Greenpeace Blog

Daily update COP6

Posted by bex - 20 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments
Update: 20th July


The US Greenpeace students staged a mock wedding between Donny P (Perlman) and US Head Delegate Paula (Dobrianski), demonstrating for those who still had any doubt that the love between the US government and the fossil fuel industry is the kind that of love that only money can buy.

We also sounded the climate alarm today, reminding delegates of the urgency of the problems they are trying to solve.

However, police stopped Greenpeace from relieving delegates from the ear splitting siren in front of the conference centre. Just as the banner was taken down signalling the end of the intended short, sharp climate alarm, the police took away the activists who could have switched the siren off. Oh well, so the police had to drive the truck through Bonn with a very loud alarm still screaming. At least they gave it a police escort with flashing lights!

Greenpeace say "good morning" to President Bush

Posted by bex - 20 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments
ticket for waking bushIn the early hours, George Bush got a dawn wake up at Chequers when a micro-lite, trailing a "George W Bush - International Outlaw" banner, buzzed the house around 10 times.


George Bush and Tony Blair have flown out to Genoa for the start of the G8 summit today. G8 will bring together world leaders to debate globalisation.World Meteorological Organisation

Melting ice threatens blue whales' food supply

Posted by bex - 20 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments
Whale tail

Whale tail

Melting polar ice is threatening the main food source for Antarctic blue whales and could lead to their extinction, an international environmental group said yesterday. The whales feed on small sea creatures known as krill, which in turn eat microscopic marine algae. These live in sea ice and are released in the summer when the ice melts.

Pacific nation fears devastation from the ocean

Posted by bex - 20 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments
wave energy:  a green and sustainable energy resource

wave energy: a green and sustainable energy resource

A tiny South Pacific nation is planning to evacuate the islands because of rising sea levels. Tuvalu has asked Australia and New Zealand for help in resettling its 11,000 people. The government says the islands may be engulfed in 50 years.

A Tuvaluan government spokesman says New Zealand has agreed to help but there have been no guarantees from Australia.

Heaviest rain in South Korea for 37 years

Posted by bex - 19 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments
Climate change: English country floods

Climate change: English country floods

The death toll in South Korea from the heaviest rain in 37 years rose to 40 on Monday as rescue workers sifted through the wreckage left by the downpour. The rain, which was most severe in the area of the capital, Seoul, followed months of unprecedented drought and triggered floods and landslides.

Wet weather and mites devastate bee populations

Posted by bex - 19 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments
Flowers and bee

Flowers and bee

A combination of pesticide-resistant mites and wet weather has devastated bee populations in parts of the US, wiping out more than half of Maryland's bees this winter and devastating hives in many regions of the country. Beekeepers are now struggling to rebuild their colonies, while farmers who rely on the insects to pollinate their crops have had difficulty finding available hives to place in their fields.

The politics of COP 6

Posted by bex - 19 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments
dont let us drown

dont let us drown

COP 6, officially known as the 6th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was held in Bonn, Germany, from 16th - 27th July 2001.

The UNFCCC was born at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 as a result of growing concerns about climate change. The objective of the UNFCCC is the 'stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system'.

Weird weather

Posted by bex - 19 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments
wave energy:  a green and sustainable energy resource

wave energy: a green and sustainable energy resource

The latest reports from the world's climate scientists show that climate change is happening faster than was first predicted. They paint a grim picture of life in a warming world. All around the globe countries are experiencing the kind of 'weird weather' that we have been warned to expect. At this stage no-one can categorically state that the devastation the world is experiencing is a result of climate change but at the very least it gives a frightening picture of what we can expect if the climate is not protected.

Here is a taste of what is really at stake...

Weird weather:
Wet weather and mites devastate bee populations.
Heaviest rain in South Korea for 37 years.
Thousands stranded in flooded Orissa.
Melting ice threatens blue whales' food supply.
Pacific nation fears devastation from the ocean.
Flash floods in Pakistan.

Daily update COP6

Posted by bex - 19 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments
wind turbines at sunset

wind turbines at sunset

Update: 19th July

The pace of activities continues to pick up rapidly here in Bonn.

Yesterday, the US Greenpeace students had a formal debate at 8 AM with the "Corporate" students brought over by a combination of climate skeptics, the oil industry and Republicans. Needless to say, our students carried the day, which started early because the "Corporate" students had to rush off for a sightseeing tour of nearby Cologne.

NGOs here have created a button (badge) with a picture of the Japanese flag and the words "Honour Kyoto" on them. German Environment Minister Jurgen Trittin was spotted wearing one, as well as delegates from many other countries.

Thousands stranded in flooded Orissa

Posted by bex - 19 July 2001 at 8:00am - Comments
Globe showing climate change

Globe showing climate change

The eastern Indian state of Orissa has received 84% more rain than usual resulting in floods that have left 30 people dead and up to 500,000 marooned. The floods - have affected more than four million people and 7,000 villages.

It is still raining heavily in parts of Orissa and the death toll is rising according to local officials. The federal government in Delhi has pledged some $22m in aid to the region.

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