Between January and March 2018, the crew aboard Greenpeace’s iconic Arctic Sunrise vessel will undertake groundbreaking scientific research including a world first visit to the bottom of the Weddell Sea, which is currently the subject of an EU proposal for a 1.8 million square kilometre ocean sanctuary.

“Almost 30 years ago nations came together to preserve Antarctica as a peaceful place for scientific research, free from the scourge of mining. Unfortunately, the treaty doesn’t cover the surrounding ocean where industrial fishing vessels are sucking up the precious krill that underpins the Antarctic food chain,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific Antarctic Campaigner Alix Foster Vander Elst said.

“The establishment of the Ross Sea marine reserve shows what can be achieved when governments work together to defend our marine environment. And that kind of cooperation is what is need once again to protect iconic species like penguins, whales and seals, who rely on a healthy ocean for their survival.”    

During its three-month voyage, Greenpeace will document the Antarctic’s unique wildlife to bolster the case for the establishment of an Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary, which would be the largest protected area on Earth.

Greenpeace is taking Antarctic specialists who will conduct scientific research to identify new species and Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems on the seafloor, including rare corals and sponges. This would provide further evidence for the need for comprehensive protection of the region. The crew will also undertake water sampling to identify the presence of any plastic pollution in this remote region.

The expedition will also see documentation of the unique and iconic Antarctic wildlife which is facing acute pressure from climate change, fishing and pollution. Award-winning photographers and videographers will be on board to document marine life, such as penguin colonies coping with pressures on food supplies, and majestic whales feasting in the Antarctic Ocean after mammoth migrations.

Head of Greenpeace’s International Antarctic Campaign, Frida Bengtsson, added that ocean sanctuaries “affect us all” and do a lot more than just protecting the marine life that live within them.

“Healthy oceans take in vast quantities of carbon dioxide and are essential in tackling climate change,” she said.

“We’re going to do everything we can over the next year to make sure that not only do the governments responsible for Antarctic protection know the world is watching them, but also make sure they do not pass up this historic opportunity to protect this amazing place.”

Notes

The expedition will run for three months from the start of January to the end of March 2018.

Further details of the expedition will be released in January.

See here for a collection of historic Greenpeace images from the Antarctic.

See here for an image of the Greenpeace ship the Arctic Sunrise.

For interviews

Martin Zavan

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Media Campaigner

0424 295 422 / martin.zavan@greenpeace.org

The message “No future in fossil fuels” and #COP23 was projected onto the polluting Neurath coal power plant alongside faces from the Pacific Islands and around the world to put a spotlight on the impact the emissions from climate summit host nation Germany have on the Pacific.

The activists were also critical of Pacific regional neighbour Australia and the impacts its coal exports and emissions have on small island states, where people are already living with the consequences of climate change.

“The unabated mining and burning of fossil fuels is driving climate change, making cyclones and storm surges more frequent and more intense,” Pacific Island Represent activist Alisi Nacewa said.

“The damage already caused by fossil fuels cannot be reversed but we can still prevent entire Pacific Islands from being swallowed up if we rapidly phase out fossil fuels. Paris Agreement signatories have already promised this. Now is the time to do it.”  

As signatories to the Paris Climate Agreement, Germany and Australia have agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, but are so far failing to act on that promise.

Germany still generates more than 40 percent of its electricity from coal (1) and has continued to build dirty coal plants since committing to emissions reductions, while Australia has greenlighted the construction of Adani Group’s Carmichael mega coal mine and continues to hand out billions of dollars in fossil fuel subsidies.

“Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised to comply with the German climate target of a 40 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020. This is only possible with a coal phase-out.” said Greenpeace Germany climate expert Karsten Smid. “If she fails to do so, she is sacrificing the fruits of the clean energy transition for the sake of the coal industry.”

The Neurath brown coal-fired power plant is located 50 kilometres from the climate conference. With an output of 4400 megawatts, Neurath is the largest coal-fired power plant in Germany and the second largest in Europe. With annual emissions of 32 million tons of CO2, it is one of the most climate-damaging coal-fired power plants in the world.

The power plant's CO2 emissions are more than twice as high as those of the island state of Fiji. Despite massive protests, Chancellor Merkel laid the foundation stone for the new BoA 2&3 lignite blocks from the energy company RWE in Neurath in August 2006.

Pacific Island Represent activist Samu Kuridrani added:

“Expanding fossil fuel industries at home, while sweet-talking to vulnerable countries on the world stage, goes against the spirit of the Paris Agreement. We want to show world leaders that we see through their deception and demand real action. You can’t claim to be a friend of the Pacific while ramping up your fossil fuel industry.

“In places like Germany and Australia as well as many other countries, climate change is seen as a problem for future generations - but for us in the Pacific, we are dealing with the situation right now. I am already planting mangroves around my village community in Fiji, to try and stop erosion caused by rising sea levels.\

“We are speaking directly to the political leaders at COP23, and calling for their governments to commit to a timeline for the phasing out of fossil fuels. This year’s extreme weather events around the world have shown that no nation is immune to climate change. This global problem requires an immediate global solution.”

Notes:
1. https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/germanys-energy-consumption-and-power-mix-charts

Images here

For interviews contact:

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Media Campaigner Martin Zavan, martin.zavan@greenpeace.org; +49 1521 8480440

Björn Jettka, Press Officer, Greenpeace Germany, bjoern.jettka@greenpeace.org; +49 1718 780 778

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

The investigating body, the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines, sent Notices in October requesting the companies to attend the 11 December meeting to discuss and agree on how the investigation will be conducted, as well as evidence submission and witnesses (1). The investigation will intensify in 2018 and has the potential to shift global understanding of corporate responsibility for climate change.

