Feature story - September 13, 2007
On Friday morning, the Greenpeace Ship Artic Sunrise began a blockade of the freighter Jaeger Arrow in Quebec's Saguenay River, preventing the export of thousands of tonnes of pulp to Europe. The pulp, manufactured by SFK Pulp from destructive logging in Canada's Boreal Forest, is destined for paper giant Stora Enso in Germany and France. Courageous Greenpeace activists are preventing the freighter from departing. They are risking arrest and injury to stop the export of Boreal forest destruction.
Greenpeace activists hang from the mooring lines of the freighter Jaeger Arrow.
Canada's Boreal Forestis one of the most important forests left on the planet. But instead ofbeing protected and managed responsibly, it's being clearcut andshipped off to Europe and the U.S. to make newspapers, books, andmagazines. Quebec exported forest products worth $684 million to Europeand $10 billion to the USA in 2005. In the same year, Ontario exported$8 billion to the USA and $92 million to Europe.
SFKPulp produces 375,000 tonnes of pulp each year. Much of this is shippedto Europe and the United States to manufacture many different kinds ofpaper. The bulk of the wood used by SFK to make their pulp is suppliedby logging company Abitibi-Consolidated, with additional supply comingfrom logging company Bowater. These companies were recently exposed asdestroying intact forest areas and caribou habitat in Ontario andQuebec in Greenpeace' Chainof Destruction report.
Since thegovernments of Ontario and Quebec and the logging companies have failedto protect this globally important forest, we're taking our battle tothe international markets. And we're drawing on our extensiveexperience mobilizing the marketplace to help protect the Great BearRainforest. We know that when customers demand change and threaten tomove their business elsewhere, suppliers - the logging companies -change their ways.
One of these big customers isforest products giant Stora Enso. Stora Enso uses pulp from SFK tomanufacture magazines sold throughout Europe. Greenpeace wants StoraEnso and other large corporate customers to help protect the BorealForest. These customers can make change by demanding "greener" productsfrom logging and pulp companies and ending their financial support ofdestructive logging operations.
Support the activists taking direct action for the BorealForest.
Greenpeace activists blocked the freighter Jaeger Arrow in Quebec's Saguenay River.
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Video of the arrest of eight activists during boreal forest action on water - Vidéo
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