Imagine this…

“Super Typhoon Haiyan is moving over the Philippines this weekend bringing with it winds close to 200 miles per hour…” – ABC World News

An elderly couple walk past rubble left by the damage caused by Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban City. 

November 7, 2013, just like any other day, I wake up to the music of the Beatles playing on the stereo. My 60-year-old parents are avid fans, especially my mom, Thelma. I go out of my room to the dining table and find my father, Cesar, taking a sip of his morning coffee as he discusses current events with my elder brother, Julius. Being lawyers, their discussion eventually turns into a debate, and the only person who can pacify the situation is my nephew, Tarin who is calmly eating his breakfast - eggs, banana and sweet potato dipped in peanut butter - specially prepared by his dad: my eldest brother, Jonas.

I go to the kitchen and find my mom cooking champorado (rice mixed with cocoa) while dancing to the music of the Beatles. She glances at me with her wonderful smile and says, “Good morning baby!” Yes, at 22-years-old I am still her baby. I embrace her from behind and dance with her, as my sister-in-law, Geo, feeds me French toast that she’s prepared. It was a typical, happy Thursday morning for our family.

Exterior of the Tacloban Provincial Capitol building after Typhoon Haiyan hit on the 8th November.

Two days later, I am awakened by the strange howling of dogs. Eventually, the howling stops and my surroundings are filled with a deafening silence. I stand up; it is dark, cold and gloomy. No breakfast prepared on the table. No more Tatay (father) and Nanay (mother), no more Kuya Tata (older brother) and Ate Geo (older sister), no more Tarin. It is just me and my elder brother, Julius. All of a sudden the horrifying scenes of November 8, 2013, flashback.

When the wind and rain had stopped, when the surge had receded, when the typhoon had died down and left Leyte in catastrophic ruins, everyone thought the storm was over. Little did we know that the real storm - the struggle for those who were left behind - was just about to begin.

Police authorities distribute water in Tacloban City, Philippines. 

As my brother and I walked the streets of Tacloban, I looked at the city’s mountain range. I was surprised to see that the abundant greenery was now brown and dull; not a single tree survived the storm. Half the roads were blocked with piles of debris, the stench of death filled the humid Tacloban air, cadavers of humans and animals surrounded the city, and people looking like zombies were all over the streets walking with no clear direction. It was as if a sheet of cloth was forcibly pulled from underneath us and left the whole of Leyte Province devastated. All I wanted was to go home. All I wanted was to feel the comfort and security of my family. But where do you go when your home has been washed away? What do you do when your strongest support system - your family, whom you loved the most - is gone? Who do you hold on to? How do you move forward when the future seems to be a blur?

The authorities collect dead bodies, victims of the typhoon, near the Tacloban City Hall.

Three years. How long does it take for someone to move on from a tragic experience? I find myself often apologizing to people whenever I’m about to breakdown and cry, because I feel that after three years I should have moved on by now. But the truth is, I haven’t. How can I even start over when the last memory I have of my father was seeing him struggling to surface the water, gasping for air, as he was being swallowed under the deluge of Haiyan? How can I even sleep at night when the only thing I can think about is my mom, drowning in the floods because her own daughter failed to save her? How can I go on with my life when I promised my brother and his wife that I will do everything to find their son, but failed? How can I manage to let go of the memories when the idea of my nephew navigating the world without us, if he is still alive, breaks my heart? How can I even have the strength to wake up in the morning knowing that my family will never be complete again?

They say time heals. Well, maybe it applies to other people, but definitely not to me. As years pass, the reality of living without the people you love the most sinks in even more. I thought I could get used to reading the names of my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew on paper intended for a mass offering for the dead. I thought I could get used to hearing their names during novena prayers for the dead. I thought I could get used to seeing their names engraved on a tombstone. I thought heartache fades through time, but it doesn’t.

On the eve of the Super Typhoon Haiyan's 3rd year anniversary, people from Tacloban light a candle that spells out "Climate Justice" to commemorate the devastating landfall three years ago. 

