Greenpeace

With only three days remaining for our world leaders to sign an ambitious and binding climate treaty at the UN Climate Summit, one that meets the global emissions reduction standards necessary to prevent catastrophic climate change, activists from all over the globe are migrating to Copenhagen to take aggressive stands. Denmark has become this month's Mecca for environmental activists abroad.

On December 8, young activists from SustainUS, the Sierra Student Coalition, the Cascade Climate Network, and more invaded a live webcast of a climate denier conference in Copenhagen planned to coincide with the UN Climate Summit. The host of this conference was Americans for Prosperity, a group greatly funded by David Koch, co-owner of oil and gas empire Koch Industries. The fifty activists posing as audience members stormed the stage only five minutes into the event, holding a banner and chanting, “Real Americans for Prosperity are Americans for Clean Energy."

 

On the second day of negotiations in Copenhagen, African Delegates protested the UN Climate Summit in Denmark in response to a leaked draft agreement that would disadvantage developing countries. "No Bad Deal for Africa," they chanted, unwilling to accept a political deal that would doom their continent to suffer the effects of climate change.

 

 

Starting in Copenhagen's parliament Square, the "The World Wants a Real Deal" march of December 12 attracted 100,000 activists. The participation was well over the expected amount, and the large masses of people owned the streets, bearing bright yellow picket signs and were accompanied by various floats and drum beats.

 

 

Then, on December 14, the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse rode through Parliament Square of Copenhagen. Four riders, dressed and made-up to represent, Famine, Pestilence, War and Death mounted their horses in an effort to warn the world leaders of the devastating effects of climate change. The message was not to predict the world's impending doom, but to remind our leaders that they have the power to prevents these unfortunate effects of global warming.

 

 

 

Trader Joe's recently sent out a mass e-mail to all members subscribed to their newsletter. It seems the popular grocery store is fishing for compliments from its loyal customers. They are essentially asking for a product ego-boost, requesting that all recipients vote for their favorite Trader Joe's products.

However, within the seafood aisles, hidden between the lines of misleading ingredient lists,Trader Joe's inconspicuously sells over a dozen red-list species. For example: "Trader Joe's Lightly Breaded Fish Sticks" are made with Alaskan Pollock. This billion dollar fishery is the largest in the United States, however, the Pollock population is currently at a record-low. Steller sea lions, which feed on the Pollock, have also been decreasing as overfishing continues to deplete their food source.

So, rather than comply with Trader Joe's request for product praise, Greenpeace USA suggests we instead remind them that they continue to stock their shelves with our LEAST favorite products, despite our efforts to persuade them to change their ways.

TAKE ACTION: E-mail Trader Joe's at favoriteproducts@traderjoes.com and send them the following message:

"Trader Joe's Lightly Breaded Fish Sticks"

These fish sticks are my LEAST favorite Trader Joe's product because they are made with Alaskan Pollock, a fishery under the threat of collapse. Stop selling red-list seafood species and adopt a sustainable seafood buying policy now!

"Trader Joe's Lightly Breaded Fish Sticks" are unsustainable, but so are the following list of Trader Joe's products, all tainted with red-list seafood species. You can personalize your message by choosing your LEAST favorite and telling Trader Joe's all about it!

“Barbeque Cut Fresh Salmon Fillets," “Pecan & Hazelnut Crusted Norwegian Farmed Salmon," “Fresh Salmon Boneless Skinless Fillets," “Salmon Stuffed with Feta & Spinach," “Cajun Salmon," “Salmon Stuffed with Couscous & Dill," and “Pacific Supreme Smoked Salmon."(All contain Farmed salmon raised in a way that pollutes the ocean)
"New England Wild Jumbo Scallops" (Contain Atlantic scallops which are bing overfished)
"Trader Joe's Albacore Solid White Tuna"(Contains South Atlantic albacore tuna caught by the use of longlining which results in the bycatch of threatened or endangered sea turtles, sharks and seabirds in large numbers)
“Tempura Shrimp with Dipping Sauce," "Coconut Shrimp," “Medium Cooked Shrimp," “Large Cooked Shrimp," “Jumbo Cooked Shrimp," “Colossal Cooked Shrimp," “Uncooked Wild Blue Shrimp," “Colossal Butterflied Shrimp," and "Trader Joe’s Seafood Blend.” (All contain Tropical shrimp which are caught using fishing methods that are destructive to seafloor habitats)

"Wild Seasoned Turbot" (which contains red-list Greenland halibut.)

