Greenpeace Southeast Asia is the regional office of the global
environmental organization
An environmental organization is an organization coming out of the conservation or environmental movements
that seeks to protect, analyse or monitor the environment against misuse or degradation from human forces.
In this sense the environmen ...
Greenpeace.
Greenpeace has run successful campaigns in the Philippines, Taiwan, India, Indonesia and Thailand, often working with other local environmental groups. In late 1980s and early 1990s, Greenpeace has developed its presence, and first established an office in Japan in 1989 and then China in 1997. Because of the region's vital importance, initial investigations were also initiated focusing primarily on Philippines and Indonesia.
Greenpeace has thoroughly campaigned in industrialized countries to reduce and eventually eliminate environmental pollution and degradation knowing that those efforts can easily be reversed as some multinational companies export dirty technologies resulting in environmental destruction in the region. In 1999, Greenpeace led the campaign to push for the passage of Republic Act No. 8749, otherwise known as "The Philippine Clean Air Act" which includes an unprecedented national ban against waste incineration. In recognition of the region's vital importance, Greenpeace Southeast Asia was formally established in March 2000 with its head office in Bangkok, Thailand and branch offices in Manila, Philippines and Jakarta, Indonesia --- major cities in the region that are among the most polluted cities in the world today.
Greenpeace Southeast Asia is firmly rooted within the local environmental communities around the countries where it operates. Licensed to use the name "Greenpeace" by Stichting Greenpeace Council, Greenpeace Southeast Asia contributes financially to Greenpeace International, campaign locally, participate in international campaigns, and help shape the international campaign program.
Greenpeace Southeast Asia's work in the region includes stopping hazardous waste imports, opposing radioactive shipments, campaigning against forest destruction, lobbying governments on
sustainable energy issues and drawing attention to the dangers of waste incineration. It uses tactics of non-violent direct action to draw attention to what it considers significant threats to the environment, and then forces solutions.
In 2005 the Rainbow Warrior II ran aground on and damaged the
Tubbataha Reef
The Tubbataha Natural Park, also known as the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park ( fil, Bahurang Tubbataha), is a protected area of the Philippines located in the middle of the Sulu Sea. The marine and bird sanctuary consists of two huge atolls (name ...
in the Philippines while inspecting the reef for
coral bleaching
Coral bleaching is the process when corals become white due to various stressors, such as changes in temperature, light, or nutrients. Bleaching occurs when coral polyps expel the zooxanthellae ( dinoflagellates that are commonly referred to as a ...
. Greenpeace was fined US$7,000 for damaging the reef and agreed to pay the fine saying they felt responsible for the damage, although Greenpeace stated that the Philippines government had given it outdated charts. The park manager of Tubbatha appreciated the quick action Greenpeace took to assess the damage to the reef.
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
Greenpeace fined for reef damage
1 November 2005.
As a regional organization, Greenpeace Southeast Asia focuses on bearing witness to the impacts brought by
global warming
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
, and increasing public awareness of the problems it poses. Campaigning to effect changes in the direction of the region's energy policies for the future, the group encourages governments to turn away from
fossil fuel dependency and embracing renewable, sustainable and clean sources of energy.
See also
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Greenpeace
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Greenpeace China
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Greenpeace Aotearoa New Zealand
Greenpeace Aotearoa (GPAo) is one of New Zealand's largest environmental organisations, and is a national office of the global environmental organisation Greenpeace.
History
Greenpeace Aotearoa New Zealand was founded in 1974, two years afte ...
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Von Hernandez
Von Hernandez is a leading environmental activist from the Philippines. He was Executive Director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia (GPSEA) from 2008 to 2014, where he led the environmental group's programs and operations in the Southeast Asian region ...
References
External links
Greenpeace Southeast Asia homepage
{{Authority control
Greenpeace
Environment of Southeast Asia
Environmental organizations based in Thailand