This movement initially started as a protest in 1971 against the American
underwater nuclear tests near Alaska. Volunteers set out in a small ship to the test
area to protest. This ship was named “Greenpeace” and this eventually became the
name of the movement. Today, it is spread over forty countries with its headquarters
in Amsterdam (Holland) and has become an important international ‘nongovernmental
organisation’

During the last few decades, scientists have discovered that pollution causes
the depletion of the protective ozone layer in the atmosphere which is important
to absorb harmful rays of Sun. Due to pollution, the average temperature of Earth
has been increasing steadily. This is causing the melting of Polar Ice Caps – the
vast accumulation of water in the form of ice on the two poles. As the ice melts and
joins the oceans, the water level of oceans and seas will rise causing submergence
of land in the coastal areas all over the world. Countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka
Mauritius, India and Indonesia where a very large number of people live along the
sea coast will face severe problem of flooding and submergence. Even the people
living deep inside the continent will not be spared as the global warming will caus
e erratic rainfall (unseasonal rains, excess rains and droughts) and crop failure. In
other words, global climate change will affect those countries whose population
particularly depends upon agriculture

Greenpeace has taken up the impact
? of climate change across many countries.
It aims at “ensuring the ability of the Eart
h to nurture life in all its diversity”. Over
the years, the movement has developed the
idea of ‘sustainable development’, that is
development which is environmentally
sustainable over a long time and also just for all people, both of the developed
world and the undeveloped world

You must have read about the great tragedy which happened in Bhopal in 1984.
A poisonous gas leaked out of the Union Carbide factory (later this factory was
purchased by Dow company). Thousands of people lost their lives and many more
are still suffering from its ill effects. This was perhaps the worst industrial dberisaster
in the world. Right from the beginning, the people of Bhopal have been fighting for
four main demands

Proper medical treatment of the victims; adequate compensation for them based
on international standards as the company was a multinational company; fixing
criminal responsibility for the disaster on the management of the multinational
company; and finally steps to prevent such disasters in the future