ACTION ALERT UPDATED PLEASE SHARE WIDELY!
Greenpeace Deems Grassroots Global Forest Movement Unworthy of Substantive Response
re: How FSC Logging of Primary Forests for Toilet Paper "Protects" Them
August 13, 2009
By Forests.org, a project of Ecological Interent
CONTINUE TO TAKE ACTION TO FULLY PROTECT CANADA'S OLD FORESTS FROM GREENPEACE GREENWASH HERE:
http://forests.org/shared/alerts/send.aspx?id=gp_ancient_forestsBelow is Greenpeace Canada's misleading and obfuscating response to Ecological Internet's Earth Action Network campaign to have them stop supporting and hailing as some sort of "victory" FSC industrial first time logging of primary forests in Canada and globally. Continued advocacy supporting this dangerous and antiquated liquidation of life-giving terrestrial ecosystems by Greenpeace and pals -- in this case to make toilet paper -- is one of the gravest threats to Earth's ecological sustainability, as it is virtually impossible to END such practices when others are thoughtlessly supporting them. Our default protest email made the following demands and assertions, NONE of which were responded to explicitly:
1.) I demand that Greenpeace repudiate the agreement with Kimberly-Clark and not enter into any further negotiations that greenwash old forest logging.
2.) Greenpeace completely fails to understand that all primary and old growth forests are endangered and of high conservation value.
3.) We call upon Greenpeace to immediately disclose the ecological science that suggests primary and old growth forests can and should continue to be clearcut to wipe our asses.
4.) I and many others call upon Greenpeace to immediately globally cease and desist from negotiating agreements with industry that continue the production of throw away consumer items from Earth's dwindling old forests.
5.) Further, Greenpeace must immediately disassociate itself from the Forest Stewardship Council's (FSC) ongoing certification of first time industrial logging of primary forests as being "well-managed" while implying sustainability.
These issues were not addressed at all. No defense is made of the underlying assertion that logging old forests to make toilet paper with FSC and even lesser certification is a desirable outcome. Until Greenpeace can tell us how FSC certified logging hundreds of year old trees in millions of year old ecologically intact old forests "protects" them in any meaningful ecological sense, the campaign continues indefinitiely.
This is too important to let go, and Greenpeace will continue to have its old forest greenwash resisted, paying the price in tarnished reputation for such ecological treachery. Global ecological sustainability demands full protection and ecological restoration of old forests, not apologizing for continued consumption of old forest products that is clearly and demonstrably ecologically unsustainable. Below is a point by point rebuttal of the less than forthright and truthful response with our RESPONSES IN CAPS.
And please remember to join and follow the cause "Protect and Restore Old Forests Globally" on twitter at:
http://twitter.com/oldforests and on Facebook at:
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/327890/56161035 . Together we will end industrial old forest loss and diminishment, and usher in an era of global old forest ecological restoration.
For Earth,
Dr. Glen Barry
DISCUSS THIS ALERT UPDATE AT:
http://forests.org/blog/2009/08/alert-protest-greenpeace-selli.asp***************************
RESPONSE RECEIVED FROM GREENPEACE 8/13/09:
Thank you for taking the time to send us an email.
Greenpeace agrees with you that ancient forests like the Canadian Boreal
Forest need protection. That's why we are happy with Kimberly-Clark's new
policy because it immediately protects areas of ancient forest and will
protect much more over time.
IN THE STRICT ECOLOGICAL SENSE, IT PROTECTS NOTHING. THAT IS, NO PRESERVATION OCCURS. ANY AREA OF ANCIENT BOREAL FOREST IS STILL ELIGIBLE, INDEED PROMOTED BY GREENPEACE, FOR FIRST TIME INDUSTRIAL CLEARCUT IF IT IS "CERTIFIED" BY THE FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL OR ONE OF FOUR WEAKER STANDARDS ALLOWED UNDER THE AGREEMENT. AGAIN, NOTHING IS ASSUREDLY, EXPLICITLY PROTECTED UNDER THIS AGREEMENT.
We launched the Kleercut campaign in November 2004 because of the serious
impact Kimberly-Clark was having on ancient forests. After nearly five
years, with the support of activists and volunteers worldwide, we believe
that we have an agreement that will protect ancient forests.
We hope you understand that complete change does not happen overnight -
neither for governments nor individuals, nor for multi-national corporations
like Kimberly-Clark. But change has already taken place for the betterment
of ancient forests under Kimberly-Clark's new policy. We are confident that
change will continue to happen. Let me tell you how.