“Many homes were destroyed during typhoon Yolanda and people died - including some I knew,” said Isagani Serrano, president of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM), an organisation that provides support in the aftermath of disasters and one of the petitioners. “We hope CEOs of these companies look deep within their hearts and see how their profit harms people and the planet.”

Filipino typhoon survivors, other communities suffering the impacts of climate change, and civil society organisations, including Greenpeace Southeast Asia (Philippines), petitioned the Commission for the investigation in 2015 (2), two years after super-typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) claimed the lives of more than 6,300 people and affected millions of others who have yet to recover (3).

“International Human Rights Day should remind these companies why it’s important that they participate in the national inquiry. Extreme weather fuelled by climate change is making life worse for people on the frontlines of climate change,” said Yeb Saño, Executive Director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, who is also a petitioner in the investigation.

“Their basic rights to food, water, shelter, health, and even life are under threat. People have rights, states have duties, and companies have responsibilities to respect these rights. No oil, gas, or coal company has a right to pollute the climate, and those that undermine, threaten, and violate human rights must be held accountable.”

“The national inquiry in the Philippines is an opportunity to set the record straight on climate change and make sure these companies are as committed as society needs them to be to phasing out fossil fuels and ensuring that our future is powered by 100% renewable energy,” said Saño.

The Philippines national inquiry is one of a wave of people-powered legal actions taking place around the world. Greenpeace Nordic and Nature and Youth in Norway, young people in the US, senior women in Switzerland, a Peruvian farmer in Germany, a law student in New Zealand, and many others, are taking legal action to seek protection from climate change.

Yesterday was a very important day for all of humanity. 10 December is International Human Rights Day and the start of the one-year lead up to the 70th anniversary of the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

Notes:

[1] The Climate Change and Human Rights Petition - see section V. Commission on Human Rights’ Notice for companies to attend preliminary conference of parties.

[2]  Petition Requesting for Investigation of the Responsibility of the Carbon Majors for Human Rights Violations or Threats of Violations Resulting from the Impacts of Climate Change. 9 May 2016.

[3] The Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. 2015. Final Report re Effects of Typhoon "Yolanda" (Haiyan).

[4] Sections 17-18, Article 13 of the Philippine Constitution. For further details see Petitioners´ Consolidated Reply

[5] Corporate responses and comments on the petition here.

Images are available here: http://media.greenpeace.org/collection/27MZIFJXXEQGR

Media contacts:

Desiree Llanos Dee, Climate Justice Campaigner, Greenpeace Southeast Asia-Philippines,
email: desiree.llanosdee@greenpeace.org; +639985959733

JP Agcaoili, Communications and Digital Manager, Greenpeace Southeast Asia-Philippines, email: jp.agcaoili@greenpeace.org; tel. +639498891334

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

A group of people, including a number from coal-affected communities have today delivered a
load of coal to the front of the Commonwealth Bank’s Harbour Street office in Sydney in order to highlight
the consequences of their fossil fuel lending policies.

The coal has been placed in front of the main entrance to the building alongside posters highlighting the impacts of the Commonwealth Bank’s climate policy on community health, the environment, and the global climate.

“The Commonwealth Bank’s climate policy promises to support a transition to net zero emissions by 2050 but their actions make a mockery of that promise,” Greenpeace campaigner Jonathan Moylan said.

“By failing to exclude highly polluting fossil fuel projects like coal mines CommBank are funding projects that destroy our environment, take a catastrophic toll on the health of communities, and accelerate climate change.”

Since March more than 100,000 people have signed a petition calling for CommBank to rule out investment in new coal projects. But in October CommBank released a one-page “Climate Policy Position Statement” which contains no restrictions around lending to coal projects - the only of the “big four” to fail to do this[1].

Newcastle resident and grandfather John Hayes lives within 200 metres of the world’s largest coal port in Carrington, for which the Commonwealth Bank was a mandated lead arranger.

“The Commonwealth Bank is damaging the air quality of my community which is putting the health of my  seven grandchildren at risk,” Mr Hayes said. “I have come to Sydney today to attempt to deliver a bag of coal back to CommBank’s CEO, Ian Narev.”

Analysis by environmental finance group Market Forces shows that the Commonwealth Bank has loaned AU$6 billion to fossil fuel companies in the last eighteen months [2].

Despite public commitments to take action to limit global warming to no more than two degrees in late 2015 Commonwealth Bank last year loaned more than $3.8 billion to coal, gas and oil mining and infrastructure projects, making it the biggest funder of dirty fossil fuels in Australia in 2016.

“By continuing to invest in the coal industry, CommBank have failed both the Australian people and their own shareholders by exposing them to the risk of catastrophic climate change,” Moylan said.

“CommBank must change their climate policy before their AGM to recognise that climate related risks are real and to take significant measures to curb them.”

October 13, 2017 - Two Pacific Island Representatives are calling on the public to join them as they head to a key UN climate meeting in Germany where they will demand that countries cut their sweet-talk and honour their Paris Agreement commitments.

The Pacific Islands contribute virtually nothing to climate change but in a cruel twist of fate they will be more impacted than almost anywhere else on earth.

Despite being at the coalface of global warming the big international climate meetings are dominated by the likes of China, the EU and the US, who too often decide the fate of the Pacific with little to no input from Pacific leaders.

Even worse, nations like Australia portray themselves as climate progressives but at the same time violate the spirit of the Paris agreement by continuing to export and extract fossil fuels. Through coal Australia exports almost double the emissions it produces at home.

“It’s a disgrace! The big polluters need to stop sugar-coating their climate destruction, step up and take responsibility for their actions,” Pacific Island Represent spokesman Samu Kuridrani said.

“Our shorelines have eroded, the extinction of fish and the repetitive occurrence of extreme weather events is becoming the new norm. At the same time Australia, our so-called friend, exports more coal than ever. We have been hammered by the impacts of climate change and if nothing is done it could be even worse for the next generation.”

