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Espy Log: The Cook Islands
It’s been a busy week for crew on Greenpeace ship, the Esperanza (the Espy). It’s currently touring the Pacific to help send a message to world leaders about climate change impacts in the region. Aboard the ship is Emily, who’s sent us this report on what they’ve been doing. Greetings from a finally sunny, but…
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Tokyo Two Activist Reports From Madeira
Junichi Toru, on of the two Japanese activists known as the “Tokyo Two” arrested for exposing corruption in the Japanese whaling industry, is also at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting. He’s “celebrating” one year since his arrest and shares his thoughts on the IWC meeting, his upcoming trial and the future of Japanese whaling.…
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The Future Of The Whales Postponed?
Everyone at the International Whaling Commission (or IWC) keeps assuring me that international meetings to decide important environmental issues aren’t normally like this. The IWC is becoming something of a joke on the international stage. In recent years the IWC was a forum for fiery debate between pro conservation and pro whaling countries. The flashpoint…
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Drumming, Dancing And Farting
Yesterday the Esperanza arrived … well, sort of. Rarotonga in the Cook Islands is unlikely to have 3 large ships coming into port in a fortnight, let alone in 2 days. But that’s exactly what happened! Despite having to wait until today for the ship to actually come alongside the wharf, we had an amazing…
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Trouble In Paradise
I am lucky enough to find myself in what is often described as Paradise: the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. As we prepare for Greenpeace’s largest ship, the Esperanza, to arrive – organising meetings, speaking to the Government, local environment groups and people active on climate change – I find myself overwhelmed by the beauty…
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Is There Any Life Left In The Whaling Commission?
I’m in Madeira, a Portuguese island in the Atlantic and the host of this year’s annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission. The IWC, as it’s known, is the peak international body for deciding upon all issues related to whales and whaling. It’s also my first IWC meeting as a Greenpeace whales campaigner. To be…
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Photos: National Climate Rally
In Sydney, streets were awash in a sea of red on Saturday as thousands of Sydneysiders joined the national climate rally. We were there to demand the government step up its response to the climate emergency. Polar bears and families mingled with people dressed in red (to symbolise urgency). Others marched in groups: climate justice,…
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Choosing Between Nothing and Worse-than-nothing
Today, 12 environmental organisations representing more than 400,000 Australians launched Plan B, calling for immediate action on climate change in the absence of an effective policy to price greenhouse pollution and cut emissions. Penny Wong once said that the Government’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, as a vehicle for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, was “no Ferrari”.…
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There Comes A Time When We Have To Act
How far would you go for what’s right? Would you risk arrest? How high you would climb to save a planet? In 2007, six volunteer activists scaled a 220-metre chimney at a UK coal power station to protest against government plans to build new coal plants. If the action wasn’t breathtaking enough (vertigo sufferers be…
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When Carbon Reduction Schemes Resemble Fad Diets
Forget the Atkins diet, here’s the ultimate new, pain-free weight-loss formula: instead of actually eating less, pay somebody else to go on a diet for you. What a plan! Swap cake for carbon and you have a major part of the government’s current scheme to deal with climate change. Instead of cutting emissions at home,…