremely proud of you. I will start collecting beer to feed you when you get back to SF Sim!
Sneakyboots
Sep 01, 7:44pm via Web
@gp_espy Sim, you lucky dog! I'd give anything to be hanging up there with you right now! Way to go, guys and girls..good on you!!!
engagejoe
6:48am via HootSuite
@gp_espy What a beautiful video of Anais. Her Arctic story brilliantly illuminates why I organize locally. http://j.mp/9Z0U
brianfit
9:14am via TweetDeck
@gp_espy Sending a virtual cup of piping hot coffee to climbers aboard the Stella Don. ♨ http://bit.ly/bysplt
IanMcL13
11:13am via Web
@gp_espy Thanks for your courage and your passion on our behalf
twinkle031
12:11pm via twicca
@gp_espy you did so nice things! I live in Korea now but when I grow up, I want to be a big help. keep going!!
Messages to the climbers on Facebook
Abi Ralls: HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sylvia Watson-Stewart: Well done, we're with you in spirit!
Therese Davis: YOU GUYS ROCK! Wish I was there helpin'
Talitha Mcintyre-Burnie: You are my heroes! xx
Tara Wales: So friggen Far Out!!! You guys represent me also, I am disabled, I couldn't do that. So you speak for me also and I thank you all!
Deborah Barrass: Good, brave people.Their actions will be remembered in our uncertain future.
Wende Anne Maunder: Sim - thank you so very much. Words cannot express the gratitude I feel for the courageous work you are doing. I wish I had a million pounds to help you with your campaign. Bless you! Bless Greenpeace.
Sergio De Benito Navarrete: I'm very proud of all these Greenpeace activists. Thanks to all of you, and please never, never give up. Planet Earth needs more people like you. Greetings from Spain.
Polly Pearshouse: I used to be a climber but not like that! Scary stuff - huge respect for what you're doing - thank you
Jean Loughlin: Yeah...RESPECT GUYS....I couldn't do it!!!
Julie Bird: Love to you all and the deepest respect
Scott McNeil: this is what it takes, bravery and courage and determination, well done greenpeace
Julian Padfield Paddy: Good on you guys wish i was there,.
Jackum Brown: Bravo! Go for it, guys, you all deserve medals
Jo Billups You guys make my day! :)
Christopher Brooks: you're amazing! love your style. With you in spirit
Jackie Taylor: I support u all the way Greenpeace, please take care out there xx
Sue Tait: Sending blessings and light to your vital and wonderful work x
Annastacia Fulcher: Brilliant news and everyone is just amazing for what you are all doing. Thanks for the phone call Lisa letting us know whats going on. I wish you all well and pray for your safety.
Barbara Tencynskaya: Hurrah!! Ignore the mindless critics, GO GREENPEACE! :-D
Brian 'Jones' Smart: Go greenpeace!! Save what is left of this beautiful planet of ours before the big corporations who only care about money ravage it into a unlivable pile of dirt and pollution!!
Dimitri Fache: I admire your courage!
Andrea Liane: totally amazing staying in the Arctic until it get to cold to drill. i am so very impressed with the commitment of everyone aboard You on board deserve mega medals, and thank you from all who care. I no u'll never give up.
Michael Callender: Go guys, the world supports you!!! Wish I could be there.
Rebecca Fowler thank u brave activists, u inspire me daily! NO ARCTIC DRILLING!!
Cathy Monkley: You're all doing an amazing job. I salute you - big hugs all round x
Gemma Dawn: so much respect for all you guys that hung off that rig!!!!
Tom Cohen: hang in there sim hope you have ear plugs sounds pretty loud under there,great anchor points thoughlooks made for you!
Sergio C Buitrón: If you were looking for a hero look no more.
Bonnie Marie Lindsay: SIM~YOU ARE AWESOME!!
Kyra Winn: love your work Sim and friends :)
Gregory Riley Now: THIS is the kind of DIRECT ACTION I pay for!!!
Katharina Dumrath: I hope the activists willl be okay and that there will be no severe repercussions. I understand why the police had to arrest them (they were trespassing), but I pray that they'll have the sense to release them with a slap on the wrist instead of making a huge deal out of it. We already have 2 activists facing prison sentences in Japan- we don't need any more
Sandy Wilson: What a strange world we live in. Those fighting for our planet are arrested whilst those killing it are let free. Good on you guys for putting your life on the line.
Didoo Hydi: You are really amazing guys.. keep on, we'll always support the cause till the end.
Maria Elena: nothing is so much less than 40+ hours
Luis Rivas: drill stopped turning! That's a result! Hope they are out soon :D
Ruth Daw I am glad the four brave activits are fine!
Saskia Morice: You amazing guys have all my support as well as thousands and thousands of other´s everywhere...We are with You! We love you so much for what you are doing in the name of our Mother Earth..Thank You!
Tamari Chi: greenpeace outshines politics and politicians. When the governments should be handling things, it takes special organizations to do their job for them.
Rakesh Prashara: Well done everyone, my thoughts are with the activists in custody. Our future depends on going beyond oil!
Denys Tsutsaev: good job guys!!!Well done!!
Jackey Caldwell: What you are doing today changes all our futures. Hang on in there.
Tim Hatcher: Hang in there guys (literally). All right thinking people of the world are with you.
Jean Loughlin: thank you !!!!!! for what you are doing ....you are doing it for so many people.....Bless you for your bravery!!!
Nuclear Myths and Facts #4: Nuclear plants can’t be built fast enough
The Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) has published a document called ‘Myths & Facts About Nuclear Energy’. The NEI – ‘the policy organization of the nuclear energy and technologies industry and participates in both the national and global policy-making process’ – describes the document as a collection of ‘Synopses of Common Myths About Nuclear Energy and Corresponding Facts That Refute Them’.
In this series of posts we’re presenting some Corresponding Facts of Our Own That Refute the NEI’s Corresponding Facts.
The ‘Myth’: Nuclear plants can’t be built fast enough.
NEI’s ‘Fact’: In just 19 years, between 1970 and 1989, 105 nuclear energy plants were constructed and put into service in the United States. The current licensing and construction of new nuclear plants will take 8-10 years, which is comparable to similar sized electricity sources. The timeline is expected to shorten to six years or less with licensing and construction experience. Building new nuclear plants will create thousands of non-exportable jobs, help revitalize the U.S. manufacturing sector, and positively affect the U.S. economy and the environment.
