Following a week of potentially crippling budgetary reviews and a high-profile visit from US President Barack Obama to Japan, the so-called 'scientific' whaling fleet crept out of port. Greenpeace called for the departure to be the program's last.
On December 1, 2009, Greenpeace celebrates the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Antarctic Treaty. From this treaty, an international landmark was created and a World Park was established to protect an entire continent.
We've been watching the horizon for this one for a very long time, but our colleagues up in the crow's nest report that a new blip on the horizon could mean an end to Japanese whaling in Antarctica.
UPDATE: November 18, 2009 - Two Greenpeace activists from Germany and Italy and two members of the press from India and Italy, all of whom were traveling on valid business and journalist visas, were picked up and detained by Indonesian police.
While politicians continue to talk, we're taking action at the frontline of forest and climate destruction in Indonesia. Barack Obama is about to arrive in Asia for his first official visit while the US continues to block progress ahead of the critical UN climate summit.
The government of Japan has decided to look into wasteful spending. We can't think of a greater waste than the Japanese whaling program. So we sent a delegation to the place where the review committee is meeting.
Eight years after the September 11th attacks, the House of Representatives approved the "Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009," (H.R. 2868) by a vote of 230 to 193. This is the first time either house of Congress has approved permanent and comprehensive chemical security legislation.
On November 6th in Barcelona, Spain, United Nations climate change negotiations were supposed to conclude final preparations for the long-awaited talks in Copenhagen this December. But, after the-five day session concluded, the world was not much closer to the fair, ambitious and legally-binding treaty needed from the Copenhagen talks.
Greenpeace activists hang a banner from Barcelona's Sagrada Família that reads "World leaders, make the climate call." © Greenpeace/Pedro Armestre
On November 2nd, the Clorox Company announced plans to convert all of its U.S. factories that use chlorine gas to safer chemical processes over the next few years. Greenpeace applauds this move because it will eliminate catastrophic risks to more than 13 million Americans living near their facilities.
People could some day recall that it was the Information Technology (IT) industry’s advocacy for strong action which tipped the balance at the Copenhagen climate summit. But that's not going to happen unless all of us press them to become climate champions. As our updated Cool IT Challenge leaderboard reveals, IT heavyweights such as Google, Microsoft and IBM are still hesitating to speak up on the urgent need for emissions reductions.
On October 27, 2009 Greenpeace established a base in the heart of the Indonesian rainforest in order to bring urgent attention to the role that deforestation plays in driving dangerous climate change, a critical issue to be addressed at the UN Copenhagen Climate Summit in December.
Greenpeace activists and 200 local community members take part in a traditional ceremony to mark the completion of the Climate Defenders’ Camp, which they built together on the threatened Kampar Peninsula. © Greenpeace / Ardiles Rante