In 1920 a strenuous and enduring battle for civil rights was won by means of political lobbying, protests, and radical civil disobedience. It was almost a century ago that American women were granted the long overdue right to vote, but the passing of time should never cheapen this accomplishment, however jaded we may become in the post suffrage generations. Today some women may choose to never cast a ballot in neither a local nor a presidential election, taking for granted this once seemingly unattainable right. However, while the American suffragists made huge strides in obtaining equality of the sexes, an ideal that our country has never been as close to as it is in the present, they also practiced progressive campaigning strategies that have been proven effective.

In 1917, the National Woman's Party organized the first peaceful women's protest outside of the White House, earning many of the participants jail sentences in unsanitary women's workhouses. The members of the Party knew that to be successful they would have to appeal to the political party in power and to hold those politicians personally responsible for any delay in the passing of an amendment. Right outside of President Woodrow Wilson's home, the suffragists yielded banners directly addressed to the president and quoting him in his commitment to justice and equality:

"Mr. President, what will you do for woman suffrage?"

"Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?"

"We shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest our hearts--for democracy, for the right of those who submit to authority to have a voice in their own governments."
- Woodrow Wilson. Address to Joint Session of Congress. Washington D.C.. April 2, 1917

I was taught that history always has relevance in the present, and I believe that the suffragists whom I admire for their efforts in passing the nineteenth amendment can still, through the power of their legacy, help us to fight our battles today. Specifically, the challenge of Climate Change, the most pressing issue that our country and the rest of the world currently face. We too must look towards our political leaders, those who have the power to insist on a strong and binding climate treaty in Copenhagen, and make clear to them that any delay in necessary action is unacceptable.

President Obama has recently announced his plans to postpone the signing of a climate treaty until next year, despite his convincing, and now disappointing, promises for environmental protection. In following the National Woman's Party's example, he is the one in power, and so he is the one that must be held accountable. If we were to protest outside the gates of the white house today, what would our banners read?:

"Mr. President, what will you do for Mother Nature?"

"Mr. President, how long must the world wait for a climate treaty?"

"I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal"
-Barack Obama. Final Primary Night, Presumptive Democratic Nominee Speech. St. Paul, Minnesota June 3, 2008

"Now is the time for serious leadership to get us started down the path of energy independence. Now is the time for this call to arms."
-Barack Obama. Energy Independence: A Call for Leadership. September 20, 2006

"We often lose sight of the real and lasting meaning of the decisions we make and those we defer...The issue of climate change is one that we ignore at our own peril."
-Barack Obama. Energy Independence and the Safety of Our Planet. April 3, 2006

Do not allow President Obama to delay a climate treaty any longer. Tell him that he needs to stay true to his words and do everything in his power to prevent the worst possible effects of Climate Change. Tell him it's time to sign!

 

While scooping out bits of meat from a tuna can or using chopsticks to pluck up sushi is an everyday, ordinary occurrence for millions of the world's population, imagining the species from which that meat was obtained is actually extraordinary. Bluefin tuna, the favored source of a popular Japanese delicacy called sashimi, have the potential to grow to ten feet in length and weigh up to 1,500 pounds. These fish are great swimmers and can reach speeds of 50 miles per hour. Imagine an elephant-sized fish that can swim as fast as a cheetah can run. That's probably not what you expected to have been eating for lunch today. In fact, bluefin tuna are so spectacular, that in Tokyo, one fish could sell for over $30,000.

