Climate change is today considered the greatest environmental threat
facing the planet. It is caused primarily by the burning of
fossil fuels such as coal and oil. Also known as global warming,
climate change can be stopped only if we begin the massive shift away
from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy sources such as solar
and wind power. It is a shift that must begin not tomorrow but
today.
On December 1, the Greenpeace sailing vessel called the Rainbow Warrior will arrive in Bangkok, Thailand to bring the message of urgency and to amplify the need for government's to take action against climate change.
The arrival of the ship in the country is the last leg in what has been called the Asia-Pacific Energy Revolution Tour 2005. The tour began in Australia and will make its way through Hong Kong, the Philippines and ending in Thailand.
Bangkok and Thai Environment Day
Greenpeace is mobilizing the power of young people in order to amplify the appeal and necessity of individual action through solar generation work. Open boat days are also scheduled to give universities and schools the chance to go on guided tours of the Rainbow Warrior in Bangkok, Prathiu in Chumphon province and Koh Tao in Suratthani province to learn more about Greenpeace campaigns and to meet the ship's multinational crew, the international team of Greenpeace campaigners and volunteers who will be taking on the biggest polluters and perpetrators of global warming during the tour.
The Rainbow Warrior's first stop in Thailand will be on December 1 in Bangkok. A warm welcome "Return of the Warrior" is planned for the ship and its crew of international campaigners, who will play host and guide to students, professionals and families who wish to tour the environmental campaign ship while it is docked in Bangkok harbor.
A premier photo exhibit on climate impacts and environmental protection will be held in the evening of December 1 and special guests from various sectors are invited to explore powerful images of nature and climate change threatens to lives on earth and the show of Solar Generation's team.
The 4th of December marks the Thailand's Environment Day. Different kind of activities are planned in order to further communicate the urgency of the climate crisis as well as the availability of solutions to problem. Aside from activities opening for general public at the port, solar generation team will be going out on the streets and public places in Bangkok to get general public to be part of it.
Prathiu - the Sea of Chumphon
In 1989, typhoon gay with a speed of 120 km/hr caused extensive damage in the gulf of Thailand. In Prathiu district, the heart of the disaster along seacoast of Chumphon Province, people lost their lives, infrastructure collapsed, sand dunes and coral reefs acutely damaged. Crisis turned out to be an opportunity by local group who are devoting themselves to coral reefs rehabilitation. The Coral and Environment Protection Club was established and becomes well-known today as the Environmental Education Centre of Chumphon. Reef check has been one of their ongoing activities since then.
Disastrous typhoon was only the beginning. Warm water temperatures in April 1998 caused widespread coral bleaching in the Gulf of Thailand from Narathivat province (South) and Trat province (far east), up to Chonburi province (the inner part of the Gulf). Water temperatures in the Gulf increased from the normal of 28-29oC to above 32oC, such that on Ko Samui, it was 35oC. The reef in the waters off Prathiu had no exception.
Recently in May 2005, research team from the Marine and Coastal Resources research centre in Chumphon, reported that many shallow water reefs on the western side of the Gulf of Thailand, such as those in the waters off Surat Thani and Chumphon provinces including Prathiu, were suffering from bleaching.
The Rainbow Warrior will be in Prathiu from December 10-11. Greenpeace will set up clean renewable energy system at the Environmental Education Centre of Chumphon to help support local initiatives and ongoing works to safeguard marine biodiversity and sustainable livelihood of host communities.
Koh Toa - Mecca of Diving
Situated in the middle of the gulf of Thailand, Koh Tao becomes well-known as a "Mecca of Diving" since the booming of tourism in 1990s. Many international diving agencies are represented on this small island, including PADI, SSI, IANTD, BSAC & NAUI. Koh Tao has also become the leading area in Thailand for Instructor Development Centers(IDC). Each year it attracts thousands of tourists for diving and snorkeling.
In 1998, 30-50 % of corals bleaching were reported around Koh Tao. This was one of the first reports of mass bleaching occurred in the Gulf of Thailand. Coral bleaching phenomenon has also been reported around Koh Tao from time to time since then including this year (2005).
In February 2005 Koh Tao was chosen as a venue to promote awareness of how global climate change is slowly killing coral and to mark the coming into effect of the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty signed by 136 nations, and aimed at reducing the amount of carbon dioxide produced globally. More than 720 people from at least 35 countries have set a world record for the most divers diving simultaneously off Koh Tao, as part of the Koh Tao Underwater Day festival. As a consultant to the event's organizer and Koh Tao Dive Operators' Club, said, "We have chosen to focus upon climate change more often called global warming, with current trends, there may be no coral left in 20 years. The glaciers and icecaps are melting. The time for action from policymakers and consumers is long overdue. We need change now."
