Top news: Greenpeace ships protest against oil drilling in Greenland; Micronesia enters legal fight against Czech coal plant; EU agrees on nuclear stress tests; debate over Forest Code continues in Brazil; US climate activists climb smokestack in Chicago and Swedish protesters get arrested for GMO potato campaign.

© Steve Morgan / Greenpeace

Greenpeace Intercepts Leiv Eiriksson Drill Rig © Steve Morgan / Greenpeace

#oildrilling Two of Greenpeace’s ships, the Esperanza and Arctic Sunrise are currently shadowing a huge oil drilling rig, the Leiv Eiriksson, which plans to undertake oil exploration in Baffin Bay off the west coast of Greenland for wildcat oil company Cairn Energy, despite fears that an Arctic oil spill would be difficult or impossible to clean up (Reuters). Our ships are currently in tense stand-off with Danish commandoes protecting the oil drilling operation.

#coal According to the according to the UK’s Telegraph, Micronesia is making legal history by mountain an unprecedented challenge against the expansion of a Czech coal-powered plant, saying that the resulting greenhouse gas emissions will increase global warming and further threaten the archipelago’s survival. This will set a new precedent in international law, as countries more exposed to climate change take action against major carbon emitters. The landmark legal paper, written by FSM, Greenpeace and the Environmental Law Service, and presented at the Threatened Island Nations Climate Conference in New York’s Columbia University, offers hope to vulnerable countries on the frontline of climate impacts.

#coal/Action yesterday Greenpeace activists occupied a 140m tall smokestack in Chicago, demanding the operator of the Fisk power station to shut down the dirty and dangerous coal plants. Read the live report of the action and watch the video of here.

#nuclear The EU has agreed on stress tests for European nuclear reactors, and the EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger has said that these will incorporate potential natural disasters and man-made accidents, but that a separate working group would be set up for terrorist attacks. Greenpeace nuclear expert Heinz Smital told Die Welt said that not much would be expected from this group.

#SAGE Police arrested nine Greenpeace activists yesterday, who were carrying out a campaign against GE potatoes in Sweden. The activists began occupation of a potato warehouse last week, in the attempt to stop German company BASF from planting the risky GMO potato “Amflora. All nine were released after questioning, though the charges against them remains unknown. Svenska Dagbladet (Sweden)

#TokyoTwo Anti-whaling Tokyo Two activists' appeal was heard in the Sendai High Court on Tuesday and the final ruling will be sentenced July the 12th. Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki were arrested in 2008 for exposing the deeply-rooted corruption and embezzlement in the Japanese whaling industry. After being hold for 26 days (most of which without charges), they have been put through a long trial, which is now close to an end.

#forests The debate over a controversial amendment to the Forest Code is still ongoing in Brazil. If the proposed changes are adopted, they could let hundreds of previous forest criminals off the hook, and massively expand the amount of forest under threat from the chainsaws.

 

That's it fr todays' news.

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