Kuridrani is one of the faces of Pacific Island Represent (P.I Rep), a new group set up to inform, empower and support Pacific Islanders to challenge the hypocrisy of nations that say one thing and do another on climate change.

As part of P.I Rep’s mission to call out the climate sweet-talk and demand that countries abide by their commitments Kuridrani and fellow P.I Representative Alisi Nacewa are travelling to Bonn, Germany where Fiji is hosting the 23rd Conference of Parties meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP23).

The meeting presents a unique opportunity for Pacific voices to be heard as it will be the first hosted by a Pacific island state. COP23 will be critical to the future of the Pacific with world leaders set to decide how to implement the Paris agreement, which aims to cap global warming at 1.5°C.

“Limiting warming to 1.5°C means a chance to continue to live on our Pacific Island homes,” Nacewa said.

“Rising seas are taking away scarce land, coastal erosion is digging away at the foundations of our homes and salt-water intrusion is making it harder to plant and grow food. Stopping global warming at 1.5°C means entire coastal villages will not have to relocate to escape rising seas.“

In order to realise their goal P.I Rep is crowdfunding to get Kuridrani and Nacewa all the way from Fiji to Bonn.

“Going to COP would be a great opportunity to question world leaders on what they’re doing to reduce carbon emissions. Nations signed up to the Paris Agreements continue to extract, export and burn coal, oil and gas. They think that we don’t see the double game they’re playing,” Kuridrani said.

“I want to be the voice of my people. The decisions they’ll make at COP affect the Pacific and we need our voices to be heard. In the Pacific we making a stand by keeping fossil fuels in the ground and turning to renewable energy. We need answers from the global community on what they are actually doing to fix climate change and we need answers now!”

Just a day after launching the group has already raised more than $12,000.

COP23, chaired by Fiji, will be held in Bonn, Germany from November 6-17.

To support P.I Represent’s! COP campaign click here

For interviews contact:

 Greenpeace Media Campaigner Martin Zavan

 0424 295 422

 martin.zavan@greenpeace.org

The message “No future in fossil fuels” and #COP23 was projected onto the polluting Neurath coal power plant alongside faces from the Pacific Islands and around the world to put a spotlight on the impact the emissions from climate summit host nation Germany have on the Pacific.

The activists were also critical of Pacific regional neighbour Australia and the impacts its coal exports and emissions have on small island states, where people are already living with the consequences of climate change.

“The unabated mining and burning of fossil fuels is driving climate change, making cyclones and storm surges more frequent and more intense,” Pacific Island Represent activist Alisi Nacewa said.

“The damage already caused by fossil fuels cannot be reversed but we can still prevent entire Pacific Islands from being swallowed up if we rapidly phase out fossil fuels. Paris Agreement signatories have already promised this. Now is the time to do it.”  

As signatories to the Paris Climate Agreement, Germany and Australia have agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, but are so far failing to act on that promise.

Germany still generates more than 40 percent of its electricity from coal (1) and has continued to build dirty coal plants since committing to emissions reductions, while Australia has greenlighted the construction of Adani Group’s Carmichael mega coal mine and continues to hand out billions of dollars in fossil fuel subsidies.

“Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised to comply with the German climate target of a 40 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020. This is only possible with a coal phase-out.” said Greenpeace Germany climate expert Karsten Smid. “If she fails to do so, she is sacrificing the fruits of the clean energy transition for the sake of the coal industry.”

The Neurath brown coal-fired power plant is located 50 kilometres from the climate conference. With an output of 4400 megawatts, Neurath is the largest coal-fired power plant in Germany and the second largest in Europe. With annual emissions of 32 million tons of CO2, it is one of the most climate-damaging coal-fired power plants in the world.

The power plant's CO2 emissions are more than twice as high as those of the island state of Fiji. Despite massive protests, Chancellor Merkel laid the foundation stone for the new BoA 2&3 lignite blocks from the energy company RWE in Neurath in August 2006.

Pacific Island Represent activist Samu Kuridrani added:

“Expanding fossil fuel industries at home, while sweet-talking to vulnerable countries on the world stage, goes against the spirit of the Paris Agreement. We want to show world leaders that we see through their deception and demand real action. You can’t claim to be a friend of the Pacific while ramping up your fossil fuel industry.

“In places like Germany and Australia as well as many other countries, climate change is seen as a problem for future generations - but for us in the Pacific, we are dealing with the situation right now. I am already planting mangroves around my village community in Fiji, to try and stop erosion caused by rising sea levels.\

“We are speaking directly to the political leaders at COP23, and calling for their governments to commit to a timeline for the phasing out of fossil fuels. This year’s extreme weather events around the world have shown that no nation is immune to climate change. This global problem requires an immediate global solution.”

Notes:
1. https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/germanys-energy-consumption-and-power-mix-charts

Images here

For interviews contact:

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Media Campaigner Martin Zavan, martin.zavan@greenpeace.org; +49 1521 8480440

Björn Jettka, Press Officer, Greenpeace Germany, bjoern.jettka@greenpeace.org; +49 1718 780 778

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

The investigating body, the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines, sent Notices in October requesting the companies to attend the 11 December meeting to discuss and agree on how the investigation will be conducted, as well as evidence submission and witnesses (1). The investigation will intensify in 2018 and has the potential to shift global understanding of corporate responsibility for climate change.

“Many homes were destroyed during typhoon Yolanda and people died - including some I knew,” said Isagani Serrano, president of the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM), an organisation that provides support in the aftermath of disasters and one of the petitioners. “We hope CEOs of these companies look deep within their hearts and see how their profit harms people and the planet.”

Filipino typhoon survivors, other communities suffering the impacts of climate change, and civil society organisations, including Greenpeace Southeast Asia (Philippines), petitioned the Commission for the investigation in 2015 (2), two years after super-typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) claimed the lives of more than 6,300 people and affected millions of others who have yet to recover (3).

