Category: Conservation

Source: Greenpeace New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Busting the Oil and Gas industry’s Alternative Facts about Jacinda’s offshore oil exploration ban.

After Jacinda’s historic announcement that brought an end to new offshore oil and gas exploration, we’ve been hearing a lot from the industry about how the sky is about to fall in. Fun fact: it isn’t. But just in case  you find yourself having a heated debate with someone around the dinner table, we’ve put together some debate points to help you.

Alt Fact:  If we stop producing oil here we’ll just have to import more oil from overseas.

Truth: New Zealand’s vehicles already run almost entirely on imported oil.  

The fuel we use to fill our cars at the petrol pump is imported from overseas, so won’t be affected by this decision. Virtually all of our relatively small oil production is exported. Sounds weird, but that’s how the global oil market works. According to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE):

New Zealand’s locally-produced oil is generally exported because of its high quality and therefore high value on the international market. Australia purchases most of this oil.

The Middle East tends to be our largest source of crude oil (over half generally comes from there). Russia and Asia are also significant trade sources.

The real alternative to importing oil is more electric trains, buses, cars, trucks, and bikes powered by renewable electricity and biofuels – not more oil drilling. By using more clean, locally-produced energy, we will also reduce our current multi-billion dollar oil deficit, which comes about because we import more oil than we export.  

Alt Fact: Stopping oil and gas exploration will lead to more climate emissions.

Truth: Any oil and gas we keep in the ground is oil and gas that can’t be burnt and can’t increase global emissions.

In reality, saying that new fossil fuels are out of bounds creates certainty for investors to put their money behind the alternatives – clean technologies like solar, wind, geothermal and battery storage.

Alt Fact: When the gas runs out, industry will burn more coal.

Truth: Clean energy is both technologically available and cost-effective, so we don’t need to replace one fossil fuel with another.

Smarter combinations of renewables, demand management, battery storage and electric transport are transforming the way we use energy. It means we don’t actually need outdated, dirty fuels like oil, gas, and coal anymore. Professor Ralph Sims at Massey University has recently shown that there is no point exploring for more gas, because efficiency improvements and the switch to renewables mean we can cover most of our energy needs without fossil fuels. Using the gas we already have more efficiently also means we’ve got enough left over to power the things that take a bit more time to transition.

Alt Fact: Exporting New Zealand gas to developing countries will lower global emissions.

Truth: We’re far better off investing in clean energy and exporting our expertise in renewables.

The idea that New Zealand can export gas to developing countries to replace their use of coal really doesn’t have legs.New Zealand isn’t currently set up to process gas into LNG so that it can be exported. Doing that would require a several billion dollar investment in new gas-processing infrastructure, which will take years. Why spend all that money supporting outdated, carbon-intensive technology when we could be using it to deploy modern, carbon-free energy instead?

Alt Fact: Oil and gas is one of the backbones of our economy and employs 11,000 people, whose jobs are destroyed by the move to stop new offshore exploration.

Truth: Economies thrive with long term stability. Starting the clean energy transition now means no 80s-style economic shock, and long-term security for the clean energy industry.

Oil and gas employs around 4,300 people directly and it’s really important that these workers and the communities that depend on this industry are supported to find sustainable livelihoods in other industries. The people with the best gauge of whether a decision is good or bad for workers are the trade unions that represent them. Importantly, the NZ Council of Trade Unions has welcomed the Government’s decision, which provides a long-term signal to the oil industry that they must now wind down and prioritise a transition plan for their workers. They say:

“The whole point of a just transition is that actually, we know change is coming, it’s inevitable, and we are going to create high-paying sustainable jobs that match people’s skills. You’d almost think from the reaction from the oil and gas industry that the rug was being pulled out from under working people overnight. The Government and the union movement have been very clear that a transition plan, particularly for affected regions is the right way to go.”

