Greenpeace Australia Pacific press release

Sydney, 24 March 2017 - For the first time, the devastating coral bleaching striking the Great Barrier Reef has been captured with close range UAV footage, released today by Greenpeace Australia Pacific.

The footage, shot on 17 March at the outer reefs off Port Douglas, shows the silent and high-speed destruction of one of the world's most beautiful and fragile ecosystems from below the water line and shot for the first time in close range UAV footage from above.

“I’ve seen previous bleaching on the Reef but nothing could have prepared me to see the reality of the destruction up close,” said Alix Foster Vander Elst, a campaigner at Greenpeace Australia Pacific.

“The world needs to know what is happening to the largest living organism in the world. People need to know that while the Great Barrier Reef dies right in front of our eyes Australia’s government continues to funnel money into new coal mines.”

The footage shows vast areas of coral in the late stages of bleaching or death with UAV footage capturing the distressed coral forests from above.

“What is most heartbreaking about this footage is that it shows a lot of the coral that managed to survive last year is now totally bleached and on its way to dying,” Foster Vander Elst said.

“Almost all of the coral we saw was dead or bleached.”

In 2015, UNESCO placed the Great Barrier Reef on its watchlist due to concerns about the Australian Government’s management of the World Heritage Area and this week a new report, Boom and Bust 2017: Tracking the Global Coal Plant Pipeline, showed a 62 per cent drop in new construction on coal plants as well as an increase in the retirement of existing plants[2].

However, despite two sequential years of coral bleaching on the Reef and the declining coal industry the Australian government is considering giving AU$1 billion (US$760 million) of taxpayers’ money to the biggest coal mine ever built in the country.

“If it gets built, the Carmichael mega-mine will be a climate bomb that endangers the Reef and mocks Australia’s commitments under the Paris climate agreement,” Foster Vander Elst said.

“The government should make a commitment to the Reef, and to the 67,000 people who rely on the Reef for their jobs, that no taxpayer money will be used to dig up the Galilee Basin.”

Coral bleaching occurs when the surrounding water is too warm, causing the corals to expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues.

This makes the coral take on a completely white appearance. If water temperatures don’t return to normal within six to eight weeks of the bleaching, the coral dies. In 2016, 93 per cent of the corals of the Great Barrier Reef bleached and 22 per cent of the entire Reef died [1].

Notes to editors:

Photo and video can be accessed here: http://media.greenpeace.org/shoot/27MZIFJJD68E1

[1] Death rate of the entire reef as of June 2016,according to the Australian Institute of Marine Science

[2] http://www.greenpeace.org/india/Global/india/docs/BoomAndBust_2017_EMBARGO.pdf

Media contacts:

Simon Black, Greenpeace Senior Media, Campaigner, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, mob: 0418 219 086, email: simon.black@greenpeace.org

Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)

“Australia - you are either with the coal industry, or with the Pacific”, said Greenpeace’s Head of Pacific Net Matisse Walkden-Brown in response to this week’s lobby trip by Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, to meet the CEO of the company behind the proposed Carmichael megamine, Mr Gautam Adani.

"This week, Australia has truly shown its tireless commitment to selling out Pacific islanders.

If the Carmichael coal mine goes ahead, it would supply 2.3bn tonnes of coal to be burnt over the next 60 years, fuelling catastrophic climate change.

“Typically, in an attempt to remain being seen as a friend to the Pacific, and continue fending off Chinese advances, Australia’s Ambassador for Climate Change, Patrick Suckling, came to Fiji in January, with a completely opposing message.

Earlier this year, Mr Suckling said, “The purpose of my visit here is to talk to the Government and the business community on how Australia and Fiji can strongly work together on the damaging impacts of climate change.”

“Both countries take climate change very seriously. It is a serious concern to the region, and part of Australia's interest in climate change is that we support and work with the Pacific Island nations in terms of meeting the challenges of climate change,” he said.

“The events this week prove once again that Australia’s climate promises to the Pacific are empty sweet nothings. While Australia may claim to consider climate change ‘a serious concern to the region’, they still have plans to double their coal exports in the next 10 years (despite already having a larger share of the seaborne coal market than Saudi Arabia has of the world oil market), which will further fuel catastrophic climate change,” Ms Walkden-Brown says.

“Not content with trampling the rights of Pacific islanders by lobbying for more coal as climate change impacts intensify, Mr Turnbull also sold out Australia’s Indigenous people this week, claiming that native title laws “will be fixed” to let the mine go ahead.

“However, in the true Pacific spirit, we remain hopeful that Australia will change their course and join us. Join us in a world moving toward 100% renewable energy. A world that recognises that gains in technology, science, medicine, and other fields that give people a chance at a higher standard of living, are now possible using 100% clean energy.

A world that accepts that developed and developing countries alike must pave the way, instead of propping up out-dated fossil fuel industries. A world that does not allow for politicised speeches to be dressed up as solutions. A world that understands climate finance is not a bargaining chip to be used against the vulnerable and unfairly affected. A world that knows words, promises, deals and temporary financial gains, can not absorb carbon. A world that needs fewer coal mines, not more.”