Since 2013, November has been a depressing month for all of us here in Leyte. Although we try to make it a solemn celebration of life and a humbling tribute to the world, concealed emotions of grief are dredged up as posters and video ads circulate all throughout the province announcing the commemoration of Haiyan’s anniversary. Memories of the super typhoon’s ferocious winds, cruel waves, and vicious rain come to mind...not that it has ever left. These days, the memories just become more vivid. I cannot help but look back on my life and think about how different things were back then. It has been three years since I was left with no choice but to let go of my mom’s lifeless body so I may live. Sometimes, I still ask myself if I had made the right decision or if it would have been better for me if I had just let myself drown, because living without my family just didn’t make sense. It’s always difficult to be the one left behind, you have to deal with all the questions, the grief, the pain, the regrets. You have to deal with the reality that no matter what you do, things will never be the same.

A year after the onslaught of Haiyan, Leyte was anticipating the landfall of Hagupit - another super typhoon. I can not articulate how exhausting it is to feel so helpless as I waited for the damage it would bring to my city. Then, I thought, is this it? Is this all we can do? To wait for another super typhoon to happen? Are we just going to record the casualties? The injured? The missing? Are we just going to wait for relief and aid from foreign countries every time we are met with catastrophes? Are we just going to rebuild and rehabilitate every time super typhoons such as Haiyan wreck our homes, buildings and livelihood?

I am done waiting. I do not want to see my whole world fall apart right before my eyes once again. And I could never bring myself to think about my children, and my children’s children bear the agony and trauma of what my family experienced. Homes, buildings, and livelihoods can always be rebuilt, but no amount of money can ever bring back the thousands of lives lost and the emotional turmoil caused by these dreaded calamities. We have already survived the worst, it is time we do more than just adapt and endure. Haiyan may have changed our lives, transformed our principles and altered our priorities, but we needed that change. Just like a caterpillar breaking out from its chrysalis, it endures the painful process to become a butterfly and achieve its beauty. We have to know that embracing our own metamorphosis can be extreme, but definitely worth the pain.

Tacloban City residents wait at the airport as they try to get a seat on outgoing C130 planes bound to Manila. Supplies have been scarce particularly water for the last four days and many are wanting to leave the city. 

It took three extreme, furious waves and raging winds to annihilate our homeland. It took more than 10,000 lives lost and over 14 million people displaced for the whole world to finally be able to put a human face on the climate crisis. For the longest time, climate change issues have always been about theoretical studies and scientific researches. But when Haiyan spread its fury and we were stripped of all that we had and everything that we were, it made us realize that the long-standing issue of climate change poses a major threat and has a price to pay, and it is not a small one. Haiyan is an example of what's to come. Climate change is not just statistics and numbers; it is already about us, the people.

The climate crisis is as real as a father who has worked all his life to provide for his family, only to wake up one day and realize his livelihood has been torn apart. It is as real as a mother bearing the agony of looking for her missing husband all day, and sleeping beside the dead bodies of her children at night. It is as real as a child who is looking forward to an education only to find out his school is damaged and he can not study anymore. The climate crisis is as real as the thousands of families who lost their homes and livelihood -- who until today are living in makeshift homes, struggling to make ends meet, with little to no food and clean water. It is as real as the thousands of victims who perished -- the accounted and the unaccounted. It is as real as the thousands of survivors who lost their families -- and with them, their dreams and ambitions. The climate crisis is as real as the Filipino who has been adapting to its effects all his life, but is now taking a stand to intervene and fight for his basic human right to a safe, clean, and healthy environment; the right to have a peaceful and quality life, with no fear or worry about the future adverse impacts of climate change.

On the eve of the typhoon haiyan third year anniversary, people from Tacloban light a candle that spells out "Climate Justice"

Haiyan was apocalyptic. It was the strongest typhoon ever recorded in history. Nevertheless, we Filipinos, known for our courage and resilience, were able to rise. Of course, with the whole world coming to our rescue and the adaptive nature embedded in the Filipino culture, we were able to push ourselves forward despite unprecedented circumstances. However, now the real question is: are we still going to wait for another Haiyan before we take action? I want people to be aware of the things happening on our side of the world and that the decisions we make today will also affect the choices of future generations. We only have one planet, one home; let us not take it for granted.

