Hope in Action

In 1971, a group of biologists, lawyers and reporters set sail in a fishing boat to protest US nuclear weapons testing off Alaska. A year later, the US announced it would halt all further tests. Over the years, environmentalists around the world have joined hands to build today’s Greenpeace.

If there’s a consistent theme in the history of Greenpeace, it is that we continue to put the natural world, and the people who depend on it, first.

YOU are definitely at the core and our constant source of inspiration. Let’s take a look back at what positive changes we have made together.

© Chihiro Hashimoto / Greenpeace © Paul Langrock / Greenpeace Climate change is now undeniable

Your voice has helped us push more than 135 countries and regions to adopt carbon neutral goals. Greenpeace East Asia’s climate initiative has been working to get private banks, policy banks and insurance firms to stop funding the coal industry and to speed up the global phase-out of fossil fuels. In 2021, China, Japan and Korea finally pledged to stop funding overseas coal projects.

© Monica Løvdahl / Greenpeace

Shifting power: Our choices matter

Greenpeace activism has moved into gathering voices from all walks of life to help change corporate behaviour. Now, top firms, like Coca-Cola and FamilyMart, are responding by introducing detailed plastics reduction plans. This March, the UN opened talks for a legallybinding Global Plastics Treaty to address the entire lifecycle of plastic pollution.

© Greenpeace / Patrick Cho Protecting nature protects those at risk

Hong Kong / Brownfields: In this picture, our campaigner Chan Hall Sion is holding e-waste from the 8-m high pile behind her. Media widely reported how we tracked down 70 similar sites across Hong Kong to lobby for clean-up and construction on brownfield sites, not Lantau Tomorrow Vision. The climate crisis threatens human health and exacerbates social injustice. Greenpeace is using its international influence to spotlight the fate of vulnerable groups, such as people living on low-lying islands, arguing a stable climate, clean air and water are basic human rights. Protecting the environment means we must also speak up for the voiceless.

© Tommy Trenchard / Greenpeace

Environmental activism at a whole new level

Technology has powered bottom-up environmental movements. We are now seeing many more diverse strategies, such as Fridays for Future and climate lawsuits. Greenpeace has also been joining forces with other environmental groups to make an even bigger impact. In 2021, for the first time, a Dutch court ordered oil giant Shell to accept responsibility for playing a part in the climate crisis ‒ a real milestone in our climate campaign! Our 100% independence means we get things done

Greenpeace has never accepted funds from corporate or political bodies ‒ something very unusual for a non-profit of our size. This ensures our work is never compromised, we can always be 100% impartial. That’s how we got a 16-year ban on commercial fishing in the ecologically-rich waters of the central Arctic Ocean; the maker of the famous waterproofed fabric GORE-TEX® to announce a complete phase-out of harmful PFCs; and the Forest Stewardship Council to cut ties with palm oil giant Korindo for breaching its rules.

Last year was Greenpeace’s 50th anniversary In that half-century, we campaigned on a wide variety of environmental issues – from fossil fuels to nuclear energy, plastics to biodiversity, and the Arctic to the Antarctic. We spoke up for peace and the planet, demanding policy changes. We staged bold and creative actions in public spaces to get our messages across. We talked to countless individuals and persuaded them to join us in protecting the environment. As Chair of the Board, I take considerable pride in all the work that Greenpeace East Asia has accomplished in making our planet Earth a greener and more peaceful home for all its inhabitants – human or not.

A great deal happened in those 50 years Greenpeace began as a small group of committed and concerned individuals who had one goal – to stop a nuclear weapons test in Amchitka, Alaska. Today, it has become an impactful international organisation with thousands of staff members and millions of supporters worldwide.

And a lot more will happen in the next 50 years Witnessing how as an organisation we have matured and expanded, I have great hope for what we can achieve together in the next half century. We are campaigning to push governments to prioritise environmental policies that protect our climate, our seas, our forests and our planet for the next generations. Like you, I want my children and my grandchildren to be able to live in a pollution-free world. Sometimes I also imagine a world where there is no need for Greenpeace. A world where everyone is committed to protecting the environment and upholding peace. But until then, in a world that still needs Greenpeace, my fellow Board Members and I are continuing to oversee Greenpeace East Asia’s strategic priorities, ensure the organisation upholds transparency, and that all the work we do is in line with our environmental vision and mission. Now more than ever, we are inspired to be working with you to continue striving for a brighter, cleaner and safer future for us all.

Mr. Santosh Pai Lawyer, Board Chair, Greenpeace East Asia

We are witnessing increasingly more devastating extreme climate events in East Asia and in other parts of the world. I still remember China’s Henan floods of 2021, and see the extreme heat waves happening in Hong Kong, the US and Europe now. We used to think the climate crisis was something that would happen in the future, but it is happening right now.

However, we are also witnessing a growing global awareness and sense of urgency. The United Nations climate conference in Glasgow last year attracted significant public and media attention. China, Korea and Japan have committed to reach carbon neutrality – that is net zero carbon emissions through cutting emissions and / or absorbing them – and industries too are really beginning to make changes. Tackling the climate crisis seems like a colossal task at times, but I trust, like me, you feel that there are many reasons for hope.

Climate and environmental issues now top societal concerns and in some cases the political agenda too. According to the prestigious Global Risks Report 2022, respondents from risk experts and leaders in business, government, and civil society listed “climate action failure”, “extreme weather”, and “biodiversity loss” in their top five global threats for the next 10 years.

It is no exaggeration to say we are at a moment of great historical importance. On the one hand, our efforts in the next 10 years will determine if we can avoid climate disaster; while on the other, the momentum for positive action has never been greater. Much of this is driven by people like you who love our planet. It is against this background that the Greenpeace office in Japan and Greenpeace East Asia decided to join hands together last year. East Asia had a combined GDP of US$20 trillion in 2020, representing almost 25% of the global total. The two offices in this critical region are sharing resources and working much more closely together, so we can aim higher and accelerate change at this crucial time.

We are excited about the integration of the two offices, and ready for the challenges. As supporters of Greenpeace East Asia, you are now part of a bigger movement to strive for a better future. We are counting on your continued support in the journey ahead.

Sze Pang Cheung Executive Director, Greenpeace East Asia