CHANGE NEVER HAPPENS IF YOU FAIL TO ASK FOR THE NECESSARY OUTCOMES. OLD FORESTS MUST BE FULLY PROTECTED AND ECOLOGICALLY RESTORED GLOBALLY. THE NEW POLICY DOES NOT IMPLEMENT ANY CHANGE, IT IS BASED UPON THE FALSE ASSERTION THAT FSC SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT OF FIRST TIME LOGGING OF ANCIENT BOREAL FORESTS SOMEHOW "PROTECTS" THEM. IN FACT, IT IS BUSINESS AS USUAL FORESTRY WITH A FEW MINOR IMPROVEMENTS. THEY UNDERLYING FALSE PREMISE THAT OLD FORESTS ARE RESOURCES TO BE HARVESTED RATHER THAN THE ECOSYSTEMS WHICH MAKE LIFE POSSIBLE REMAINS UNCHALLENGED AT GREAT EXPENSE TO THE BIOSPHERE.
For more than seven decades, Kimberly-Clark purchased pulp from the 2
million hectare (5 million acre) Kenogami Forest in Northern Ontario. At
times, they purchased more than 400,000 tonnes of pulp, or 13% of their
total global supply of virgin fibre, from this forest. In recent years, they
also received pulp from the adjoining Ogoki Forest (1 million hectares or
2.5 million acres). These forests hold big intact wilderness spaces that are
vital to species such as woodland caribou. During the evolution of the
policy and as a result of our campaign, today we are happy to say that
Kimberly-Clark is no longer buying pulp from these forests. The reason? The
current manager of the forest, Buchanan Forest Products, refused to meet the
strict ecological criteria that Kimberly-Clark laid out in their new policy.
AND ONCE THESE AREAS ARE GIVEN CERTIFICATION BY FSC OR ANY ONE OF THE OTHER FOUR TIMBER INDUSTRY DOMINATED CERTIFICATION SCHEMES, THEY WILL ONCE AGAIN BE CUT TO MAKE TOILET PAPER. FROM THE FORESTS' POINT OF VIEW, THERE WILL BE LITTLE OR NO DIFFERENCE IN OUTCOMES AS PRIMARY FOREST ECOSYSTEMS ARE CLEARFELLED TO MAKE TOILET PAPER. THE "STRICT ECOLOGICAL CRITERIA" IS ANYTHING BUT, AS THE PARADIGM OF DESTROYING ECOSYSTEMS FOR THROW AWAY CONSUMER ITEMS REMAINS INTACT.
We believe this is real change on the ground that will lead to more
conservation of these two forests.
A key element of Kimberly-Clark's new policy is the company's commitment to
stop using any fibre from the world's most ecologically sensitive forests
areas: Endangered Forests and High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF) areas
mapped as no-harvest zones. They also agreed not to source fiber from a
number of other forests, including primary tropical rainforests. These are
the forest areas that we have been fighting to protect during the 5years of
this campaign.
ALL PRIMARY AND OLD GROWTH FORESTS ARE ECOLOGICALLY SENSTITIVE, ENDANGERED, AND OF HIGH CONSERVATION VALUE. GREENPEACE HAS IMPLICILTY AGREED TO TOKEN PROTECTED AREAS -- USUALLY ABOUT 10% OF ANY OLD FOREST -- IN EXCHANGE FOR ALLOWING KIMBERLY-CLARK TO CLEAR THE OTHER 90%, WITH GREENPEACE'S ENDORSEMENT.
Additionally, Kimberly-Clark is reducing its pressure on ancient forests by
increasing the amount of recycled fibre used in their products, and giving a
preference for post-consumer paper. This will spur increased recycling
efforts and diversion of paper waste from landfill. And during the campaign,
Kimberly-Clark launched a new line of tissue products for consumers that
contain recycled fibre - called Scott and Kleenex Naturals. This is the
first time these brands of consumer products have included recycled fibre.
PROMISES IN THIS REGARD ARE VAGUE AND INSUFFICIENT. WHAT IS THE EXACT % COMMITTED TO? WHY AGREE TO ANY OLD FORESTS BEING IN TOILET PAPER WHEN CLEARLY THE EARTH IS PAST ITS CARRYING CAPACITY, ECOSYSTEMS ARE COLLAPSING, WE ARE WITNESSING ABRUPT CLIMATE CHANGE, AND ADEQUATE ALTERNATIVES SOURCES OF FIBER EXIST NOW. GREENPEACE STILL WANTS THERE ULTRA-SOFT LOO PAPER. CAN THE RICH NOT GIVE UP ANY OF ITS CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION BASED UPON FOREST ECOCIDE?
