Annual Report 09 International Contents 3 Message from the Executive Director 4 Counting Down to Copenhagen Greenpeace is present in 40 countries across Europe, 6 Copenhagen Crime Scene the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Greenpeace 8 Catalysing an Energy [R]evolution International, registered in the 10 Protecting our Forests Netherlands as Stichting Greenpeace Council, is the 12 Defending our Oceans body that coordinates global Greenpeace policy and 14 Campaigning for Greener Agriculture: Ecological Farming strategy. 16 Creating a Toxic-Free Future To maintain its independence, Greenpeace does not accept 18 Green Science donations from governments or corporations but relies on 20 Our Ships contributions from individual supporters and foundation 22 Our Supporters grants. 24 How We Spend our Donated Funds Greenpeace has been campaigning against 26 Message from the Board Chair environmental degradation since 1971 when a small boat 26 Our Board of Directors of volunteers and journalists 28 Organisation Report sailed into Amchitka, an area north of Alaska where the US 29 Financial Report government was conducting underground nuclear tests. 32 Environmental Report This tradition of 'bearing witness' in a non-violent 34 Office Contact Details manner continues today. Published by Greenpeace International Ottho Heldringstraat 5, 1066 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands t +31 20 718 2000 f +31 20 718 2002 www.greenpeace.org JN 309 : Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled COVER IMAGE: Greenpeace volunteer chlorine-free paper with vegetable based inks protesting at the Houses of Parliament in London to call for a new style of politics in the UK, one capable of rising to meet the challenge For more information please contact of climate change. Across the world, as the vital [email protected] Copenhagen climate summit approached in December 2009, Greenpeace called for climate change to be right at the top of the political agenda. © Nick Cobbing / Greenpeace Message from the Executive Director There are times when, despite our best Without the right to speak truth to power, efforts, we see history repeating itself. This democracy will not survive. I see was the case for me in December 2009, at maintaining the right of peaceful civil the UN’s Climate Change Conference in disobedience as one of Greenpeace's Copenhagen, where the talks were meant greatest challenges in the coming years. to avert catastrophic climate change. Copenhagen will not have been a complete Together with a wide coalition of civil failure if the synergy of civil society it society groups, Greenpeace worked fostered continues to grow: Greenpeace tirelessly - under the banner of the Global can be one of the leaders in this new Campaign for Climate Action (GCCA), of movement. which we were a founding member - to While governments talked, Greenpeace generate the public interest and pressure was taking action. A three-year undercover needed to make those talks a success. operation into Brazil’s booming cattle That pressure compelled some 120 Heads industry provided incendiary evidence that of State to turn up for one of the largest some of the world’s top food, sports and gatherings of world leaders ever. Yet fashion brands were unwittingly driving despite the clear public call for a Fair, massive Amazonian deforestation and Ambitious and legally-Binding (FAB) climate climate change. Our report ‘Slaughtering deal, all they produced was a feeble three- the Amazon’ received global media page Copenhagen Accord. The sense of attention and within weeks a slew of great disappointment we experienced influential high street brands moved to reminded me of the time when international distance themselves from the planet- attention was similarly focused on the damaging source of leather. In October, Gleneagles G8 meeting in 2005, which was four of the biggest players in the global supposed to alleviate poverty. "The people cattle industry signed an agreement to stop roared and the G8 whispered," was all I buying cattle from newly-deforested areas could think to say at the time - replace G8 of the rainforest. A great victory and an with ‘world leaders’ and you will example of our work, in which solid understand my sense of déjà vu. research backed by non-violent direct It is now clear that the only way big actions, powerful media outreach and changes are going to happen is if civil public action brought corporate players to society takes the power and compels book. political and business leaders to act. We I first learned about Greenpeace as a must have a say in what our future and the young activist in South Africa. I have always future of our children will look like. We must felt that this organisation is a world make political and business leaders treasure. When I took up my post as understand that, if