Let’s face it – when it comes to climate change, we’re in a race against time. Global emissions of climate change gases must peak and fall as soon as possible. Can nuclear power do that and in time?
In a word: No.
The UK Met Office (UKMO) said last year that it would be almost impossible to keep the global temperature rise under 2 degrees centrigrade, unless global carbon emissions peak before 2020. The first few new nuclear reactors the NEI is calling for will only be coming online then (and that’s if things go to the very optimistic plan and any delays are avoided). In other words, those reactors will arrive much too late to fight a battle that needs to be won in the next ten years. Nuclear plants can’t be built fast enough.
And even if we get a massive expansion in nuclear power, its contribution to cutting global carbon emissions is small. The Energy Technology Perspectives 2008 report produced by the International Energy Agency in 2008 shows that, even if existing world nuclear power capacity could be quadrupled by 2050, its share of world energy consumption would still be below 10%. This would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by just 6% compared to the 21% reduction from renewable energy sources and the 54% from various electricity and fuel efficiency measures (see page 41 of the report).
The point is this: we don’t have the time to wait until 2020 or 2050. Safe and clean renewable energy sources and energy efficiency programmes are ready to go right now. As we say in one of our nuclear briefings: Nuclear power is a dangerous waste of time.
Nuclear News: International physicians group calls for ban on uranium mining
Beyond Nuclear: International physicians group calls for ban on uranium mining
‘The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) adopted a resolution at its International Council meeting on Sunday in Basel, Switzerland, calling for a ban on uranium mining and the production of yellowcake (uranium oxide). The resolution described both processes as “irresponsible” and “a grave threat to health and to the environment”. The resolution also describes uranium mining and yellowcake production as a “violation of human rights”. The right to life, liberty and security, to physical integrity, self-determination, the protection of human dignity, the right to clean water are just some of the rights that are afflicted by uranium mining and its processes, say the doctors.’
RTTNews: Japan Imposes Fresh Sanctions On Iran Over Nuclear Program
‘Japan on Friday slapped additional sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear program, reports said. The latest round of sanctions will freeze assets of Iranian nationals linked to the country's nuclear program. They are also meant to keep a tighter watch over financial transactions of the Islamic Republic. Significantly, Tokyo did not impose any restriction on oil imports from Tehran which account for ten per cent of its total energy requirements. Iran is the fourth-biggest supplier of oil to Japan after Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar.’
The Economist: Nuclear power? Um, maybe
‘WHEN Angela Merkel cares about an issue she does not give a speech. Instead, she hits the road. Lately Germany’s chancellor has travelled to a wind park in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, a nuclear reactor in Lower Saxony, and an energy-generating house in Hesse. Aiming to draw attention to Germany’s dilemmas in deciding how much and what sort of power to produce and consume in the coming decades, Mrs Merkel will bundle her answers into a comprehensive “energy concept”, to be unveiled at the end of September. This is like coming up with a menu that pleases both carnivores and herbivores. Much of the debate revolves around whether to scrap a plan devised by an earlier government to cease nuclear-power generation by 2022. The decision will affect Mrs Merkel’s political standing and the public finances, as well as Germany’s energy future. With roughly a quarter of generation capacity due to reach retirement age by 2020, decisions made now will shape the energy profile of Europe’s biggest economy for years. There is “a window of opportunity for good changes or for messing up the situation for the next 50 years,” says Olav Hohmeyer, an economist at the University of Flensburg.’
Prague Daily Monitor: Activists criticise Temelín new reactors' EIA study
‘Ceske Budejovice, South Bohemia, Sept 2 (CTK) - The EIA document assessing the impact of the Czech nuclear power plant Temelin's planned two new units suffers from serious shortcomings and should be completed, representatives of four environmentalist organisations told journalists Thursday. The document had been worked out at the request of the state company CEZ, the investor and Temelin's operator, which submitted it to the Enviroment Ministry. The document says nothing prevents Temelin's extension as it would not harm the environment in any way. Edvard Sequens, from the Galla pro-environment group, said the document is at variance with the European legislation and the ministry should return it to CEZ for completion. The document does not mention any alternatives to the planned nuclear reactors, though some do exist in the Czech Republic.’
Barents Observer: Fire at radioactive waste storage
‘A fire at a shipyard on the Kola Peninsula involved in scrapping of radioactive waste might have led to increased levels of radiation. The accident occurred last Friday. Norway was not informed. The fire broke out on August 27 at shipyard no 10 in Aleksandrovsk, formerly known as Polyarny, and it took two hours to locate where the fire had started, newspaper Novaya Gazeta reports. Nobody was hurt in fire, which ruined a terminal between the shops for sorting and scrapping of radioactive containers. Shipyard no 10 belongs to the Ministry of Defense. The plant is involved in an international program for sorting and scrapping of nuclear waste, and is the only company in Northern Russian to do such work.’
In the wake of the BP oil spill disaster, news of another oil rig explosion
This morning, as we were preparing the ship for the next leg of our journey, we got the news that another oil rig, the Vermillion 380, has exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, risking the lives of at least 13 workers who were rescued from the site.
Right now, the Arctic Sunrise is docked in St. Petersburg, restocking supplies and preparing to head back out into the Gulf for the second leg of our three-month long research tour of the Gulf. Our science coordinator has been sorting out the last minute details with the scientists, our cook is restocking the kitchen, and the deck crew has been getting the ship in the best possible shape for the next part of our journey. In the past month, we’ve settled into a good, productive rhythm of work, as the crew managed the logistics for plankton tows, diving, whale watching, and more. Some of the results of what we’re doing right now won’t be available for months, but we all know that it’s important to be producing independent science now, so that we can help shape the policies for the future.
But meanwhile, in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere, the oil industry hasn’t been waiting for the science that will tell us just what we’ve lost, the true nature of the impact on the many forms of marine life in these waters. Offshore drilling hasn’t stopped, and today's disaster won't be the only one.
We’ve all been talking about the BP Deepwater Disaster as a wakeup call, which is why it feels particularly chilling, and a little bit scary, to be reminded that as we’re measuring what we’ve lost, the oil industry is still doing business as usual. In the past ten years, 69 people have died on offshore rigs, and there have been 858 fires and explosions, according to the Mineral Management Service. It’s not insignificant, and it’s not stopping. Despite the rhetoric and the promises from the administration, we’re still drilling offshore, and every day we risk another disaster.