The Rainbow Warrior will be in Koh Tao from December 12-13 to resume the message of urgency and to re-amplify the need for government's to take action against climate change. By working closely with Koh Tao Dive Operators' Club and local administration, and leading marine scientist from Phuket Marine Biological Center and celebrities. Greenpeace will stage two day reef survey (day one for snorkelling and day two for scuba diving) where the organization and its friends and regional media will bear witness to what is at stake if climate change worsens.
Prachuab Kirikhan(PKK) : Stronghold of Grass-root Activism
December 14-15, the Asia-Pacific Energy Revolution 2005 ship tour will be ended by making a historical visit at Bo Nok, Prachuab KiraKhan where Charoen Wataksorn, a prominent activist who devoted his life for the protection and upholding of his hometown's environmental values and community rights, has ignited and inspired local communities to continue fighting for better future and make social justice possible.
Charoen Wataksorn was gunned down brutally on the night of 21st of June 2004 shortly after testifying to a parliamentary committee against powerful figures involved in community land grabs.
Charoen, together with Chintana from Ban Krut community, successfully led a high-profile protest against the Ban Krut and Bo Nok coal-fired power plant project in Prachuap Khiri Khan for a decade. Charoen Wataksorn worked closely with Greenpeace during the campaign. He continued to oppose the power plants despite numerous threats against him and his family. Charoen Wataksorn is also one of 22 local activists whose their life has threaten to dead during Thaksin administration.
The ship's multinational crew, the international team of Greenpeace campaigners and volunteers will be participating in various activities e.g. giving moral support to court hearing where some local leader are still having court case filed by proponent of the proposed coal plant.
Greenpeace will pay tribute to Charoen and taking part of the establishment of Charoen Foundation where the statute so-called "Glory of the Earth" will be built. The statute is not only for the memory of Charoen but also to admire a grassroot activism in Thai society. The creation of the statute is scheduled from June 2005 and will be completed in early 2006.
On the night of December 15, a hundred of paper hot air balloon will be launched into the sky to chasing away "the bad luck" during lost years in PKK, at the same time, to celebrate the victory of campaign against climate killers.
On December 1, the Greenpeace sailing vessel called the Rainbow Warrior will arrive in Bangkok, Thailand to bring the message of urgency and to amplify the need for government's to take action against climate change.
The arrival of the ship in the country is the last leg in what has been called the Asia-Pacific Energy Revolution Tour 2005. The tour began in Australia and will make its way through Hong Kong, the Philippines and ending in Thailand.
Bangkok and Thai Environment Day
Greenpeace is mobilizing the power of young people in order to amplify the appeal and necessity of individual action through solar generation work. Open boat days are also scheduled to give universities and schools the chance to go on guided tours of the Rainbow Warrior in Bangkok, Prathiu in Chumphon province and Koh Tao in Suratthani province to learn more about Greenpeace campaigns and to meet the ship's multinational crew, the international team of Greenpeace campaigners and volunteers who will be taking on the biggest polluters and perpetrators of global warming during the tour.
The Rainbow Warrior's first stop in Thailand will be on December 1 in Bangkok. A warm welcome "Return of the Warrior" is planned for the ship and its crew of international campaigners, who will play host and guide to students, professionals and families who wish to tour the environmental campaign ship while it is docked in Bangkok harbor.
A premier photo exhibit on climate impacts and environmental protection will be held in the evening of December 1 and special guests from various sectors are invited to explore powerful images of nature and climate change threatens to lives on earth and the show of Solar Generation's team.
The 4th of December marks the Thailand's Environment Day. Different kind of activities are planned in order to further communicate the urgency of the climate crisis as well as the availability of solutions to problem. Aside from activities opening for general public at the port, solar generation team will be going out on the streets and public places in Bangkok to get general public to be part of it.
Prathiu - the Sea of Chumphon
In 1989, typhoon gay with a speed of 120 km/hr caused extensive damage in the gulf of Thailand. In Prathiu district, the heart of the disaster along seacoast of Chumphon Province, people lost their lives, infrastructure collapsed, sand dunes and coral reefs acutely damaged. Crisis turned out to be an opportunity by local group who are devoting themselves to coral reefs rehabilitation. The Coral and Environment Protection Club was established and becomes well-known today as the Environmental Education Centre of Chumphon. Reef check has been one of their ongoing activities since then.