It is high time that we Filipinos be known not only for being victims of tragedies. We should prove to the world -- and more importantly to ourselves -- that although we were left with nothing but the trauma of wrecked homes, shattered livelihoods and death, our story does not end there. Every cut and dent signifies our struggle, every bruise and scar marks how we are reborn. The storm may have given us an inconceivable heartbreak, but it has refined us and it has given us the resiliency to continue our life’s story and make it a triumphant one.

Joanna Sustento, far left

Joanna Sustento, is at the forefront of Taclobanons trying to make sense of the Typhoon Haiyan tragedy and lending their voices to the call for climate justice. In 2013 she and her brother Julius lost their immediate family to the storm.

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The Paris agreement has catapulted us all into a new reality. Governments have signed it, now they must act on it. And meanwhile, a global movement of people against fossil fuels is moving ahead - and you can be a part of it. We are the generation that ends fossil fuels!

Here are four ways people just like you are leading the charge towards a safer, greener and more peaceful future.

1. Typhoon survivors take on world’s biggest polluters

Typhoon survivors, advocates and NGOs (including Greenpeace Southeast Asia) in the Philippines made history last year when they lodged a legal complaint with the country’s Human Rights Commission (CHR). This triggered an investigation into the world’s biggest polluters’ failure to reduce carbon emissions and responsibility for increasing the risk of climate impacts and extreme weather events, such as super typhoon Haiyan, which killed thousands of people in the Philippines when it struck three years ago, on 8 November 2013.

Join the fight for climate justice here.

2. Young people sue Norwegian government over Arctic oil drilling

A girl points at an oil rig in an illustration for The People vs Arctic Oil

Greenpeace Nordic and Natur og Ungdom filed a lawsuit against the Norwegian government because new oil and gas drilling licenses in the Arctic contravene the Paris Agreement and violate the Norwegian constitutional right to a healthy environment for current and future generations.

The movement, featured on the website of the current Leonardo DiCaprio climate change film ‘Before the Flood’, has received pledges of solidarity everywhere and amassed over 90,000 signatures. 

Add yours here - the names of everyone who signs the petition will be submitted in court as evidence of the growing movement against Arctic oil.

3. Senior women’s lawsuit against the Swiss government for climate inaction

A group portrait of KlimaSeniorinnen (Senior Women for Climate Protection)

Just weeks ago in Switzerland, 459 women aged 65 and over launched a legal challenge to force the national government to take stronger action on climate change, as the wave of peoples’ demands for climate justice continues to roll around the world.

The KlimaSeniorinnen (Association of Senior Women for Climate Protection) complaint will proceed to court if the Swiss government fails to comply with the grandmothers’ demands.

Check out a video of the Swiss grannies’ awesome work here and support them here!

4. Indigenous Peoples fighting to uphold their rights at the Supreme Court of Canada

Elders, staff and local residents at Ilisaksivik community centre, in Clyde River, with Greenpeace guests.

In the Canadian Arctic, the stakes are high. In Kangiqtugaapik (Clyde River), in the far northern territory of Nunavut, Indigenous Peoples are taking a stand against the damaging practice of seismic blasting. The Inuit community of Clyde River was not properly consulted before the project was approved, which is a violation of their rights under Canada’s Constitution and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. Clyde River will have their case heard before the Supreme Court of Canada on 30 November.

This is not a case specifically concerning climate change, but it’s a part of growing resistance against one of the many dangerous practices of the oil industry.

Stand with them and tell PM Justin Trudeau to respect Indigenous rights and stop seismic blasting!

One woman's #SunUnitesUs photo

...and as a reward, here’s a bonus - not a legal case, but thousands of voices of unity from across 22 Arab World countries exulting clean solar power and peace.

From Morocco, the host nation for the UN climate conference taking place this week, all the way to Iraq, ordinary people are declaring that the Sun Unites Us in sun selfies, calling on decision-makers in the abundantly sunny region to commit to clean solar energy.

Leaders and political delegates at the conference will be faced with hundreds of those people’s #SunUnitesUs in a giant mosaic inside the COP.

It’s time for ambition. We are the generation that ends fossil fuels.