Just this morning, activists from our sister ship, the Esperanza, were arrested after a 40 hour occupation of a rig in the Arctic, where they stopped Cairn Energy from drilling for a couple of days. Everyone on board the Arctic Sunrise, has been following along on the website, and I watched my friend and colleague Simran McKenna, hanging over the icy water, doing everything in his physical power to make an immediate, dramatic stand.
There’s much work to be done to change the policies that guide our energy use—some immediate, and some slow. But as we assess the impact, and study the scope of the disaster, as we measure the irreplaceable things that we have lost, and as we reach out to the policymakers who will determine our future, we should remember that this is also an urgent situation with an unacceptable level of risk. We must all broadcast that urgency loud and clear. How many more wake up calls do we need?
Join us in telling Congress: No new drilling. Period.
Photo: Fireboats spray water on th Vermilion 380 rig yesterday. © Andy Levin / Greenpeace
(Originally posted at Greenpeace USA)
The Tokyo Two: Whaling, Activism, and Human Rights
Junichi and Toru - the 'Tokyo Two'
This will be the first blog Toru and I have written together, as up until recently our heavy bail restrictions have meant that we could not be in the same room or even talk to each other without a lawyer present.
The verdict in our trial is approaching, and on Monday September 6 we will know what our fate is. We don't really know what the result would be, all we know now is that it is going to show the status of Japanese democracy. It’s a long way from where it was when this case started – our investigation to end Japan’s whaling.
In early 2008, following tip offs from a whistleblower and a four-month investigation into the embezzlement of whale meat by the crew of the Japan’s whaling fleet, we were closing in on evidence that could finally end this whaling programme.
Annual protest actions in the Southern Ocean have raised awareness and created international outcry about this destructive and completely unnecessary hunt, however, it was clear that the only place Japanese whaling would ever be ended was at home in Japan. When we intercepted a box of embezzled whale meat, we knew we finally had the evidence to prove the corrupt nature of the industry and shut it down by bringing an end to its huge taxpayer subsidies.
We knew the industry would not go quietly, we didn’t expect the harsh reaction that was to come.
At the start the media strongly covered the embezzlement scandal, and asked serious questions about the industry for the first time. However, one month after we exposed the large-scale theft of whale meat and embarrassed the authorities, they struck back, and had us arrested, interrogated, detained for 26 days and finally charged with “theft” and “trespass”.
The media were tipped off about our arrest and the raids of our homes, so when the images of our arrest appeared on national television the embezzlement scandal was dismissed and we were immediately seen as criminals by the public.
This has been our image for the last two years – until now.
In the last week alone we have seen three hugely positive articles appear in major newspapers around Japan. All of them detailed our trial and the flimsy, contradictory nature of the prosecution case against us, discussed the embezzlement and the rights of NGOs to expose wrongdoing, asked serious questions about human rights in Japan, and, finally, seriously questioned the legitimacy of the whaling programme.
We have come full circle and for the first time since the embezzlement scandal broke there is serious, positive discussion about the legitimacy of the whaling programme, and for once the arguments are not based on Fisheries Agency propaganda. Japanese society has changed and we are finding support wherever we turn.
On Monday the judges will hand down their verdict, and we are very much looking forward to it. We have proved our case, and anyone who looks at the facts with a clear mind can see that we should be acquitted, and that the official case simply does not stand up to even the most basic questioning.
That said, given Japan’s harsh 99.8% conviction rate, we understand that our chance of a good result is low, so while we are optimistic that we have advanced civil society and put whaling on trial both in court and in the media, we are also anxious about our fate.
Our families and friends are with us all the way. They can only accept an acquittal as they know we have committed no crime. They want us to fight as hard as we can, and were very happy to see the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention’s support for our case, but there is a definite feeling that our argument is ten years ahead of Japanese society. This has been a difficult few years, and our actions have come at great personal cost, but we have to win for ourselves, for whales, for Greenpeace and for Japanese society.
We believe that this verdict is going to be a landmark for Japanese society. Aomori District court is being forced to make decisions in front of both the domestic and international audience whether Japan is ready to be a true democratic society, a society where citizens have the right to speak up in the public interests - or not.
Everyone we know is with us, and we could not have gotten this far without their and your support. We have finally kick-started the discussion about whaling, activism and civil rights that Japan desperately needs to have. Whatever happens on Monday, we know in our hearts that we did the right thing, and sooner or later, we will win this fight.
Support Junichi and Toru as they await their verdict - join our Online March for Justice for the Tokyo Two.
Genetically engineered potato? We have a bad peeling about this.
When the German Minister of Economics and Technology recently endorsed a Genetically Engineered (GE) potato, he said "no" to public opinion, "no" to the health and safety concerns of scientists, "no" to biodiversity, "no" to farmers' livelihoods and "no" to German food security.
The only things he said "yes" to were the demands of the potato's owners, the chemical giant BASF.
The minister, Rainer Brüderle, participated in a media event on Monday (31st August) organised by BASF to harvest the antiobiotic-resistant potato known as Amflora.
77% of the German public is against the cultivation of the Amflora, which BASF has been trying to commercialise for 14 years.
But the company finally found two allies in the European Commission, President Barroso and Commissioner Dalli, who were willing to ignore scientific evidence and European legal requirements (along with the majority of European citizens) to give the spurious spud a green light.
The BASF potato was altered to include a gene which conveys resistance to antibiotics. And not just any antibiotics, but ones defined by the World Health Organisation as being of 'critical importance:' vital to fighting tuberculosis and other deadly diseases. Using genes that may affect human health and the environment is not supposed to be permitted under EU law. But let's not let a little thing like law stand in the way of corporate profit, shall we?
The genetically altered potato, which is intended for use as industrial starch, in animal feed and in fertilisers, will invevitably end up directly on our dinner tables through genetic contamination and leave a bad taste in everybody's mouth. The company admits that contamination is inevitable, that's the reason they requested and obtained authorisation to contaminate the food chain as well.
The good news is that the Hungarian government is challenging the European Commission's decision to authorise Amflora in the European Court of Justice.
Until this case is heard, we need to act. Avaaz and Greenpeace, under the Lisbon Treaty EU Citizens' Initiative, are collecting one million signatures calling for a moratorium on GE crops - we've got 700,000 signatures so far.
This year Amfora is being cultivated in 3 countries -- Germany, Sweden and the Czech Republic - to create more seeds for wider cultivation.
If we act now we can prevent the further cultivation, and let BASF know that we're saying "no" to this "Darth Tater". Sign the petition, and may the forks be with you.