1. Fiji Times Online : “ Climate Change Fight” http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=387418

2. Australian Financial Review: “Malcolm Turnbull tells Adani Native Title Issues Will Be Fixed.” “http://www.afr.com/news/politics/malcolm-turnbull-tells-adani-native-title-issues-will-be-fixed-20170410-gvi6i3

For more information, contact:

Simon Black, Greenpeace Senior Media Campaigner

Tel: +61 418 219 086 / Email: sblack@greenpeace.org

Matisse Walkden-Brown, Head of Pacific Net

Email: mwalkden@greenpeace.org

Greenpeace is calling on Woolworths to drop Greenseas canned tuna from its shelves, following the release of its 2017 Tuna Guide today.

The Greenpeace Tuna Guide ranks the major canned tuna brands based on their environmental performance and whether the treatment of their workers respects human rights.

“Greenseas is certainly not living up to its name. It has come in as the stand-out bad performer and we’re calling on Woolworths to drop Greenseas canned tuna from its shelves,” Greenpeace campaigner Andrew Kelly said.

“Greenseas is the only major Australian brand that has reneged on its commitment to stop using Fish Aggregating Devices, or ‘FADs’. FADs attract large numbers of many species of fish, threatened sharks and sea turtles, which are scooped up indiscriminately by large nets.

“Greenseas originally committed to stop using these destructive practices in 2012, but has broken its promise to consumers and since removed the commitment from its website.

“It is also the only brand to have failed to outline to Greenpeace the steps taken to ensure it can trace the tuna in its tins back to the source, a necessary step to ensure tuna is not associated with environmental crimes or human rights abuse.

“Greenpeace’s Tuna Guide this year includes an increased focus on the treatment of workers in the rankings. The International Labour Organisation last month slammed the Thai Government for failing to address forced labour, human trafficking, and murder in the fishing industry.

“Australians eat 50,000 tonnes of tuna every year2 and no one wants to buy tuna that is tied to human rights abuse or causes environmental destruction. 

“Running out of tuna wouldn’t just mean we’d lose a convenient, healthy protein from our shelves - it could mean serious problems for the ocean ecosystems tuna are a part of, and for coastal countries, like our Pacific neighbours, it could mean the collapse of local economies.

“Australians can help protect tuna stocks and the health of our oceans by not buying Greenseas, and asking Woolworths to remove it from their shelves. Instead, opt for more responsible brands, such as Fish4Ever and John West,” Mr Kelly said.

Radio grabs, TV footage of tuna fishing and the tuna guide infographic available here.

Full guide and information available at www.changeyourtuna.org.au

Contacts: Simon Black 0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org or Peter Stahel (Essential Media) 0408 584 439 / Peter.Stahel@EssentialMedia.com.au

Sydney and London, 13 December 2016: BP’s withdrawal from the Great Australian Bight this October was an even luckier break than previously thought, said Greenpeace Australia Pacific today after The Financial Times and Energydesk published new information on the company's parlous safety information handling.

“An accident on the scale of the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010 would have devastated the Great Australian Bight’s ecology and industry.” said Greenpeace Oceans Campaigner Nathaniel Pelle.

“It increasingly looks like South Australia’s coastal communities, not to mention the unique wildlife of the Bight, really dodged a bullet. The people of Australia successfully pressured BP to pull out, but it’s only now that we’re learning just how poor the company’s information systems are.”

“Yet other companies like Chevron, Murphy-Santos, Bight Oil and Karoon Gas are still lining up to drill for oil on the Bight. It’s time for them all to realise the age of oil is over and South Australia doesn’t need the risk.”

See Financial Times article here: Tom Burgis, ‘Leaked BP report reveals risk of lethal accidents’, 13 December 2016

CONTINUES BELOW

A litany of failures in the way BP manages critical safety information may be increasing the risk of accidents at the oil giant’s plants across the world, according to analysis by leading experts of an internal BP report leaked to Energydesk.

The confidential document handed to Energydesk and shared with the Financial Times warns that systems designed to manage critical information and the reporting of incidents at a number of BP’s installations are so weak there is a real risk of leaks or vapour cloud explosions, and that the problem “requires urgent attention.”

The document has raised alarm amongst leading experts and politicians. It comes just days after news that BP has approved the $9bn Mad Dog 2 deepwater project in the Gulf of Mexico and weeks after the oil giant ditched plans to drill in the pristine waters of the Great Australian Bight. BP also jointly owns a company, Aker BP, that holds licences for offshore exploration in the Norwegian Arctic.

The list of failures highlighted in the report ranges from missing blueprints to crucial anti-blowout devices being wrongly installed. The reports notes that, in recent years, these have resulted in “repeated near-misses” and at least one serious incident at a major refinery in the USA where an entire unit's oil contents were accidentally flared, violating EPA rules.

