Greenpeace capped off a busy 2015 with its "biggest victory" of the year, Shell’s withdrawal from the Arctic. After years of campaigning, the company pulled out of controversial drilling off the coast of Alaska, in September, just six weeks after they were granted permission to do so. The company said it had failed to find sufficient signs of oil and gas, blaming the high costs associated with the project and a "challenging and unpredictable regulatory environment" for their decision.
A Greenpeace spokesperson said: "Not only is the Arctic now safe from oil spills, for the short term at least, but that decision has already had positive knock-on effects, and will continue to do so. Extreme oil, oil that’s difficult, dirty and expensive to extract, is no longer the inevitable next step for the energy economy."
Another environmental win came at the COP21 Summit, in which world leaders agreed on a global plan to limit carbon emissions. Greenpeace also gained the backing of many celebrities, including Charlotte Church and Emma Thompson, who joined protests In London against arctic plans. The recent image of a polar bear “searching for food” taken by Photographer Kerstin Langenberger also helped the cause. Langenberger linked her observations to the loss of arctic ice caused by climate warming. Greenpeace also focused its attention on the refugee crisis, the organisation involved in joint sea operations to provide assistance to boats in distress, including a mission that saved a newborn baby from drowning in the Aegean Sea.
Greenpeace UK spoke to HuffPost about the projects that made the most impact this year, and the road ahead.
Kayaktivism was definitely one of the highlights. A fleet of kayaks blocking an oilrig is a powerful image, and one that summed up the two sides in the Arctic drilling argument – local people putting their bodies, and their culture, in the way of a huge oil multinational. That wasn’t just Greenpeace activists, but then our campaigns always rely on support from the local people whose environment is threatened.
One big struggle ended. Over the last few years we’ve had an ongoing discussion with UK fishermen, getting to understand each other and see how many things we have in common. This year that has all come to fruition, and Greenpeace has been campaigning alongside small-scale, sustainable fishermen for changes, which help them and help the marine environment. After years of conflict, it’s great to be a fishermen’s friend.
We’re struggling a bit in India. The government there has taken us to court six times to try to shut us down. We’ve won every time so far, but it’s intimidating to have the state trying to shut you up, and it takes a lot of our time and effort away from the important issues we want to work on.
We’ve had a very important signal from Paris, which is very positive in that all the world’s governments have agreed we need faster and deeper CO2 cuts, but doesn’t have a mechanism to make sure that happens. We’ll be trying to act as a substitute for that mechanism.
Take a look at the most influential campaigns of the year in pictures.
Greenpeace's Most Powerful Pictures
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Greenpeace activists project "Coal is Toxic" (in German) and a skull on seven coal power plants in Germany. They protest against the high mercury emission of these plants. A second projection shows the mercury emission of the plant in 2013.The chosen power plants are the major sources of mercury in the country. In the image coal power plant
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Expedition to Pilato Lake, Sibillini Mountains, Italy. Eight Greenpeace teams went to famous remote areas on three continents to collect water and snow samples and test them for PFCs, the hazardous chemicals used to make outdoor gear waterproof. They are already found deep in the ocean, on mountain tops, and in nearly all living creatures. Once released into the environment during industrial production, PFCs persist for millions of years and future generations will continue to be exposed via contaminated water, air and food.
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Greenpeace activists project "Coal is Toxic" (in German) and a skull on seven coal power plants in Germany. They protest against the high mercury emission of these plants. A second projection shows the mercury emission of the plant in 2013.The chosen power plants are the major sources of mercury in the country. In the image coal power plant.
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Greenpeace projection during G7 summit on Alps mountains near Hotel Schloss Elmau. The text reads in French: "G7 En route pour 100% renouvelables! Greenpeace."
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The Dalai Lama meets John Sauven in the Greenpeace field at Glastonbury.
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Example of a warning message showing a polar bear losing its habitat due to the loss of arctic ice caused by climate warming. Pic: Polar bear searching for food, Spitzbergen (2015). (credit:Kerstin Langenberger)
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Lynn Buehring wears a breathing mask outside her home in Karnes County. She lives with her husband in the middle of three different hydrofracking wells that have been flaring since 2011. She is suffering from severe reactions to the chemicals and Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) gas released from the wells. Her entire life has been turned upside down. A retirement place on a quiet country road has now become a nightmare. She has to wear a respirator whenever the winds blow in her direction. She is suing Marathon Oil for relief.