Let’s not forget that the energy transition is also an enormous economic and job opportunity. Clean energy produces four times more jobs than the oil industry. In the US, solar jobs are growing as much as 12 times faster than the rest of the economy. In New Zealand, clean energy could provide 25,000 new jobs. A recent Westpac report found that taking steps to address climate change now will save the New Zealand economy $30 billion dollars, compared to delaying our response.

Alt Fact: The lights will go out and energy will cost more.

Truth:  Oil and gas cost money – but sunshine and wind are free! Renewable energy is already cheap and has the potential to be much much cheaper.

Solar and wind power have dropped so dramatically in cost that they are already competing with fossil fuels and are poised to undercut new fossil energy in a couple of years.There are no input costs for wind and solar energy. This means that, while we need to buy the gas for a gas-fired power plant to generate electricity, the inputs for renewable energy – sunlight and wind – are free. As a result, they replace more expensive production in the electricity market, lowering wholesale electricity prices. This is good for consumers but, unsurprisingly, upsets the producers of dirty energy like gas.

In fact one of the biggest threats to energy security is climate change itself. Extreme weather destroys infrastructure and leads to power outages, such as the recent storms that have knocked out power for thousands of households across the country.

Alt Fact: We shouldn’t wind down oil and gas until we have clean energy to replace it.

Truth:  Saying no to future gas is vital to getting more clean energy into the system.  

The opportunities, technology, and supply of renewable energy already exist for New Zealand to start a direct transition away from all fossil fuels now. Studies from the U.S. show that increasing the availability of gas actually has the perverse effect of delaying renewable energy deployment. That’s because, new gas capacity directly competes with renewables. If there’s a chance that the market will be flooded with cheap gas, it makes building renewables a risky investment. Better to create certainty for investors that renewables are the way to go, by making new gas off-limits.

Alt Fact: Restricting oil and gas supply is a waste of time – we need to tackle at the demand side.

Truth:  We need to address both supply and demand if we’re going to achieve the necessary cut in carbon emissions.

Market forces are driven by scarcity, which means that when there is an abundance of gas available, the price goes down, incentivising industry and the public to use more gas.  When there is less gas available the price goes up, so industry and people use less gas and instead seek out alternatives. Supply does affect demand – and the oil and gas industry know this very well. They’re simply pointing the finger at people like you and me, in order to go on denying their role in reducing harmful climate emissions. As above, the promise of abundant gas supplies discourages investment in other forms of energy, like renewables. But, by signalling an end to new oil and gas exploration, we increase the need for clean energy replacements and stimulate development of those industries. Tackling climate change pollution at both the supply and demand side of energy is vital to success.  

 

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Source: Greenpeace New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Greenpeace Oil Campaign: Seven years in the wilderness

Steve Abel

 

A photograph popped up on my Facebook feed recently, saying – “seven years ago today”. It was a shot of the crew from the Oil Free Seas flotilla being welcomed onto Waititi Marae at the isolated tip of the East Cape, where the rising sun first strikes our islands through the pure sea air. The iwi of that place – Te Whānau-ā-Apanui – had utterly humbled us with a 500-strong haka on the beach as we came ashore.

 

 

After the pōwhiri, there was a vast banquet of local kai moana, and non-stop performances throughout the dinner from the stage of the whare kai, which had been finely painted with the ancestral story of the tribe by Apanui artist, Cliff Whiting.

 

Greenpeace and a small flotilla of independent sailors had responded to the call of Apanui to join them in their resistance against Brazilian oil giant, Petrobras, which was about to begin seismic blasting in the the Raukumara basin – the iwi’s customary waters – in search for oil.

 

[ embed ] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7T1yEwBIK8

 

Exactly 42 days later, and the Petrobras seismic ship departed those waters. The flotilla had stayed the course and harried the oil search. The New Zealand Navy had been mobilised to board the protest ships and police had made arrests.

 

 

Iwi leader Rikirangi Gage was on board fishing boat San Pietro alongside Apanui fisherman, Elvis Teddy, when Gage stoically informed the oncoming seismic ship by radio that “we will not be moving, we will be doing some fishing”.

