2023-06-19 04:00:30
Numerous successes achieved so far – Escalating species and climate crisis makes work more important than ever
Vienna (OTS) – Greenpeace in Austria will be celebrating its 40th anniversary tomorrow. The organization has achieved numerous successes since it was founded, such as a national ban on cultivation of genetically modified plants or the comeback of the returnable bottle. In view of the worsening species and climate crisis, there is no breather for the largest international environmental protection organization. Together with more than three million supporters, Greenpeace in Austria and worldwide is still doing everything in its power to protect our planet: be it through tireless commitment to climate protection, uncovering greenwashing or vehement resistance to trade agreements at a cost of people and the environment.
“Greenpeace is the advocate for the environment – here in Austria and worldwide. In the past 40 years we have uncovered numerous environmental crimes and opposed politicians and powerful corporations to protect nature and people. This has given us important achievements, but as the species and climate crisis escalates, our mission is more necessary than ever. We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure a future worth living on a healthy and peaceful planet,” says Alexander Egit, Managing Director of Greenpeace in Austria and Chairman of the Board of Greenpeace Europe. On September 15, 1971, a group of activists set out on a small ship from Vancouver, Canada, to stop nuclear testing in the Aleutian Islands. This mission was the birth of Greenpeace. A modern international organization with offices in over 55 countries, including Austria, has now emerged from the small group of environmentalists.
Greenpeace started its work in Austria exactly 40 years ago tomorrow and landed an important campaign success right from the start:
The protest once morest the trichlorophenol plant at Chemie Linz led to the shutdown of the dioxin-contaminated plant. Since then, the history of Greenpeace has been inextricably linked to Austrian environmental history. From 1997, Greenpeace began fighting genetic engineering in the field and on the plate. The campaign was successful, Austria was the first country ever to impose an import ban on GM maize. The basis for this was the successful anti-genetic engineering referendum with over 1.2 million signatures. As a result, no genetic engineering is allowed to be eaten in Austria today. The formative Greenpeace moments in Austria include the cancellation of shale gas production in 2012 and the comeback of the reusable bottle in Austria in 2021 in order to curb the plastic flood. At the end of 2021, Greenpeace, together with the Austria-wide environmental protection movement, also managed to stop the expansion of the Lobau motorway.
“After years of hard work, we have managed to make climate protection a top priority. Species protection must now be given the same priority, because 150 animal and plant species die out every day. Whether we as humanity manage to overcome these two crises also decides our own survival – we will definitely remain persistent,” says Egit. The current priorities of Greenpeace in Austria reflect this: The tireless fight once morest the EU-Mercosur trade pact – to protect consumers from imports of agrotoxic and hormone meat, and to protect the rainforests in South America -, the Europe-wide campaign once morest private jets or the Action once morest label fraud and greenwashing through CO2 compensation are just a few examples.
Greenpeace does not take money from governments and corporations. “On our birthday, I would also like to expressly thank our 123,000 supporters in Austria, without whom our work would not be possible,” says Egit. “The same goes for our many volunteer activists who have made Greenpeace what it is today. A powerful environmental organization.”
Here is a synopsis of the most formative moments of Greenpeace in Austria: https://act.gp/42MDo9w
Images can be found at:
This is available free of charge for editorial use provided the credits are given.
Video material of campaigns from the last decades can be found here:
This is available free of charge for editorial use provided that © Greenpeace is acknowledged.
Questions & contact:
Stella Haller
press secretary
Greenpeace in Austria
+43 (0)664 88172209
stella.haller@greenpeace.org
1687148134
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