Show
Date: April 5, 2006
Pam Eastlick for THE DEEP on line
WHAT’S UP
WITH GREENPEACE?
Welcome to The Deep science
and technology column where we cover topics from the deep sea
to deep space and beyond. Join us each week on Newstalk K57
on Wednesday night from 7 to 8 p.m. for exciting live science
expeditions or listen live on our web site www.thedeepradioshow.com
Love them or hate them, you have to admit that
the non-profit organization Greenpeace has been at the forefront
of most ecological battles for over thirty years. From opposing
whaling to and aboveground and underground nuclear testing to
campaigning against forest clear cutting, Greenpeace has lived
up to its name; to keep the world green through peaceful means.
The major campaigns in the early years were against
whaling and nuclear testing, but the organization has taken
on other giants through the years and made a lot of enemies.
We all remember when the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior was
sunk by agents of the French government in Auckland, New Zealand
in 1981.
Greenpeace continues to fight for ecological
concerns. We talked on The Deep last month about the Greenpeace
attempts to stop Japanese whaling in southern Pacific waters
by placing their boats between the whalers and their prey.
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Another recent campaign is
an attempt to stop unlicensed fishing off the coasts of
the world’s poorest countries. The Greenpeace ocean
team has been working in West African waters to unmask
a trail of pirate fishing that leads from Africa to markets
in Europe. They found over 60 pirate vessels stealing
fish from the waters of Guinea.
And the problem isn’t just off Africa. Three foreign
boat captains were recently fined for illegally fishing
off Clipperton Island in French Polynesia and a Fiji-based
company, was fined $30,000 for allowing a foreign vessel
to illegally fish in Fiji waters.
|
| A Chinese fishing vessel observed by Greenpeace
engaged in fish piracy off the coast of Guinea in West Africa. |
The Greenpeace organization has recently called
on Pacific island countries to close their ports to pirate fishing
boats, deny pirates access to overseas markets and prosecute
companies involved in pirate fishing. Do these pirate ships
use the ports of Guam and the CNMI? We’ll talk about that
Wednesday night on The Deep.
Unfortunately, Greenpeace may be paying for stepping
on some big and important toes. Last September, GreenpeaceUSA
welcomed a new addition to their national headquarters in Washington,
D.C. - an IRS auditor. After a three month-long investigation,
they passed the audit and maintained their tax-exempt status.
However, the real story may be in what prompted the audit -
a recommendation from Public Interest Watch (PIW) - a self-proclaimed
"watchdog of non-profit groups" funded by none other
than ExxonMobil.
According to PIW's most recent tax filing from
2003, $120,000 of the $124,094 the group received in contributions
during that period came from ExxonMobil. That's not even a drop
in the bucket when it comes to Exxon's profits. Last year, the
oil giant announced record-breaking profits of $36 billion.
Despite earning the biggest profits ever in the
history of the world, Exxon can't seem to find the $4.5 billion
it owes to the victims of the Valdez oil spill. The 17th anniversary
of the disaster was last month and 30,000 Alaskans are still
waiting to be compensated for their financial losses and damage
to their health. Sadly, 3,000 of the plaintiffs have passed
away without receiving a dime from Exxon as it keeps dragging
its feet in court.
Join us this week on The Deep as we talk about
Greenpeace and the issues dear to the heart of the world’s
premier ecological organization. The Deep is broadcast on Newstalk
K57 every Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. You can also listen live
from our web site www.thedeepradioshow.com. Join Jim Sullivan,
Pam Eastlick, and Peter Melyan on the deepest radio show on
Earth.
A Chinese fishing vessel observed by Greenpeace engaged in fish
piracy off the coast of Guinea in West Africa.