(Photo © Doerthe Hagenguth/Greenpeace)
Facebook responds to Greenpeace demands
Yesterday, Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo wrote to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg about the social network's coal use. The full letter was posted on this blog, and in the blog's comments section a Facebook representative wrote an interesting response.
Here is Greenpeace policy analyst Gary Cook's reply:
Dear Barry:
Thanks for your response.
We appreciate your recognition that Facebook has a coal problem with its Oregon data center. However, where we disagree is your claim to be powerless to do anything about it as, like Greenpeace and others, Facebook simply has to buy whatever electricity is available. This is not the case for Greenpeace, and is certainly not the case for Facebook, who is an industrial scale consumer of electricity.
As evidenced by the 500,000 users who have asked Facebook to get off of coal, we expect and demand more leadership from such an innovative company that is a playing an important role in bringing the world together.
Facebook is buying electricity in bulk to meet the needs of 500 million+ users, and is becoming a very influential company both inside and outside the IT sector. The expected power consumption of the Oregon data center alone gives Facebook the purchasing power of 30,000-40,000 homes, which gives you the ability and standing to shape how power is generated in Oregon and far beyond.
As we have seen with other environmental challenges, motivated companies with big purchasing power can make a powerful difference in driving environmental solutions and policy change. Greenpeace’s recent campaign targeting Nestlé (using Facebook no less) over their purchase of palm oil that is destroying the rainforest in Indonesia led the company to change its procurement policy, and has now led Burger King to announce yesterday that they will no longer buy palm oil from this supplier. This is sending a powerful signal both to the marketplace and to the policy makers in Indonesia and well beyond.
Facebook must take responsibility for the significant impact its investment decisions on the location of its own datacenters and the source of electricity that is supplying both its own and those facilities it is renting can have. Efficiency is certainly important, but is only the beginning of taking responsibility for your rapidly growing energy and environmental footprint.
Google, Yahoo and others in the IT sector already understand that while efficiency is important, it is not the whole story. Given the rapid growth in the IT sector, they recognize the source of electricity is also an increasingly important consideration, that they have a responsibility and an important role to play, and are significantly increasing the amount of renewable electricity they are purchasing.
Ultimately, we need Facebook to work with Greenpeace and others in Oregon and elsewhere to push for the policy changes that will rapidly move us off of coal and toward renewable sources of energy.
The world’s top climate scientists tell us that we have as little as 5 years to stabilize global warming pollution globally, which means that we must move off of coal as rapidly as possible. As was highlighted in Greenpeace’s Make IT Green Report, at current growth rates, data centers and telecommunication networks that make up the cloud will consume more than the current electricity consumption of France, Germany, Canada and Brazil combined by 2020. Given this projected growth of energy use, it is essential that Facebook and others in the IT sector show leadership in driving a transformation in our production and use of electricity.
As was recently shown in Portugal, whose electricity grid recently underwent a transformation from 15% to 45% renewable sources in the span of five years, a rapid increase in clean energy is not only possible, it is good for the local economy. The IT sector itself has identified it has an important role in this transformation, estimating its ability to reduce energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions globally 15% by 2020, and Greenpeace is challenging the sector to use their innovation and influence to overcome the opposition of powerful utilities like Pacific Corp and the fossil fuel industry who are slowing this transition down, if not blocking it outright. We need Facebook to stand with us and others to make this transition happen, and happen soon.
We look forward to working with Facebook to help it and the rest of the world off of coal and to more renewables sources of energy as rapidly as possible.
Nuclear News: U.S. urges China to play greater role in pressuring N. Korea for 6-way talks
U.S. urges China to play greater role in pressuring N. Korea for 6-way talks: State Dept.
‘WASHINGTON, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) -- The United States Wednesday called on China to exert more influence in urging North Korea to foster the atmosphere to resume six-party talks on its denuclearization. "China has a special and leading role to play in trying to push North Korea to be a more constructive player in this process," State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said. "China has a special responsibility. It has been a leader within the six-party process. We will look to China to demonstrate leadership going forward. China has had recent high-level meetings with the North Koreans." Crowley was referring to last week's meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and Chinese President Hu Jintao, the second in three months. Kim reportedly made the surprise trip to northeastern China to pave the way for a smooth power transition to his youngest son. The North leader's heir apparent, Jong-un, 27, is believed to have accompanied his father to China. Beijing officials neither confirmed nor denied Jong-un made the trip, just saying he was not on the list of official delegates. During the meeting, Kim Jong-il reiterated his denuclearization pledge and called for early resumption of the six-party talks, according to Chinese state-run media. Emerging from a meeting with Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, Chinese chief nuclear envoy Wu Dawei told reporters, "Six-party talks are an important way to maintain peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula."’
iStockAnalyst: China formulating Administrative Regulations for Nuclear Power Industry
‘BEIJING, Sep. 2, 2010 (Xinhua News Agency) -- China is formulating Administrative Regulations for Nuclear Power Industry, and likely to submit it to the State Council for approval before the end of 2010, disclosed a source from the National Energy Administration. The Regulations will focus on the construction planning of nuclear power stations, obligations of nuclear power developers, supervision of nuclear power stations and so on. The threshold for nuclear power industry would not be lowered down in short term, noted the source.’
China Knowledge: CNNC, China-Africa Dev't Fund to develop uranium in Africa
‘Sep. 2, 2010 (China Knowledge) - China National Nuclear Corp, the nation's largest nuclear power plant builder, yesterday said that its subsidiary China Uranium Crop has singed an agreement with China-Africa Development Fund to jointly develop uranium resources in Africa, sources reported. In a statement posted on its website, CNNC said that both parties will set up a joint venture in Beijing to invest in and develop uranium resources in Africa. The agreement is part of CNNC's efforts to secure raw materials for nuclear reactors. Reportedly, China is stepping out efforts to develop the substitutes of carbon-based fuel and it plans to build more nuclear reactors in the country. A CNNC executive had said later last year that the company was involved in six uranium mines in Jordan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Algeria. CNNC is parent of Hong Kong-listed CNNC International Ltd.’
The Japan Times: Rokkasho plant faces two-year delay
‘AOMORI (Kyodo) Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. is making arrangements to postpone by roughly two years the completion of a spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in the village of Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, due to a series of troubles during test operations, sources said Wednesday. The plant, designed to extract uranium and plutonium from the nuclear fuel spent at power plants in the country, has been in the stage of what the operator calls the Final Commissioning Test and its construction is currently expected to be completed in October.’