“International Human Rights Day should remind these companies why it’s important that they participate in the national inquiry. Extreme weather fuelled by climate change is making life worse for people on the frontlines of climate change,” said Yeb Saño, Executive Director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, who is also a petitioner in the investigation.

“Their basic rights to food, water, shelter, health, and even life are under threat. People have rights, states have duties, and companies have responsibilities to respect these rights. No oil, gas, or coal company has a right to pollute the climate, and those that undermine, threaten, and violate human rights must be held accountable.”

“The national inquiry in the Philippines is an opportunity to set the record straight on climate change and make sure these companies are as committed as society needs them to be to phasing out fossil fuels and ensuring that our future is powered by 100% renewable energy,” said Saño.

The Philippines national inquiry is one of a wave of people-powered legal actions taking place around the world. Greenpeace Nordic and Nature and Youth in Norway, young people in the US, senior women in Switzerland, a Peruvian farmer in Germany, a law student in New Zealand, and many others, are taking legal action to seek protection from climate change.

Yesterday was a very important day for all of humanity. 10 December is International Human Rights Day and the start of the one-year lead up to the 70th anniversary of the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

Notes:

[1] The Climate Change and Human Rights Petition - see section V. Commission on Human Rights’ Notice for companies to attend preliminary conference of parties.

[2]  Petition Requesting for Investigation of the Responsibility of the Carbon Majors for Human Rights Violations or Threats of Violations Resulting from the Impacts of Climate Change. 9 May 2016.

[3] The Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. 2015. Final Report re Effects of Typhoon "Yolanda" (Haiyan).

[4] Sections 17-18, Article 13 of the Philippine Constitution. For further details see Petitioners´ Consolidated Reply

[5] Corporate responses and comments on the petition here.

Images are available here: http://media.greenpeace.org/collection/27MZIFJXXEQGR

Media contacts:

Desiree Llanos Dee, Climate Justice Campaigner, Greenpeace Southeast Asia-Philippines,
email: desiree.llanosdee@greenpeace.org; +639985959733

JP Agcaoili, Communications and Digital Manager, Greenpeace Southeast Asia-Philippines, email: jp.agcaoili@greenpeace.org; tel. +639498891334

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

National Australia Bank today issued their latest risk appetite statement which prohibits the funding of any new thermal coal mines.

“This is a market-leading position for an Australian bank and is even stronger than the position taken by Commonwealth Bank last month because it is formal policy,” Greenpeace campaigner Jonathan Moylan said.

“All over the world financial institutions are turning their backs on coal after realising its contribution to climate change and the damage it does to the health of communities and the planet."

Moylan said the announcement shows Australian banks were now joining other world financial institutions who are moving to abandon the most polluting of all fossil fuels, with ING promising this week to phase out coal within a decade and commiting to stop funding any utility company which relies on coal for more than 5 percent of its energy.

The World Bank also announced it will “no longer finance upstream oil and gas, after 2019" in an effort to be consistent with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees C.

“NAB's decision to abandon coal shows Australian banks realise they cannot continue to ignore the very real damage every mine and every coal-fired power plant is doing to the health of the communities that surround them, and the contribution their fossil fuel financing makes to climate change," Moylan said.

"It’s time for ANZ and Westpac to do the same and rule out investing in new coal projects.”

For interviews contact:

Simon Black

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Senior Media Campaigner

0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org

The Australian government today released 21 new proposed drilling blocks, including in the Great Australian Bight, for public consultation [1], with several in protected marine parks and breeding grounds for endangered whales.   

“Hours before the government released a review into their climate policies and re-affirmed the need to reduce carbon emissions they go and open up thousands of square kilometres to new oil drilling,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific Senior Campaigner, Nathaniel Pelle, said.

“Putting more of Australia’s priceless marine environment in the path of oil spills and damaging seismic testing is bad enough, but the hypocrisy of committing Australia to further emissions-intensive fossil fuel extraction as the rest of the world begins the transition towards clean energy is breathtaking.”

Last week the World Bank committed to phasing out investment in oil and gas by 2019 and a number of countries, including the UK, France, India, and Norway, have committed to banning petrol-powered vehicles over the next few decades.

“Data released by the Malcolm Turnbull and Josh Frydenberg today show that Australia will miss the 2020 Kyoto Target by a full 5 per cent and will be unable to achieve targets under the Paris Climate Accords,” Pelle said.

“Despite this we are committing to opening up thousands of kilometres to oil companies with a history of environmental destruction and paying little to no tax, so they can drill and burn more oil.

“The Australian government must listen to the huge community opposition to oil drilling and cease their undying support for fossil fuel industries.”

Notes for editors:

[1] https://consult.industry.gov.au/offshore-resources-branch/2018-acreage-release/

[2] http://www.environment.gov.au/climate-change/review-climate-change-policies

For interviews contact:

Simon Black

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Senior Media Campaigner

0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org

Mass bleaching events that previously took place every 25-30 years before the 1980s are now occurring around once every six years, and that bleach-free window could shrink dramatically in the coming years, the study warns. [1]

“This study is another damning piece of evidence that climate change is putting huge ecosystems at critical risk,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific Campaigner Alix Foster Vander Elst said.

“We are already seeing climate change impact the Great Barrier Reef, which has suffered consecutive years of mass bleaching events killing at least 29 per cent of its shallow-water corals and affecting up to two thirds of its corals overall. [2]

“Australia’s fossil fuel addiction is warming our planet and its oceans. The Australian government must finally listen to scientists’ warnings and take immediate steps to meet and exceed our Paris Agreement targets. That means transitioning away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy, as quickly as possible.”     