Tom Lowe is a Multimedia Editor at Greenpeace Internationl

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It’s early in the morning on Friday 4 November and I am standing outside the United Nations in New York. A year ago, I was a relative newcomer to Greenpeace, preparing to attend the COP in Paris. The Greenpeace team was mobilising to push governments to adopt an ambitious international climate agreement.

Naomi Ages at work during the COP21 in Paris. 10/12/2015 © Christophe Calais / Signatures / Greenpeace

Fast-forward to 12 December 2015, when the team gathered in the media centre to watch country after country commit itself to the Paris Agreement, a remarkable step forward in international cooperation to tackle climate change. It was a moment of great hope and a moment where we knew we’d have to recommit ourselves to make sure action followed.

Which brings me back to Friday morning. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon convened a meeting of civil society organisations to thank us for our work in making the Paris Agreement happen, and to ask us how we’re bringing it to life. On behalf of the International Executive Directors and the entire Greenpeace organisation, I highlighted that some of the work Greenpeace does around the world to make sure that Paris is not just “words on paper”, as the Secretary-General warned.

What was I thinking, other than ‘don’t mess up this important moment’? I was thinking of the work the global Greenpeace organisation has done, for years, well before Paris, to make this possible. I was thinking of my colleagues foregoing food and sleep in Paris to ensure the Agreement called for 1.5 degrees. I was thinking of Joanna Susteno from Tacloban, whose life has already been upended by climate change, and the work we need to do to bring justice to the people who have contributed the least to climate change.

People were at the centre of the message I brought to the UN this morning. People who believe that we want a different future, and are working to create it. There is an unstoppable global movement to keep fossil fuels in the ground. There is a wave of climate justice legal actions unfolding because people are demanding climate leadership from corporations and governments. And there is also optimism that a 100% renewable energy future is possible.

Greenpeace’s ship Rainbow Warrior is in Morocco right now, at the conclusion of her Sun Unites Us Tour, highlighting solar energy’s immense potential. Greenpeace, along with civil society, will continue to show up to support this people-powered vision for a better world, because Paris was only the beginning. The hard work is ongoing, and it can’t happen quickly enough.

Since COP22 is happening right now, why not submit your photo to the Sun Unites Us website and be a part of the #sununitesus mosaic Greenpeace is building!

Naomi Ages is a climate liability campaigner with Greenpeace US

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Samsung is at a cross-roads. In the aftermath of the Galaxy Note7 fiasco the tech giant has admitted they need a fresh start. However, this doesn't just have to be a fresh start to advertise a new Galaxy S8, it could also represent a fresh start for the consumers and the planet.

Millions of Samsung Galaxy Note7 are being recalled. Greenpeace East Asia asks Samsung not to dump or burn their recalled flagship smartphones and demands the company to be transparent, and officially release their disposal plan for the defected Galaxy Note7.

Earlier this week Greenpeace revealed the waste that could be generated if Samsung does not reuse components from the 4.3 million faulty Galaxy Note7 phones it produced. Tonnes of cobalt, gold, silver, tungsten and more that could be lost if not dealt with properly. Thousands of people around the world spoke up to call for Samsung to act, while governments from Hong Kong to Korea expressed their concerns. Samsung didn't stay quiet for long and yesterday sent a response to media "recognizing the concerns" and "reviewing possible options that can minimise the environmental impact of the recall."

The opportunity in crisis

But this isn't just about "minimising the impact" or "complying with regulations", it is about having the vision and the leadership to see the opportunity in this crisis. Will Samsung choose to go back to the industry norm: wasteful, short-lasting irreparable gadgets, or use this huge moment to create the next Galaxy, charting a new path for truly innovative devices made to last, be repairable and composed of recycled material?

Walk the talk

Reading Samsung's website suggests a radically different company than the one we see, a leader of the "the circular economy" or an explorer pushing the boundaries of how to "reuse waste products". However, Samsung now has the chance to walk the talk and make their paper promises a reality, showing their competitors they can be different in a way that matters, different on behalf of our future and our planet.

A group of volunteers takes a smartphone repair class at the Greenpeace Mexico office given by a local repair group, Fix Friends.