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Charlotte Church performs live at Shell HQ to protest against Arctic oil drilling. The event is part of Greenpeace’s month-long run ‘Requiem for Arctic Ice’ protest, Titanic-themed orchestral performances outside Shell’s offices on the South Bank. In addition to the Requiem, Charlotte sings a version of ‘This Bitter Earth’ accompanied by a string ensemble – song originally by Max Richter and Dinah Washington.
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A coalition of councils, NGO’s and MP’s take part in a rally against Heathrow expansion. The protesters want David Cameron to keep his promise that a third runway at Heathrow will not be built. A third runway would mean another 250,000 flights a year, which means more noise for people, thousands of people facing eviction from their homes and air pollution levels hovering above the EU legal limits.
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Local villagers celebrate the Government’s decision to stop Mahan coal block from mining. Saving the forests and livelihoods of thousands was celebrated by people from 20 different villages at a rally in Amelia village, in the Mahan forest block, Singrauli region, Madhya Pradesh.
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A smooth hammerhead shark (Sphyrna zygaena) is thrown overboard from Taiwanese longliner, Sing Man Yi 6, in the Pacific Ocean. Greenpeace travels into the Pacific to expose out of control tuna fisheries. Tuna fishing has been linked to shark finning, overfishing and human rights abuses.
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Sian Berry, Green Party Mayoral candidate during the Rally against a Third Runway at Heathrow.
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Kayaks are clustered close together near the Shell drillship Polar Pioneer as activists participate in the sHell No Flotilla 'Paddle in Seattle' protest.As part of a global wave of action, 65 'Kayaktivists' in Denmark, protest against Shells' plan to drill for oil in the Arctic. The demonstration took place outside the Danish city of Fredericia, where oil from the Shell refinery has been leaking into the ground for decades with scarce attempt to clean it up. #PeopleVsShell are asking the oil company to take responsibility in Fredericia and in the Arctic.
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Greenpeace intercept and scale a coal shipment. The activists left the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise in high speed inflatables and intercepted the 155 m long bulk carrier, Alppila, upon entry to the port of Helsinki. The activists are protesting against the obsolete use of coal and calling on the city to decide on a fast phase out of coal and shift to renewable energy.
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Greenpeace activists rig ropes and set up camp underneath the main deck of the Polar Pioneer oil rig in the Pacific Ocean.Six Greenpeace climbers have intercepted the Arctic-bound Shell oil rig in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, 750 miles north-west of Hawaii and have scaled the 38,000 tonne platform.Shell intends to use the rig to drill for oil in the Chukchi Sea.
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Audrey Siegl, a Musqueam woman from British Columbia, Canada, who is also a renowned public speaker, drummer and singer, stands in a Greenpeace rhib launched from the MY Esperanza holding her arms out in front her, defiantly signalling Shell's subcontracted drilling rig, the Polar Pioneer, to stop.
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Two swimmers backed by 2 rhibs launched from the Greenpeace ship MY Esperanza jump in the Pacific Ocean in front of Shell’s subcontracted drilling rig, the Polar Pioneer, holding a floating banner that reads “People Vs Oil”. Meanwhile, the radio operator from the MY Esperanza warns the Polar Pioneer that swimmers are floating ahead of them, communicates the nature of the protest and requests that they slow down or change course.
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Indonesian police designates a crime scene: Burned peatland and forest remains, planted with oil palm seedlings, near the Nyaru Menteng Orangutan Sanctuary west of Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan. The most recent public maps, several years old, do not indicate that any oil palm concession has been granted in this area. Unless government ensures that all company land tenure is available for public scrutiny, those profiting from fires cannot be held accountable.
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Fires on peatlands area in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan province. Greenpeace urges Indonesian government to stop forests and peatlands destruction. These fires are a threat to the health of millions. Smoke from landscape fires weakens newborn babies and kills an estimated 110,000 people every year across Southeast Asia, mostly as a result of heart and lung problems.
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Orangutan on the banks of the Rungan river in Central Kalimantan province. Fires raged in critical orangutan habitat in October, including here on the edges of the Nyaru Menteng orangutan sanctuary.
