When most citizens of the Netherlands were still asleep, my colleague Nilus and I - along with dozens of Greenpeace activists - moved quickly and slipped into Rotterdam’s port facilities. The temperatures is just 8 degrees Celsius, my first time ever being this cold.
Earlier this month, Pacific Island communities gathered together to summon the strength to confront the climate battles ahead. They were joined by communities from all over the world in a show of solidarity and support to collectively hold space for the Pacific.
My little darlings, on 28 July 2016 as you slept with the sound of the ocean keeping you both company, there was a big commotion on the other side of the ocean.
Like most people, I don’t go anywhere without my phone. In the morning, its shrill alarm rouses me from sleep. During the day it bobs between my ear, my hand, and my pocket. At night, I hunt for Pokémon before putting it away on the nightstand. My phone is my MP3 player, my camera, and my GPS system—all in one. I really believe that technology is a driving force for good in the world. It makes our lives better.
Take a look in your drawer at home. It’s likely you’ll have a hidden stash of old phones, just sitting there taking up space. Indeed, according to a recent survey conducted by Greenpeace East Asia, in the US people own on average three phones in their house, while in South Korea the average is four and in Mexico up to five (both used and unused)!
The United States and China – the world’s biggest economies and the largest emitters of greenhouse gases – announced they will ratify the Paris climate agreement over the weekend.
Monday afternoon the text came through: the Federal Court had upheld the Abbott Government’s environmental approval for the massive Carmichael mine. The court challenge, brought by our friends at the Australian Conservation Foundation, was defeated.
Late last week, a narrow majority of Queensland MPs voted against protection for Queensland’s forests, trees and wildlife. What they didn’t count on was us. People like you and I, building something unstoppable: tens of thousands of people united to protect Queensland forests.