The study, whose lead author is Terry Hughes, head of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Science Studies at James Cook University, analysed more than 100 tropical reefs around the world, including the Great Barrier Reef after it suffered its back to back bleaching events.

Only six of the reefs surveyed avoided bleaching events, which suggests the world is already approaching a scenario in which every hot summer, with or without an El Niño event, has the potential to cause bleaching and mortality at a regional scale, the study said.

Notes to editors:

Photo and video from 2017’s bleaching event can be found here. (Select photos to add to lightbox, create account, download lightbox using 'actions' tab.)

[1] Spatial and temporal patterns of mass bleaching of corals in the Anthropocene

[2] http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/media-room/latest-news/coral-bleaching/2017/significant-coral-decline-and-habitat-loss-on-the-great-barrier-reef

For interviews:

Martin Zavan, Greenpeace Australia Pacific Media Campaigner

0424 295 422

martin.zavan@greenpeace.org.au

Greenpeace East Asia campaigner, Rashid Kang, said:

“First and foremost, Greenpeace hopes that the search and rescue operations of the Chinese coast guard go smoothly and the 32 missing crew will be found.”

Greenpeace is also concerned about the potential environmental damage that could be caused by the one million barrels of oil on board.  

“We are worried about the potential environmental impact that could be caused by leakage from the vessel that was holding almost 42 million gallons of oil. A clean up procedure is already underway and we will be monitoring its progress,” said Rashid Kang.

A Reuters report on Monday morning suggested that the collision has the potential to cause the worst such oil spill since the ABT Summer spill off the Angolan coast in 1991.[1]

Chinese coast guards have already sent four rescue ships and three oil spill cleaning boats to the site.

The collision occurred 160 nautical miles of the Chinese coast. The Panamanian flagged vessel, The Sanchi, is transporting 136,000 tons of condensate crude oil, equivalent to 1 million barrels, purchased by Korean joint venture Hanhwa Total from Iran to the port of Daesan in South Korea.[2]

Notes to Editor:

[1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-shipping-accident-oil/iranian-oil-tanker-still-ablaze-as-rescuers-search-for-missing-mariners-idUSKBN1EX00J

[2] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-shipping-accident-oil/iranian-oil-tanker-still-ablaze-as-rescuers-search-for-missing-mariners-idUSKBN1EX00J

International media contact:

Tom Baxter, International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing | +86 156 5241 1229 | tom.baxter@greenpeace.org

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

For Australian enquiries contact:

Simon Black, Senior Media Campaigner, Greenpeace Australia Pacific

0418 219 086 | simon.black@greenpeace.org

The message “No future in fossil fuels” and #COP23 was projected onto the polluting Neurath coal power plant alongside faces from the Pacific Islands and around the world to put a spotlight on the impact the emissions from climate summit host nation Germany have on the Pacific.

The activists were also critical of Pacific regional neighbour Australia and the impacts its coal exports and emissions have on small island states, where people are already living with the consequences of climate change.

“The unabated mining and burning of fossil fuels is driving climate change, making cyclones and storm surges more frequent and more intense,” Pacific Island Represent activist Alisi Nacewa said.

“The damage already caused by fossil fuels cannot be reversed but we can still prevent entire Pacific Islands from being swallowed up if we rapidly phase out fossil fuels. Paris Agreement signatories have already promised this. Now is the time to do it.”  

As signatories to the Paris Climate Agreement, Germany and Australia have agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, but are so far failing to act on that promise.

Germany still generates more than 40 percent of its electricity from coal (1) and has continued to build dirty coal plants since committing to emissions reductions, while Australia has greenlighted the construction of Adani Group’s Carmichael mega coal mine and continues to hand out billions of dollars in fossil fuel subsidies.

“Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised to comply with the German climate target of a 40 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020. This is only possible with a coal phase-out.” said Greenpeace Germany climate expert Karsten Smid. “If she fails to do so, she is sacrificing the fruits of the clean energy transition for the sake of the coal industry.”

The Neurath brown coal-fired power plant is located 50 kilometres from the climate conference. With an output of 4400 megawatts, Neurath is the largest coal-fired power plant in Germany and the second largest in Europe. With annual emissions of 32 million tons of CO2, it is one of the most climate-damaging coal-fired power plants in the world.

The power plant's CO2 emissions are more than twice as high as those of the island state of Fiji. Despite massive protests, Chancellor Merkel laid the foundation stone for the new BoA 2&3 lignite blocks from the energy company RWE in Neurath in August 2006.

Pacific Island Represent activist Samu Kuridrani added:

“Expanding fossil fuel industries at home, while sweet-talking to vulnerable countries on the world stage, goes against the spirit of the Paris Agreement. We want to show world leaders that we see through their deception and demand real action. You can’t claim to be a friend of the Pacific while ramping up your fossil fuel industry.

“In places like Germany and Australia as well as many other countries, climate change is seen as a problem for future generations - but for us in the Pacific, we are dealing with the situation right now. I am already planting mangroves around my village community in Fiji, to try and stop erosion caused by rising sea levels.\

“We are speaking directly to the political leaders at COP23, and calling for their governments to commit to a timeline for the phasing out of fossil fuels. This year’s extreme weather events around the world have shown that no nation is immune to climate change. This global problem requires an immediate global solution.”

Notes:
1. https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/germanys-energy-consumption-and-power-mix-charts

Images here

For interviews contact:

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Media Campaigner Martin Zavan, martin.zavan@greenpeace.org; +49 1521 8480440

Björn Jettka, Press Officer, Greenpeace Germany, bjoern.jettka@greenpeace.org; +49 1718 780 778

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

The MCA have today made a pre-budget submission to Federal Treasurer, Scott Morrison, calling for environmental approval laws to be weakened and for changes to the Fair Work Act.

“Only a day after falsely claiming royalties are taxes rather than the cost of the raw material, the peak mining industry group are making outrageous demands to dismantle Australia’s national environmental law,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific campaigner Jonathan Moylan said.