The document also alleges that BP lags seriously behind competitor companies, including Shell, ConocoPhillips, Chevron and Malaysian state oil company, Petronas, when it comes to information management.

The report, produced in August 2015 and based on interviews with over 150 stakeholders at nine BP sites, identified around 75 incidents caused by mismanagement of engineering information, estimating those problems to have cost the company losses of up to $180m a year.

In a startling finding, the report also reveals that 80% of those working on engineering information inside BP told researchers that they did not “believe data management was given adequate priority or the resources to be safe, reliable and efficient”.

Of the 500 recent incidents examined in the report, 15% had poor engineering information as a root cause or contributing factor. The report adds that “root causes and contributing factors in the 15% are agreed by sites and central teams to be increasing the probability of incidents.”

Renowned safety expert, Berkeley professor and former BP consultant Professor Robert Bea analysed the leaked report, and noted many of the issues raised were the same as problems he had identified in BP more than a decade ago.

“It is clear that BP have again failed to act on recommendations and address the issues raised. These failures could have very serious effects on the safety of the refinery operations,” he said.

When contacted by Energydesk, BP failed to confirm if and how the concerns in the report had been acted on.

Democratic Representative Raul Grijalva, who sits in the House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources, reviewed Energydesk’s findings and said:

"BP’s attitude seems to be that disasters like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are the cost of doing business, which tells me we need to crack down even harder than I thought. No company with BP’s international reach should be able to shrug at safety and maintenance issues and pass on the very high costs of their indifference to the rest of us.”

Energydesk also analysed three previous BP controversies - including the 2005 Texas City refinery explosion and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout - and noted that safety issues and poor information management have long-plagued the company’s operations.

Greenpeace UK's senior climate adviser Charlie Kronick said:

"Nearly seven years have passed since the Deepwater Horizon disaster and BP’s sloppy approach to a crucial aspect of safety hasn’t changed. The same happy-go-lucky attitude that played a role in major accidents in the past is seemingly still reflected in the management of safety information across the oil giant’s operations from rig to refinery. For a company that’s been trying to drill in some of the world’s most fragile environments this is completely unacceptable.

"BP has got away with cutting corners and crossing fingers for far too long. With the ratification of the Paris climate agreement, governments should bar BP from putting sensitive ecosystems at risk for the sake of an industry that’s no longer sustainable.”

Sydney, 10 April 2017 - Our leaders are failing the to address the root cause of bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef with a new report showing their inaction has seen two-thirds of the coral hit by back-to-back events.

New data released today by Terry Hughes, director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, shows record-breaking water temperatures have caused bleaching to over 1500 kilometres of coral over the last two summers.

“This second round of bleaching shows that we are running out of time to address climate change and protect one of Australia’s natural wonders,” Greenpeace campaigner Sebastien Blavier said.

“Last year we saw catastrophic bleaching on the northern parts of the Reef and this year the damage has moved further south.

“But instead of taking action to protect the Reef the government are considering funnelling almost $1 billion of taxpayers’ money to help fund the Carmichael mega-mine right next door.

“The Government must take action on the root cause of coral bleaching - and that is climate change, fueled by mining and burning fossil fuels like coal.”

Professor Hughes and his team collected data on the Reef by conducting aerial and below water surveys of about 800 separate reefs.

Unlike his 2016 survey, which found the bleaching to be more highly concentrated on the northernmost parts of the Reef, this year the worst of the damage has occurred in popular tourist areas further south between Townsville and Cairns.

“Almost 70,000 people rely on the Reef for their livelihoods, and the Reef is now in danger thanks to our Government’s inaction on climate change,” Blavier said.

“Instead of supporting the dying coal industry our leaders must commit to keep taxpayers’ money out of the Carmichael mine.”

In 2015, UNESCO placed the Great Barrier Reef on its watchlist due to concerns about the Australian Government’s management of the World Heritage Area.

Coral bleaching occurs when the water temperature is too warm. This increase in temperature causes the coral to expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues, which then takes on a bleached white appearance.

If water temperatures do not return to normal within six to eight weeks of the bleaching, the coral dies.

Notes to editors:

Photo and video can be accessed here, including drone footage of bleached coral: http://media.greenpeace.org/shoot/27MZIFJJD68E1

Media contacts:

Simon Black, Greenpeace Senior Media Campaigner, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, mob: 0418 219 086, email: simon.black@greenpeace.org

Sydney, 21 December: A $1bn government loan to build the Carmichael Rail Project in Queensland is against the public interest and cannot proceed, says a Greenpeace Australia Pacific report released today.

Media reports that companies associated with the Carmichael coal mine project are accused of money laundering, corruption and financial crimes are yet more reasons why the Government should not fund Carmichael.

The Greenpeace document outlines the Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) Board’s network of connections to banks and mining companies, special relationships that open questions about their independence.

“Building the Carmichael coal mine is in itself a ludicrous proposition, let alone lending the company a billion dollars of taxpayer’s money that we may never get back. Our investigation shows the public how important it is to stop Carmichael right now, before we wreck a valuable part of Queensland,” said Greenpeace Campaigner Jonathan Moylan.