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Streamers float in the wind under the St. Johns Bridge, as activists climb under the bridge in an attempt to prevent the Shell leased icebreaker, MSV Fennica from joining the rest of Shell's Arctic drilling fleet. According to the latest federal permit, the Fennica must be at Shellís drill site before Shell can reapply for federal approval to drill deep enough for oil in the Chukchi Sea.
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Emma Thompson joins Greenpeace UK Executive Director John Sauven to deliver a celebratory speech outside Shell’s London head offices the day after the Anglo-Dutch oil major announced it was pulling out of Arctic oil drilling.After speaking to the crowds, Emma helps volunteer puppeteers move Aurora, the double decker bus sized polar bear, from in front of Shell’s front door where she has been standing for the past month in protest at Shell’s Arctic oil drilling. Now Shell has announced its Arctic exit, the bear will be transported to Paris where the nations of the world will soon gather to negotiate a deal on climate change.
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Hundred Greenpeace activists demonstrate against the climate damaging coal policy of the German government. Environmental activists from Germany, Sweden and Czech Republic display a banner at the 80 metres high chimney of lignite power plant Deuben, the oldest coal fired power plant in Germany, that dates back to 1936. The coal power plant is run by MIBRAG, a daughter of the Czech EPH company. A symbolic cork is placed on the top of the chimney.
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Volunteers try to extinguish dry grass fires.Greenpeace is in an expedition in the Astrakhan Reserve to help protect this area and extinguish the fires. The spring burning of dry grass in Russia is a big problem with which forest and fire departments have been struggling unsuccessfully for years. Unlike forest fires, some of which may be due to natural causes, grass burns are manmade nearly 90 percent of the time.
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Volunteers try to extinguish dry grass fires.Greenpeace is in an expedition in the Astrakhan Reserve to help protect this area and extinguish the fires. The spring burning of dry grass in Russia is a big problem with which forest and fire departments have been struggling unsuccessfully for years. Unlike forest fires, some of which may be due to natural causes, grass burns are manmade nearly 90 percent of the time.
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The frontier at Alto Turiacu indigenous land, with deforestation taking over Maranh„o state. The Alto Turiacu indigenous land, from the Kaíapor people, spreads around 530 thousand hectares and is one of the last areas of Amazon forest in Maranh„o state. In the last 25 years, that land has been continuously trespassed by illegal loggers ñ a threat not only to the forest itself, but to the Indians, victims of life threats, attempts and murders. Tired of waiting for the Brazilian government to take action even after several reports, the Kaíapor people developed an independent project to monitor and cast out trespassers from their land. After a request for help, Greenpeace joined the Kaíapor to boost that surveillance plan with the aid of technology, like trackers and trap cams, which could be installed by the Kaíapor themselves.
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Aerial photographs show forest fires in the indigenous land (TI) Arariboia, located in Maranh„o State, home to 12,000 Guajajaras and about 80 isolated individuals of the Aw·-Guaj· people. The fire already lasts two months and is the largest ever recorded in Brazilian indigenous lands. About 45% of 413,000 hectares of land have been destroyed. The lack of an effective policy to protect indigenous lands allows illegal logging and increases the risk that fires like this can happen in other lands, since the degradation caused by illegal logging makes the forests vulnerable to fire.
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Alliance between Guajajara people from the Arariboia indigenous land and firefighters from Maranh„o state, in Brazil, tries to stop the fire on the most conserved part of the forest within the territory. About 80 Aw·-Guaj· isolated people live on the site and they are threatened by the fire, the largest ever recorded in indigenous lands in Brazil. About 45% of 413,000 hectares of land have been destroyed. The lack of an effective policy to protect indigenous lands allows illegal logging and increases the risk that fires like this can happen in other lands, since the degradation caused by illegal logging makes the forests vulnerable to fire.
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Glacier ice at Prince Christian Sound, North Atlantic Sea, Greenland
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Underwater image of a iceberg at Prince Christian Sound, North Atlantic Sea, Greenland
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Albacore tuna is stacked and weighed before being shipped to American Samoa to be used for canned tuna.Greenpeace travels into the Pacific to expose out of control tuna fisheries. Tuna fishing has been linked to shark finning, overfishing and human rights abuses.
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Iceberg floating out from glaciers on the east coast of Greenland.