Financial Times: Rosatom launches global charm offensive
‘Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned atomic power corporation, has launched an international charm offensive as the country’s most secretive and controversial industry attempts to come in from the cold. In a rare meeting with foreign media last week, Sergei Kiriyenko, a former Russian prime minister and now president of Rosatom, outlined plans for the company to become a leading international player as nuclear power enjoys a surge in demand. “We want to double in size,” he told reporters in Toronto. Like the Gazprom and Russian Railways monopolies, Rosatom is a former ministry, converted into a state corporation in 2007. If the Kremlin achieves its ambitions, Rosatom could become to global nuclear power what Gazprom is to the natural gas industry. But as it looks outwards, Rosatom is burdened by the forbidding legacy of its Soviet past, including the catastrophic Chernobyl accident that cast a pall on the nuclear power industry for 20 years. More recently, Rosatom’s partnership with Iran at the Bushehr nuclear power plant has also provoked US antagonism. Mr Kiriyenko admitted that Russia’s reputation in nuclear power was “not the best”, and described steps taken to improve transparency, including the separation of civil and military aspects of the business and a new law allowing foreign investment.’
Greenpeace Activists End Arctic Oil Rig Occupation
UPDATE: Greenpeace Activists arrested
From Ben onboard the Esperanza in the Arctic...
Well that was dramatic. Yesterday afternoon the seas started churning and our huge banner on the oil rig was twisting and flapping as a gale blew up. I spoke to the four activists under the rig and they assured me they were fine. They had self-heating meals and water and were still doing interviews, telling the world about Cairn Energy’s plans to spark an Arctic oil rush.
I kept eyeing the scene through the porthole in my cabin with concern. The swell was heaving and the lips of the waves were breaking white across the stretch of sea separating the Esperanza from the rig. The weather forecast on the screen on the bridge looked ominous – lots of grim symbols over the coast west of Greenland – while a quick duck outside had my eyes watering with the cold.
Ending the occupation of the Stena Don was a big call for us. We’d stopped it drilling for oil here, while the other rig being operated by Cairn was also closed down due to our actions. Think about that – because of the millions of supporters who let us operate our ships, four ordinary blokes from four different countries were able to come up here and put their bodies in the way of the Arctic oil rush, and they stopped it.
They didn’t just protest about it – they actually stopped it. The drills stopped turning.
But now a freezing gale has stopped us. Anybody who saw the images of our camp under the rig will appreciate how harsh the conditions were last night for the guys. When I radioed them and talked about the need to come down they were disappointed the direct action was about to end, but stunningly professional. Straight away they were working out how to get safely on to the platform gantry, where police were waiting for them (our guys obsess about safety, it’s a thing to behold, and is at odds with the image our opponents like to paint).
So they’re in police custody now. But before it was over I spoke to Sim McKenna from the United States. He’s been a star these past three weeks since we left London, and as ever he found the words at the right time, despite hanging under an oil rig over freezing seas as a storm rolled in.
“We stopped this rig drilling for oil for two days, but in the end the Arctic weather beat us. Last night was freezing and now the sea below us is churning and the wind is roaring. It’s time to come down, but we’re proud we slowed the mad rush for Arctic oil, if only for a couple of days.”
“This beautiful fragile arctic environment would be decimated by an oil spill. The melting Arctic ice is a grim reminder that we need to stop burning oil and invest instead in clean energy solutions.”
“I’m not sure what will happen to us now, but as soon as we can we’ll be back to call for the world to finally go beyond oil. It is time for people everywhere to take a stand, to call on their governments to fight climate change, ban dangerous deep sea drilling and invest in clean energy solutions that will protect the world’s fragile environments from cowboy oil companies like Cairn Energy.”
Victory: Burger King drops forest destroyer Sinar Mas!
Burger King is 'Cutter King' no longer!
Don’t blink or you’ll miss news from the fast-moving campaign to protect the Paradise Forests! Last week, after Greenpeace campaigned from New York to California, Burger King said it was “thoroughly examining an independent audit related to the sustainability practices of Sinar Mas…and will make a sourcing decision by early next week.” Today, Burger King took a big step forward, announcing that it is in the process of cutting Sinar Mas out of its supply chain.
This is another blow for Sinar Mas, which had hoped its self-commissioned audit would convince corporate customers and the media that it was a sustainable company. But, this obvious exercise in greenwash isn’t going well for them. Not only is the audit limited in scale (applying only to a subsidiary of a subsidiary of Sinar Mas) and limited in scope (examining only a few case studies instead of systemic problems) but it also confirms that Sinar Mas has broken its word and operated illegally.
In its announcement today, Burger King said:
“...the report has raised valid concerns about some of the sustainability practices of Sinar Mas' palm oil production and its impact on the rainforest. These practices are inconsistent with our corporate responsibility commitments.
As a result, we have decided we will no longer purchase palm oil from Sinar Mas or its subsidiaries. We are in the process of transitioning to a new palm oil supplier for the 176 BURGER KING® restaurants that were supplied by Sinar Mas. In addition, we are notifying our suppliers of our intent to discontinue the use of palm oil supplied by Sinar Mas in the manufacturing of our products."
As with all corporate commitments, there are still details to work out with Burger King. For example, we need to hear how they are going to handle indirect supplies of Sinar Mas palm oil and whether their rainforest policy will be amended to include commodities like palm oil (it currently only applies to beef).
But, this announcement is certainly good news for rainforests, orangutans, tigers, and our climate!
Thanks to all of you who spoke up and asked Burger King to take action for the Paradise Forests. They listened to you! If you feel inspired, go say “thanks” and encourage them to fully implement their new commitment on their Facebook page.
Now other fast-food restaurants must take action. It's time for chains KFC to take action for rainforests and cut forest destroyers like Sinar Mas out of their supply chains.
For the forests,
-Rolf
Nuclear News: New Warnings About Costs of Nuclear Power
NYT Green blog: New Warnings About Costs of Nuclear Power
‘As anticipation grows about a possible renaissance for the nuclear power industry — and about its potential for curbing greenhouse gas emissions — some politicians are stepping up warnings about the high cost of such projects. Last week, Traicho Traikov, the Bulgarian economy and energy minister, said the cost of building a second plant near the Danube River had reached 9 billion euros, or $11.4 billion, according to the Sofia News Agency. The original cost of the project for two reactors was expected to be just under $4 billion. Bulgaria was seeking to push down the price with a Russian company, Atomstroyexport, the report said. Last week in Britain, Charles Hendry, the minister of state for energy, told Bloomberg News that he expected the cost of each new plant in Britain to be about £6 billion, or $9.3 billion. Mr. Hendry also said that utilities would be expected to come up with that money themselves, without state support, according to the report. To improve incentives for building nuclear plants, Mr. Hendry has suggested imposing a supplemental levy on coal and gas plants to raise the cost of emitting carbon dioxide. But many experts warn that new nuclear projects are simply too large without resorting to subsidies from governments.’
