Greenpeace

Today 2 representatives of Greenpeace had come to our department to spread general environmental awareness and to distribute pamphlets. They also screened a movie which showed how the glaciers feeding the river ganges are retreating due to global warming.

Something about Greenpeace. Its an international organisation which fights for environmental causes and drags private companies to courts for violation of environment protection laws, spreads awareness about reducing greenhouse gases, sustainable clean energy generation, protection of endangered species etc etc etc.

A commendable effort by all means and perfectly justified from their point of view.

In fact I myself was a cyberactivist signing petitions and distributing them to save the Olive Ridley turtles being harmed by the supposed construction of a port by the Tatas.

And I say "was a cyberactivist", because now I am not. And what did prompt this role reversal?

Greenpeace advocates CFL lamps and in fact has a case in courts of India which will ban yellow bulbs by 2012 to be replaced by energy efficient and long but finite lifed CFLs. Does it know that CFL also contain copious amounts of mercury and lead and that disposing them will cause just as much trouble.
Why does not Greenpeace push for the holier than all LED bulbs?

Greenpeace invented a car which gives a fuel efficiency of 26-30kmpl according to this representative. Why do not i buy the Tata Nano which will give me comparable efficiency with its small 600cc engine?
Why is not Greenpeace pushing for better public transport?

Greenpeace wants subsidies on fertilisers to be removed since excessive use of fertiliser has damaged the soil and is a hazard.
Does it know that the green revolution, this country is so proud of, was solely because of induction of chemical fertilisers in the Indian agriculture system. Because go to any village we still use old equipments, bulls, ox and a hal (plough). The only thing that works is fertiliser.

Greenpeace proudly proclaims that because of its efforts more than 1000 insecticides have been banned by the Indian government which were toxic.
Has Greenpeace carried out a survey of insect reproduction rates?, ever seen a locust invasion and what is left behind.

If we do not grow crops (for which we NEED fertilisers) and if we do not protect them from becoming insect food (for which we NEED insecticides) how the f*%# are we going to feed the billion people of this coutry??
Will Greenpeace feed us?

Greenpeace dragged Hindustan Lever to court for inappropriate disposal of toxic waste, it is now dragging the Tatas to courts for making the port, does it know that combined these two companies have done much much more for social welfare that any politician has done. That both companiues employ and feed a huge workforce and their families, that the premier research institution of this coutry the TIFR was started by Tatas, that the city of Jamshedpur runs because of the Tatas, that around 40000 people of Gujarat will be directly or indirectly given jobs because of the Nano project, that this country needs more of such companies??

Greenpeace wants a ban on coal based production of electricity. Has it carried out any surveys on where and at what cost (both financial and environmental) renewable energy based power projects can be set up in India??
It opposes nuclear power plants, by the example that this representative gave us of chernobyl and 3 mile island. Does it know that Nuclear reactors have an efficiency of 70-80%, that they use negligible amount of fuel as compared to coal, are extremely, EXTREMELY safe, are MUCH MUCH cleaner than coal and can cover the power deficit of this country.
Nuclear power plants produce concentrated radio active waste, it is from this waste that radioactive medicines for treating cancers are derived, ever thought of that?? Or will you want to die of cancer?
Does Greenpeace know that the state of Kerela is so rich in uranium ore, which is mixed with the soil, that Geiger counters regularly keep ticking there, but still people walking, sleeping and living on that soil have not been affected by that natural radioactivity?? That there is no increased incidence of cancer in Kerela. Has Greenpeace considered that radioactive waste is disposed of much more safely than e-waste or bio-hazardous waste from hospitals?

Why does Greenpeace target private companies, can it not sue the government for not enforcing the waste disposal laws??
Every chemistry lab uses Chromic acid as oxidizing agent and a cleaning agent for glassware. That chromic acid goes in the drain where it forms hexavalent chromium. This happens in every college, every industry. Anyone who has see "Erin Brokovich" knows what hexavalent chromium is and what it does. ever wanna do something about that?

Why campaign against the Tatas port, does Greenpeace not realize that the builders in mumbai are slowly but surely encroaching on the mangroves. What about them, or the poachers selling tiger skins and ivory and rhino horns in corbette?? They might say its the governments job, but since the government is not doing anything why doesnt Greenpeace do anything about it.

Why target multinationals?? Why target private enterprises?

And who the f*%# is Greenpeace anyways to fiddle with nature?? Does it campaign against the lion for eating the deer. NO!! But hey the lion is meant to do that other wise how will it survive>??? Right??

Well Humans kill Seahorse Crabs "the oldest organism on earth" to derive life saving drugs against cancer. Are we not trying to survive. Why protect Seahorse Crabs. The Humans who get a job and a mode of survival by the Tata port, do they not deserve to "kill their deer" and survive. Why protect Olive Ridleys??

The Tatas port is just another selection pressure for the Olive Ridley Turtles. If they can evolve to travel so many miles in the sea to come and reproduce in India they can also evolve to withstand the Tatas port. They better, if not, well they came and got extinct just like the million other species that have come and gone. If humans are their own destruction, so be it, the orangutan will be the new Human, no worries, time does not stop for anyone, nor does Evolution. So why is the Greenpeace Organization playing with nature?? What does it gain anyways?? I do not know if it is a non profit organization or not, but it thrives on donations, and perhaps money extorted from industrialists, advertisements, selling Greenpeace wares like T shirts and diaries etc. Why does it not distribute T shirts for free, i like collecting freebies!!! i haven't come across free t shirts!!

Greenpeace is definitely a strongly funded institution, but then why is it wasting the money fighting useless cases? Why does it not promote research on new technologies which will help it to ultimately succeed in its goal.

Dont tell me to not use coal, give me a new technology as cheap. Dont tell me to not use my car, give me good public transport solutions.

A lot can be done which makes a lot more sense than what is being done now. So do it.

On the whole Greenpeace is an outfit which is misdirecting its energies, which will eventually not only harm this countries economy but also its people. Its will be much better for this organization to work in new directions and tackle problems at their core. Fighting legal wars will never-ever solve Environmental Problems. It is not the private companies that want to destroy environment. It is the existing technology which is inherently environmental unfriendly.

Only and Only creation of new environmental friendly technologies is a solution to this global problems. It would be much better if Greenpeace addressed this issue rather than creating a ruckus and becoming a farce that this organization is now.