 

 

A few days earlier, activist Kylie Matthews (Ngāpuhi), had entered the dark blue water in front of the blaster with a ‘Stop Deep Sea Oil’ banner, forcing it off course. These three are surely the first among many heroes who, over coming years, would join the campaign to defend New Zealand’s waters from the invasive dangers of oil exploration.

 

 

With recent political announcements, now seems a fitting time to recount some of that history.

 

By the year following the first Oil Free Seas flotilla, Petrobras had relinquished their oil exploration permit and announced their exit. I distinctly remember Apanui lawyer, Dayle Takitimu – a lynchpin and stalwart of the struggle – calling to see if the reports were a ruse of some sort. In the depths of fears for a treasured home, it sometimes seemed impossible that we might succeed.

 

The next company to tarnish our horizon – literally, in a 34,000 tonne drillship – was Texan driller, Anadarko. Almost too bad to be true, they had a 25% interest in the worst oil disaster in history: the Deepwater Horizon blowout in the Gulf of Mexico, which spewed oil up from 1,500 metres below the surface for 87 days in 2011, choking the gulf and all the creatures that lived there in thick crude. It was a picture book apocalypse – oil on fire at sea – billowing columns of black into the sky.

Now Anadarko were coming to our seas, both the East Coast off Kaikoura to seismic blast, and the West Coast directly off Raglan, to drill at – you guessed it – 1,500 meters.

Anadarko’s imminent arrival off Kaikoura incurred the wrath of local iwi, the wider community and eco tourism operators who, Led by Sir Mark Solomon, rallied to defend their customary waters in an unprecedented show of united protest.

And then over Easter 2013, the Minister of Energy and Resources Simon Bridges snuck out an announcement of a new draconian anti protest law designed specifically to stop groups like Greenpeace and its allies protesting against oil ships at sea. The legislation, dubbed the ‘Anadarko Amendment’, was condemned as anti-democratic by former Prime Minister, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, and public figures including Dame Anne Salmond and Sir Ted Thomas.

Not to be deterred, a new flotilla of six vessels lead by former Rainbow Warrior crew member Bunny McDiarmid, now the Greenpeace International Executive Director, set out to confront the massive Anadarko drillship – so big it looked like a floating city block – and to make a point of breaking the Anadarko Amendment’s 500-metre exclusion zone, thereby openly defying Bridges’ new law.

This time, the profile of the protest meant the authorities didn’t dare act. At the height of the flotilla, thousands of people painted banners and joined forces on beaches up and down the West Coast in solidarity.

 

 

Anadarko’s drilling eventually proceeded, but they didn’t find what they were looking for. A second drill attempt later on, this time off the Otago Coast, also met with protest and struck granite. As the years went by, with the oil price low and no sign of respite from protest, the Texans too gave up their interests in New Zealand.

Among many chapters in this campaign, another that stands out was the delegation to Norway of local tribal members, Te Parewhero kaumātua Te Wani Otene, and Greenpeace campaigners Hinekaa Mako and Mike Smith, seeking the support of the indigenous Saami people through their independent parliament and to make it abundantly clear that the Norwegian state driller Statoil was not welcome in Ngāpuhi’s part of the world.

The delegation had a powerful impact, inspiring the Saami President to reciprocate by making a journey to New Zealand and the Far North to meet with local iwi. On the day of her arrival, Statoil announced that they were surrendering their permit in the sacred waters of the Te Reinga basin in the Far North.

A vital aspect to the success of the seven-year oil campaign has been the alliance between Greenpeace, Māori, and the wider community.

Most recently, East Coast iwi Ngāti Kahungunu mobilised its traditional bluewater Waka Hourua, Te Matau a Māui, to challenge the world’s biggest seismic blasting ship the Amazon Warrior, AKA ‘The Beast’, as it searched for oil on behalf of Statoil, Chevron and Austrian driller OMV off the Wairarapa Coast.