The points above are detailed in ‘Off Track: Why NAIF Can’t Approve the Carmichael Rail project’, available to download at the Greenpeace Australia Pacific website.

The report argues that a $1bn loan for the Carmichael Rail Project would probably not satisfy three of NAIF’s own criteria:

The project will not be of public benefit, since tax revenues and job creation will be low and the rail line cannot easily be used for other purposes;

The company asking for the loan has stated it has sufficient capital to proceed without NAIF’s financial assistance; and

In the long-term, falling coal prices and collapsing demand in India may mean the $1bn loan may never be repaid or refinanced.

The Greenpeace report also notes that several NAIF Board members who would be involved in approving such a loan are closely linked to the mining industry. This calls into question the Board’s ability to take an objective and unbiased decision on behalf of Australian taxpayers.

Mr. Moylan concluded: “Australians shouldn’t be paying to send coal to a country that doesn't even want it, at a time when we, India and the entire world have agreed to reduce fossil fuels and carbon emissions. Loaning $1bn to Carmichael doesn’t make any sense at all.”

Apple, Google, Facebook, and newcomer Switch are taking some of the greatest strides towards 100% renewable energy, while companies such as Netflix, Amazon Web Services, and Samsung are lagging. The findings in Greenpeace USA’s report, Clicking Clean: Who is Winning the Race to Build a Green Internet? outlines the energy footprints of large data center operators and nearly 70 of the most popular websites and applications.

“Amazon continues to talk a good game on renewables but is keeping its customers in the dark on its energy decisions. This is concerning, particularly as Amazon expands into markets served by dirty energy,” said Greenpeace USA Senior IT Analyst, Gary Cook.

”Like Apple, Facebook, and Google, Netflix is one of the biggest drivers of the online world and has a critical say in how it is powered. Netflix must embrace the responsibility to make sure its growth is powered by renewables, not fossil fuels and it must show its leadership here” continued Cook.

Netflix has one of the largest data footprints of the companies profiled, accounting for one third of internet traffic in North America and contributing significantly to the worldwide data demand from video streaming. The company announced in 2015 that it intended to fully offset its carbon footprint, but a closer examination reveals it is likely turning to carbon offsets or unbundled renewable energy credits, which do little to increase renewable energy investment

For the first time, this year’s report also evaluates Asian companies including tech giants Tencent, Baidu, Alibaba, and Naver, which are steadily expanding globally. The region is well behind the US market in renewable commitments, due in large part to fewer clean energy options from monopoly utilities.

“Leading tech companies in the US have shown that clean power can be both good for the environment and for business. East Asian companies must step up to embrace that reality as well,” said Jude Lee, Senior Climate and Energy Campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia.

Nearly 20 IT companies have committed to 100% renewable energy use now. Among all data centres evaluated, Switch - a new entry to this year’s report - is making the best progress to transitioning its data center fleet to renewables through both procurement and aggressive advocacy.

The IT industry’s energy footprint accounted for 7% of global electricity in 2012, a number set to grow as global internet traffic increases, and even exceed 12% by 2017. Video streaming accounts for 63% of global internet traffic in 2015, and is projected to reach about 80% by 2020, according to Cisco Network Traffic Forecast, 2016.

Greenpeace has benchmarked the energy performance of the IT sector since 2009. Greenpeace is calling on all major internet companies to:

Make a long term commitment to become 100% renewably powered.

Commit to be transparent on IT energy performance and consumption of resources, including the source of electricity, to enable customers, investors, and stakeholders to measure progress toward that goal.

Develop a strategy for increasing their supply of renewable energy, through a mixture of procurement, investment, and corporate advocacy to both electricity suppliers and government decisionmakers.

Notes to editors:

[1] Greenpeace USA’s report Clicking Clean: Who is Winning the Race to Build a Green Internet? can be found at http://www.clickclean.org/downloads/ClickClean2016%20HiRes.pdf
[2] The full Cisco Network Traffic Forecast, 2016 can be found at http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/service-provider/vni-network-traffic-forecast/infographic.html
[3] Photos and video can be accessed here: http://media.greenpeace.org/collection/27MZIFJJRUIB7

Media contacts:

Maria Elena De Matteo, Global Communications Strategist, Greenpeace East Asia, mariaelena.dematteo@greenpeace.org, phone +39 333-9860831

Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)

Sydney, 19 January 2016: Responding to the finding that 2016 was the hottest on record, Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner, Nikola Casule, said:

“Earlier this week, Prime Minister Turnbull claimed that his support for coal was ‘pragmatic and practical’. He said opposition to the fossil fuels that drive climate change was merely ‘ideological’.

“Mr Turnbull needs to rethink this irrational and frankly absurd position. Scientists have proven the year 2016 was the warmest on record. And it’s no secret why. The mining and burning of coal is driving global warming to record highs - creating extreme weather events like heatwaves, hurricanes and bushfires.

