Greenpeace: At the Front Lines in the War Against the Environment
By Steve Kinsman, 24th Aug 2012 | Follow this author
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Posted in WikinutNewsEnvironment
A brief history of Greenpeace, its goals and its activism.
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental organization whose purpose is to draw the world's attention to corporate practices that are destroying the environment by engaging in actions that seek to disrupt or stop those practices. The organization has offices in over forty countries around the globe, overseen by its international coordinating body in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. In the words of its charter, Greenpeace states its goal: "to ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its diversity." Its focus is on world-wide issues such as climate change and global warming, overfishing, commercial whaling and nuclear power, to name just a few. No funding is accepted from governments and corporations; all of its funding comes from private donors (2.8 million in 2011) and foundation grants.
Origins of Greenpeace
Greenpeace traces its roots back to Vancouver, British Columbia, in the early 1970s, evolving out of the peace movements and anti-nuclear protests of those days. On September 15, 1971, the Don't Make a Wave Committee sent a chartered ship, the Phyllis Cormack, re-named Greenpeace for the protest, from Vancouver to Amchitka, Alaska to protest the United States testing of nuclear explosives there. Soon after this action the Don't Make a Wave Committee formally changed its name to Greenpeace.
Expansion world-wide
In a few short years Greenpeace expanded to several countries and began campaigning on additional environmental issues such as toxic waste dumping and commercial whaling, and soon the regional operations formed Greenpeace International to oversee its efforts globally. According to wikipedia: "Greenpeace received international attention during the 1980s when the French Intelligence Agency bombed the Rainbow Warrior in Aukland, New Zealand's Waitemata Harbor, one of the most well-known vessels operated by Greenpeace, killing one individual. In the following years Greenpeace evolved into one of the largest environmental organizations in the world."
Acts of heroism
Greenpeace activists often put their lives on the line during the actions they take against corporate polluters and planet-rapists. No other organization has done more to raise public awareness and consciousness about environmental issues of the utmost importance.
On Tuesday, August 23, 2001, six Greenpeace activists, from their ship Arctic Sunrise, occupied the Russian oil drilling rig Prirazlomnaya in the Arctic Ocean to protest the country's risky plans to drill in the fragile and pristine ecosystem there. The group included Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo, who tweeted from the site, "Melting Arctic Ice is a warning, not a business opportunity."
Greenpeace Campaigner Dima Litvimnov, also tweeted "This is the face of Arctic destruction. Prirazlomnaya is the first ice-capable permanent oil platform in the Arctic. It is a perfect example - a personification of the slowly creeping industrialization of this pristine area. And especially, given the information that is coming in all the time about the rapidly decreasing ice cover in the Arctic, it is an obscenity. It is an insult that the same companies that are responsible for this crisis are now seeking to profit from it."
All hail the heroes of Greenpeace.
Links: Extreme Melting in the Arctic
Greenpeace Shutters 77 Shell Gas Stations in Europe
The Rush is on to Mine Greenland's Resources
First photo from commondreams.org
All others from wikimedia commons
Comments
25th Aug 2012 (#)
Right now a big enemy of the environment is Monsanto.
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25th Aug 2012 (#)
Monsanto is the most evil corporation in the entire world. thanks for commenting, Mark.
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25th Aug 2012 (#)
I totally agree Mark...I too have written about the terrible things they do
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25th Aug 2012 (#)
Thanks for the share, Steve; the thoughts and actions should remain ever green! Kumi Naidoo's words drive home the point. We need to understand what is progress and sustainable. Unbridled exploitation of finite resources by few is no way. It becomes competition to test the waters and take the first monstrous bite - siva
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25th Aug 2012 (#)
Thank you Siva. Your wisdom is always much appreciated here.
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25th Aug 2012 (#)
well done again Steve...a mighty piece....
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25th Aug 2012 (#)
Thank you cnwriter.
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25th Aug 2012 (#)
I love Greenpeace and contribute monthly to their fund.
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25th Aug 2012 (#)
Good for you Ivyevelyn. Thank you.
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25th Aug 2012 (#)
For a change Steve, I found this to be an interesting piece, only had they changed their name from Greenpeace to Peoplepeace decades ago, perhaps the planet would be a better place. The Environment does not have a problem, we do. Have you never heard of George Carlin, he’s dead now but had a great point. It’s the people that need help, not nature man.
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25th Aug 2012 (#)
George Carlin is one of my all-time heroes, Robb. Thanks for commenting.
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25th Aug 2012 (#)
Amazing courage. These people deserve the highest of respects.
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25th Aug 2012 (#)
Indeed they do. Thank you Isabelle.
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31st Aug 2012 (#)
Amazing information, well done Steve,and thank you.
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31st Aug 2012 (#)
Thank you Delicia. I appreciate your comment.
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1st Sep 2012 (#)
Great page, Steve. :) BY the way - I am not likely to post much on Wikinut because the formatting is troublesome for posting my poetry. Sometimes a single poem has to be considered by itself, and not only as a 'poetic essay' - which I also love to do.
Also, much of my poetry is written with brevity--like haiku, tanka, senryu etc, Even when I post many on one page, each section says there are not enough lines.
For this reason, I find Wikinut slightly frustrating, at least for posting poetry.
Do lets keep in touch, anyway. it was such a pleasure to meet you and Carol last summer.
Love and Namaste, rd
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1st Sep 2012 (#)
would be sorely missed if you stop writing for wikinut. Please, say it ain't so.
xoxo :-))
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1st Sep 2012 (#)
rama devi, you would...
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