Recently we documented how Greenpeace’s Andy Tait had been asked to leave Indonesia after government officials finally grew tired of his attempts to undermine the country’s forestry industry, a source of employment for thousands of Indonesians. Well, it looks like Indonesia is not just tired of Tait, but Greenpeace as a whole, with the organization being evicted from its Jakarta office.
The latest complaint against Greenpeace accused the organization of using a private residence, rather than an actual office, for its headquarters in Jakarta. In addition to this, Greenpeace has recently been accused of abusing its status in the country, with critics claiming that, because it clearly engages in political campaigns to undermine the country’s economy, it should register with the National and Political Unity Agency (NPUA) as a civil organization. Added to the charge that Greenpeace is using lottery funds from the Netherlands to help fund its operations in Indonesia, all of these accusations are drawing the same conclusions—that Greenpeace believes it can operate in Indonesia with impunity.
Greenpeace’s clear disdain for the rules in Indonesia has certainly piqued the interest of lawmakers, who are now calling for the government to take stronger action against the organization. But it’s hardly surprising that Indonesians would take a hostile attitude towards an organization that’s doing its utmost to keep them impoverished.
Greenpeace – When Facts Don’t Matter
“When the facts change,” economist John Maynard Keynes is alleged to have said, “I change my mind. What do you do, Sir?” It’s rare that we ever encourage someone to heed the advice of Keynes, but Greenpeace and their allies would be encouraged to consider this particular dictum. For years Greenpeace has campaigned against the toy industry, leveling accusations that they purchase products that include endangered rainforest fiber. In fact, Greenpeace has been so aggressive in pursuing this radical agenda that several toy manufacturers have been forced to capitulate to their demands rather than standing up for consumers.
We have highlighted these smear campaigns on a number of occasions, issuing action alerts so that consumers can voice their displeasure with these unaccountable measures. But just as toy manufacturers like Disney, Mattel, and Hasbro have agreed to standards set by Greenpeace and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), they may now want to reconsider their actions. In a report entitled Toying with Extinction, Greenpeace alleged that the paper products used by the toy industry emanated from scrupulous sources in Indonesia “based on tests conducted by Integrated Paper Services (IPS).” Unfortunately, facts are stubborn things.
IPS is now distancing themselves from the Greenpeace claim, issuing a global statement that “IPS is only able to determine the types of fibers present in such samples. We have not, and are unable to identify country of origin of the samples. This type of assertion would need to be based on data outside of our findings. Therefore we are unable to comment on the credibility of the statements Greenpeace has made regarding country of origin.”
Go figure, Greenpeace’s credibility coming into question once again. These revelations are deeply embarrassing for Greenpeace, although given how shameless their campaigns usually are, it’s doubtful we will ever hear an apology.
And the alternative sources of paper Greenpeace is proposing, those certified by FSC for their cohorts like Kimberly Clark, are less than legitimate. A recent report revealed that FSC-certified paper contains species listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), most notably the red lauan.
But most importantly, this entire saga surrounding Greenpeace’s propaganda should also act as a warning sign to businesses currently being bullied and harassed by Greenpeace into acceding to their radical demands. Disney, Mattel, and Hasbro have been duped. With this evidence, they should be the last.
Greenpeace’s Shameful Relationship with Sir Julius Chan
Last week we highlighted how Greenpeace, acting in true colonial fashion, had illegally entered Papua New Guinea and trespassed on property used by private landowners to harvest wood for domestic and international markets. But as Greenpeace continues its attempts to derail Papua New Guinea’s economic miracle, they have turned to an unlikely source for inspiration: Sir Julius Chan.
Of all the people Greenpeace could have turned to, they decided to turn to Sir Julius, Papua New Guinea’s disgraced former prime minister. Currently governor of Papua New Guinea’s New Ireland Province, Sir Julius was quoted in the Post Courier attacking the current government for its forestry policies, which he claimed were “actively facilitating the destruction of the forests.” Sir Julius’ remarks were aboard the Greenpeace warship MV Esperanza, which the group had recently used to blockade and harass local landowners. But if one actually does some research into Sir Julius, it quickly becomes apparent that Greenpeace is hardly mixing with moral crusaders.
