Tag Archives: Greenpeace

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Shell: Speak Out and Help Get My Dad Out of Jail!
By Natasha Willcox, Greenpeace USA
, Conn

My dad, Peter Willcox, is currently being held in a Russian jail, arrested following a peaceful protest against the Russian oil company Gazprom — a key corporate partner for Shell — to try and protect the Arctic from environmental disaster.

He’s in jail because of Gazprom — during the protest, the company made a call to Russian security forces to intervene. 24 hours later, armed commandos had illegally boarded the Greenpeace ship the Arctic Sunrise and arrested all 30 people on board, including my dad.

But to break open the Russian Arctic, Gazprom needs Shell. They’ve just done a deal, so Shell will bring its money and expertise and Gazprom will bring its access to the Russian Arctic.

When it comes to Arctic drilling they’re in it together now, up to their necks. That puts Shell in a hugely powerful position to influence Gazprom. If Shell wanted to help my dad come home, they could push their friends at Gazprom to make the call.

Peter Voser is Shell’s CEO, and Charles Holliday is the chair of its corporate and social responsibility committee — surely the most relevant aspect of Shell’s work for this situation.

Please join me in calling on Shell to take their corporate responsibility seriously, and speak out to free my dad!

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Trapped in a Russian jail


 

Ana Paula and 29 of her Greenpeace crewmates are trapped in a Russian jail for trying to save the Arctic from oil drilling. But our community could set them free if we help Greenpeace build a massive global outcry targeting Russia’s biggest global partners. Let’s reach 1 million to free the Arctic 30 — sign now by clicking below:

SIGN THE PETITION

Ana Paula is a 31-year old from Brazil who wanted to peacefully protest Russia’s plans to drill the Arctic. Now she, along with her 29 crewmates from the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, is locked in a Russian jail with no release in sight. But we can throw her and the rest of her crew a lifeline.

The Greenpeace staff, some in solitary confinement, are now facing fifteen years in prison on trumped up charges of piracy. Their crime? Hanging a banner on a Russian oil rig to protest dangerous deepwater drilling in one of the earth’s most beautiful and fragile places. Many western governments have already spoken out, but now Ana Paula and Greenpeace are asking the Avaaz community to help build a truly global outcry. 

Together we can call on some of Russia’s strongest trade and political partners — Brazil, India, South Africa and the EU — to call for the release of the Arctic 30. Let’s reach 1 million to free Ana Paula and her friends. Once we hit that mark, Avaaz will project their faces in key public places to keep this story at the top of the news:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/free_the_arctic_30_loc/?biEWLbb&v=30328

This is what Ana Paula’s sister said about her: “In many ways, my sister is a typical Brazilian — talkative, friendly, and full of life. But she’s also simply extraordinary, passionate about nature since she was little, and never hesitating to stand up for it even at great personal risk.”

Now Ana Paula and her crewmates could lose 15 years of their lives, all for trying to hang a banner on a Gazprom oil rig, the first of its kind in the Arctic. This is an aggressive backlash against defenders of our environment — stopping oil drilling in the Arctic is about protecting the last great wilderness on earth, where oil spills are almost impossible to clean up.

Greenpeace has hired great lawyers who point out that the 30 were arrested in international waters, making Russia the one violating the international Law of the Sea. But being on the right side of the law may not be enough to regain their freedom, and their dreadful fate may be sealed soon unless the international community lets Russia know that this is a scandal that’s not going to go away.

Avaaz has a particularly powerful voice in many of these countries with huge memberships — 5 million in Brazil alone! If we all weigh in now and build a one million strong petition, Avaazers in Brazil, South Africa, India, and the EU can ramp up the pressure. Sign now to help build 1 million people to help free the Arctic 30:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/free_the_arctic_30_loc/?biEWLbb&v=30328

These Arctic 30 were brave enough to confront the oil industry in one of the last untouched places on earth. They are being silenced and intimidated by the oil industry for their bravery. Our community has stood strong for campaigners across the world — now let’s free these 30.

With hope and determination,

Jamie, Alex, Emma, Lisa, Ricken, Marie, Julien, Diego and the rest of the Avaaz team

MORE INFORMATION

Russia accuses Greenpeace crew of ‘piracy’ in Arctic (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24222392

Dutch sue Russia to recover ‘pirate’ Greenpeace crew (France24)
http://www.france24.com/en/20131004-netherlands-russia-greenpeace-oil-arctic-piracy-justice

What Russia’s Treatment of Greenpeace Activists Reveals About its Arctic Policy (The Atlantic)
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/10/what-russia-s-treatment-of-greenpeace-activists-reveals-about-its-arctic-policy/280352/

Legal analysis by International law professor Prof. Dr. Stefan Kirchner
http://fr.scribd.com/doc/173374193/Comment-on-the-institution-of-arbitration-proceedings-between-the-Kingdom-of-the-Netherlands-and-the-Russian-Federation-concerning-the-case-of-the-shi

Black Ice: Russia’s ongoing oil spill crisis (Report, Greenpeace)
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/climate-change/arctic-impacts/The-dangers-of-Ar…