“As the world’s biggest coal exporter, Australia is directly responsible. Instead of flirting with the coal industry, Mr Turnbull needs to implement a ban on new coal mines and start transitioning Australia away from fossil fuels and towards clean, safe renewable energy.”

The footage shows vast areas of coral in the late stages of bleaching or death with UAV footage capturing the distressed coral forests from above.

“What is most heartbreaking about this footage is that it shows a lot of the coral that managed to survive last year is now totally bleached and on its way to dying,” Foster Vander Elst said.

“Almost all of the coral we saw was dead or bleached.”

“If it gets built, the Carmichael mega-mine will be a climate bomb that endangers the Reef and mocks Australia’s commitments under the Paris climate agreement,” Foster Vander Elst said.

“The government should make a commitment to the Reef, and to the 67,000 people who rely on the Reef for their jobs, that no taxpayer money will be used to dig up the Galilee Basin.”

Coral bleaching occurs when the surrounding water is too warm, causing the corals to expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living in their tissues.

Notes to editors:

Photo and video can be accessed here: http://media.greenpeace.org/shoot/27MZIFJJD68E1

[1] Death rate of the entire reef as of June 2016,according to the Australian Institute of Marine Science

[2] http://www.greenpeace.org/india/Global/india/docs/BoomAndBust_2017_EMBARGO.pdf

Media contacts:

Simon Black, Greenpeace Senior Media, Campaigner, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, mob: 0418 219 086, email: simon.black@greenpeace.org

Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)

"This week, Australia has truly shown its tireless commitment to selling out Pacific islanders.

If the Carmichael coal mine goes ahead, it would supply 2.3bn tonnes of coal to be burnt over the next 60 years, fuelling catastrophic climate change.

1. Fiji Times Online : “ Climate Change Fight” http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=387418

For more information, contact:

Simon Black, Greenpeace Senior Media Campaigner

Tel: +61 418 219 086 / Email: sblack@greenpeace.org

Matisse Walkden-Brown, Head of Pacific Net

Email: mwalkden@greenpeace.org

Sydney, 3 May 2017: Greenpeace Australia Pacific is calling on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to hold US President Donald Trump to account on the Paris climate agreement when the two leaders meet in New York on Friday this week.

Recent reports[1] have signalled that the Trump administration is leaning towards withdrawing the United States from the historic accord, which was agreed by nearly 200 nations in 2015. President Trump has yet to make the final decision but an announcement is expected as early as next week.

“Australians demand a Prime Minister who will stand up for what he believes in” said Greenpeace Australia Pacific CEO, David Ritter.

“When Prime Minister Turnbull announced Australia’s ratification of the Paris Agreement just six months ago he described it as ‘a turning point’ that had ‘galvanised the international community and spurred on global action’.

“If the PM is serious about his commitment to the agreement, it is essential that he takes that message to President Trump.

“Global climate action is not a legal or political debate, it’s a moral obligation to protect our planet and people. That is what almost 200 countries agreed to do in Paris and if the Trump administration plans to withdraw from the agreement, then other leaders should call the US government out and hold them to account.”

Pacific nations have also urged Australia to speak up, with Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama yesterday asking Mr Turnbull to take a strong message to Mr Trump not to pull out of the agreement[2].

“Australia should be a good neighbour to our Pacific Island neighbours. This is a great opportunity for Mr Turnbull to support the advocacy of the Fiji Government, which holds the next Presidency of the UNFCCC ” said Mr Ritter.

“The world has already resolved to act on climate, the renewable energy industry is growing exponentially, and people all over the globe are becoming part of the clean energy future.

“Trump’s isolationist stance at this critical moment in history is morally reprehensible, but his attempt to derail global progress on climate change will fail. The Paris agreement will remain in force and the transition to clean energy will continue,” said Mr Ritter.

In the Trump White House, the momentum has turned against the Paris climate agreement
Washington Post [here]
Fiji wants our help to send Trump message, news.com.au [here]

For interviews contact:
Rachael Vincent
Greenpeace Media Campaigner
0413 993 316 / rachael.vincent@greenpeace.org

Sydney, 3 May 2017: Greenpeace Australia Pacific is calling on the Commonwealth Bank to immediately sever all ties with the Carmichael megamine and rule out involvement in new coal mine projects, following revelations the bank has been working for months to facilitate its construction.

Documents show that on March 23 Adani Infrastructure made a deposit payment of $1.6 million to the Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines (DNRM) to secure its water license for the Carmichael mine.

This payment was evidenced by a direct credit transaction statement from CommBank, and an email from DNRM Finance confirming the payment.

“Despite their public commitment to take action to limit global warming to no more than two degrees, the Commonwealth Bank is secretly working with Adani to facilitate the construction of the largest coal mine in Australia,” Greenpeace campaigner Nikola Casule said.

“CommBank cannot be allowed to continue their relationship with dirty, polluting fossil fuels, while at the same time telling their customers and the public that their hands are clean and they are serious about preventing climate change.

