Rainforest Clearing

Greenpeace: "The announcement from soya traders in Brazil provides hope for the Amazon rainforest. We're not out of the woods yet, but this decision and the history of campaigning that got us here should be celebrated and built upon to protect all ancient forests for the future.

The Amazon campaign

Rising international demand for soya had led many farmers to drive deforestation to make way for soya cultivation. Back in 2006, we published ‘Eating up the Amazon’, a report on our investigation into the links between soya in the supply chains of leading international food companies and the destruction of the Amazon rainforest.

At the same time, we dressed up as chickens and heckled McDonald's, one of the companies using soya from the Amazon for Chicken McNuggets back then. The costumes were sweaty but, luckily for us (and the planet), McDonald's quickly reacted and agreed to join us and lead a call for change.

eWaste in Ghana

Greenpeace: "The ever-growing demand for the latest fashionable mobile phone, flat screen TV or super-fast computer creates ever larger amounts of obsolete electronics that are often laden with toxic chemicals like lead, mercury and brominated flame retardants. Rather than being safely recycled, much of this e-waste gets dumped in developing countries. Previously, we have exposed pollution from e-waste scrap yards in China and India. Nigeria has also been identified as a dumping ground for old electronics.

"During our investigation into the shady e-waste trade, we uncovered evidence that e-waste is being exported, often illegally, to Ghana from Europe and the US. We visited Ghana to investigate workplace contamination from e-waste recycling and disposal in the country.

Oil Bubbles

"When the followed it's trail, they were surprised to find it was bubbling up from a Japanese oil tanker that had sunk during the Second World War. There are fifty two ship wrecks in the lagoon and no one knows how much oil they contain.

"Japanese historical documents aren't easy to access. But this large leak is worrying because it could confirm some recent predictions. Corrosion experts recently assessed the wrecks in 2006 and 2007 and warned that the ships oil tanks could soon break apart. Small leaks in the area have already damaged mangroves, but if larger quantities seep out, it could be devastating for the local bio-diversity and economy.

"The problem is the amount of fuel remaining in the boats has to be assessed and possibly pumped out..."

This Was A Lake

"This vast area used to be the fifth largest lake here in Turkey. Now, over the past decade it began to slowly shrink. Experts say it's thanks to 'global warming'. Now this bit where I'm standing, now, just two months ago was still covered with some water. Now, it's completely dried out and the soil is already cracked and arid.

"Nearly a dozen other lakes and wet lands have dried up and disappeared over the past few years. Farmers still remember the days when plentiful water was not an issue." Farmer: "There was water 7 to 8 meters deep, full of lobsters and crabs. Now our crops have dropped, there is no humidity and it rains very little now. Not enough. The quality of our fruits have gone down."