they do not act to avert International Executive Director in climate chaos, they will be replaced. December 2009, I felt incredibly honoured To achieve this, we must protect the right and proud to be part of Greenpeace’s to non-violent protest. After Copenhagen, history - but, more so, excited to be part of th four of our activists were held in jail for 22 its future. Next year, 2011, will be the 40 days for holding up a banner reading anniversary of the founding of Greenpeace: ‘Politicians Talk, Leaders Act’ at a Heads of 40 years of bearing witness, 40 years of State dinner held by the Danish Queen. non-violent direct action and 40 years of The authorities’ response to this simple campaign victories that make us well peaceful protest was outrageously placed to continue to take a leading role in disproportionate. (The case continues: the pushing for a Green and Peaceful future. activists have yet to have their day in court.) In an equal distortion of justice, Junichi © GREENPEACE / MARCO OKHUIZEN Sato and Toru Suzuki of Greenpeace Japan - the ‘Tokyo Two’ - are facing a year and a half in jail for exposing embezzlement at the heart of the Japanese taxpayer-funded whaling programme. Greenpeace International | 2008 Annual Report 3 main image: Greenpeace activists rappelled down the photo inset 1: Greenpeace activists in front of the photo inset 2: As the leaders of the world’s most face of Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the US, to building where EU finance ministers met to discuss powerful nations arrived at the G8 Summit in L’Aquila, unfurl a banner challenging US President Barack Obama funding for developing nations to tackle climate change. Italy, Greenpeace activists occupied a coal-fired power to show leadership on global warming. Obama was at plant in the country to denounce coal as the worst the G8 meeting in Italy at the time to discuss the global climate pollutant of all fossil fuels. warming crisis with other world leaders. Counting Down to Copenhagen © GREENPEACE / PHILIP R EYNAERS 2009 - the year in which the UN Climate • Coal is the worst climate change pollutant • Greenpeace placed ice sculptures of 100 Change Conference – the ‘Copenhagen of all fossil fuels, so as leaders of the children at the Temple of Earth in Beijing, Climate Summit’ was held in Denmark world’s most powerful nations arrived at China. The sculptures symbolised the from 7 to 18 December. The decisions to the G8 Summit in L’Aquila, Italy, in early disappearing future of more than 1 billion be made at this meeting would impact July, over 100 Greenpeace activists from people in Asia who are threatened with the lives of everyone alive today, and around the world occupied five coal-fired water shortages by the changing climate. determinine the shape of humanity’s power stations across the country, Made from glacial melt water from the future. demanding that the G8 Heads of State source of the Yangtze, Yellow and Ganges It was time to take off the gloves. take leadership on climate change, and rivers, the sculptures marked the 100-day Governments weren’t going to act that they show leadership and break the countdown to Copenhagen Climate unless they felt the pressure to do so. deadlock in climate negotiations instead Summit and the launch of the tcktcktck 2009 was the year when everybody of pointing the finger of blame for inaction campaign, an initiative of the Global needed to mobilise for the climate – on developing nations. Campaign for Climate Action (GCCA) of whether in their local communities, • While we were busy taking action in Italy, which Greenpeace is a founding member. writing to their Heads of State, going on Greenpeace climbers in the USA were • Dressed as Heads of State – including a march or taking part in non-violent busy hanging a banner – with the ‘Barack Obama’ and ‘Angela Merkel’ - direct actions. Sitting back was no message ‘America Honours Leaders, Not Greenpeace activists prevented a longer going to be an option. Politicians: Stop Global Warming’ - on shipment of coal from being loaded onto a That we cannot change the climate Mount Rushmore. Their challenge was to transport ship from a mine in Svalbard, science was very clear. So, Greenpeace President Obama to show real leadership. 1,400 km from the North Pole. The action knew that we would need to create the His stated targets of returning emissions was intended to prevent the 70,000 tonne political will to fight climate change. to 1990 levels by 2020 were not enough. coal transport ship from bringing its Here are just some examples of our work Greenpeace USA’s Executive Director Phil climate-changing cargo to Europe. around the world in the run-up to the Radford warned, “If the rest of the G8 2009 was the world’s best chance to avoid Summit to highlight the growing climate descends to President Obama’s stated runaway climate change.