“The environmental laws in this country are already too weak and are failing national treasures like the Great Barrier Reef while allowing the Queensland Government to bulldoze an oval’s worth of bushland every three minutes.

“These laws need to be urgently strengthened, not weakened.”

The MCA’s submission comes a day after calling for wide-ranging tax cuts for large mining companies and confirmation of their plans for an advertising blitz in favour of coal-fired power.

Last year one of the MCA’s largest members, BHP, issued a public statement criticising the group’s continued support of new coal-fired power stations and warned they were considering revoking their membership.

“The MCA have shown they are out of touch not just with the Australian public but even with their own mining giant members. This latest attempt to roll back environmental and workers’ protections is a final gasp for relevance from a crippled vested interest lobby group,” Moylan said.

For interviews contact:

Simon Black

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Senior Media Campaigner

0418 219 086 / simon.black@greenpeace.org

The striking geometric sculptures have appeared by national landmarks across the globe, on local transport, and travelling to the Antarctic with suitcases in hand, including by the White House, Buenos Aires’ colourful Boca district, Sydney Opera House, and the Sagrada Família in Barcelona. [See here for images.]

The penguins are part of a new Greenpeace campaign calling for the creation of the largest protected area on earth: a 1.8 million square kilometre ocean sanctuary in the Antarctic. “This sanctuary would put the Weddell Sea off limits to destructive human activities such as industrial fishing and provide a safe haven for penguins, whales and seals,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific Antarctic Campaigner Alix Foster Vander Elst said.

A few days ago Greenpeace’s ship, the Arctic Sunrise, set sail for the Antarctic, where the crew will undertake pioneering scientific research in submarines, document the area’s unique wildlife, which is facing pressures from climate change, overfishing and pollution, and gather evidence of the urgent need for governments to create an Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary.

“The expedition will see a submersible dive to locations on the Antarctic seabed never previously visited by humans.  Remotely operated vehicles and dropcams will also be deployed to capture footage of the unique home of whales, penguins, seals and thousands more creatures,” Foster Vander Elst said.

“These activities will bring our supporters closer to the Antarctic than ever before as the crew documents the impacts of climate change and collects the scientific evidence to further build the case to protect the Weddell Sea and the marine life who call it home.”

The expedition will mark the first occasion that humans visit the seafloor in the Weddell Sea, which is the subject of an EU proposal for an ocean sanctuary to be considered by the Antarctic Ocean Commission (CCAMLR) in October 2018. Antarctic scientists will conduct research to identify Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems and new species on the seabed, including rare corals and sponges. This would provide further evidence of the need for comprehensive protection of the area. The crew will also undertake water sampling to identify the presence of any plastic pollution in this remote region.

Dr Susanne Lockhart, a renowned Antarctic specialist with the California Academy of Sciences is joining the expedition’s dives to the seafloor:

“The first steps have finally been taken by those entrusted to govern the Antarctic Ocean to protect one of the world's last pristine marine ecosystems; an ocean that connects all oceans. I'm excited to partner with Greenpeace and provide the science that will help determine areas which should be a priority for protection as countries work together to create the world's largest ocean sanctuary.”

Frida Bengtsson, head of Greenpeace’s new Protect The Antarctic campaign said:

“There are 35 of us on this ship - scientists, campaigners, submarine pilots, deck hands - but when we return in three month’s time, we want to come back with a global movement calling for governments to protect the Antarctic.

“The bottom of our blue planet may seem far away to many of us, but what happens there is crucial to all of our futures. An Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary would not only safeguard the unique penguins, whales and seals in this incredible area, but it will ensure the ocean is healthy enough to help mitigate against the worst effects of climate change. When governments meet in October, they have the opportunity to  create the largest protected area on Earth. Let’s make it happen.”

ENDS

Notes

[1] The pop-up penguins have appeared in the following cities: Barcelona, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Hamburg, Johannesburg, London, New Delhi, Stockholm, Sydney and Washington DC.

For images of the penguin sculptures, see:

http://media.greenpeace.org/collection/27MZIFJX9X3SO  

For images of Greenpeace’s ship the Arctic Sunrise, which has just commenced its three-month Antarctic expedition, see: http://media.greenpeace.org/collection/27MZIFJX9IE3D

The penguin sculptures were made by Wolfram Kampffmeyer of German-based 3D design company Paperwolf.

Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary:

Greenpeace is campaigning for an Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary covering 1.8 million square kilometres in the Weddell Sea. The proposal has been submitted by the EU and backed by the German Government. It will be considered when CCAMLR next convenes, in October 2018.

Greenpeace’s Antarctic expedition will run for three months from January to early April 2018.

Contacts:

Martin Zavan, Greenpeace Australia Pacific Media Campaigner, martin.zavan@greenpeace.org, 0424 295 422

Luke Massey, Antarctic Global Communications Lead, luke.massey@greenpeace.org, +44 (0) 7973 873 155

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

The Rote myzomela (Myzomela irianawidodoae) belongs to the colourful honeyeater family and is named after the First Lady of Indonesia, Iriana Joko Widodo.The team’s findings were published in the Indonesian scientific journal, Treubia, in December 2017.[1]

“Indonesia has over 1500 species of birds and new birds are still being discovered every year. In the past, hardly any birdwatchers visited Rote Island because no endemic bird species were known to live there,” said Greenpeace campaigner Philippe Verbelen, who undertook fieldwork on the island that led to this discovery.

“Most bird species have a distinctive song that is unique to that species. Only a handful of new bird species are identified every year. Getting them this proper scientific recognition is hugely rewarding for any birdwatcher,” said Verbelen.

Indonesian forests are threatened by industrial and agricultural development [2] and the Rote Island landscape is no exception. The habitat of this new honeyeater species is at risk and needs protection.

