Greenpeace activists in two inflatable boats intercepted a ship, the Izmuir Castle, as it carried more than 15,000 tons of palm kernel oil into the French port of Montoir-de-Bretagne this morning. Palm oil plantations are a leading cause of forest destruction in Indonesia and other southeast Asian nations. The activists painted "Climate Crime" on the hull of the huge cargo ship. Eleven activists climbed on top of three cranes that were unloading contents of the ship and unfurled banners reading "Funding for forest protection, not their destruction."
This happened while the European Union leaders met to discuss if they’d put on the table to help developing countries fight and deal with global warming. It’s also on the eve of United Nations climate negotiations in Barcelona next week.
The action is part of an international Greenpeace effort to get world leaders to invest in tropical forest protection for our climate.
While everyone seems to agree that tropical deforestation must be tackled to deal with global warming, few world leaders seem ready to actually do anything about it…and forests continue to fall. Most conspicuous is President Obama who needs to show the world that the U.S. is ready to lead the fight against global warming.
What needs to be done? Simple. Developed nations should pool money together, mostly from their polluting industries, and create a financial incentive for countries with tropic forests to protect forests for our climate. In the lead up to the United Nations climate negotiations in Copenhagen, Greenpeace created a proposal to do just that.
To motivate Obama and world leaders, Greenpeace launched a Climate Defenders Camp this week in the Kampar Peninsula peat forests of Indonesia. Check out photos of the Kampar Peninsula here.
The Climate Defenders Camp has attracted international media attention as they deployed giant banners calling for forest funding, began damming illegally-drained peatlands, and worked to amplify the voice of local communities. The action at the Climate Defenders Camp is just warming up. You can read more first-hand accounts, see videos and get daily updates here.
The peat soils of the Kampar, which have built up over ages, store an estimated 2 billion tons of carbon, forming one of the world’s largest carbon stores on land. When these forest are drained and burned to make way for tree farms and palm oil plantations, the consequences for our climate, and the rainforest species that depend on them, is devastating.
Learn more about peatland forests and global warming in the video below. And stay tuned as we continue to defend forests for our climate!
-Rolf