Actions speaking louder than words

So far all we have heard are meaningless statements and no action. Greenpeace is demanding transparency on their plans for 4.3 million phones and, together with thousands around the world, we can urge the company to take this opportunity to rethink how they design, make, collect and reuse their products and the precious materials they contain.

Add your voice and let's convince Samsung not to simply destroy 4.3 million phones.

Jude Lee is the Senior IT Campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia.

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Jennifer L Morgan is an Executive Director at Greenpeace International. This article was first published in the Huffington Post.

Learn more about Greenpeace expectations for the upcoming COP22 climate conference in Morocco here.

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As negotiators prepare for the upcoming climate summit next week, some of the world’s leading scientists are reminding them – and us – of what we already knew: that we will not prevent climate chaos if we simply rely on the pledges made in the Paris Agreement.

The latest report from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) says climate action must start now. And the pledges given by countries in Paris must be made much more ambitious before 2020. If we wait even a few years for a review of these pledges, the small chance we have of limiting temperature rise to 1.5C will be lost.

That temperature limit is the goal of the Paris Agreement – a temperature rise well below 2C and aiming for 1.5C.

Even the smaller rise would have climate impacts, though they would be less serious than the more-intense storms, longer droughts and sea-level rise that a 2C temperature rise would bring.

So it is essential that all countries both improve their existing climate pledges for 2025 and 2030, and accelerate emissions cuts in the immediate future.

This is something that cannot wait. If action is delayed for another 10 years or so, it will be too late. We will have locked ourselves onto a path leading to dangerous levels of warming.

Taking action now to stop this happening is possible. As UNEP points out, many of the climate actions of the big economies are based on modest changes, business as usual scenarios – or even worse than business as usual scenarios. So countries have not over-reached themselves – far from it. They can, and must, do better.

Greater action on energy efficiency alone could bridge much of the gap and would come with immediate benefits for people, like lower energy bills and warmer homes.

As negotiators prepare to travel to Morocco for the climate summit which will start turning the Paris Agreement from promises to action, they will need to face this challenge head on.

And that means agreeing further measures for action now, as well as a plan for improving countries’ current 2025 and 2030 targets.

The next few years are critical. They are the years when we can choose between climate stability and climate chaos. This is our only chance. It must not be wasted. The world is ready and waiting for this change.

Kaisa Kosonen is the head of climate policy based at Greenpeace Nordic.

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Right now Samsung is considering dumping 4.3 million brand new Galaxy Note 7 phones following nearly 100 cases of exploding phones around the world. That is equivalent to almost 730,000 kilograms of hi-spec technology! While Samsung made the right call in taking their phones out of circulation to avoid more accidents or injuries, the question is now what are they going to do with this huge mountain of phones?

A small  child sitting among cables and e-waste in Guiyu, China. Vast amounts are routinely shipped as waste from Europe, USA and Japan to countries in Asia. Much of modern electronic equipment, such as smartphones, contains precious and heavy metals (8 March, 2005).

Greenpeace is calling on the global tech leader to see an opportunity in this crisis and show leadership. Samsung must act transparently to ensure these gadgets don’t end up in the trash but are instead dismantled and separated, and that the precious materials they contain are reused.

What do we know so far?

1. Samsung produced 4.3 million Galaxy Note 7 phones and sold 1.8 million of these devices in 10 countries including South Korea, USA, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, and China.

2. The company recalled all devices and is still collecting them from consumers at its stores and through partners around the world.

3. Samsung announced that the company will dispose of all the recalled Galaxy Note 7 devices and will not repair, refurbish or resell them.

4. These phones contain rare and precious resources like gold, cobalt and tungsten that could be recovered instead of being easily thrown away.

But there are still some things that Samsung has not come clean on.

Here are a few questions it needs to answer...

• Where, when and how does Samsung plan to dispose of these millions of phones?

• How will Samsung ensure the precious resources contained in these phones are safely recovered?

• Will the phones be recycled locally or shipped to one specific location?

Greenpeace is calling on Samsung to be transparent and publish its plan to deal with dismantling and disposing these phones. We also urge Samsung not to dump or burn the devices. It would be truly innovative if Samsun avoided the huge waste and environmental impact that comes from dumping and burning these devices!

