Construction has started on huge irrigation schemes in Canterbury. When they start working, it’s going to be disastrous for our rivers - most of which are already struggling.

More irrigation means more cows and that means more pollution.

A few weeks ago, the completion of these schemes would have been inevitable. But not any more. The movement against irrigation schemes is getting stronger and stronger, and you can join in. Click here to take part in a peaceful civil disobedience to Save Our Rivers.

A few weeks ago, we blocked pipes in the Central Plains Water irrigation scheme. It was all over the papers and TV. Then a few days later, Labour came out and announced they’d ditch the $480 million irrigation fund. It was a huge moment, birthed from the courage of a few people.

Imagine wh... Read more >

The day started early, or late, depending on your perspective.

We met the night before in Christchurch. People had travelled from across New Zealand at a moment’s notice - one group had even driven from Dunedin. The energy was high. Everyone was here because they cared about Saving Our Rivers.

We talked about the day ahead, nonviolence and safety. We ate vegan pizza. Then the real work started...

Activists survey the CPW site, September 7

We shopped, we packed, we cooked, we planned. Then by about 2am it was time to crash out and get ready for a busy day of action ahead.

At 4am the alarm went off, and to be honest, I’ve felt better. There’s nothing quite like two hours of sleep to make you aware of your own mortality. You also definitely know you’ve hit the wrong side of 30 when a bit ... Read more >

This week, a courageous group of activists from across Europe are joining Greenpeace Poland to stop illegal logging in the ancient Białowieża Forest.

Dozens of people have been chaining themselves to trees and logging machinery to stop foresters from cutting down trees in Europe’s last remaining ancient lowland forest. The forest is home to many rare birds, lynxes, wolves and the biggest wild-ranging herd of European bison.

      © Grzegorz Broniatowski / Greenpeace            © Rafal Wojczal / Greenpeace                                   Activist occupies trees - 6 Sept, 2017           Activist participating in the blockade

In case you haven’t been keeping up to date with the story, here’s what’s happened so far: the Court of Justice of the European Union has told the Polish government ...

We had to go for it. At the crack of dawn today, a team of our activists began an occupation of the Central Plains Water (CPW) irrigation dam.

If you want to join us - we’re on Coxs Road, Springfield. Time is of the essence, and the more people who come down and support, the more powerful our message becomes - and the better the scene is set for September 14th!

 

It’s been a hectic few days. We've been busy finalising logistics for the 14th September peaceful protest that you’re registered for, but then CPW’s lawyers sent a letter threatening an injunction. They wanted to shut down any possibility of a protest before it had even started.

We were faced with a number of options. We could have backed down. We could have tried to argue it in court.

Instead, we just went for it and... Read more >

Hurricane Harvey and the devastating floods in South Asia are reminders of the cost we pay for climate denial and inaction.

As we speak, floods in India, Bangladesh and Nepal have killed far over 1,000 people and impacted an incomprehensible 41 million people.

And over in North America, Hurricane Harvey has painted a devastating picture for the residents of Houston, Texas.

The equivalent of half of Houston’s annual average rainfall has fallen in the last 48 hours; 80,000 households are without electricity; Houston emergency services have received almost 6,000 urgent appeals for rescues; 54 Texas counties have been declared state disaster areas; thousands of people are displaced or in shelters; five people have died.

And climate change is making it all worse.

While we cannot say definitive... Read more >

It’s the greatest challenge of our time and also a huge opportunity. Climate change is not merely an ‘environmental’ issue. It’s an existential threat to all aspects of our society and way of life. Acting now is a moral choice we must make as a nation, in order to be part of this global challenge. And we need an all-of-government and all-of-society approach to tackle it.

As the greatest threat to human health, responding to climate change should be the central pillar of any social and economic strategy. By closing the doors on dirty energy and polluting agriculture we can compel innovations that will herald an invigorated and more just economy, and a cleaner, better, more resilient way of living on this earth.

Here are 11 essential actions that all parties should commit to for a stable clima... Read more >

BP and Total have suffered a massive setback in their plans to drill for oil near the Amazon Reef.

The companies' joint application for a drilling permit is in crisis, after the Brazilian government rejected their environmental impact study.

In a strongly-worded statement, Brazil's environment agency IBAMA criticised the companies for their substandard oil spill modelling, and has threatened to shelve their entire application if they can't sort it out.

IBAMA said that despite repeated requests, the application still doesn't explain how leaking oil might disperse, and highlighted potential risks to French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela and Caribbean archipelagos from a cross-border oil spill. The regulator also criticised the lack of information about possible impacts on local mammals... Read more >

For the first time ever, a palm oil company has been forced to restore rainforest and peatland in order to continue supplying the global market.

Under pressure from customers and civil society, Malaysian palm oil company FGV has promised to restore over 1,000 hectares of the peat forest in West Kalimantan, Indonesia.

FGV is a subsidiary of FELDA, the world’s largest palm oil grower.

Bagus Kusuma, Forest campaigner with Greenpeace Southeast Asia, said it was a sign that corporate ‘no deforestation’ policies were finally starting to bite.

"It sends a serious warning that other destructive palm oil companies should heed: deforestation has consequences,” Kusuma said.

The good news couldn't come at a better time for Indonesia's forests and its inhabitants.

A report released last week by I... Read more >