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Bunny McDiarmid

Bunny is a long-time Greenpeacer who started off as a deckhand on board the original Rainbow Warrior, then became campaign leader for the Pacific, then Executive Director of Greenpeace NZ, and is now executive director of Greenpeace International.

  • Big oil is destructive in more ways than one

    Blogpost by Bunny McDiarmid - November 13, 2017 at 10:06

    This September I took my first trip to Russia to join the celebration of Greenpeace Russia’s 25 Year Anniversary.

    In big cities like Moscow, oil powered transport is a major source of pollution and greenhouse gases emissions. This is why four major cities - Paris, Mexico City, Madrid and Athens - have moved to ban diesel vehicles by 2025.

    Bunny in Moscow for the 25th Anniversary of Greenpeace Russia - 23 Sep, 2017In Moscow for the 25th Anniversary of Greenpeace Russia - 23 Sep, 2017 Read more >

    Energy based on oil can never be clean, whatever carmakers say. In Russia, I saw one of the darkest sides of the oil industry, hidden far away from the capital, deep in the forests of the north...

    We travelled 1500km north, to the Komi region, one of the oldest oil producing regions in Russia. At first sight, I was amazed by the beauty of the country. We travelled on the great P...

  • Can the world come to its senses on nuclear weapons?

    Blogpost by Bunny McDiarmid - August 29, 2017 at 11:53

    Looking back, one of the key moments that was to define both my professional and personal path was the moment I stepped onto the small atoll of Rongelap, in the Pacific Ocean.

    It was 17 May 1985 and I was 24 years old.

    At first glance, it appeared as if I had reached paradise; sandy beaches with coconut trees, water so crystal clear you could see the bottom, meters deep. And yet nothing was as it should be.

    Waiting for us on the beach, with flowers, was the local community. The women held a banner reading ‘we love the future of our children.’

    I was there with the crew of the Greenpeace ship, Rainbow Warrior, to help them relocate. Their beloved island was making them sick, and what you couldn't see here could kill you.

    Back in March 1954, the atoll received a massive dose of radiation ... Read more >

  • Let’s make it a green peace

    Blogpost by Bunny McDiarmid - September 21, 2016 at 10:36

    On New Years Day 2016, a Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors without Borders (MSF)-Greenpeace team on the Greek island of Lesbos were joined by groups such as Sea-Watch, the Dutch Refugee Boat Foundation and local communities, to create a peace sign formed from over 3,000 discarded refugee life jackets. The groups are calling for safe passage to those fleeing war, poverty and oppression.

    Today (21 September), around the globe, we mark Peace Day knowing that for many, peace is nowhere to be found. Not today. And unless things change dramatically, not any time soon.

    2015 saw the number of refugees and displaced people reach record numbers - surpassing even post-World War II. It is with heavy hearts that we follow the news from around the world. The images are heartbreaking: a terrified child, a ruined hospital, a capsized boat, a city bombed to the ground, a community struggling for survival. For every image that catches the media’s attention, many others go unnoticed. Suffering and grief beyond comprehension and beyond the limits of what people should have to endure, are the daily reality for many.

    And while we cannot pretend to comprehend, we must, ask ourselves - what ... Read more >

  • Nuclear testing is not a path to security and peace

    Blogpost by Bunny McDiarmid - August 29, 2016 at 21:49

    Today marks the International Day against Nuclear Tests. Since 1945, more than 2000 nuclear tests have been carried out at more than 60 locations around the globe. Nuclear weapons were designed and tested to be the ultimate doomsday weapon, setting a legacy of fear and destruction. No other human invention had as much impact on the story of humanity in recent decades.

    Greenpeace demonstrates against nuclear testing at the White House in DC during the 1st Bush Presidency.Greenpeace demonstrates against nuclear testing at the White House in DC during the 1st Bush Presidency.

    Nuclear tests have shaped Greenpeace. They have been a part of our story as an organisation from the outset. They have been a part of my own story, both personally and professionally. Read more >

    I was 24 when I first witnessed, in person, the disastrous impacts of nuclear testing on people, and on the environment. It was 1985 and I...

  • 'The river is our blood.' Standing with the Munduruku in the heart of the Amazon

    Blogpost by Bunny McDiarmid - July 21, 2016 at 16:35

    Greenpeace International Executive Director Bunny McDiarmid and Greenpeace Brasil Amazon Campaign Coordinator Tica Minami meet with several Munduruku Caciques in the Amazon rainforest along the Tapajós River. 8 Jul, 2016 © Lunae Parracho / Greenpeace

    There is nothing quite like flying over the Brazilian Amazon. The forest spreads out like an endless green carpet, crisscrossed by ribbons of water, and goes on for as far as the eye can see. Banks of clouds break up the vast sky. As the green of the mighty Tapajós River comes into view, I know we’ve entered the territory of the Munduruku Indigenous People – my hosts for the coming days.

    Greenpeace is working alongside the Munduruku to push for formal recognition of their land and to halt the massive São Luiz do Tapajós (SLT) hydrodam planned for the Tapajós River, in the very heart of the Amazon. I have come to meet with the Munduruku chiefs and show our global support for the protection of the Tapajós and the rights of the Munduruku who have lived here for generations.

    The Munduruku... Read more >

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