Associated Press: Japan says too early to resume Korea nuclear talks
‘TOKYO — Japan rejected North Korea's apparent interest in a quick resumption of six-party talks on Pyonyang's nuclear program, saying Tuesday that the time was not right for fresh discussions. The talks involving the two Koreas, China, the United States, Russia and Japan have been stalled since North Korea walked away from them in December 2008. But Chinese state media reported Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il told President Hu Jintao that he would like to see the talks restarted. In a meeting Tuesday with China's nuclear envoy, Wu Dawei, Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada said conditions for talks were not right considering the increased tensions in the region over the deadly sinking of a South Korean warship in March that an international team of investigators has blamed on Pyongyang.’
WPTZ.com: Auditor: More Oversight on Yankee Shutdown Fund Needed
‘MONTPELIER, Vt. -- Perhaps you've noticed your 401-k account isn't what it used to be? Neither are the balances in most of the nation's nuclear power plant decommissioning funds, money used to pay to decontaminate and cleanup each site. Vermont Yankee's decommissioning fund is no exception, though a new report by State Auditor Tom Salmon does not attempt to quantify by how much. Instead, auditors judged VY investment funds are too exposed to market ups and downs, and said fund managers lack adequate state oversight. The VY fund was valued at $446 million as of July 31, 2010, officials said, less than half what some nuclear experts say will be needed in coming years to restore the Vernon site. "We could have more stricter investment guidelines, like states like New Hampshire," Salmon said, which have insisted on more conservative fund management which pays for clean-up of the Seabrook nuclear power plant site.’
Times of India: Kovvada villagers stage protest against nuclear expert team
‘RANASTALAM (SRIKAKULAM): The experts team of nuclear energy and oceanography faced the ire of the local fishermen when they visited the proposed nuclear power plant site at Kovvada Matyalesam here on Tuesday. About ten members team accompanied by plant chief engineer and liaison officer G Venkata Ramesh were asked to go back by the local fishermen. The central government proposed a 10,000 MW nuclear power plant at Kovvada Matsyalesam villa ge in the mandal with technical support from GE and Westing House companies of America. The plant is one of the six nuclear plants proposed in the country. Villagers asked the experts to shift the proposed plant site from the district. They said the Centre had recently bracketed the district under `developed' areas list and put Vizianagaram as a backward district. "If the authorities say the plant would give scope to development of the area, then they should construct in a backward district like Vizianagaram," they bemoaned. The district authorities had planned to organize an awareness meeting with the people, mostly fisherfolk, on Wednesday to discuss the feasibility of the nuclear plant. But it was cancelled following the revolt from the people of the area, sources said.’
Dow Jones: UK Nuclear Decommission Body Seeks Comments On Updated Strategy
‘LONDON -(Dow Jones)- The U.K.'s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority published Wednesday a draft of its updated strategy and called upon stakeholders to comment on the draft's six broad themes. "In this strategy we are...much clearer on where issues have been examined and the strategy is now mature, and where there are still strategic challenges to be addressed," NDA Strategy Director Adrian Simper said in a statement. The six themes comprise site restoration, spent fuels, nuclear materials, integrated waste management, business optimization, and critical enablers. Topics range from investing in spent fuel management to consolidated storage of certain nuclear materials. The draft also includes plans to dispose of surplus assets and work on ways to share costs with others. The consultation period ends Nov 24. The NDA previously updated its strategy in 2006.’
Helsingin Sanomat: Foreign workers at nuclear construction site live isolated lives ‘The construction of Olkiluoto 3, Finland’s fifth commercial nuclear reactor, involves 1,200 workers from different countries, who live in barracks far away from the rest of society. The workers come from around Europe: Poland, Portugal, Kosovo, Albania, and Germany. The barracks are about 20 kilometres away from any services or local people, and the workers’ contacts with the rest of Finnish society do not function very well in general. The construction workers spend months and years in isolation, almost out of sight of the rest of society. Sociologist Anna Kontula became interested in the Olkiluoto construction site, and decided to spend a month interviewing the employees and following their lives. Kontula has written a pamphlet which will be published on Wednesday under the name Näkymätön kylä (“Invisible Village”), which tells of the isolation of the migrant workers, and of their difficulties both at the Olkiluoto construction site, and at the general level. “Finnish workers resort to their labour unions, public services, and unofficial networks. With the migrant workers, the networks are very distant, they do not know how to utilise public services, and they often have not heard of the labour unions. All of this underscores dependency on employers”, Kontula says.’
Video: update direct from the oil rig
Watch Sim talk about his "relatively comfortable" night dangling off the underside of Cairn's Stena Don rig. Our four climbers are still on Cairn's rig, stopping the company from continuing its dangerous drilling in Arctic waters.
Take action! Join the activists and tell Cairn Energy to stop their dangerous drilling operations in the Arctic.
Executive Director of Greenpeace to CEO of Facebook: Unfriend Coal!
We've been talking a lot about Facebook lately. We were alarmed in January by the company's announcement that it would build a coal-powered data center in Prineville, Oregon. So we started a little group to ask the company not to use dirty energy to power our profiles. That group grew and grew as Facebook users across the globe joined up to tell Facebook to get off of coal. And as of this week, the group is half-a-million strong.
Then, we were further dismayed by Facebook's second announcement about its data center: it plans to double its size! That means twice the energy use, twice the coal, and twice the global warming pollution. Why isn't Facebook listening to its users?
Those 500,000 Facebook users have gotten someone's attention, though. Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director of Greenpeace International, has heard our message and is taking up the charge. In a letter sent today, Kumi asks Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO, to take responsibility for his company's growing energy footprint and show some climate leadership.
Climate leadership is the focus of the Cool IT Challenge, which encourages IT companies to apply their technological know-how and innovative spriit to solving the climate crisis. The campaign urges IT companies to put forth solutions, mitigate their own carbon footprint, and advocate for significant policy changes in the mutual interest of business and the climate.
