Maybe you’ve participated in our campaigns. Maybe you’re feeling overwhelmed by some of the media headlines lately and could use a dose of good news. Maybe you’re working on a school project and are looking for some examples of sustainable solutions. 

Whatever your reason, welcome to our good news page! We’re glad you made it. 

We have so much to celebrate this month. From the oceans to our cities to our screens, Greenpeace has been making waves! We’re excited to share these stories with you, along with some cool content for you to check out.

THE BUZZ

Vancouver votes to fund climate lawsuit

In October 2019, student strikers, Indigenous leaders, and Greta Thunberg rallied for climate action in Vancouver in the wake of the federal election results.

In a historic move, the City of Vancouver has voted to fund a class-action lawsuit against oil and gas companies for climate-related costs. 

The motion to allocate funds for a lawsuit acknowledges the cost of climate change to municipalities. Vancouver, for instance, is expected to spend $1 billion to address rising sea levels with measures that could include sea wall repairs. By voting to hold Big Oil accountable for damages, the city has taken a step toward protecting taxpayers from paying for these kinds of climate costs. 

Similar lawsuits have been filed in Germany, Switzerland, and the United States as part of a growing movement for climate accountability, fuelled by people power! In Canada, West Coast Environmental Law launched the “Sue Big Oil” campaign, as Greenpeace supporters made deputations at the Vancouver city council and petitioned local governments to explore legal action against big polluters. The tide is turning against the fossil fuel industry, and they should not expect to continue to profit at our expense.


Disposable cups restricted in Taipei stores

Greenpeace East Asia (Taipei) has advocated for the adoption of reuse and refill services for years. In 2021, Greenpeace and the Environmental Protection Bureau successfully recruited 22 beverage shops to provide rental cup service in Taichung.

Starting in December, Taipei will restrict the use of single-use plastic cups in businesses across the city.

According to the city’s Department of Environmental Protection, 2,206 chain and non-chain beverage stores in Taipei will stop using disposable plastic cups. The move is expected to reduce the use of more than 76 million single-use plastic cups next year.

Greenpeace has been campaigning for retailers in Taiwan to phase out single-use plastics for years. While we celebrate this victory, we will continue to push for a more complete transition toward reusable solutions, including here in Canada!


Shell advertisement ruled misleading

In October 2021, Greenpeace Netherlands activists blocked the entrance to Shell’s oil refinery, as over 20 organizations launched a petition calling for a law to ban fossil fuel advertising and sponsorship in the European Union.

Does this headline sound familiar? Well, it is! This is the fourth time this year that the Netherlands’ advertising watchdog has ruled an ad campaign by the oil company Shell to be misleading. 

The ad suggested that customers could pay more to neutralize their emissions. In response, Greenpeace Netherlands and its partner, Reclame Fossielvrij (“Advertising Fossil Free”), filed a complaint to the Dutch advertisement watchdog. Following an investigation, the body decided that the oil giant had failed to prove that it can offset the harm caused by its products. [1]

These rulings could set precedents for countries with similar advertising codes. Just last November, Greenpeace Canada filed a complaint with the Competition Bureau, challenging Shell Canada’s claims about forest-based offsets. Every case we file exposes greenwashing and keeps Big Oil accountable for its role in the climate crisis!


Bottom trawling banned in Swedish marine protected areas

A Greenpeace diving expedition in August 2022 found one of the boulders Greenpeace placed on the Swedish seabed in 2009 with plenty of marine life thriving on and around it!

Great news coming in from Sweden: bottom trawling has been banned in marine protected areas!

In 2009, Greenpeace Sweden placed over 200 boulders on the seabed around two marine protected areas. These areas are home to porpoises and one of Sweden’s rarest shark species, which Greenpeace aimed to protect from bottom trawling. Greenpeace also submitted a formal complaint to the European Commission about the lack of protection in these Swedish areas.

And our hard work has paid off: as of last month, there is a total ban on bottom trawling in all of the protected areas and a complete fishing ban in half of them! These bans are among the strongest protections in place within the network of protected areas in Europe. The same process has now created protected areas in Danish waters as well, and we hope to see them implemented in more areas soon!


CAMPAIGN UPDATE

Greenpeace seizes 30km of industrial fishing gear in the North Atlantic

Greenpeace UK and Greenpeace España activists free a shark from a longline.

A new report from Greenpeace, Hooked on Sharks, exposes the industrial-scale fishing operation impacting shark populations in the North Atlantic Ocean. The investigation found that fishing vessels from the EU are casting longlines in shark breeding grounds. Activists aboard the Arctic Sunrise intervened and confiscated gear from two industrial longline fishing vessels on July 15. They released a blue shark, seven swordfish, and other marine life caught on the lines. Notably, one of these ships was operating in a Marine Protected Area. 

The growing demand for shark products and the under-regulation of the fishing industry threaten shark populations. The report makes several recommendations to protect sharks and our oceans, including EU policy changes and a strong Global Ocean Treaty.

Read the report!


SUPPORTER SPOTLIGHT

Greenpeace Student Team at Wilkinson Public School

Alexis, Anton and Esrom have been hard at work. These grade 5/6 students baked green- and blue-coloured cupcakes, cookies, and brownies to raise money for Greenpeace. They also made Greenpeace-themed bracelets, which they sold to their school community. Together, they were able to raise an awesome $355 for Greenpeace in just one day!

Thank you, Alexis, Anton and Esrom.❤️

As a new academic year begins, now is a great time to take on your own challenge or fundraiser to help protect our beautiful planet. Check out Greenpeace’s #BECAUSE fundraising campaign for tools and inspiration.

GET STARTED!


PHOTO OF THE MONTH

The final negotiations for a Global Ocean Treaty took place in New York from August 15 to 26. On August 14, Greenpeace activists projected messages onto New York’s iconic Brooklyn Bridge urging negotiators to act and finalize the strongest Treaty possible.
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CONTENT RECOMMENDATIONS

READ

An op-ed by our Head of Oceans and Plastic Campaign, Sarah King, on solutions to plastic packaging in the Toronto Star.

Have a read

WATCH

A drone show organized by Greenpeace Seoul, asking for a strong Global Oceans Treaty!

Check it out

LEARN

Meet the small businesses centering reuse and refill strategies in Canada.

Take a look

DISCOVER

Books about the climate crisis that offer hope.

Have a peek

SOURCES

[1] https://www.greenpeace.org/nl/natuur/53224/shell-opnieuw-schuldig-aan-misleiding-met-co2-compensatie/ (available only in Dutch)