 

Greenpeace also travelled the 60 nautical miles out to sea out to meet The Beast in crowd-funded boat, Taitu.

 

Our executive director Russel Norman, alongside volunteer Sara Howell, entered the water in front of the 125 metre long ship, forcing it to make a full turn and stop its search for oil that day. The activists and Greenpeace were charged by the oil division of the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE), under Bridge’s ‘Anadarko Amendment’. They are now facing a year in jail and up to $300,000 in collective fines and are preparing to fight the charges in court.

Following the Amazon Warrior’s arrival, over 80 coastal hapū declared their unanimous rejection of oil exploration, culminating in a historic agreement by the National Iwi Chairpersons Forum last December to oppose all seismic testing and oil exploration in the waters of New Zealand.

Over this time staff and volunteers have come and gone from the Greenpeace office, and all have played a part. Notably, Simon Boxer, who first devised the strategy of resisting oil drilling at sea. I also want to remember three friend’s we’ve lost – dedicated volunteer, Emily Drinkwater; our passionate sailor and lawyer comrade Sir Peter Williams; and another, who didn’t hesitate in making a statement in defiance of the Anadarko Amendment – Dr Ranginui Walker.

This summer the surface temperature of the Tasman peaked at six degrees above normal. The water was balmy and over many afternoons I watched the thickening grey thunderheads form over my West Auckland home. The changes are happening now, rapidly and all around us. I do fear for what the future holds.

 

Over the last couple of years, a new bloom of campaigners, communicators, and mobilisors have taken up the oil campaign batten, none of whom were here when this work began in 2011. These struggles are always intergenerational. A few weeks ago they drafted a heartfelt open letter to our new Prime Minister calling for an end to oil and gas exploration. Dozens of notable New Zealanders were quick to sign. The letter complimented a Greenpeace petition to the new Coalition Government, which was signed by more than 50,000 people in just a few short months.

On a sunny day outside Parliament in March, already etched in my memory, is the moment Jacinda Ardern came down in person to receive that petition. It was a poignant turn. It seemed that the winds of change were at our back, that we were close to what could be a big breakthrough for the climate movement.

I always felt we would succeed, but hoped it wouldn’t be too late to play a meaningful part in the global transformation our humanity so urgently needs to avert the existential threat of climate change.

A few weeks later, on April 12, 2018, Jacinda stood before a young crowd at Victoria University. She stood in front of the leaders of the next generation – those who will inherit our climate legacy – and declared an end to new offshore oil and gas exploration, in what is already being hailed as an historic moment for New Zealand.

There is still work to be done. We need to end all oil and gas exploration permanently in New Zealand. As it stands, the Government’s announcement allows for both existing licences to continue, and for onshore exploration in Taranaki. Taranaki is where New Zealand’s first oil well was dug in 1865, on territory stolen from Māori. The community there still have to deal with the nightmare of ongoing fracking and exploration.

But the offshore ban is an undeniable breakthrough. It means the world’s fourth largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) has closed the door on future exploitation of the reserves of oil and gas that we must leave beneath in the seafloor if we are to avoid catastrophic climate change. By doing so we open the door to the clean energy industries that will themselves help provide a just transition for workers. It puts New Zealand back where we belong, the little country that leads globally on the issues of our era that matter most – as we did when we banned nuclear ships and gave women the vote.

In concluding her speech to the Victoria University students, Ardern said: “We can be a world leader in becoming carbon neutral. We owe this to future generations. Ultimately, we owe it to you.”

My son was born seven years ago in May. His middle name is Raukumara, named with Apanui’s blessing, after that first major struggle in modern history against the oil drillers in New Zealand. One day he might ask to know the story of how we succeeded in our resistance. I will be proud to tell him of just a few of the many thousands of good and determined people who made it happen.