A group of volunteers takes a smartphone repair class at the Greenpeace Mexico office given by a local repair group, Fix Friends.

The world is watching how Samsung will respond to this crisis. Now is the perfect opportunity for the brand to show leadership and vision, breaking with the old ways and opening the door to rethinking how it designs, sells and reuses its electronics.

Be part of the movement for truly innovative gadgets! Ask Samsung not to dump 4.3 million phones!

Jude Lee is a Senior IT Campaigner based in Seoul with Greenpeace East Asia

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Today, the largest marine protected area in the world was created in the Ross Sea, off the coast of Antarctica. This is a HUGE victory for the whales, penguins, and toothfish that live there and for the millions of people standing up to protect our oceans. 

A group of Adeli Penguins are seen here in the Antarctic sea ice of the Southern Ocean.

For years, Greenpeace has campaigned for protection of the Ross Sea at CCAMLR, the international body responsible for stewardship of Antarctic waters. Each year, Greenpeace, the Antarctic Ocean Alliance, and millions of people around the world would call on governments to do the right thing, each time thinking THIS was the year it would finally happen. But year after year, there was always something blocking progress. But this year, all of CCAMLR’s members finally agreed - it’s time to make the Ross Sea a protected sanctuary!

Arctic Sunrise during circumnavigation of James Ross island, in February 1997 - the first time a ship had done this.

The Ross Sea sanctuary becomes the biggest marine protected area in the world, covering 1,550,000km2 (which is roughly the size of three Texases, two Spains, or one Mongolia), almost three quarters of which will be a fully-protected.

Known as ‘the Last Ocean’, the Ross Sea has been identified by scientists as the most pristine shallow ocean left on earth. It’s stunning, but we were starting to wonder if it would ever be protected…

To finally get agreement to protect the Ross Sea a time clause of 35 years was included, which means that in 35 years CCAMLR members will again need to decide on its future. Marine protection, to be truly effective, needs to be long lasting so we have all those years ahead of us to make sure when the Ross Sea sanctuary is up for renewal, there is no resistance to making it permanent. We’re pretty confident that by 2051 it will be a simple decision!

MAP: This is where the world’s newest—and largest—marine protected area is. https://t.co/PXxXnuW6H4 #CCAMLR http://pic.twitter.com/8qjaQm2xKB

— pew environment (@pewenvironment) October 28, 2016

This year has already been a HUGE year for ocean protection.

The Ross Sea win comes on the heels of President Obama’s decision to expand the Papahanaumokuakea National Marine Monument, making it - until now - the world’s largest marine protected area. Just days before that, Obama also made history by establishing the first National Marine Monument in the Atlantic, protecting canyons and seamounts. Other nations have been stepping up too on protecting their national waters - such as Chile's creation of a massive marine park around Easter Island, and the UK's commitment to create protected 'Blue Belts' around its overseas territories.

As big as these new sanctuaries are, the ocean is bigger still. Despite a pledge at the World Conservation Congress this summer to protect 30% of our oceans by 2030, we have a long way to go to meet that target - and Greenpeace is pushing for more, with a goal of setting aside 40% of our world’s oceans as fully-protected sanctuaries.

The science is clear that ocean sanctuaries are vital to protecting biodiversity, rebuilding fish populations, and increasing resilience to climate change. Unfortunately, long battles like the one that led to this victory for the Ross Sea need more than just good science - they need millions of people speaking up for our oceans. Without your voices, the best scientific case in the world is not enough to stand up against the short-term interests of the powerful commercial fishing lobby.

The tide seems to be turning on marine conservation, but as the long battle to win protection for the Ross Sea shows, getting action in shared seas, beyond national jurisdiction is a massive challenge. That's why we need to do more to protect the so-called High Seas, which at the moment not only have no protection, they don't even have an agreed system that could protect them. But we are getting there! Greenpeace is working tirelessly to ensure that United Nations delivers sanctuaries on the high seas, as well as campaigning and mobilising to protect some of our most precious shared seas like the Arctic. With your help, we want to do even more.