“This transaction, which the bank has kept a secret until now, shows that rather than living up to their word on building a better future for the next generation, CommBank are not only directly facilitating the destruction of Australian treasures like the Great Barrier Reef - they are also profiting from it.

“This makes a mockery of CommBank’s commitment to support the Paris climate agreement and the spirit of the comments made by its CEO, Ian Narev, before a parliamentary inquiry in March this year.

“Globally, coal is on the way out. Yet not only was CommBank the biggest lender to fossil fuel projects since the Paris agreement was signed, it now has its fingerprints all over the most destructive and controversial coal mine proposal in Australia”

CommBank lent $3.8 billion to fossil fuel projects in 2016. Greenpeace is calling on the Commonwealth Bank to cease its relationship with Adani’s Carmichael project and make an immediate commitment to no longer financing new coal projects. Last week, after a campaign by civil society groups, Westpac announced it would no longer fund projects in new coal basins and limit lending to new coal mines in existing basins to coal with an energy content in the top 15 per cent - effectively ruling out the Galilee Basin, and the Carmichael mine.

“CommBank’s CEO, Ian Narev, has told the Australian people he understands the public are sick of banks saying one thing and doing another,” Casule said.

“And yet despite all their rhetoric CommBank continues to profiteer from the destruction of our environment and theft of treasures like the Reef from future generations.

It’s time for CommBank to say no to new coal in Australia before it’s too late.”

For interviews contact:
Simon Black
Greenpeace Senior Media Campaigner
0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org

Tuesday May 9, 2017: The Turnbull government has continued to ignore climate change and the need to fund renewable energy at a time when the country is demanding leadership on the most serious threat of our age, Greenpeace Australia Pacific says.

Released tonight by Federal Treasurer, Scott Morrison, the 2017 Budget has no credible measures to battle global warming and fails to address the serious issue of corporate tax avoidance by the country’s largest polluters.

“At a time when companies like Chevron have been revealed to pay zero tax this government continues to put the interests of the fossil fuel industry ahead of the Australian people,” Greenpeace campaigner Nikola Casule said.

“It’s time for our leaders to look to the future and invest in renewable energy solutions instead of propping up yesterday’s industries in risky and polluting fossil fuel ventures.

“Despite the age of coal coming to a close Turnbull ministers continue to talk up Adani’s Carmichael mega-mine.

“If we’re to address climate change and stop disasters like the recent mass coral bleaching event on the Great Barrier Reef we need to stop burning the coal we have now. Not dig up more.

“While the government cuts $2.8 billion from universities and continue to drastically reduce foreign aid it is still considering giving $1 billion to the Carmichael coal mine - a disastrous project that threatens the Great Barrier Reef.”

For interviews contact:
Simon Black
Greenpeace Senior Media Campaigner
0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org

Wednesday May 10: The Government’s refusal to hold big polluting oil companies to account for their negligence in Bass Strait is a demonstration of why we need to keep them out of the Great Australian Bight.

The National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) yesterday served an ‘improvement’ notice to ExxonMobil, the operators of the West Tuna platform, located 45km off the Gippsland coast in Victoria, for failing to comply with their own regulations during an oil spill in February this year[1].

“It is outrageous that an oil company with a history of environmental accidents in Bass Strait is still getting such soft treatment from our oil regulator,” Greenpeace senior campaigner Nathaniel Pelle said.

“A member of the public would face a larger fine for not wearing their lifejacket while going fishing than ExxonMobil has received for failing to properly respond to an oil spill.

“ExxonMobil are a repeat-offender that has managed at least three incidents under their watch in the Strait since 2013, almost one a year.

“This should ring alarm bells right across Southern Australia as Chevron, the world’s biggest polluter, eyes oil drilling in the Great Australian Bight. If government agencies are perceived as impotent the public can’t have confidence in them to protect our waters and the fishers and other industries who rely on them.”

In September of 2015 an electrical fire broke out in the battery room of the rig[2]. Several workers were evacuated with the blaze taking more than nine hours to be contained. And in 2013 Exxon was responsible for a spill from another rig in the Bass Strait[3].

The NOPSEMA notice requires ExxonMobil to ensure staff are adequately trained on how to respond within 60 days.

“We know that not only was there a significant spill on the rig but that the staff then responded in the wrong way because Exxon didn’t have the right equipment and apparently hadn’t provided the necessary training for its workers ,” Pelle said.
“NOPSEMA has indicated that the platform remains a threat due to the lack of capacity to respond to a spill effectively.

“It begs the question: what if there’s another accident in the next two months? Will Exxon be able be able to deal with it?

“The breach in itself should justify a significant fine and a warning for ExxonMobil. But instead of punishing these companies for breaking their own rules and spilling oil into public waters the government are treating them like an old friend and letting them off completely.

“If NOPSEMA have any doubts about Esso’s staff on the West Tuna oil rig being properly trained on how to prevent and respond to spills they should demand an immediate halt to operations pending a review.

“Greenpeace are calling on NOPSEMA to let these companies know Australians won’t abide them breaking the rules and destroying our environment.