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Source: Greenpeace New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Strange things lurk in the icy depths of the Antarctic Ocean

Cute penguins might get all the press, whales certainly give the wows, and big-eyed seals bring the feels – but there’s a lot more to the Antarctic Ocean if you’re prepared to dive a little deeper.

Some very strange things lurk in the icy depths of the Antarctic. Extreme conditions produce extreme animals, and these are worthy of starring roles in science fiction movies, their own X File, and perhaps a few nightmares too.

Whilst we at Greenpeace obviously believe that all critters, however creepy, are worthy of their own special place on the planet, we wanted to give you a quick peek at some of the beasties from the deep that you probably have never heard of. All of them play their own essential roles in the Antarctic Ocean, although many of them lurk in less savoury or glamorous parts of the web of life.

Without further ado, let’s meet the weird and wonderful things that go bump in the depths:

Giant sea spider

Sea spiders can be found around the world, and are normally quite insignificant in size. But in the icy Antarctic they take things to extremes – and grow to a startling size. It’s part of a recurring phenomenon where animals that live in deeper and colder waters tend to grow slower and grow much, much bigger. At a dinner-plate 25cm across these sinister spindly hunters stalk the seafloor on impossibly long thin legs. As well as having a freakish nose-like proboscis, they have such tiny bodies that some of their internal organs have to be stored in their legs.

©NOAA Photo library

Giant Antarctic isopod

Looking like a giant woodlouse or pill bug with an armour upgrade, giant isopods are a feature of deep sea floors the world over, and can grow to as much as 45cm in length. Thankfully the Antarctic giant isopods are a bit smaller, probably only about the size of your fist, but what they lack in length they make up for in crusty, monstrous, post-apocalyptic good looks. Despite looking like massive insects, they are actually crustaceans, like crabs, shrimp and krill. They’re able to roll up into a protective ball when they feel threatened, and, just when you thought it might be safe to get into the water, they can swim – which they often do upside down in full-on ‘Alien’ movie face-hugger horror.

 

 ©Doug Allen/naturepl.com

Sea pig

Sea pigs are distant cousins of starfish and sea urchins, and they look like someone filled a pair of pink rubber gloves with snot. They have a face only a mother sea pig could find, never mind love. These gelatinous grazers trundle across the sea floor, snuffling through the mud to find delicious decaying scraps to eat. Those appendages are filled with fluid, and can be either legs or antenna, depending which is most useful.

©OceanNetworksCanada 

Antarctic feather star

A feather star is basically a specially adapted cousin of the starfish which looks like a cross between an animated palm tree and a feather duster. Their body design is quite simple – a glorified mouth surrounded by feathery arms. Most of the time they stay rooted to the seafloor, catching passing morsels of food falling from above – but when they need to move they swim in a mesmerising, ethereal way that has to be one of the most amazing forms of locomotion in the natural world.

   

Basket star

Another relative of the humble starfish is the lusciously-tendrilled Chilean basket star. Intricate, otherworldly and alien, this is an animal that has evolved coiled, many-fingered branches along each of its five arms. They like to perch on top of a rock or handy sponge to spread their interwoven basket of waiting arms armed with tiny hooks as wide as they can to catch passing and falling food. The branch-like appendages then curl around the tasty morsels and transfer them to the basket star’s mouth, which it is sitting on (which is handy, because it’s also its bottom!).

 Icefish

Semi-transparent bodies and oversized heads give the Antarctic icefish a ghostly appearance. It’s able to extend its jaws to catch food, and despite having no red blood cells is one of the only fish able to withstand freezing Antarctic waters by having an inbuilt ‘antifreeze’ in its transparent blood.

 

 ©UweKillsCC BY3.0

Crabeater seal

On the face of it, these blubbery furballs might not seem the weirdest thing swimming in the Antarctic ocean – but wait until they give you a grin. With a mouth full of specially adapted teeth more fitting for a comic book villain, they are able to catch and filter out mouthfuls of tiny Antarctic krill as their staple diet.

