February 2009

An old Philips TV at a scrap yard in Ghana

Last week we broke the shocking story about what actually happens to our electronic waste; instead of being safely recycled in the UK or Europe, much of it is instead being exported as 'second-hand goods' to places like Nigeria, China and India. Once there it's either sold for scrap, illegally dumped, or broken apart for recycling by some of the poorest people in the country, with no safety measures to protect them from the dangerous toxic chemicals like mercury, cadmium and lead which the e-waste contains.

And you thought ice melting was boring... Would you be this devoted to science?

For more about these guys take a look at The Telegraph.

(Spotted on Climate Progress).

Raoul on board the Arctic Sunrise during the launch of the DRC office © Greenpeace

It has only been a few months since Greenpeace Africa set up its office in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but since then we have very busy. The Kinshasa office is only a small one and there are just two of us working there - myself and René Ngongo, the policy advisor. We are already making a name for Greenpeace and René is in demand - he is invited to multiple meetings and is much sought after for interviews on radio and TV.

Three million coconuts to get to Amsterdam? I'd rather take the train.

Over the last few months, four pilots in different corners of the world have held their breath, crossed their fingers (metaphorically) and, mid-air, flicked a switch to send a blend of kerosene jet-fuel and biofuel into their plane engines.

Tonight there's a party being held on a Greenpeace ship to which everyone is invited. Go on board, look around, chat to the other guests. Just one small point - the ship isn't docked in the Amazon or Tokyo or Rotterdam, it's in popular virtual world phenomenon Second Life.

'The Dove', currently anchored off Commonwealth Island, is the creation of a group of Greenpeace supporters in Second Life and one in particular - who goes by the name of Anise Dollopofmayo in-world - has been doing the virtual equivalent of beating the panels and raising the masts. Along with the information hut which has been there for some time, the ship is going to act as a venue for events (such as tonight's party) and a recruitment point for new members.

The shindig runs from 7.30 to 9.30pm GMT (or 11.30am to 1.30pm Second Life time) and click this link to be teleported to the embarkation point. If you haven't used Second Life before (which you can download here), it's only fair to warn you that you'll need to go through an induction process when you first log in which can take some time.

It's certainly an experience, although my flying skills are not all they could be and I have a tendency to crash in spectacular fashion. Oh, the humiliation.

I made a small snowman in my garden today. I have to call it a small snowman since it really is small. And the snow is not good enough for making snowballs - which are the basic building block of any snowman's body. But it was still really fun. I couldn't remember how long it was since I had made a snowman or had so much fun. I am thankful for what was the first and probably the last snow this winter, although I have read that the government has plans to make it snow again because we are in the middle of a pretty serious drought in Beijing.

Tropical trees like these in the Democratic Republic of Congo are sucking up even more carbon than previously thought © Greenpeace/Davison

Amidst the financial crisis and the ever worsening data about the speed with which climate change is occurring, it was a nice change to get some good news last week: trees are getting bigger. And not just any trees, but the rainforest trees which are some of our biggest assets and allies in tackling climate change.

The good news comes from a team of scientists reporting on a 40-year study of African tropical forests which shows that, for at least the last few decades, each hectare of intact African forest has trapped an extra 0.6 tonnes of carbon per year.  

Tar sands excavation in northern Canada is a devastating display of the consuming passions of our economy.

Although the global extent, length and depth may be in dispute, everyone agrees the world is suffering a serious financial and economic crisis.

The financial sector in a number of countries, including the US, is close to being technically bankrupt. Beyond the financial sector a number of industries in the UK and elsewhere are teetering on the edge. These include sectors responsible for infrastructure such as transport and telecommunications.

The debts being ratcheted up by some countries will take generations to pay off and in the coming decade will lead to both tax rises and heavy cuts in public expenditure. It's a dramatically changed landscape that will impact hugely on Greenpeace's work along with many other organisations and companies.