“And they should send this message in the only way big oil companies care about or understand - cost to the bottom line through a fine or limitation on operations.”

NOTES FOR EDITORS:
[1] https://www.nopsema.gov.au/news-and-media/nopsema-takes-interim-step-in-bass-strait-oil-sheen-investigation/
[2] http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2015/s4317908.htm
[3] http://www.smh.com.au/business/mining-and-resources/exxon-confirms-oil-spill-in-bass-strait-20130909-2tfr0.html

For interviews contact:
Simon Black
Greenpeace Senior Media Campaigner
0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org

Sydney, May 5, 2017: Greenpeace Australia Pacific activists have suspended a seventy square meter banner to send a message to the Commonwealth Bank that they must withdraw their financial support of coal.

The banner and its message ‘CommBank: Dump Coal! Invest in our Future’ faces directly into the CBA headquarters at 201 Sussex St, above one of Sydney’s busiest motorways, where the bank’s senior executives and CEO, Ian Narev, work.

Activists are also handing out pamphlets and engaging with CommBank staff and members of the public to let them know about the bank’s continuing support of fossil fuel projects including the Adani coal mine.

“Despite publicly committing to action on climate change, the Commonwealth Bank loaned a massive$3.886 billion to fossil fuel projects in 2016 - the most of any of the big four banks[1],” Greenpeace Climate and Energy Campaigner Dr Nikola Čašule said.

“Greenpeace is calling on CommBank CEO, Ian Narev, and the members of the CommBank board to make good on their commitment to the environment and to follow the lead set by fellow big four bank Westpac by ruling out any involvement in new coal projects or the expansion of existing projects.”

Last week Westpac committed to not finance projects in any new thermal coal basins.

“In recent months we have seen yet another mass coral bleaching event threaten the destruction of large areas of the Great Barrier Reef due to the effects of global warming,” Čašule said.

“Commonwealth Bank can take the lead to prevent tragedies such as these and help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.”

Surveys conducted by Greenpeace found that an overwhelming 73 per cent of Commbank customers wanted their bank to not invest in companies or projects that harm the environment.

“CommBank CEO, Ian Narev, has reassured the Australian people that he was listening when they told him actions speak louder than words. Yet last year his bank lent more money to fossil fuels than any other Australian bank and continues to facilitate the construction of the Adani Carmichael mega-mine in Queensland,” Čašule said.

“Greenpeace is calling on Mr Narev to live up to his promise to support a transition to a low carbon economy not only in words but with action. The Commonwealth Bank needs to pledge to end its funding of new coal projects and commit to a credible plan to reduce its exposure to fossil fuels to zero.”

The action is part of an ongoing campaign by Greenpeace Australia Pacific around coal financing in Australia.

What: 70-square metre banner reading ‘CommBank: Dump Coal! Invest in our Future’ facing directly into the CBA headquarters
Where: Pedestrian bridge connecting CBD to Darling Harbour, 201 Sussex Street
When: From 6am

For interviews contact:
Simon Black, Senior Media Campaigner
Tel: 0418 219 086
Email: simon.black@greenpeace.org

Monday May 8, 2017: Attempts by the Commonwealth Bank to write off their facilitation of Adani's Carmichael mega-mine as simply a “day-to-day” transaction are a cop out, Greenpeace Australia Pacific says.

CommBank was last week revealed to have continued a financial relationship with Adani Infrastructure in a transactional capacity despite publically ceasing their advisory role in 2015.

“Recent statements by CommBank are a deceptive attempt to reframe their continued facilitation of the Carmichael mega-mine as business as usual,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific campaigner Nikola Casule said.

“There is nothing ‘day-to-day’ about being the transactional bank for a $1.6 million payment to secure a water license for the largest, and most controversial, coal mine project in Australia today.”

“Their attempt to slip it past as just another money transfer is an insult to the thousands of their own customers who have sent their complaints about this issue directly to the bank and the millions of Australians who want the Great Barrier Reef protected from this disastrous coal mine.”

The Commonwealth Bank last week responded to a Greenpeace media release and reports about their relationship to the Adani mine in Queensland saying that their role had been “misrepresented and misinterpreted”.

“Ordinary transactional banking accounts [are] used by thousands of Australian businesses and consumers,” a statement on CommBank’s website reads[1].

“Transaction accounts allow people and organisations to make payments using their own money. They are vital for Australian businesses and consumers to handle their day-to-day affairs.

“A transaction account does not equate to business lending or project finance.“

Casule said the bank needed to wake up to the nature of their involvement with Adani’s Carmichael mine and move away from the toxic project and fossil fuel projects in general.

“Despite their attempts to wriggle away from the truth, CommBank have directly facilitated the construction of the Carmichael mine,” he said.

“They have proved that they are still Adani’s bank in Australia and they have contradicted their public commitment to take action to limit global warming to no more than two degrees.

“We again call on the Commonwealth Bank to make an immediate commitment to no longer financing new coal projects, including the proposed Carmichael coal mine.