Disastrous typhoon was only the beginning. Warm water temperatures in April 1998 caused widespread coral bleaching in the Gulf of Thailand from Narathivat province (South) and Trat province (far east), up to Chonburi province (the inner part of the Gulf). Water temperatures in the Gulf increased from the normal of 28-29oC to above 32oC, such that on Ko Samui, it was 35oC. The reef in the waters off Prathiu had no exception.
Recently in May 2005, research team from the Marine and Coastal Resources research centre in Chumphon, reported that many shallow water reefs on the western side of the Gulf of Thailand, such as those in the waters off Surat Thani and Chumphon provinces including Prathiu, were suffering from bleaching.
The Rainbow Warrior will be in Prathiu from December 10-11. Greenpeace will set up clean renewable energy system at the Environmental Education Centre of Chumphon to help support local initiatives and ongoing works to safeguard marine biodiversity and sustainable livelihood of host communities.
Koh Toa - Mecca of Diving
Situated in the middle of the gulf of Thailand, Koh Tao becomes well-known as a "Mecca of Diving" since the booming of tourism in 1990s. Many international diving agencies are represented on this small island, including PADI, SSI, IANTD, BSAC & NAUI. Koh Tao has also become the leading area in Thailand for Instructor Development Centers(IDC). Each year it attracts thousands of tourists for diving and snorkeling.
In 1998, 30-50 % of corals bleaching were reported around Koh Tao. This was one of the first reports of mass bleaching occurred in the Gulf of Thailand. Coral bleaching phenomenon has also been reported around Koh Tao from time to time since then including this year (2005).
In February 2005 Koh Tao was chosen as a venue to promote awareness of how global climate change is slowly killing coral and to mark the coming into effect of the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty signed by 136 nations, and aimed at reducing the amount of carbon dioxide produced globally. More than 720 people from at least 35 countries have set a world record for the most divers diving simultaneously off Koh Tao, as part of the Koh Tao Underwater Day festival. As a consultant to the event's organizer and Koh Tao Dive Operators' Club, said, "We have chosen to focus upon climate change more often called global warming, with current trends, there may be no coral left in 20 years. The glaciers and icecaps are melting. The time for action from policymakers and consumers is long overdue. We need change now."
The Rainbow Warrior will be in Koh Tao from December 12-13 to resume the message of urgency and to re-amplify the need for government's to take action against climate change. By working closely with Koh Tao Dive Operators' Club and local administration, and leading marine scientist from Phuket Marine Biological Center and celebrities. Greenpeace will stage two day reef survey (day one for snorkelling and day two for scuba diving) where the organization and its friends and regional media will bear witness to what is at stake if climate change worsens.
Prachuab Kirikhan(PKK) : Stronghold of Grass-root Activism
December 14-15, the Asia-Pacific Energy Revolution 2005 ship tour will be ended by making a historical visit at Bo Nok, Prachuab KiraKhan where Charoen Wataksorn, a prominent activist who devoted his life for the protection and upholding of his hometown's environmental values and community rights, has ignited and inspired local communities to continue fighting for better future and make social justice possible.
Charoen Wataksorn was gunned down brutally on the night of 21st of June 2004 shortly after testifying to a parliamentary committee against powerful figures involved in community land grabs.
Charoen, together with Chintana from Ban Krut community, successfully led a high-profile protest against the Ban Krut and Bo Nok coal-fired power plant project in Prachuap Khiri Khan for a decade. Charoen Wataksorn worked closely with Greenpeace during the campaign. He continued to oppose the power plants despite numerous threats against him and his family. Charoen Wataksorn is also one of 22 local activists whose their life has threaten to dead during Thaksin administration.
The ship's multinational crew, the international team of Greenpeace campaigners and volunteers will be participating in various activities e.g. giving moral support to court hearing where some local leader are still having court case filed by proponent of the proposed coal plant.
Greenpeace will pay tribute to Charoen and taking part of the establishment of Charoen Foundation where the statute so-called "Glory of the Earth" will be built. The statute is not only for the memory of Charoen but also to admire a grassroot activism in Thai society. The creation of the statute is scheduled from June 2005 and will be completed in early 2006.
On the night of December 15, a hundred of paper hot air balloon will be launched into the sky to chasing away "the bad luck" during lost years in PKK, at the same time, to celebrate the victory of campaign against climate killers.
Star Power for Clean Power
JayR
Despite his insane schedule, JayR still found time to support the Greenpeace campaign for clean energy. In a 15-second video he recorded for the international environmental group, JayR called on his fans to support Greenpeace and clean energy.