Thank you all for your part in this victory! Together, we can keep the momentum building and ensure that we’ll have healthy oceans long into the future. Let’s make this the decade of ocean protection!

Willie Mackenzie is a part of Greenpeace UK’s biodiversity team.

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Nuclear weapons are the only weapon of mass destruction not yet explicitly banned by an international treaty, unlike chemical and biological weapons. But that could soon change.

Today, Thursday 27^th October, the United Nations General Assembly will vote on a draft resolution starting negotiations on a treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons.

The draft resolution would convene a UN conference to “negotiate a legally-binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading toward their total elimination” and would take place in 2017. The adoption of this resolution would mark a major breakthrough for nuclear disarmament.

Nearly 25 years after the end of the Cold War there are still estimated to be 16,300 nuclear weapons at 98 sites in 14 countries.  Rather than disarm, the nine nuclear-armed states continue to spend a fortune maintaining and modernising their arsenals. As long as nuclear weapons exist, the risk of accidental or deliberate use will be present.

If used, nuclear weapons would have catastrophic humanitarian consequences, and in the case of a detonation, no state or humanitarian organisation could provide any meaningful relief.

Past processes suggest that a treaty to ban nuclear weapons would even affect the behaviour of those states outside the treaty. The existence of the treaty would require states to decide if they support nuclear weapons or not. This pressure would influence other international forums, as well as debates at the national level. 


A ban on nuclear weapons will establish an international norm against the possession of nuclear weapons, which will help to reduce the perceived value of such weapons. It will draw the line between those states that believe nuclear weapons are unacceptable and illegitimate and those states that believe nuclear weapons are legitimate and able to provide security.

A growing number of governments have indicated they will vote Yes. Earlier today, the European Parliament has taken a clear stance in support, calling its member states to “support the convening” and “participate substantially’ in the negotiation of a treaty. This however, is a non-binding recommendation and does not guarantee how EU governments will vote.

Greenpeace supports the call for all governments to vote yes to the resolution and participate in negotiations of a new legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons.

You can add your support, too. Take a minute to share this site with friends and family or tweet in support of a worldwide nuclear weapons ban. Together, we can ban them for good.

Jen Maman is the Peace Adviser for Greenpeace International. 

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Greenpeace China's campaign to push one of China's biggest retailers to purge pesticides triggered food safety reform across the whole of Shanghai. Now we're fighting to take it nationwide.

Dried flowers of the Sanqi plant

Five years ago, I walked into a meeting with the top management of Lianhua, one of China's biggest supermarket chains.

It was a tense affair: after 3 years of persistent pressure, rounds of investigations and exposés against leading brands, it was the threat of a lawsuit that had finally brought us to this point.

Filing a lawsuit in 2011

Stating our case to 10 stony-faced middle-aged managers, the idea that they'd take our demands seriously suddenly seemed impossible.

But, incredibly, the CEO agreed to act on all the problems we presented. Lianhua promised to drop 46 of the most harmful pesticides from their produce; call urgent supplier meetings and revise all their contracts, forcing growers and suppliers to drop the pesticides.

Stepping out of their headquarters, I was ecstatic. We'd just scored a mammoth victory for food safety! What we didn't know then was that this breakthrough had created a ripple effect that would change Shanghai's entire food system.

Banned pesticides discovered in a Zhejiang tea plantation

Greenpeace China first started campaigning against pesticides in mainland China's supermarkets in 2008, the year the melamine milk powder scandal broke. Food safety dominated every headline and the entire country was gripped by an acute new awareness that the food and water we depended on could be causing us serious harm.

As we fought for better food safety standards, scandals continued to break across the country. With terrifying stories of toxic ginger, lead-contaminated rice and exploding watermelons filling up their social media feeds, people could no longer ignore that our entire food system is dangerously broken.

Farmer spraying crops in Jiangsu

And neither could the government. In 2015, China's Ministry of Agriculture finally took a stand against pesticides. One of the greatest steps was a new nationwide policy of 'Zero Increase of Pesticide use by 2020'.