“I hope the discovery of this new bird will remind people that these forests are critical to the survival not only of birds like this new honeyeater but also tigers, orangutans and other wildlife yet undocumented. Authorities in Jakarta should take note and strengthen efforts  to protect and conserve Rote Island and other remaining forests in Indonesia,” said Verbelen.

In 2009, nearly 20 years after the bird was first observed by the Australian ornithologist Ron Johnstone, Verbelen visited Rote Island as part of a larger project to study owl vocalisations in Indonesia.

He photographed the myzomela birds on the island and extensively recorded their song and call. He realised that their song was significantly different to that of the myzomelas on neighbouring Indonesian islands and Australia. [3]

Verbelen returned to Indonesia in 2014 for further field trips to Rote and Sumba islands. He  collected more sound recordings of the birds on both islands to check the hypothesis that despite its similar appearance, the Rote Island bird was likely to be a new species.  

The new species was scientifically documented by researchers from the University of Singapore and the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), who went to Rote Island in December 2015.

Notes to Editors:

[1] http://e-journal.biologi.lipi.go.id/index.php/treubia/index. Full report here.

[2] ‘The palm oil industry promises reform, but there’s still no sign of change’

[3] Myzomela dammermani– (Sumba Myzomela) and Myzomela vulnerata (Timor Myzomela)  and the Red-headed Myzomela (Myzomela erythrocephala) which lives in mainland Australia.

Photos and video footage available HERE

Here for more information on Greenpeace South East Asia’s Save our Sounds project, and to hear “The Birds of Paradise,” Greenpeace’s unique collaboration with Indonesian musician, DJ Ninda Felina.

Contact:

Sol Gosetti, Media Coordinator, Greenpeace Southeast Asia: sol.gosetti@greenpeace.org phone: +447807352020

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

Justice for People and Planet calls on governments to impose effective and binding rules on corporate behaviour, to make them accountable toward people and the planet. It shows how, rather than imposing these rules, governments have willingly or unwillingly become enablers of corporate impunity. The report’s analysis of 20 specific cases shows how corporations have exploited corporate law, tax and investment treaties, regulatory capture and a series of barriers to justice to profit at the expense of human rights and the environment.

“In Davos the global elite will discuss ‘creating a shared future in a fractured world’, but the real corporate agenda remains one of expanding corporate power and profiting at the expense of citizens and the environment. If we are to protect our fragile planet, we need justice at the heart of corporate governance” - Matthias Wüthrich, Corporate Accountability Campaigner, Greenpeace Switzerland.

The report documents, among others, how differences in legal standards saw VW fined billions in the US for the dieselgate scandal, but escape unpunished in Europe [3]; how Resolute Forest Products and Energy Transfer Partners have used SLAPP suits in an attempt to silence critics [4]; how Glencore pollutes the environment and climate and uses private arbitration courts to pressurise governments [5];  and how Spanish ACS group became an accomplice to an environmental and social catastrophe when it joined the construction of the Renace hydroelectric power project in Guatemala.[6]

The report’s 20 cases expose corporate wrongdoing relating to climate change, deforestation, pollution, violations of Indigenous rights, repression against NGOs and environmental / human rights defenders, tax avoidance, corruption, fraudulent manipulation of the public debate and more [7]. 20 of the companies named in the report are partners or participants in the World Economic Forum. [8]

The common sense Corporate Accountability Principles that Greenpeace is asking to be adopted include ‘Holding corporations and those individuals who direct them liable for environmental and human rights violations committed domestically or abroad by companies under their control.’ and ‘Promoting a race to the top by prohibiting corporations from carrying out activities abroad which are banned in their home state for reasons of risks to environmental or human rights.’

“If corporations were held to the highest applicable standard, be that at home or abroad, it would go a long way to healing our fractured world. And if company directors risked fines or jail for the misdeeds of their subsidiaries and subcontractors corporate accountability could become a reality rather than a myth” - Shira Stanton, Senior Political Strategist, Greenpeace International.

Greenpeace is supporting the launch with the release of the short, comedy film ‘It’s not Business, it’s personal’, produced by Don’t Panic! London, which imagines what would happen if a natural person were granted the privileges extended to corporations. [9]

Notes

[1] The activity was supported by activities in Switzerland, Mexico and Italy and is part of the Fight Inequality Alliance’s Messages from the other mountains campaign. #fightinequality

[2] Executive Summary: Justice for People and Planet : Ending the age of corporate capture, collusion and impunity

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/publications/other/2018/Justice-Report-Exec-Summary.pdf

Full report: Justice for People and Planet : Ending the age of corporate capture, collusion and impunity

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/publications/other/2018/Justice-for-people-and-planet.pdf

[3] VW case

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/publications/other/2018/Cases/VW.pdf

[4] Energy Transfer Partners case:

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/publications/other/2018/Cases/ETP.pdf

Resolute Forest Products case:

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/publications/other/2018/Cases/Resolute-Forest-Products.pdf

[5] Glencore case:

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/publications/other/2018/Cases/Glencore.pdf

[6] ACS case: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/Global/international/publications/other/2018/Cases/ACS-Group.pdf

[7] The corporations examined in the case studies are ACS Group (Grupo Cobra), The Carbon Majors (47 companies), Chevron, DowDuPont, Energy Transfer Partners, Exxon, Gabriel Resources, Glencore, Grupo Bimbo, Halcyon Agri (Sudcam), ICIG (Miteni), Keskinoğlu, Monsanto, Nestlé, Novartis (Sandoz), Resolute Forest Products, Rosatom, Schörghuber group (Ventisqueros), Total, Trafigura, and VW

[8] The following corporations are named in the report and are also official partners or participants in the WEF: Chevron, Dow Chemical Company (DowDuPont), Glencore, Monsanto, Nestlé, Novartis, Total, Trafigura, Volkswagen VW, BP, Eni, LUKOIL, Shell, Suncor, ArcelorMittal, Barclays, Citi, Facebook, Google, JPMorgan Chase & Co.

