Also by jossc

New poll shows Clegg on collision course with party over Trident

Posted by jossc - 16 September 2010 at 1:49pm - Comments

With the Liberal Democrats' first conference since they entered government looming later this week, we commissioned a poll to see how party members are feeling about Trident replacement. Not surprisingly, given that the party campaigned on scrapping 'like for like' replacement during the election campaign, not many are in favour.

Turbines are go! British wind power hits record levels

Posted by jossc - 8 September 2010 at 4:55pm - Comments

Great news - Britain's wind farms generated record levels of power on Monday, providing 5 per cent of all power supplied to the National Grid over the course of the day.

The Grid confirmed that 40.5GWh out of a total 809.5GWh was provided by wind farms over the 24-hour period, with wind output peaking at 1,860 megawatts at 8.30pm.

A National Grid spokesperson said that, including direct output from turbines not conected to the grid, "about 10 per cent of total electricity demand would have been met by wind power. It is a pretty big landmark for the industry."

Deepwater disaster: Sunrise heads to Gulf to assess oil spill impacts

Posted by jossc - 21 July 2010 at 11:34am - Comments

Greenpeace USA's Mike Gaworecki reports from the Arctic Sunrise as it makes its way to the Gulf to conduct a three-month expedition documenting the true impacts of the BP Deepwater Disaster on the region's marine life and unique ecosystems.

Since the Deepwater Horizon offshore rig exploded and sank in April, BP has devoted inadequate resources to the oil spill response, withheld information from the American public, and denied access to spill sites to journalists.

So our ship the Arctic Sunrise is heading to the Gulf to do an independent assessment of the impacts. We believe it’s way past time the full, unabridged truth about the extent and nature of this oil catastrophe was told to America and the world.

Read the full blog »

Trident: now the Treasury and MoD squabble over who foots the bill

Posted by jossc - 19 July 2010 at 3:52pm - Comments

HMS Vanguard, Britain's first Trident submarine

No one has been more insistent that Britain must commit to replacing Trident than new defence secretary Liam Fox. Despite the lack of credible targets and the exorbitant cost, Dr Fox has fought doggedly for a new generation of nuclear weapons to protect Britain from "nuclear blackmail" by other states - apparently North Korea (possibly four missiles at most) and Iran (none at all) give him palpitations and sleepless nights.

But now, in a deliciously ironic twist, Dr Fox is being asked to put his department's money where his mouth is. Traditionally the Treasury pays for the capital investment in nuclear weapons, but such is the pressure to cut-back on government spending across the board that the Chancellor is now keen that the MoD should foot the bill instead.

Oil disaster impacts reach far and wide

Posted by jossc - 19 July 2010 at 1:41pm - Comments

Greenpeace USA's Joao Talocchi writes from the Gulf of Mexico, where our ground team has been documenting the impacts of BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Today we visited one of the Bird Rehabilitation Centers in Louisiana. We saw dozens of birds, from different species, cleaned of oil with detergent, water and toothbrushes and tagged. They are monitored and then released to the wild. The center has treated and release more then 500 birds so far, a small number if you take into account that more then 550 miles (885Km) of shoreline has been impacted by the Deep Water Horizon disaster.

The climate solution? It's an energy [r]evolution we need, Mr Osborne

Posted by jossc - 16 July 2010 at 10:14am - Comments

This week Greenpeace launches our vision for a European energy revolution – a practical blueprint for a renewable energy future. Using only proven technologies we can phase out fossil-fuels, cut CO2 emissions by over 90% by 2050 and ensure energy security – without a huge reduction in living standards.

Come to the 'Train not Plane' party!

Posted by jossc - 15 July 2010 at 10:23am - Comments

We've won a great victory against the Heathrow third runway, but there are still plans to expand aviation elsewhere around the country. The airline industry needs to take on its fair share of emissions cuts. We should be thinking about reducing, not expanding aviation. We can start with journeys which can clearly be made through other means - by replacing domestic flights with an improved national train and coach network.

On Saturday 4 September, our friends at the Campaign against Climate Change are organising a 'Train not Plane' day of action in London and Manchester. It starts with a demonstration outside London's City Airport in the morning, supporting the local campaign to stop increased numbers of flights at the airport. This will be followed by a

So just who does want to replace Trident?

Posted by jossc - 13 July 2010 at 12:32pm - Comments

A YouGov poll released today reaffirms what we already knew: a clear majority people simply don't support government plans to build a 'like for like' replacement for the Trident nuclear deterrent.

The poll, undertaken on behalf of think tank Chatham House, found that only 29 per cent of the public backed the government's Trident plans. Amongst opinion formers the level of support fell to a paltry 22 per cent.

Slideshow: the Arctic Ocean at risk

Posted by jossc - 12 July 2010 at 3:55pm - Comments

As climate change causes the Arctic sea ice to recede, our ship Esperanza has sailed north of Svalbard to survey the poorly understood Arctic Ocean seabed. On the surface, the crew are observing and recording the diverse wildlife that has adapted to survive in this unique and harsh environment. Beneath the waves we are using a remote operated vehicle built and operated by top cameraman Gavin Newman to record the life on the sea bed in fine detail.

Greenpeace is calling for the area of the Arctic Ocean historically protected year round by sea ice to be closed to all industrial activity, including destructive fishing. Read more about the Arctic Under Pressure expedition.

Jim Bohlen 1926 - 2010

Posted by jossc - 7 July 2010 at 11:34am - Comments
Don't Make a Wave Committee members and Greenpeace founders (from left) Jim Bohlen, Paul Cote, and Irving Stowe.

There's an old joke that you can walk into any bar in Vancouver and find somebody claiming to be a Greenpeace founder. If that somebody had been Jim Bohlen, however, then this claim would have been absolutely true. It is with very deep sadness, then, that we have learned of Jim's death on 5 July, 2010, at the age of 84.

 

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