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Crew of illegal fishing vessel Shuen De Ching No.888. Greenpeace is in the Pacific to expose out of control tuna fisheries. Tuna fishing has been linked to shark finning, overfishing and human rights abuses.
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Greenpeace activists prepare to board illegal fishing vessel Shuen De Ching No 888. Greenpeace is in the Pacific to expose out of control tuna fisheries. Tuna fishing has been linked to shark finning, overfishing and human rights abuses.
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Forest fires in the indigenous land (TI) Arariboia, located in Maranh„o State, home to 12,000 Guajajaras and about 80 isolated individuals of the Aw·-Guaj· people. The fire already lasts two months and is the largest ever recorded in Brazilian indigenous lands. About 45% of 413,000 hectares of land have been destroyed. The lack of an effective policy to protect indigenous lands allows illegal logging and increases the risk that fires like this can happen in other lands, since the degradation caused by illegal logging makes the forests vulnerable to fire.
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Greenpeace ship the Arctic Sunrise in an ice landscape at the southern extent of the Arctic ice pack, Greenland Sea, East Coast of Greenland.
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Calved ice from a glacier at Scoresby Sund fjord, east coast of Greenland.
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Blue iceberg in Scoresby Sund fjord, east coast of Greenland.
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Mountains and glacier at Scoresby Sund fjord, east coast of Greenland.
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Long tail monkeys rest in a tree where the air is engulfed with thick haze at a bank of Kapuas river in Kapuas district, Central Kalimantan province, Borneo island, Indonesia.
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Members of the indigenous community live at the riverbanks in Kapuas river where the air is engulfed with thick haze at Sei Ahass village, Kapuas district, Central Kalimantan province on Borneo island, Indonesia.These fires are a threat to the health of millions. Smoke from landscape fires kills an estimated 110,000 people every year across Southeast Asia, mostly as a result of heart and lung problems, and weakening newborn babies.
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Ernie (45) with her husband Pak Plus (47), indigenous people from Sei Ahass village, Kapuas district, Central Kalimantan province on Borneo island, Indonesia. They guard their rubber tree plantation all day for almost 3 months now to make sure it wonít catch fire. Rubber plantation is their only source of livelihood and they canít afford to lose it.
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Members of the local community help extinguish the fire of burning peatland in Kapuas district, Central Kalimantan province on Borneo island, Indonesia.
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Greenpeace activists, GEO journalists and students from the Henri-Nannen School climb on the "Lummelfelsen" in Heligoland to remove birds nests partly made from plastic waste. Every year birds, such as gannets and guillemots, die by hanging themselves in plastic strips (Dolly Ropes) used to build the nests.10 Dec, 2015
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Action at Agios Dimitrios Power Station in GreeceGreenpeace activists climb the cooling tower of the largest and dirtiest lignite power station in Greece. Their aim is to send a strong message to the Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, for the need to step up in the COP21 climate negotiations currently undergoing in Paris and transition the country to 0% dirty fossil fuels and 100% renewables. The Greek government needs to combine climate policy and socially equitable development. This can take place through investing in Greece's greatest asset, the sun.9 Dec, 2015© Will Rose / Greenpeace
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A large scale visual message made by hundreds of people promoting a 100% renewable energy and peace during the COP21 climate summit. The event was created in Paris by the international artist John Quigley.6 Dec, 2015© Yann Arthus-Bertrand / Spectral Q
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GP0STPHRXCOP21: Arc de Triomphe Sun Action in ParisAs the Paris climate conference enters the closing stretch, Greenpeace activists create a solar symbol around the world-famous Paris landmark, the Arc de Triomphe, by painting the roads yellow to reveal the image of a huge shining sun.The eco-paint is non-polluting water-based and will last for the rest of the conference. It will be visible from the air when politicians fly out of Paris this weekend, reminding them that whatever they agree here, the only credible way to beat climate change is to replace fossil fuels with the high-technology renewables systems being rolled out across the world.11 Dec, 2015
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Boat Capsizes off the Coast of LesbosMedecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) and Greenpeace boat crews responded to an emergency on December 16 as a wooden refugee boat capsized about mile and a half off the coast of Lesbos. On arrival to the scene all refugees were in the water and a major rescue operation involving Greenpeace, MSF, Frontex, Sea Watch and Proactiva ensued. A total of 83 people were rescued, while two people drowned - an 80-year-old man and nine-month old girl.16 Dec, 2015© Will Rose / MSF / Greenpeace
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Open pit mining for lignite in the area Garzweiler II .