Here is the complete text of Kumi's letter to Mr. Zuckerberg:
Dear Mr. Zuckerberg:
Climate scientists around the world tell us that global greenhouse gas emissions must peak by 2015 in order to stay within a critical temperature threshold to have a chance of avoiding runaway global warming. To do this, we must break our addiction to oil, coal, and other dirty fossil fuels and transition away from them as rapidly as possible. Given the tremendous growth of IT cloud computing companies like Facebook expected in this same period, your company has an increasingly essential role to play in helping to drive the deployment of renewable energy sources needed to avert the most devastating possible effects of our changing climate.
Facebook, which now connects over 500 million people, has a responsibility to exhibit good corporate citizenship toward the growing public it serves. No global business leader, particularly not one who reaches so many people daily, could deny that in this time it is both a threat to a company’s reputation and financial health risk to ignore their company’s environmental impacts.
Facebook appears to be on a path that will make breaking our addiction to dirty coal-fired electricity even more difficult. As you are aware, following Facebook’s announcement to build a new data center in Prineville, OR, Greenpeace and over half a million Facebook users have expressed significant concerns with your decision to power this data center with dirty coal-fired electricity from PacificCorp, which runs an electricity mix that is disproportionately powered by coal, the largest source of global warming pollution.
Despite this controversy, Facebook’s recent announcement that it will more than double the size of the Prineville facility, and thus double the demand for dirty coal energy in Oregon, is a disturbing sign that Facebook remains on the wrong path.
Other cloud-based companies face similar choices and challenges as you do in building data centers, yet many are making smarter and cleaner investments. Google, for instance, entered into a long-term agreement with a large wind power producer earlier this month. It has demonstrated that it is not only possible to prioritize the purchase of clean energy, but prudent as well.
Greenpeace regularly uses Facebook to engage its supporters and their friends to hold other corporations accountable for their environmental impact. Facebook’s innovative and easy-to-use platform has enabled it to become an incredibly important tool for connecting people to engage in driving social change. Facebook is uniquely positioned to be a truly visible and influential leader to drive the deployment of clean energy.
Greenpeace has spent the last six years focusing a significant portion of our corporate engagement within the IT industry. We have worked with a number of companies including Hewlett Packard, Toshiba, and Google on corporate and government policy issues. We have seen big progress ranging from curbing electronic waste to eliminating toxic chemicals from IT equipment. More recently we have been tackling energy and climate change issues. We see the potential for the sector to use the hallmark values of innovation and competitiveness that are pervasive in the IT world to become leaders in the fight against many of our greatest environmental challenges, including global warming.
Given that your corporate and public policies on the environment have not been articulated, we would welcome the opportunity to sit down with you and your team to hear what work Facebook has planned and to discuss the steps we feel would put Facebook in a leadership position on climate change within the IT sector. Key areas of leadership for Facebook should include:
Commit to a plan to phase out the use of dirty coal-fired electricity to power your data centers;
Use your purchasing power to choose locations that allow you to rely on only clean, renewable sources of electricity;
Advocate for strong climate and energy policy changes at the local, national and international level to ensure that as the IT industry's energy demand increases, so does the supply of renewable energy;
Disclosure your greenhouse gas emissions inventory (through mechanisms such as the carbon disclosure project);
Share this plan for environmental stewardship publicly on your website so your hundred of millions of users know that your company is a climate leader.
It is with the interest of your company, your millions of users, and our planet in mind that I urge you to exercise bold and immediate leadership in addressing climate change. I invite you to engage with me in dialogue regarding these points, as I am sure that with further discussion regarding your company’s environmental goals and growth plans, we will be able to reach common ground. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Kumi Naidoo
Executive Director
Greenpeace International
The ‘cure’ for nuclear waste is worse than the illness
In his opinion piece 'The Burden of Nuclear Waste' this week, philosopher Behnam Taebi of the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands argues that moving the nuclear industry into the direction of breeder reactors and reprocessing could significantly reduce the waste burden. He believes that the risks of nuclear proliferation from such technology could be controlled.
It should be noted that Taebi's opinion is highly controversial even within the nuclear industry. Take the 2003 report by MIT, 'The Future of Nuclear Power', which studied policies to enable a significant growth of nuclear power plants. On breeder technology and reprocessing (also called Generation IV) MIT concluded that it would make nuclear energy even more dangerous and prone to nuclear accidents, that it would increase the risks of the illegal spread of nuclear weapons materials and that there is no clear advantage regarding waste production. On top of that, the costs would escalate, making it even more expensive than the price tag of at least 7bn USD for planned reactors in the US. MIT advised the US – in order to re-launch nuclear power – to shelf Generation IV and stick to known reactor designs which would still require state subsidies.
Greenpeace disagrees. We should really stop spending taxpayers money on nuclear power altogether. Some renewable energy sources such as wind energy are already cheaper than new reactors, while they do not generate radioactive waste, they create more jobs and can not cause a radioactive cloud to cover the earth, as happened nearly 25years ago in Chernobyl, Ukraine. These renewable technologies are readily available, in contrast to Generation IV nuclear reactors which still need several technological breakthroughs. Renewables are secure, affordable, reliable, and ready to do the job.
So far, there is no solution for nuclear power’s deadly waste – it will be a burden for thousands of generations to come. That is where some nuclear proponents see a role for the Generation IV concept. It is more a political than a technological concept. By painting the prospects of an imaginary magic solution for nuclear waste and safety risks, the nuclear industry argues that we continue generating more radioactive waste –“no worries guys, we'll fix it”. The reality is less rosy, and this has been reflected in the US policy for the last four decades. In 1976, President Gerald Ford banned civil reprocessing because of proliferation concerns. By the time President Ronald Reagan lifted the strict ban on reprocessing, it was too uneconomical to materialise. Since then, nothing has really changed.
Meanwhile, further investments in reprocessing and breeder technology drag us deeper into a global proliferation crisis. France has historically been proud of its sophisticated breeder technology, allowing the production of 'super-grade' plutonium to develop smaller, precise and highly reliable nuclear bombs. No wonder that China was keen to conclude a deal with the French nuclear giant AREVA, including collaboration on the development of breeder technology. This 'vertical' proliferation, i.e. the further development of even more sophisticated weapons by the five declared nuclear weapons' states, cannot be isolated from the 'horizontal' proliferation: countries like India, Pakistan or possibly North-Korea and Iran obtaining nuclear weapons technology. Many experts regard the nuclear cooperation agreement between the US and India, which includes collaboration on reprocessing technologies, as the beginning of the end of the nuclear non-proliferation regime.
