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Volume 3, Issue 3, 1st Oct 07

THE WITNESS3.07GREENPEACE

1EDITORIAL

G Ananthapadmanabhan

Executive DirectorGreenpeace India

If you simply looked around you, youd come away shaking your head in disgust.

The whole world has come to an energy cross-roads, defined by the looming threat of climate change, and political tensions over the control of oil reserves.

In response, a growing band of governments and politicians are talking about a nuclear renaissance to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases. They are, in other words, using the Trojan horse of climate change to push through a dangerous and antiquated agenda: nuclear power.

When people in power start stealing the language of change to disguise business-as-usual, its time for ordinary people to reclaim that power.

We can do something about global warming. If we all act together it will be possible to keep global temperatures down. Acting together would mean using what energy we have more efficiently, and investing in renewable energy nuclear power isnt it to provide for our current and future needs.

Greenpeace is working on this. Weve been fighting climate change for two decades. Our scientists were among the first to recognise climate change as a clear and present danger. We worked with the UN to build the Kyoto Protocol. We pressurised governments across the world to ratify the treaty. And more than just point at problems, we provide simple and workable solutions to help address them.

Six years to the date Greenpeace started its urgentand necessary work in India, were throwing ourselvesinto the battle against climate change, and winning. Were backed today by a growing community of supporters. Thats 42,000 people just like you.

I thank every one of you for joining Greenpeace in what is clearly the biggest, most important fight before us.

2CONTENTS

04 Nobody gets in. Nobody leaves.09 Banking on Congos destruction.14 How far will you go to save the climate?15 Interact!16 This will be gone in three months...17 76 words about Greenpeace18 Stay in touch

Inside book reveals Indian IT industrys dirty secrets.

The fight against fossil fools.

TATA: a four-letter word for the turtles?

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Somethings burning in the kitchen

3TRANSGENICS

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SOmETHINGS BURNING IN THE KITCHEN.

Gm forces evolution to take place in one generation rather than hundreds. Samuel Epstein

We simply cannot

predict

the ecological effects of genetic modification.

For centuries, the human race has grown vegetables not in the freedom of the wilderness, but behind farmland fences. We sprayed and suffocated them with chemicals, greedy for more and more yield. We cut, sliced and scraped, squeezed and mashed them without mercy. The veggies suffered it all in silence.

But now we wont even let them be themselves. Were playing around with their genes, injecting them with genetic matter from cows, scorpions and bacteria.

Faced with a horrible future as mutants, and prompted by the imminent decision of the government to approve large-scale field trials of GE (Genetically Engineered) crops, scores of tomatoes, corn, potatoes, brinjals, and okra committed mass suicide in Bangalore. This was followed by a funeral, the mortal remains of a corn carried by hearse from the mahatma Gandhi statue to Spencers supermarket. The cortege included the late corns next of kin.

Despite this, and a series of creative direct actions by Greenpeace, the government went ahead a month later and approved large-scale open-air field trials of GE crops.

Hardly surprising. After all, when tens of thousands of farmer suicides havent alerted our government to the full-blown crisis in Indian agriculture, whats a few rotten vegetables?

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4TRANSGENICS

Bralia Island in Romania used to be a sleepy village on the Danube river. But today it is the site of ghastly environmental crime involving illegal GE soya, thanks to monsanto.

Fearing widespread contamination of conventional food crops, over 30 Greenpeace activists placed the entire island under strict quarantine. A decontamination station was set up to wash all vehicles thoroughly before letting them through.

meanwhile, over 20 Greenpeace activists in France painted a field of illegally-grown GE corn bright red in order to expose its location. Once again, a monsanto field.

Citizens across Europe have already rejected GE crops,and its illegal for member states of the EU to cultivateGE crops. If, despite this, the Romanian and French governments are allowing the likes of monsanto to run riot over the environment, ignore the wishes of European people, and contaminating their food andtheir fields, then the situation is clearly out of control.

If governments from Europe to India dont immediately locate and destroy all GE crops before they enter our food chain, who will? Thatd have to be the two of us.

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Gm forces evolution to take place in one generation rather than hundreds.

NOBODy GETS IN. NOBODy LEAvES.

the ecological effects of genetic modification.

5TOxICS

The cadmium contained in a single mobile phone batterycan contaminate about 60,000 litres of water.

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Ever heard of the Guide to Green Electronics? Neither had the Indian electronics industry, until it got smacked over the head with one.

Researched, compiled and published by Greenpeace, this guide ranks computer manufacturers on their green performance, and presents a snapshot of company policy on harmful substances and e-waste.

The Indian edition of the guide shows that most Indian companies are yet to be at par with global brands. While Wipro tops Indian companies with a score of 5.3 out of 10, market leader HCL is trailing in its commitment to become greener. PCS and Zenith failed to score any points at all and are placed way down at the bottom.

Under fierce pressure from Greenpeace, most globalcompanies are now working to launch toxic-free products. Were horrified to find, however, that despite their global pretensions most Indian companies lag far behind their international counterparts.

INSIDE BOOK REvEALS INDIAN IT INDUSTRyS DIRTy SECRETS.

6TOxICS

The cadmium contained in a single mobile phone battery

And what is the outcome of lagging behind? Chew on this: the amount of e-waste generated in India would increase 11-fold from the current 146,000 tonnes per annum to 1.6 million tonnes by 2012.

Due to the presence of harmful chemicals in computers and electronic products, this growth is confronting India with an environmental and public-health nightmare. Greenpeace has, in fact, discovered scientific evidence of widespread worker and community exposure to toxic chemicals from e-waste.

Armed with this evidence, and soon after the launch of the Guide to Green Electronics, Greenpeace activists knocked on the door of the ministry of Information Technology, presenting it with a giant art installation of the globe in the clutches of hazardous e-waste a reminder of the enormity of the e-waste challenge.

Our demand was simple: pass a law that makes brand owners responsible for the entire life-cycle of their products.

Barely had the dust settled at the ministry gates, that Greenpeace turned its unflinching glare at HCL. Activists paid a visit to the companys headquarters in Noida, demanding that HCL make clear and binding commitments to green its operations. Unfurling a banner that read Hazardous Chemicals unLimited, Greenpeace activists occupied the roof of the security facility and refused to move until the company accepted its demands.

By confronting the ministry of IT and HCL, Greenpeace is issuing a warning to all other Indian and global electronics companies on their practices in India end the use of hazardous chemicals and accept responsibility for end-of-life products, or face public ignominy.

7OCEANS

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as the weight of fish caught.

TATA: A FOUR-LETTER WORD FOR THE TURTLES?

Each year, three times as much rubbish is dumped into the worlds oceans

No matter where you look or what you choose to do, chances are youve been involved with the Tata name. Its respected, its reliable, its Indian, and it appears to do a lot for the nation that did a lot for it.

But this is what its come down to now.

Tatas proposed port in Dhamra, Orissa, is less than 15 kilometres from the worlds largest mass nesting site for the highly-endangered Olive Ridley Turtle, where up to 500,000 turtles have been known to nest in a single year. The Tatas have always maintained that turtles are not found near the port site, and if evidence of their presence was recorded, they would reconsider the port.

As it turns out, an independent, scientific and authoritative study has unambiguously established the presence of turtles near the proposed port.

moved to action by this report, Greenpeace engaged in a series of confrontations with the Tatas over the past months.

Four Ninja Turtles appeared at the Tata AIG Life Insurance of