In fact, when Sir Julius was prime minister in 1997, he and his administration were embroiled in a national scandal known as the “Sandline Affair,” involving Bougainville, a part of Papua New Guinea that supported secession. As peace talks with Bougainville appeared to grind to a halt, Sir Julius enlisted Sandline International, a private military for the sole purpose of defeating the Bougainville Revolutionary Army, paying the mercenaries out of government funds at the expense of much-needed public services. Just as the operation was set for initiation, it was leaked to the Australian media and political chaos in Papua New Guinea quickly ensued. It was only after a mutiny by the national army and violent protests that Sir Julius finally resigned.
The “Sandline Affair” was arguably Papua New Guinea’s largest scandal in its history, prompting even Amnesty International to write a letter to Sir Julius condemning his government’s decision to recruit and use mercenaries, despite previous concerns about human rights violations in the country. So when the current government of Papua New Guinea is looking to raise living standards and continue the country’s economic miracle, Greenpeace has taken the decision to use a disgraced former prime minister of the country – who has refused to apologize for his role in Sandline – as its organization’s spokesman. Need we say more?
Recent News from the Green Movement
Although South Africa is still trying to make energy savings in order to avoid power cuts, ambitious construction projects are also underway to help the country cope with rising demand. Not content with seeing economic progress take any shape or form, Greenpeace decided to trespass on the site of Kusile, a coal-fired power station that’s currently being constructed. In addition to the nine Greenpeace activists arrested, the organization has yet again pinned its colors to the mast, showing that they will do whatever it takes to prevent poor and developing nations from becoming more prosperous.
Greenpeace’s crude campaigns are always about ideology and exploiting issues for the purpose of fundraising. This extremist NGO’s mindless actions have been replicated in a decades-old campaign against tuna companies. In the Wall Street Journal recently, three high profile food manufacturers noted how Greenpeace’s campaign against tuna actually runs counter to “serious sustainability partnership between dedicated conservationists and the fishing community.” What’s more, the authors have got Greenpeace’s campaigns down to a tee: “Target something that’s easily recognizable (like tuna), make some scary claims in the media, parade around in funny costumes—and start raking in the donations. It’s a recipe that Greenpeace has perfected over the past two decades.” This is something we are all too familiar with, and reflective of the assault by Green NGOs, particularly Greenpeace and WWF, on economic activity everywhere in the world.
Last week we pointed out that “Occupy Wall Street” was being spearheaded by the Alliance for Global Justice, a pro-Chavez organization that claims to stand for “Education of human, enviormental (sic) and worker rights.” Well, over at Big Government, Laura Rambeau Lee has a fascinating piece on the true extent of the Green movement’s attempts to use “Occupy” to derail the Keystone XL Pipeline. The article focuses largely on the role being played by Bill McKibben, a man so revered by his fellow radicals that one described him as the “most important person in the world.” McKibben was also behind efforts to get students down to Washington, DC in order to protest against the Keystone XL Pipeline. But with news now surfacing that the Obama administration is considering suspending its decision on the pipeline until after the 2012 elections, the president has demonstrated that he is willing to sacrifice jobs and economic growth on the whims of radical environmental groups. For those who are unemployed, but with experience in the oil and natural gas sector, this would be a bitter blow—especially when the president is constantly lecturing others about impeding job creation.
The debate in the United Kingdom over shale gas is certainly one worth following. With a reported 200 trillion cubic feet of shale gas, the UK has the opportunity to not just create thousands of jobs, but maintain a steady and secure supply of energy. Supporters of shale gas received a welcome boost from Tim Yeo MP, the chairman of the House of Commons’ Energy and Climate Change Select Committee. According to the Independent, Yeo stated that “on the information available at present, there is no need to impose a moratorium” on drilling for shale gas. But with strong opposition amongst activist groups and some elected officials, this issue is certainly not going away. For expert analysis on the UK’s shale gas assets, Tim Worstall consistently provides excellent insights, whether it’s on his own blog or over at Forbes.