Disinvestments in fossil fuels amounting to 11 trillion dollars – eight times the global GDP – have been recorded in the last six months of this year, according to a report released this week. According to the report, divestment “leapt from 52 billion dollars in 2014 to more than 11 trillion dollars today — a stunning increase of 22,000 percent”. But the report noted that … [Read more...]
‘No jobs on a dead planet’ says Kumi
"Preparing for the 22nd Century, Environmentally" was a talk held by Greenpeace Executive Director Kumi Naido at the Cornerstone Institute in Cape Town recently. Kumi said that faith communities must come to terms with the inconvenient and uncomfortable truth that without the involvement of faith communities, we won’t be able turn around catastrophic climate change. There … [Read more...]
The CEO and the activist: meet renewable energy’s odd couple
One wears an impeccably tailored navy blue suit. The other sports a giraffe-print dashiki shirt. Meet the renewable-energy odd couple, the environmental activist and his onetime target, the chief of Italy’s largest utility. A year ago, Kumi Naidoo, the head of Greenpeace International, and Francesco Starace were sworn enemies, after the group said Enel SpA’s coal plants … [Read more...]
Inter-generational solidarity needed
“Those who call themselves adults should show some inter-generational solidarity,” said Dr. Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director of Greenpeace International at the Climate Leadership Corps training in Johannesburg this week. Naidoo was one of the speakers on the first day of the training of more than 900 climate leaders of all ages and cultures from 67 countries, speaking 70 … [Read more...]
Greenpeace bail appeals refused as Brazil President speaks out
Appeals for bail by lawyers for Phil Ball and Kieron Bryan, both British citizens, were refused last week by the Regional Court of Murmansk. Phil Ball is one of 28 Greenpeace International activists who were arrested by Russian special forces after a peaceful protest at an Arctic oil rig operated by Gazprom. Kieron Bryan is a freelance videographer who was contracted by … [Read more...]
Kumi Naidoo and other Greenpeace activists attacked in Arctic
Kumi Naidoo, South African born International Executive Director of Greenpeace International, and 5 other Greenpeace activists have been attacked and shot with water canons by Gazprom workers after they embarked on a courageous venture to save the Arctic. They had interrupted the work at the Gazprom super monster drilling platform in the Arctic. This Russian drilling site … [Read more...]
Rainbow Warrior visits the rainbow nation
The Rainbow Warrior, Greenpeace’s latest and most environmentally friendly ship, is docked at Cape Town’s V & A Waterfront. The ship arrived in the country ahead of schedule on Friday due to extreme weather conditions. The ship was welcomed by cheerful Greenpeace Africa staff and a Marimba music group. The new Rainbow Warrior is one of the most environmentally friendly … [Read more...]
Fundamental leadership failure threatens our future
“The current response to our climate crisis in nothing but incremental tinkering. Rearranging the deckchairs. Those in power are doing system maintenance and re-arranging instead of redesigning them. Our current system is fundamentally broken, but our leaders are suffering from what’s called ‘cognitive dissonance’ – all the facts are there, but those in power block them … [Read more...]
CCLA sponsors prolong fight against climate change
The Climate Leadership Awards (CLA), the first awards in Africa that recognise, reward, motivate and celebrate businesses, communities, youth, schools and individuals, have attracted significant sponsorships and partnerships in 2011 from some of South Africa's leading businesses, non-governmental and not-for-profit organisations. Chief among these partners are Global Carbon … [Read more...]
Please don’t squander this moment
An open letter to the governments of the world meeting in Durban. Dear friends, Welcome to our city. We remember a time in Durban – indeed, a period in the history of this nation of South Africa – when we feared that the apartheid states’ intransigence would spark a conflict in which much blood would be shed. But even at our lowest ebb, even when the injustice we faced … [Read more...]
COP17: COPpuccino videos
COP17: The Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership (CPSL) is running a series of high-level briefings at their Oasis of Fresh Thinking with people who will be commenting on the negotiations as they unfold and giving a business perspective on the leadership challenges for businesses in the sustainability arena. Among others, there are videos of Christiana Figueres - … [Read more...]
Our Kumi arrested on Arctic oil rig
The International Executive Director of Greenpeace, the South African Kumi Naidoo, has been arrested and is being flown to Greenland after breaching an exclusion zone and scaling a controversial Arctic oil rig 120km out to sea. At 6.45am last Friday morning an inflatable speedboat carrying Naidoo was launched from the Greenpeace ship Esperanza. The rig's operators Cairn … [Read more...]
No more jail for Kumi
Kumi Naidoo, the global head of Greenpeace, has been deported from Greenland after four days in jail for his part in a month of direct action on Cairn Energy's Arctic oil rig Leiv Eiriksson. Kumi, like the other 20 activists arrested and deported in the past weeks, is banned from Greenland for one year - but this is far from over. As Kumi said, it is shaping up to be 'one of … [Read more...]