The Obama administration should have a good look at President Ford’s non-proliferation policy and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act the resulted from that in 1978 under President Carter. Although far from perfect, this legislation at least banned so-called civil reprocessing and has been an important counterweight against unscrupulous countries such a France, who keep handing over their sensitive weapons-usable technology to basically anyone with money.
(This post is by Jan van de Putte, nuclear campaigner for Greenpeace International)
Nuclear News: Chernobyl Effects Could Last for Centuries
Pravda: Chernobyl Effects Could Last for Centuries
‘Nearly 25 years after the worst nuclear accident in history, new scientific findings suggest that the effects of the explosion at Chernobyl have been underestimated. Experts last month published a series of studies indicating that, contrary to previous findings, populations of animals decreased in the exclusion zone surrounding the site of the former nuclear power plant, and that the effects of radioactive contamination after the outbreak had been "overwhelming." More and more pigs with high levels of cesium are found at the scene. This information was disclosed months after doctors detected increased rates of cancer in Ukraine and Belarus, mutations and diseases of the blood, which they believe are related to Chernobyl. Meanwhile, an American investigation published in April found an increase in birth defects, apparently due to sustained exposure to low level doses of radiation. For activists against nuclear power, these studies demonstrate that the inhabitants of the affected area will suffer devastating consequences for decades, perhaps centuries. "This is a problem that will not go away in few years. It will be there for centuries," said Rianne Teule, from the environmental organization, Greenpeace.’
Nuclear N-Former: India finalizes Indo-US deal
‘India’s Parliament approved a final, critical piece of a long-delayed landmark civil nuclear agreement on Monday, a pact regarded as a cornerstone of a Bush-era effort to transform the relationship between the United States and the world’s largest democracy. But even as supporters praised a historic victory, the end result is probably not what the United States had hoped for, nor does it seem likely to signal a new era in relations between the United States and India. Indeed, some analysts say the compromises needed to move Monday’s legislation through India’s contentious Parliament could undermine the practical impact of a political, diplomatic and economic accord that took years to negotiate. With President Obama scheduled to make his first visit to India in early November, the governments in both countries are trying to strengthen a relationship sometimes described as a natural and strategic alliance of democracies. But drawing closer has proved complicated as differences remain on issues like trade and climate change as well as how to effectively deal with Pakistan. The nuclear issue, putatively about India’s future, has sparked weeks of bitter political debate in New Delhi, tapped into Indian nationalism and public suspicion of foreign corporate interests while also dredging up a very different chapter in the countries’ relations: the 1984 Union Carbide industrial disaster at Bhopal, which killed thousands. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, accused of toadying to America, appeared before the lower house of Parliament to deny that his allegiance was anywhere but with India.’
Eurasia.net: New Nuke Plant in Armenia Draws Criticism from Environmentalists
‘Armenian leaders are ecstatic that Russia is getting involved in the construction of a new nuclear power plant at Metsamor. Environmentalists and technical experts are far less enthused, saying that a new Metsamor unit poses considerable risks. Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Russian leader Dmitry Medvedev signed bilateral agreements on August 20 to enable Moscow’s participation in the construction of a new unit at the Metsamor atomic power station. Under the agreement, Russia could contribute about 20 percent of the financing for the unit’s construction, currently projected at between $5 billion and $7.2 billion. Work is slated to begin in 2012, although questions remain about how Armenia will come up with the bulk of the money to build the facility. Construction of the new unit, capable of producing 1,060 Megawatts of power annually, will help Armenia comply with the international community’s wishes to shut down the VVER reactors. Currently, Metsamor produces about 40 percent of the power consumed in Armenia. Environmentalists say that the area’s vulnerability to earthquakes, makes operating a nuclear plant at Metsamor a high-risk proposition, regardless of the new reactor’s design. "It's a crime to build a new nuclear power station in Metsamor," Hakob Sanasaryan, president of the Greens Union of Armenia, told EurasiaNet.org. "A nuclear power station cannot be constructed near water and agricultural systems, in seismic zones, in densely populated areas.’
French Nuclear Watchdog Says EDF Has Problems With Flamanville EPR Liner
‘Electricite de France SA, Europe’s biggest power producer, experienced renewed problems with welding quality at the EPR nuclear reactor being built in Normandy, according France’s nuclear safety agency. Faults in welds of the containment liner of the Flamanville EPR, the utility’s first in France, were found during an inspection in July, the Autorite de Surete Nucleaire said in an Aug. 27 report on its website. EDF officials weren’t immediately available for a comment. "Welding difficulties caused by the ergonomics of the welder’s post’ were the cause of similar problems at the building site in 2008 and 2009 and treatment by EDF ‘was not performed correctly,’ according to the report. The agency also said EDF was slow in detecting ‘inferior weld quality.’ EDF’s EPR, which was designed by Areva SA, is considered key to the utility’s ability to export nuclear technology to other countries. Earlier this month, EDF was asked for modifications of the control platform on the reactor, which is delayed and will cost more than expected. EDF is developing a similar model in Taishan, China, and plans more in Italy, the U.K. and U.S. The state-controlled operator of France’s 58 nuclear reactors in July said the Normandy reactor will cost 5 billion euros to develop, about 50 percent more than initially estimated, and will be delayed by about two years to 2014.’
Gabon's Dark Side of Dams and Mines
‘An independent study released this month by Gabonese NGO, Brainforest, documents the devastation caused by uranium and manganese mines in southeast Gabon. The study, Impacts of mining on the local populations and the environment in Haut-Ogooué, also describes the government’s plan to build the Grand Poubara hydropower dam to help expand mining and mineral processing. Toxic pollution of the rivers and soil, disappearance of fish, and lack of public information are amongst Brainforest’s main concerns. The report hopes to bring attention to the government's role in enabling profits at the cost of local people. Since 1961, French company Areva has operated four uranium mines at Mounana. Radioactive residues from the mines have contaminated the area’s waterways and soils. During the mine’s first 15 years, radioactive waste was poured directly into the river. The radioactive contamination is the source of the main environmental and medical problems for nearby villagers. In nearby Moanda, manganese mining is conducted by a subsidiary of French company, Eramet. After the manganese is mined, it is processed at the Industrial Complex of Moanda (CIM) and taken by train to the port of Owendo. Eramet would like to expand production through development of the 200 million Euros Metallurgical Complex of Moanda (CM). The complex would depend on electric power from the Poubara dams.’