But the most astonishing change actually stemmed from that lawsuit 5 years ago. After Greenpeace East Asia sued Lianhua, the Shanghai government established a city-wide traceability system for fresh produce, based on the changes we demanded from Lianhua.

Shanghai's food system is now unrecognisable. 50% of Shanghai's fresh produce is sourced locally, and the traceability system ensures that consumers can find out exactly where their produce comes from. Shanghai now enjoys a far higher level of food safety and while far from perfect, is a model for the rest of the country.

Hou Xueying, an organic farmer from Shanghai

It is time to move to a cleaner future for food. Our latest round of supermarket testing shows that we have a long way to go.

From May to August this year, we sampled produce from 6 supermarkets in 8 cities across China. The results weren't pretty. A whopping 87% of samples tested showed excessive levels of pesticides.

And think again about buying your way out of the problem. Our tests showed that the clean looking vegetables wrapped in plastic wrap contained the highest levels of pesticides. These ‘VIP' veggies are actually worse than their grubbier, loose counterparts.

Collecting samples for testing

We've been led to believe that industrial food production and drowning our pesticides in tons of chemicals is the cost of having enough to eat. But that's simply not true. If in just a few years, we can establish greater levels of food safety and accountability in a megacity like Shanghai, we can do it anywhere- and we'll keep piling on the pressure to make sure that happens.

Meanwhile sustainable, organic agriculture is re-emerging in China as an antidote to the rampant fear and uncertainty in our food system.

As for us, we know that a clean and safe future is possible in China, as long we don't stop fighting for it.

Wang Jing is a Food and Agriculture Campaigner for Greenpeace East Asia.

This blog first appeared on Greenpeace East Asia here.

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Sacramento’s Colliers International third quarter report found that the downtown market was preforming well while the suburban growth takes off. As reported by Colliers, office real estate absorption is positive and vacancies went down. The downtown office vacancy market is the lowest it’s been in 5 years, but it’s suburban expansion that continues to meet growing demand. Third quarter rental
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With the exciting changes happening in Downtown Sacramento, the way people get around is evolving. We’re encouraging people to explore alternate methods of transportation including Regional Transit, biking, walking, etc. To spread awareness of the changes and promote these alternate methods, we’ve created updated our  “Get Around” web page on GoDowntownSac.com. The page includes information on parking, public transportation, biking, walking and links to all available resources. 

This blog,”Your Guide To Getting Around Downtown Sac,” provides a quick rundown of the new “Get Around” web page and will help you better understand the new features and resources we have made available.

To make the transition as easy as possible, we are asking you to help us promote the new resources through your business or personal social media channels. We have developed a few posts for you to select from. Feel free to copy and paste the post as is, personalize it, or use it as inspiration and write your own! 

Thank you for helping us spread the word! We appreciate you ensuring that your customers and friends are prepared for the changes and continue to enjoy Downtown Sacramento. 

Instructions

1. Pick which social media platform(s) you would like to post on

2. Copy/paste one of these posts into your status – or create your own! Be sure to include the website address in your post

3. Include an image to your post if you wish! We have attached a couple options for you. 

4. Post it!

 Facebook Posts

• Downtown is changing and so is its parking! Take a moment to familiarize yourself with the resources available before planning your next trip. Visit http://ift.tt/2eRL6Jm for information on parking, public transportation, bike routes, updates and more. 
• There are big changes happening in Downtown Sacramento. Visit http://ift.tt/2eRL6Jm to learn about new parking protocols, public transportation and more.
• Take a moment to get familiar with the new parking protocols by visiting http://ift.tt/2eRL6Jm! 
• Prepare for the new Downtown! Visit http://ift.tt/2eRL6Jm and get familiar with the new parking protocols.

Twitter

• Prepare for the new Downtown! http://ift.tt/2eRL6Jm
• How you get around Downtown is changing. Get informed at http://ift.tt/2eRL6Jm
• Big changes are happening in Downtown. Get familiar with parking protocols, route updates and more at http://ift.tt/2eRL6Jm

Instagram

For Instagram, we recommend creating your own content. You can also use any of the messages above. Use the hashtag #getarounddowntown

The post New Resource: Get Around Downtown appeared first on Downtown Sacramento Partnership.

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