“If they are really serious about creating a better future for Australia, as their advertising claims, now is the time to prove it.”

Notes for editors:

[1] https://www.commbank.com.au/guidance/newsroom/myth-busting-transaction-accounts-201705.html

For interviews contact:
Simon Black, Senior Media Campaigner
Tel: 0418 219 086
Email: simon.black@greenpeace.org

Greenpeace is calling on Woolworths to drop Greenseas canned tuna from its shelves, following the release of its 2017 Tuna Guide today.

The Greenpeace Tuna Guide ranks the major canned tuna brands based on their environmental performance and whether the treatment of their workers respects human rights.

“Greenseas originally committed to stop using these destructive practices in 2012, but has broken its promise to consumers and since removed the commitment from its website.

“Australians eat 50,000 tonnes of tuna every year2 and no one wants to buy tuna that is tied to human rights abuse or causes environmental destruction. 

Radio grabs, TV footage of tuna fishing and the tuna guide infographic available here.

Full guide and information available at www.changeyourtuna.org.au

Contacts: Simon Black 0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org or Peter Stahel (Essential Media) 0408 584 439 / Peter.Stahel@EssentialMedia.com.au

Friday May 12: Australian politicians are putting oil company profits before the environment and community and cannot be trusted to safeguard the Great Australian Bight, Greenpeace Australia Pacific says in response to yesterday’s Senate report.

The report into the consequences of opening up the Great Australian Bight for oil or gas production, released yesterday [1], revealed South Australian Labor senator Alex Gallacher had voted against his two Labor colleagues, and joined forces with Liberal senators Chris Back and Linda Reynolds, to support oil and gas exploration in the Bight and keep the approvals process out of the public eye.

“It’s astonishing that the only independent experts [2] involved in this inquiry have condemned oil company plans as falling short of global best practice and yet the response from some Senators is to rubber-stamp them,” said Greenpeace senior campaigner Nathaniel Pelle.

“These politicians are putting blind faith in an accident-prone oil industry and a regulatory body that has already failed to hold polluters to account.

“To make matters worse, they’re keeping the public blindfolded while extreme deepwater oil drilling gets approved.

The Greens and majority Labor Senators on the committee recommended a change to Australian legislation that would make it mandatory for environment plans and oil spill modelling be made available for public consultation. This would bring Australia into line with OECD oil exploration standards and Australian requirements for mine approvals on land.

“It’s ludicrous that a mine on public land has to go through a public approvals process while an ultra-risky deep hole drilling project on water does not,” Pelle said.

“We are the only OECD country that allows oil companies this lack of accountability and transparency.”

The committee noted that fisheries, aquaculture and tourism industries are the region’s biggest employers and that these industries rely on the Bight’s ‘globally significant’ biodiversity and relative pristineness.

In quantifying his decision Senator Gallacher said he was: “satisfied that the National Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA), as a world class regulator, is capable of both providing economic opportunity for South Australia and safeguards for the environment”.

This week NOPSEMA released a finding which stated Exxon’s failure to follow its own procedures following detection of an oil spill in Bass Strait may have resulted in “additional environmental impact and risk that could otherwise be avoided”[3].

It also found that personnel responding to the spill were “not familiar” with the company’s own procedures and protocols, in addition to lacking the equipment needed for satisfactory response.

“This resulted in an improvised sampling approach that was inconsistent with good practice,” the report reads.

“Despite their damning actions and repeated accidents [4] NOPSEMA have failed to even give Exxon a fine,” Pelle said.

“A member of the public would face a larger fine for not wearing their lifejacket while going fishing than ExxonMobil has received for failing to properly respond to an oil spill.”

Independent Senator for South Australia Nick Xenophon was also part of the report and recommended that the drilling not go ahead.

NOTES FOR EDITORS:
[1] http://www.aph.gov.au/~/media/Committees/ec_ctte/Oilorgasproduction45/report.pdf?la=en
[2] Dr Andrew Hopkins, Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University said BP's proposed mitigation strategies in relation to drilling relief wells in the Great Australian Bight were “'well short of industry best practice” and Dr Robert Bea, Emeritus Professor at the University of California Berkeley, said that the risk of an uncontrolled blowout occurring during BP's exploratory drilling was not As Low as Reasonably Practicable (ALARP).

[3] https://www.nopsema.gov.au/assets/Published-notices/A549511.pdf

[4] In September of 2015 an electrical fire broke out in the battery room of the West Tuna rig and took nine hours to contain. And in 2013 Exxon was responsible for a spill from another rig in the Bass Strait.
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2015/s4317908.htm
http://www.smh.com.au/business/mining-and-resources/exxon-confirms-oil-spill-in-bass-strait-20130909-2tfr0.html

DRONE VISION OF BIGHT AVAILABLE AT THIS LINK: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9GyuAefqYA5dnFxMFdsVGlaUDQ/view

For interviews contact:

Simon Black
Greenpeace Senior Media Campaigner
0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org