The policy also increases the use of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
certified fiber, which currently is the only certification system in the
world that supports and verifies environmentally responsible and socially
just forest management. Kimberly-Clark's commitment is to ensure that 40
percent (up from 29% today) of the fibre used in North American tissue
products - representing an estimated 600,000 tonnes - is either recycled or
FSC certified by 2011. This is a very big jump for a corporation the size of
Kimberly-Clark.
THE POLICY SAYS IT WILL TRY TO ACHIEVE FSC CERTIFICATION, BUT DOES NOT LIMIT ITSELF TO THIS FOREST CERTIFIER. AT LEAST FOUR OTHER INDUSTRY DOMINATED CERTIFICATION SCHEMES ARE ALSO ACCEPTABLE. FSC IS FAILING WORLDWIDE. NO ONE IN THE ORGANIZATION WILL RELEASE HOW MUCH OF ITS CERTIFIED TIMBER AND PULP COMES FROM FIRST TIME LOGGING OF ANCIENT FORESTS. ECOLOGICAL INTERNET HAS ESTIMATED IT AT OVER 50%. FSC GREENWASHES CONTINUED INDUSTRIAL FORESTRY IN MILLIONS OF YEAR OLD ECOSYSTEMS, IN THIS CASE TO WIPE OUR BOTTOMS.
Also and very central to our campaign, the company is making big positive
change in the Boreal Forest. In less than a year and a half, Kimberly-Clark
will no longer buy any wood fiber from the Canadian Boreal Forest that is
not FSC certified. They are decreasing this from over 400,000 tonnes in 2007
to zero by the end of 2011. This is real change on the ground. We believe
this will shake up the forest products industry worldwide and to lead to a
decrease in further threats to ancient forests.
Certainly, there is still more to be done. We are not going away. We can
promise you that we will work with Kimberly-Clark to ensure the policy is
fully implemented in the coming years.
EVEN IF THE POLICY IF FULLY IMPLEMENTED, GREENPEACE HAS PROVIDED EFFECTIVE GREENWASH THAT WILL ENSURE THAT MILLIONS OF HECTARES OF OLD FORESTS ARE DESTROYED TO WIPE OUR BOTTOMS. NO EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE TO END THESE PRACTICES. THERE ARE SOME HUMAN ACTIONS THAT ARE SO EGREGIOUS TOWARDS THE ENVIRONMENT THAT THEY MUST BE STOPPED AT ALL COSTS. ONE OF THESE IS BUILDING MARKETS FOR OLD FOREST PRODUCTS WHEN THEIR CONSUMPTION DESTROYS BEING AND MUST END.
The challenge is now out to Kimberly-Clark's competitors and the rest of the
pulp and paper sector to stop destroying ancient forests. With your help, we
will continue to pressure these companies to reach and exceed the new bar
for forest protection set by this agreement.
THE CHALLENGE NOW IS TO GET GREENPEACE TO STOP MAKING SECRET DEALS WITH THE TIMBER INDUSTRY -- AS WAS DONE IN CANADA'S GREAT BEAR RAINFOREST AND NOW IN THE BOREAL FORESTS -- WHICH LEGIMTIMIZE THE MYTH THAT FSC LOGGING OF PRIMARY FORESTS SOMEHOW PROTECTS THEM. GREENPEACE DOES NOT SPEAK FOR THE MAJORITY OF ECOLOGICAL SCIENCE SAVY FOREST PROTECTIONISTS. WE WILL CONTINUE TO CAMPAIGN AGAINST GREENPEACE, RAN, WWF, FOREST ETHICS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT WORK FOR FSC FIRST TIME LOGGING OF PRIMARY FORESTS.
NOWHERE IN THIS RESPONSE WAS ANY ECOLOGICAL SCIENCE PRESENTED TO BACK UP CLAIMS THAT FSC PRIMARY FOREST LOGGING PROTECTS OLD FORESTS. IT APPEARS GREENPEACE IS COMMITTED TO WHAT CAN RELATIVELY EASILY BE ACHIEVED RATHER THAN WHAT IS ECOLOGICALLY SUFFICIENT IN REGARDS TO OLD FORESTS. GREENPEACE HAS SOLD OUT OLD FORESTS TO APPEAR REASONABLE AND EFFECTIVE, WHEN THEY ARE NEITHER.
Please visit
http://www.greenpeace.ca/kleercutvictory to find out more about
what is included in this policy, its highlights and the announcement.
-----------------------------------------------
Richard Brooks, MFC
Forest Campaign Coordinator
Greenpeace Canada
Office: 1-416-597-8408 x 3039
Cell: 1-416-573-7209
Fax: 1-416-597-8422
33 Cecil
Toronto, Ontario M5T 1N1
Canada
Turning up the Heat
Climate Change & the Boreal Forest Report
www.greenpeace.ca/turninguptheheat
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