 

 

 

Bristle worm

Okay, you might need some moral support for this one. Antarctic bristle worms are like demonic tinsel. Undulating bodies flanked by glittering gold hairs in no way make up for a monstrous bulbous head full of fearsome jaws. Luckily these shimmering horrors only grow to about 20cm long and they’re not likely to turn up on any Christmas tree near you. Unless you’re on the *really naughty* list.

 

©Siobhan Leachman 

 

Hoff Crab

Confusingly, the Hoff ‘crab’ is a type of lobster, and relatively new to science. This pale ghostly crustacean is found hanging around deep sea superheated volcanic vents, which are some of the most extreme environments on the planet – so they’re pretty badass. These pasty fellas are named after 80’s heartthrob David Hasselhoff, because they, like him, have an exceptionally hairy chest. However the Hoff crab’s chest hair is covered in bacteria, which it picks out and eats. Yum!

 

 ©David Shale/ naturepl.com

 

Colossal Squid

The biggest invertebrate on the planet possibly lurks in the depths of the Antarctic ocean.  They have the biggest eyes in the animal kingdom, roughly the size of a dinner plate (or a giant sea spider with its legs stretched out!) – all the better for seeing in the inky depths. Despite its enormous size, with a body of at least 2.5 metres before you add tentacles, we know surprisingly little about these deep sea dwellers. They have eight arms and two tentacles which are extra long and have rotating hooks with which to ensnare their prey. Colossal squid are tough fighters, and engage in deep sea battles with ravenous sperm whales which have never been witnessed, but we know about from the beaks of squid in sperm whale stomachs, and the sucker scars left on their body.

 

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Source: Greenpeace New Zealand – Press Release/Statement:

Headline: Four female environmental activists inspiring us in 2018

New Zealand has a strong tradition of female activism. From Kate Sheppard and her campaign that won New Zealand women the right to vote in 1893, to women at the forefront of social and environmental movements today, Aotearoa is brimming with inspirational women taking action to create change.

In the environmental movement, there are dozens of women fighting for a better future. Here are profiles of just four of those women–we hope you find them as inspiring as we do.

Rosemary Penwarden became an activist as a grandma

Dunedin local Rosemary became an activist in her 50s, after witnessing the birth of her first grandchild, and being galvanised to create a better future for his generation.

Rosemary (right) taking action to Save Our Rivers in 2017

“The same year [as he was born] I heard Jeanette Fitzsimons, ex Green Party co-leader, speak about plans to fight a massive new coal mine in Southland. At the end of her talk she said ‘This is what I’ll be doing for the rest of my life.’ Her words hit me in my guts. I knew then it was going to be my future too.”

Rosemary says taking direct action, as she has done for numerous causes including against Big Irrigation last year, reminds her that she’s not fighting to change the world alone.

“It feels like taking control back. Learning how to organise, what works, what doesn’t, how to plan and work with others, knowing our action is a small part of the biggest and most important movement ever – it’s empowering and humbling and makes me feel alive and strong.”

As for people power, Rosemary feels strongly that direct action is the best way to use it.

“Direct action is people calling the shots. Rather than trying to work within a structure stacked against us, direct action is a way to rattle that structure, undermine the pillars that hold it up, open up a new way for positive change.”

Rosemary works with several groups including Oil Free Otago, Coal Action Network Aotearoa, and 350 Dunedin. In addition, she’s part of the Valley Community Workspace, Seniors Climate Action, Save Our Water Otago Southland, a community garden group, and other projects.

“I am in awe of the fearless young women I work with in the climate movement. Having spent years without the confidence to step forward, I am learning to be brave from them. Reticence is a luxury we can’t really afford now. This is how we take back our power.”

Gina Mitchell became an activist when the fight came to her backyard

Gina was compelled to take action after Watercare announced their plans to destroy native bush in her community, making way for a new water treatment plant.

A long time environmental supporter, the fight coming to her backyard took Gina from behind the scenes to the front lines..