[9] It’s not business, it’s just personal, to see at www.greenpeace.org/justice

Photo and video:

Available at http://media.greenpeace.org/collection/27MZIFJX3QB3Y

Nicolas Fojtu – Visual Communication Producer

nfojtu@greenpeace.org

Contacts

Matthias Wuethric, Corporate Accountability Project Leader

Tel: +41 797 048 409

matthias.wuethrich@greenpeace.org

Shira Stanton, Senior Political Strategist, Greenpeace International

Tel:  +41 (0)78 708 5837

shira.stanton@greenpeace.org,

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

The message “No future in fossil fuels” and #COP23 was projected onto the polluting Neurath coal power plant alongside faces from the Pacific Islands and around the world to put a spotlight on the impact the emissions from climate summit host nation Germany have on the Pacific.

The activists were also critical of Pacific regional neighbour Australia and the impacts its coal exports and emissions have on small island states, where people are already living with the consequences of climate change.

“The unabated mining and burning of fossil fuels is driving climate change, making cyclones and storm surges more frequent and more intense,” Pacific Island Represent activist Alisi Nacewa said.

“The damage already caused by fossil fuels cannot be reversed but we can still prevent entire Pacific Islands from being swallowed up if we rapidly phase out fossil fuels. Paris Agreement signatories have already promised this. Now is the time to do it.”  

As signatories to the Paris Climate Agreement, Germany and Australia have agreed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, but are so far failing to act on that promise.

Germany still generates more than 40 percent of its electricity from coal (1) and has continued to build dirty coal plants since committing to emissions reductions, while Australia has greenlighted the construction of Adani Group’s Carmichael mega coal mine and continues to hand out billions of dollars in fossil fuel subsidies.

“Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised to comply with the German climate target of a 40 percent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020. This is only possible with a coal phase-out.” said Greenpeace Germany climate expert Karsten Smid. “If she fails to do so, she is sacrificing the fruits of the clean energy transition for the sake of the coal industry.”

The Neurath brown coal-fired power plant is located 50 kilometres from the climate conference. With an output of 4400 megawatts, Neurath is the largest coal-fired power plant in Germany and the second largest in Europe. With annual emissions of 32 million tons of CO2, it is one of the most climate-damaging coal-fired power plants in the world.

The power plant's CO2 emissions are more than twice as high as those of the island state of Fiji. Despite massive protests, Chancellor Merkel laid the foundation stone for the new BoA 2&3 lignite blocks from the energy company RWE in Neurath in August 2006.

Pacific Island Represent activist Samu Kuridrani added:

“Expanding fossil fuel industries at home, while sweet-talking to vulnerable countries on the world stage, goes against the spirit of the Paris Agreement. We want to show world leaders that we see through their deception and demand real action. You can’t claim to be a friend of the Pacific while ramping up your fossil fuel industry.

“In places like Germany and Australia as well as many other countries, climate change is seen as a problem for future generations - but for us in the Pacific, we are dealing with the situation right now. I am already planting mangroves around my village community in Fiji, to try and stop erosion caused by rising sea levels.\

“We are speaking directly to the political leaders at COP23, and calling for their governments to commit to a timeline for the phasing out of fossil fuels. This year’s extreme weather events around the world have shown that no nation is immune to climate change. This global problem requires an immediate global solution.”

Notes:
1. https://www.cleanenergywire.org/factsheets/germanys-energy-consumption-and-power-mix-charts

Images here

For interviews contact:

Greenpeace Australia Pacific Media Campaigner Martin Zavan, martin.zavan@greenpeace.org; +49 1521 8480440

Björn Jettka, Press Officer, Greenpeace Germany, bjoern.jettka@greenpeace.org; +49 1718 780 778

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

Even without an El Niño effect to exacerbate the heat, 2017 was still the third hottest year since global records began, with temperatures almost 1C above the levels registered in pre-industrial times.  

“Year after year the earth is warming at an alarming rate. Unfortunately here in Australia the obvious first steps, such as phasing out coal-fired power generation, are either not being taken or being  implemented in a haphazard manner,” Greenpeace Australia Pacific Climate and Energy campaigner Nikola Casule said.

“Ignorance of the issue stopped being an excuse decades ago. The time has come for coal-obsessed governments like Australia’s to stop living in the past and commit to meaningful action on climate change. This means slashing emissions by phasing out coal,  incentivising the use of renewable energy, and saying no to Adani Group’s destructive Carmichael coal mine.”   

The data published yesterday by the the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration echoed the Bureau of Meteorology’s Annual Climate Statement that found 2017 was Australia's third-warmest year on record.

The period from 2016 to 2017 capped off a trio of the three hottest years ever recorded while 17 of the 18 hottest years recorded since 1850 have occurred since 2000.

2017 was also marked by a series of devastating weather events across the globe, from heatwaves in Australia to hurricanes in the US and Caribbean and flooding in south Asia.

The news came on the same day that the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme Erik Solheim warned that climate change had placed coral reefs at a tipping point and called for the re-evaluation of the construction of new coal mines.

“We are at a make or break point where we can take possible steps forward or [oversee] the decline of the reefs," Mr Solheim told told Fairfax at the start of the International Year of the Reef.

Mr Solheim added that nations considering opening new coal frontiers should reassess their decision on environmental as well as economic grounds.

"Those who open up a lot of coal now may not only have an environmental problem but very soon [also] an economic problem because coal is more costly than renewables," he said.

Contacts:

Martin Zavan, Greenpeace Australia Pacific Media Campaigner, martin.zavan@greenpeace.org, 0424 295 422