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

the Arctic Sunrise


As I write this, two activists have been arrested after attempting to occupy a Gazprom oil platform in the Russian Arctic to stop it becoming the first company to produce oil from the icy waters of the region. Gazprom is Shell’s new partner in crime, with plans to wring every drop of oil from this fragile environment.
We’re determined to stop them, but our peaceful protest was met with aggression from the Russian Coast Guard, who fired at least 11 warning shots at our ship and threatened our activists with knives and guns. The situation is still developing, but we need to show these brave activists that our 3.8 million-strong movement is behind them.
Click here to send a message of support to the activists in the Russian Arctic.
Save The Arctic
Yesterday morning, five inflatable boats set off from the Arctic Sunrise towards Gazprom’s platform. The Russian Coast Guard, which seemed to be under orders to protect the oil giant’s dangerous rig, responded quickly with disproportionate use of force. Two activists were stopped before they reached the platform, and although two more did successfully climb onto the rig, shots fired by the Coast Guard meant they could not stay long.
These are the kinds of lengths that the Russian authorities will go to protect the interests of oil companies. But we will not be intimidated into silence. We’re doing this because someone has to stop the insane race of companies like Shell and Gazprom to extract oil from the melting Arctic. Together we’re going to draw a line in the ice to say: “You go no further.”
You’ve already taken the first step to save the Arctic by joining our movement. Last Sunday thousands of us in 75 cities and 30 countries took to the streets in the biggest event in defense of the Arctic in history. Now I hope you will send a message to the activists in the Russian Arctic, letting them know that you’re thinking of them and supporting them. I can tell you from experience, it makes all the difference. 
Tell the activists in the Russian Arctic you believe in what they’re doing.
Thanks so much!
Ian Duff

Arctic Campaigner          Greenpeace Canada
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Put coal exports On Trial in Washington ~~


Greenpeace
Help put coal exports on trial in Washington.
Coal train
Make a public comment today to stop the proposed Longview, WA coal terminal.
take action today

Big coal is trying to force through the largest coal export terminal in the U.S. right here in Longview, WA.
Sending coal exports through Longview would damage everything from our fragile ecosystem, to our health, to our climate.
We can’t let this facility get permitted. And now we have a chance to stop it. The public comment period has opened for the Longview proposal – giving us an official public opportunity to say NO to coal exports by voicing our concerns about its impacts.
And speaking up makes a difference. When Washingtonians like you submitted over 124,000 comments last fall on a coal export proposal just north of Bellingham, the agencies listened. We can do it again.
Please submit a comment today. Absolutely everyone needs to comment to help stop these terminals from moving forward.
If we allow these terminals in our state, we’ll be seen as one of the world’s largest exporters of climate-disrupting coal.
This is not us. We’re pioneering the clean energy revolution – building a stronger regional economy and developing clean energy solutions that work for the long haul. Let’s stand up against these dirty plans and demand a better, cleaner future for our children and our communities.
We must make it clear that we don’t want coal in Northwest or Southwest Washington. We don’t want it in Oregon. We don’t want it. Period. Please comment today.
Stopping coal exports isn’t just crucial for the Northwest. Around the globe, we must stop major new fossil fuel projects in order to prevent catastrophic climate change. That’s why Greenpeace is working to halt Arctic drilling, the Keystone XL Pipeline and coal export projects that threaten our planet’s future.
With your help, we can put the brakes on the coal industry’s plans for Washington.
Thank you for standing up for our state and our climate,
Kim Marks Greenpeace Washington Organizer
P.S. Don’t let coal exports threaten our health, our environment and our climate. Submit a comment against the Longview, WA coal export facility today.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Shell’s dirty Arctic drilling plans …


As millions of people around the globe watched live, we exposed Shell’s dirty Arctic drilling plans in the most public way possible at its biggest sponsor event of the year: the Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix.
As you know, on Sunday we spoiled Shell’s party at the Formula 1 Belgian  Grand Prix. After Shell spent millions plastering its logo everywhere,  our banners popped up at just the right moment to expose Shell’s true  face. But when the hilarious video started to go viral on YouTube, it  seems it was just too embarrassing — so F1 management got it taken  down.

 

BREAKING: Our @Shell #F1 ceremony video has been banned from YouTube. So, we put it back up:
https://vimeo.com/73215350
Grab it while you can. And reupload it. Tell Shell what we think of #censorship“

Join the movement now ►www.savethearctic.org/?fbsbpvi01

Here’s a text you can copy and paste when sharing the video:
Greenpeace exposed Shell’s dirty Arctic drilling plans in the most  public way possible at the Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix! Join us  now at www.savethearctic.org/?fbSBP

Arctic ice is melting faster than ever and polar bears are  starving to death as their habitat disappears. Shell is leading the  insane race to drill for the fuels that caused the melting in the first  place, putting this uniquely vulnerable region in grave danger.
Shell was hoping to ride on the glory of the racing drivers and pretend it’s worthy of a spot on the podium. We took action to make sure the truth of Shell’s shady Arctic oil business gets out – and to stop them from getting away with it.
By sponsoring an event like Formula 1, known for its cutting edge engineering and innovation, Shell is hoping to draw attention away from its disaster-prone Arctic drilling program and total lack of experience operating in some of the most extreme conditions on Earth.
Our campaign to save the Arctic continues on land and at sea. Right now the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise is being forced out of Russian Arctic waters by the Russian Coast Guard because they don’t want us bearing witness and taking action against the reckless oil companies racing to drill there. We are doing everything we can to make sure no oil spills pollute the pristine Arctic this year.
The race to protect the Arctic is on, and this is one we have to win – our future depends on it.

But we can only succeed with millions on our side.

Sincerely,
Ian Duff         Arctic Campaign         Greenpeace Canada
What is sad about this for me … is, that we seldom see an African American race driver! Who has to endure and be a pioneer in a time when big corporation such as Shell decides to go dirty – Nativegrl77 = Point4CountPoint