“I’ve always loved nature and care deeply about environmental issues. I grew up with a Greenpeace whale poster on my wall and was always a supporter from the sidelines,” she says.

Gina Mitchell taking action on the Mermair Searcher in January

“But in May last year, I read that a protected forest in my area was proposed to be destroyed to build a new water treatment plant. I just had to do something. I realised that because of a historic designation the laws designed to protect the environment were effectively being overwritten. It’s such an injustice. I joined the Facebook group who were already fighting it.

“From then on it snowballed. I helped organise a protest of more than 300 people at short notice which received national media attention. It made me understand the ability I have to effect change by working with others and taking action.”

And it didn’t stop there. Gina was so moved by taking part she began to get involved in other environmental campaigns too.

“In January I went a step further and was part of the action on the Mermaid Searcher, an oil exploration ship Amazon Warrior’s supply ship.”

“Taking action makes me feel empowered. It reminds me that as an individual I can make a difference. It’s so easy to read the news and feel helpless, but taking action helps me to feel that we can make positive changes in this world. Taking action enables me to walk the talk.”

Gina is on the committee of the Titirangi Protection Group, who are fighting to stop Watercare building a new water treatment plant in the Waitakeres. The group are currently fundraising for a High Court appeal against the company due to be heard on 2 May 2018.

Sarah Thomson is a law student who took the NZ Govt to court over climate change

In June 2017, 26-year old Hamilton law student, Sarah Thomson, spent five days in court challenging the Government over climate change targets she called “unambitious and irrational”. The case was the first of its kind in New Zealand.

Thomson decided to launch the lawsuit after being inspired by global climate change litigation, including the 900 Dutch citizens who filed a case against the Dutch government, and a US case where 21 kids are taking on the Federal government and fossil fuel companies.

“I’m young and I’m terrified of a time when I might have to look my kids in the eye and explain to them how we let this happen.”

Sarah Thomson took the Govt. to court over climate change

“A lot of people want to see change”, Thomson says. And she was right–the community was on her side. Sarah’s ‘givealittle’ page raised over $10,000 to help with the high court filing fee and other legal costs relating to the court action.

Sarah said “it is the young people who will pay the true cost of today’s inaction. Our government has a duty to its people, to ensure a safe place for us and our children to live. But, if they are not fulfilling that duty, it is up to us to demand action.”

This first time, one of a kind powerful act of courage shows how one brave individual stepping up to take action can still have an impact.

Bunny McDiarmid has been an activist for over three decades

Bunny started off her activism career during the nuclear free movement in the 80s. Just 28 years old when she joined the Rainbow Warrior as a deckhand, Bunny was part of the crew when the ship was bombed in Auckland Harbour in 1985, killing her colleague photographer Fernando Pereira. Since then, she’s taken action on pretty much every environmental issue there is, from Antarctica and forestry to fisheries, oceans and deep sea oil.

But if there’s one issue she thinks everyone needs to get up and take action on, it’s the existential threat of climate change, saying that it should get “everyone out of their silos and trenches” to figure it out together.

Bunny says the feeling of belonging to something bigger than the self is key when it comes to being a successful activist, and that activism is a vital component to a healthy world.

Bunny on board the Rainbow Warrior in the 80s

“[Activism] helps keep our society healthy. Our right to express ourselves, to stand up, to say yes or no. Our right to protest. Our right to act.”

After the Rainbow Warrior bombing, Bunny spent months in the Marshall Islands protesting and working to advocate for the Rongelap community, who were relocated from their homes due to radioactive contamination from nuclear testing. She helped to establish the Greenpeace Pacific campaign in 1987 and a Greenpeace regional office in Fiji in 1994, and went on to serve as the Executive Director of Greenpeace New Zealand from 2006-2015. She now works as one of two female Executive Directors of Greenpeace International.

Bunny has worked tirelessly for the environment and vulnerable communities the world over. In her own words: “When we matter is when we make a difference”.

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