{"id":62767,"date":"2023-10-02T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-02T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/?p=62767"},"modified":"2023-10-02T18:58:32","modified_gmt":"2023-10-02T16:58:32","slug":"a-new-international-executive-director-takes-the-greenpeace-helm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/story\/62767\/a-new-international-executive-director-takes-the-greenpeace-helm\/","title":{"rendered":"A new International Executive Director takes the Greenpeace helm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I first volunteered for Greenpeace in 1992. A young, frustrated and impatient activist, I was inspired by Greenpeace’s ability to speak truth to power. 1992 was also the year that 1,700 scientists, including Nobel laureates, signed the \u201cWorld Scientists\u2019 Warning to Humanity<\/a>\u201d, which detailed deeply disturbing data about the climate and biodiversity.<\/p>\n\n

They urged that \u201ca great change\u201d was necessary to avoid \u201cvast human misery.\u201d 1992 was also the year of the Earth Summit, which led to the establishment of several important environmental frameworks including the Paris Agreement and the Kyoto Protocol, while the Greenpeace ship, the Rainbow Warrior, docked in Rio de Janeiro marking the organisation\u2019s participation in the Summit.<\/p>\n\n

\"RAINBOW \u00a9 Greenpeace \/ Steve Morgan<\/div> \u00a9 Greenpeace \/ Steve Morgan” class=”wp-image-62773″\/>
RAINBOW WARRIOR arriving in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as part of Greenpeace’s presence at the Earth Summit.
\u00a9 Greenpeace \/ Steve Morgan<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

From then to today, as the new Executive Director of Greenpeace International, I have had to remind myself time and again to be patient, to be persistent, as winning takes time. I would get, and still get, tired of repeating myself about the root causes of the polycrisis, like how we cannot have infinite growth on a planet with finite resources, how so much more is invested in wars than in peace, how a small group of rich people are prioritised over the wellbeing of the masses. But, then I remind myself that we must be courageous and embrace active hope \u2014 together we must sail into the gathering storm even when victory is uncertain. Our fate and the future of all living things will be decided by what happens in the maelstrom.<\/p>\n\n

The Ocean Treaty<\/a> \u2014 an agreement to protect 30% of the world\u2019s oceans by 2030 \u2014 took 20 years of commitment, but we got it. Six months after its agreement, dozens of governments signed the Treaty<\/a> in New York in September during the UN General Assembly, which I was privileged to witness.<\/p>\n\n

\"March
Greenpeace International Executive Director Mads Christensen, left, talks with Greenpeace US Executive Director Ebony Martin while carrying a banner in the march.\nThousands gathered in New York City for the “March to End Fossil Fuels” in the lead up to the UN Climate Ambition Summit on September 20th. Protestors called on President Biden and global leaders to phase-out fossil fuels and jumpstart a fair and just transition to renewable energy.<\/figcaption>
\u00a9 Tim Aubry \/ Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Mainstreaming of the need for radical climate action started 30 years ago and though we are not there yet, we are getting closer each and every day thanks to the tenacity, creativity and courage of millions of people around the world who are part of the growing climate and social justice movement, which understands that we cannot have a green future without peace, and we cannot have peace without justice.<\/p>\n\n

By coming together and acting for the common good, we are charting a new course for humanity that will see us thrive through preserving, protecting and restoring the natural world. By living within planetary boundaries. We need to continuously remind ourselves of the power of being together as an inclusive, empowering and broad movement demanding change. Our collective strength lies in shared values, vision and mission, and our ability to build counter power over those who are blocking and retreating from taking authentic action for a green, peaceful and just future. A future in which  no one is left behind.<\/p>\n\n

Decision-makers, especially of the biggest polluting countries, must be compelled to become climate justice leaders by delivering a fast and fair fossil fuel phase out that is funded. The science is clear and political and business leaders know what needs to happen. However, none of the world\u2019s largest fossil fuel producers have committed to ending new investments in oil and gas production. They are increasing them. <\/p>\n\n

\"Don't
Greenpeace activists at the 2023 Monte Carlo Rendez-Vous – the biggest annual insurance and reinsurance conference – to urge insurance companies to stop supporting the climate crisis. Oil companies want to drill in the Congo rainforest, destroying communities and biodiversity, and insurance companies shouldn\u2019t prop them up.
\u00a9 Greenpeace<\/div><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Five global north countries are responsible for over half of planned expansion from new oil and gas fields: the US, Canada, Australia, Norway, and the United Kingdom<\/a>. Among developed countries, only minor producers have set end dates for oil and gas production. China<\/a> is building six times more new coal than the rest of the world combined. In Australia<\/a>, Queensland alone has 18 coal mine projects in the pipeline.

Our reality is stark, and day after day, we are witnessing the devastating impacts of the climate crisis on people and communities around the world – especially upon those who have done the least to cause it.<\/p>\n\n

Greenpeace must continue to focus on flipping the balance of power away from private profit and power to public and planetary health and wealth. We must continue to build counter power, for as long as it takes. The challenge is enormous but together we are big and we can win.<\/p>\n\n

I am honoured and humbled to take up the challenge of being the International Executive Director of Greenpeace. It is a huge responsibility. My younger self would be freaking out right now. But, I breathe, drawing from lessons of persistence of the past three decades, and I remind myself to be patient and hopeful, as people have extraordinary power when acting together. I joined Greenpeace wanting to change the world. Three decades later, alongside all of you, I am still that activist.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n \t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\tGet Involved<\/strong>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

We act with hope and determination. We take on the impossible. We are everyday people connected around the world, embarking on a billion acts of courage.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t \n Join us today\n <\/a>\n \t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/section>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I first volunteered for Greenpeace in 1992. A young, frustrated and impatient activist, I was inspired by Greenpeace’s ability to speak truth to power.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":188,"featured_media":62833,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_planet4_optimize_post_is_variant":false,"_planet4_optimize_experiment_name":"","_planet4_optimize_variant_name":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"p4_og_title":"","p4_og_description":"","p4_og_image":"","p4_og_image_id":"","p4_seo_canonical_url":"","p4_campaign_name":"","p4_local_project":"","p4_basket_name":"","p4_department":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[100],"tags":[79],"p4-page-type":[59],"class_list":["post-62767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-about","tag-about-us","p4-page-type-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/188"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62767"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62841,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62767\/revisions\/62841"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62767"},{"taxonomy":"p4-page-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/p4-page-type?post=62767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}