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Government helicopter further assess and document the oil spill caused by the sinking of the illegal fishing ship,
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Expedition to Macun Lakes, Switzerland. Eight Greenpeace teams went to famous remote areas on three continents to collect water and snow samples and test them for PFCs, the hazardous chemicals used to make outdoor gear waterproof. They are already found deep in the ocean, on mountain tops, and in nearly all living creatures. Once released into the environment during industrial production, PFCs persist for millions of years and future generations will continue to be exposed via contaminated water, air and food.
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The 2015 Icelandic whaling season has begun. Hvalur 9 is seen bringing in the first Fin whale kill of the season. The dead whale is transferred from boat to land where it is flensed for it's meat and blubber.
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Zac Romagnoli-Townsend and Paddy Colwell dive Hook Island on the Great Barrier Reef as part of the CourageWorks campaign. First time diver Zac joined Paddy to look at both healthy reef and coral damage from a cyclone
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Greenpeace activists from Greece, Italy and Spain spread a 600sqm arrow banner pointing at a Greek oil-fired power plant under construction in the island of Rhodes, to reveal one of the most unacknowledged causes of the Greek crisis; the countryís dependence on imported fossil fuels.
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My Esperanza as it travelled up the famous Inside Passage of British-Columbia, connecting peoples and movements of resistance as well as showing the wildlife at risk of an oil spill.MY Esperanza under a star-filled sky.
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Children enjoy playing without wearing any protection at the playground while the air is engulfed with thick haze from the forest fires at Sei Ahass village, Kapuas district in Central Kalimantan province on Borneo island, Indonesia.These fires are a threat to the health of millions. Smoke from landscape fires kills an estimated 110,000 people every year across Southeast Asia, mostly as a result of heart and lung problems, and weakening newborn babies.
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Kapuas river where the air is engulfed with thick haze in Kapuas district, Central Kalimantan province on Borneo island, Indonesia.Forest fires are a threat to the health of millions. Smoke from landscape fires kills an estimated 110,000 people every year across Southeast Asia, mostly as a result of heart and lung problems, and weakening newborn babies.
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Drone image of the district of Paracatu de Baixo, in Mariana, Minas Gerais state. Paracatu de Baixo was the second most affected district, right after Bento Rodrigues, and is isolated by the civil defense. On November 5th, a dam containing mineral waste from the Samarco mining company (controlled by Vale and British-Australian BHP) collapsed, flooding the region with toxic mud.
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Demonstrators at the Great Wall in China call for climate action and energy from 100% renewable sources ahead of crunch climate talks in Paris.
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Around 15,000 Filipino marchers set out a call for climate justice on behalf of vulnerable nations like the Philippines, and demand a strong, fair and ambitious global climate agreement ahead of the international UN climate talks that will start on November 30.
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On Saturday 28th November, the tanker “Nadezhda” containing hundreds of tons of oil, ran aground near the town of Nevelsk, on Sakhalin Island in Russia's Far East. Greenpeace experts went to examine the area and found the coastline covered by oil and a stock of gannets also completely oiled. The bird rescue operations started too late.
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A Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) nurse holds a 2 month old baby who has just been rescued while a MSF cultural mediator explains to the uncle of the baby that they will be reunited with the family at Molyvos Port.Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) and Greenpeace conduct joint sea operations to provide assistance at sea to boats in distress off the coast of Lesbos island in Greece, in coordination with and in support of the Greek Coast Guard. Two Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs) are deployed. One leads the operation while the other acts as a support unit.
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Around 7000 people representing Greenpeace and other environmental and human rights organizations, youth groups and numerous other concerned citizens join the Global Climate March in Amsterdam on the day before the Paris talks begin. They set out a call for climate justice and demand a strong, fair and ambitious global climate agreement ahead of the international UN climate talks that will start on Monday, November 30. Host for the day is Dolf Jansen, a well-known Dutch performer and presenter. Global Climate March consists of 60 other major marches, plus more than 2,300 events, in over 150 countries on the eve of the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).