CHANGE IN GREENPEACE’S POLITICAL TACTICS

Greenpeace purports to be a believer in using peaceful action to influence political and public opinion, but it looks as though that claim may be shown to have little substance. This is mainly because of the fact that since the revelations of Climategate and the subsequent and incessant IPCC-gates people around the globe are starting to realise just how much of a confidence trick the UN and its supporters are trying to pull with the claim than humans are causing catastrophic global climate change through using fossil fuels. Greenpeace fanatics are becoming more and more frustrated, with the threat of punitive action being taken against those of us who dare to reject their doctrine.

There has been a lot of Internet reaction recently about a two-part article on the Greenpeace blog “Will the real ClimateGate please stand up?” (Notes 1 & 2) by Gene Hashmi from (Note 3) QUOTE: .. Bio Sandalista. Climber. Bluesman. Writer. Hippie Ninja. Father. Sometimes all at once UNQUOTE. In Part 2 of the article Gene concludes QUOTE: We know who you are. We know where you live. We know where you work. And we be many, but you be few. UNQUOTE and this has been highlighted by sceptics and used to suggest that Greenpeace is encouraging law-breaking (even terrorist activities). An insert to that article says QUOTE: Gene's blog entry is about encouraging PEACEFUL civil disobedience - the kind of peaceful methods that liberated Gene's country (India) from imperialism. Peaceful direct action is part of our core values. Hear Gene talk about his own activism... FYI - Press release about the 2007 protest is here. -- Andrew (Greenpeace web producer) UNQUOTE

I have taken a deeper look into this and conclude that Andrew, recognising the bad press that was bound to follow the article, is simply trying to divert attention from those final paragraphs. These start with QUOTE: Emerging battle-bruised from the disaster zone of Copenhagen, but ever-hopeful, a rider on horseback brought news of darkness and light: "The politicians have failed. Now it's up to us. We must break the law to make the laws we need: laws that are supposed to protect society, and protect our future. Until our laws do that, screw being climate lobbyists. Screw being climate activists. It's not working. We need an army of climate outlaws." .. UNQUOTE. If it wasn’t for that starting quote about “an army of climate outlaws” then the closing “We know who you are. We know where you live. We know where you work. And we be many, but you be few.” would not be so ominous. Although “a rider on horseback” provides a link in to Greenpeace International’s Brian Fitzgerald, I cannot find anything to confirm that Fitzgerald made that comment (can anyone help on that?).

My initial read of Gene’s article led me to believe that too much was being read into it and Gene was simply a misguided but peaceful environmentalist who has convinced himself that humans are causing significant global climate change through using fossil fuels. He is so convinced of this that he was prepared to go to jail for his cause. OK, he may have broken some Indian law when climbing a 260ft chimney at a coal-fired power station but I don’t recognise this as a serious terrorist threat. Looking more closely into it, I have changed my mind and recognise Gene’s comments as being a genuine threat of violence. It may well be a threat that he would not actually act upon but it is a clear threat and an encouragement to others to act, which Greenpeace should not be defending but should instead be rejecting out-of hand.

In the video (Note 2) there are comments by Gene and five other Indians who did the same 260ft tower climbing stunt.. It is noticeable that all of them are relative youngsters who can have no real personal experience of climate change. They may well have experienced changing weather conditions year-on-year but no more than that. None of them claim to be scientists, so can only have arrived at their opinions on claimed human-made climate change because they have accepted what they have been told by other environmental activists. This doesn’t make them bad people, only misguided. It would be wrong to brand them as being vicious law-breakers because of it.

The actions of these six environmentalist was trivial and endangered only themselves. Other actions by Greenpeace are far more sinister, one of which is their attempt to whitewash Gene’s article and another is their policy of refusing to debate the scientific uncertainties which form the fragile foundation of their faith.

NOTES:
1) see http://weblog.greenpeace.org/climate/2010/03/will_the_real_climategate_plea.html - Part 1
2) see http://weblog.greenpeace.org/climate/2010/04/will_the_real_climategate_plea_1.html - Part 2
3) see http://twitter.com/genehashmi

Best regards,