However, despite its high cost, the bluefin tuna remain popular amongst human populations (Japan being the largest consumer), while the tuna's populations are depleting and rapidly approaching extinction because of overfishing. The amount of bluefin tuna in the Atlantic has decreased by nearly 90% in the past 40 years due to the fact that they are a slow maturing species and are usually caught before they are able to reproduce. Reading these statistics merely sounds unfortunate, but perhaps contemplating a world in which the bluefin tuna does plunder into extinction will be eye-opening.

Already on the eastern coast of the United States, recreational and commercial bluefin tuna fisheries have dried up. Thousands of people whose livelihood depended on catching bluefin tuna have lost their jobs which in turn caused surrounding communities to lose millions of dollars. What kind of devastation would result from a worldwide extinction of tuna?

Bluefin tuna are one of the ocean's major predators. Their depletion, and their subsequent extinction would have tremendous effects on the remaining ecosystems.

While Japanese fisheries continue to aggressively hunt the remaining stocks of bluefin tuna, increased bycatch is inevitable, particularly with the use of longlines. The populations of other creatures such as sea turtles, sharks, and marine mammals (many of which are already endangered) are placed in peril.

Although the threat of bluefin tuna's extinction seems to be rapidly approaching, it can be avoided if the right actions are taken. Next year the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species will meet and hopefully ban the illegal trade in bluefin long enough for the population to replenish. Even this, however, is not enough. Greenpeace proposes that in order to preserve the existence of bluefin tuna and countless other endangered marine life, a global network of marine reserves that cover 40% of the world's oceans needs to be established. While the earth is covered by 70% of water, only 0.5% of our oceans are currently protected. Those areas that are protected, though, produce 200 times as many fish that live longer and therefore grow larger than those of unprotected areas. The species under the protection of a marine reserve have the freedom to mate, feed, and rejuvenate without the threat of capture or habitat destruction.

Sign our petition to help protect the bluefin tuna and to establish global marine reserves that cover 40% of the world's oceans!

What I've learned this weekend is that neither unfavorable weather conditions, nor the threat of legal repercussions can discourage passionate environmental activists from supporting their cause. Last Saturday, participants in over 5,000 events worldwide joined 350 and Greenpeace in a united effort towards climate action. The creative demonstrations of International Day of Climate Action were as varied as the different weather conditions across the United States and the 180 other countries that participated.
Here in New York, we had rain, and while on any other typical gloomy Saturday afternoon I would have vouched to remain cozy and lethargic inside, I braved the outdoors for a good cause. I spent the afternoon upstate New York in New Paltz where I found that students from the University, and local residents and business owners had also chosen to embrace the muddy puddled Hasbrouck Park in order to partake in this epic opportunity. The day, filled with polar bear costumes, environmental raffles and displays, bands and public speakers, support for local agriculture, and the gathering of local green businesses, culminated in the human formation of "350" in the park, despite the the sticky mud.

Across the Brooklyn Bridge, activists, undaunted by the murky overcast, marched towards a better future. They held signs that demanded a strong climate treaty from our world leaders when they meet in Copenhagen.

In Chicago, eight activists from the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization were arrested during a peaceful blockade of the Fisk Coal Plant. Their actions demonstrated what they are willing to sacrifice in order to dissolve the deceitful term of "clean coal."

Rising sea levels due to Global Warming could cause devastation to coastal areas, so Bostonians expressed their concern by rallying behind a pseudo-sandbag wall on the harbor. The participants were geared up with goggles, water caps, and other scuba gear to survive the threat of underwater submergence.

Every event was unique and the participation around the world was far greater than I could have imagined. Uniting that many people on one day, for one cohesive cause was a powerful step towards our goals. International Day of Climate Action and everyone involved had a substantial influence in the future because we refused to be ignored. Check out this video which sums up the collaborative efforts of Greenpeace activists and other volunteers on October 24.