Latest news with #GreenpeaceFrance
Bloomberg
4 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
TotalEnergies Accused in France of Greenwashing After Rebrand
TotalEnergies SE was accused in a French court of greenwashing by misleading consumers about its climate goals in a series of ad campaigns just after it rebranded and changed its name from Total. A group of nonprofits, which include Greenpeace France, attacked TotalEnergies' claim that it could achieve net zero emissions by 2050, saying it was incompatible with its continued expansion in oil production.
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Emmanuel Macron waxwork is brazenly stolen from museum in France
Greenpeace France said Paris was "playing a double game" in supporting Ukraine while allowing French companies to continue with gas and fertiliser imports from Russia A waxwork figure of Emmanuel Macron was stolen from a French museum and placed outside the Russian embassy to highlight his alleged double standards on Ukraine. Greenpeace activists reportedly posed as tourists when they entered Paris' Grevin Museum before covering the statue and taking it out through an emergency exit. It later reappeared outside the Russian embassy, where activists said the French president was a hypocrite for allowing French companies to continue doing business with Russia despite vocally supporting Ukraine. No arrests have been made and the waxwork, worth a reported £33,765, has not yet been recovered. Greenpeace said they would return the statue but could not yet confirm when. Jean-Francois Julliard, head of Greenpeace France, said Paris was "playing a double game" in supporting Ukraine while allowing French companies to continue with gas and fertiliser imports from Russia. He said Macron "embodies this double discourse" and "should be the first" among European leaders to end trade contracts with Russian companies. Analysis by the BBC last month revealed that Russia has continued to make billions from fossil fuel exports to the West, including to the EU, since invading Ukraine in 2022. While it led to sanctions, EU states have paid Russia £176bn for fossil fuels since the February 2022 invasion. This includes £15.1bn from France. Despite threatening further sanctions on Moscow if it does not cooperate in efforts to negotiate a ceasefire to the Ukraine conflict, it remains to be seen if the EU can wean itself off Russian gas. The news came as the mounting instability of France's banking sector jeopardises its role as a key EU partner, Italian journalist Nicola Porro warned. "France, under Macron, is now the new sick man of Europe. It faces a massive fiscal deficit of over 6% of GDP — double the EU's 3% limit — along with a stagnating economy and political instability,' he said. He highlighted that France's 2025 draft budget proposed £50.5 billion in spending cuts and tax increases to reduce its deficit to 5% of GDP, but warned of serious doubts over its ability to deliver on these promises. He said: "During the eurozone debt crisis, Greece caused a financial panic with just 1.3% of the EU's GDP. "France accounts for over 16%. If things go wrong, the consequences will be on an entirely larger scale: banks risk hundreds of billions, and the ripple effects could reach British shores (because of UK investments in French banks)." Mr Porro said that the ongoing political situation in France is making matters worse. Macron's party was decisively defeated in the 2024 European elections by Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National, leaving the French president struggling to maintain a stable government. Adding to the concern are France's military operations in Mali, which ended in 2023, and in Burkina Faso and the Sahel - where French troops continue to help governments fight Islamists-backed insurgencies. Under Macron, France's influence in the region has waned, highlighted by Burkina Faso's president, Captain Ibrahim Traore, saying in January that the French president is 'insulting all Africans" and urged all African nations to end military pacts with Paris. These failures have damaged EU credibility abroad, paving the way for Russia and China to fill the vacuum, heightening security concerns across North Africa and the Mediterranean, Mr Porro said. Despite these setbacks, Macron persists in projecting himself as a global statesman, Mr Porro said. However, he claimed that many see his foreign policy as increasingly erratic and self-serving. Mr Porro added: "His resistance to trade deals like the EU-Mercosur agreement (a free trade deal between the bloc and several South American countries) has been criticised for blocking economic opportunities across the continent. It's always about national interest over EU unity — every time." He added: "And Britain should be very wary of getting too close to that."
Scoop
2 days ago
- General
- Scoop
French Authorities Block Greenpeace Ship From Participating In UN Ocean Conference
French authorities have blocked Greenpeace International's ship Arctic Sunrise from entering the port of Nice, where the "One Ocean Science Congress" and the UN Ocean Conference are being hosted. This was retaliation against Greenpeace France, highlighting the weaknesses of the French network of Marine Protected Areas last month in the Mediterranean Sea, in an expedition on board the Arctic Sunrise. Greenpeace International will write a formal letter of complaint to the United Nations, deploring the behaviour of the hosting French government. Civil society participation is a core element of the UN Ocean Conference. The presence of the Arctic Sunrise in Nice would coincide with the 40th anniversary of the bombing of the Rainbow Warrior by French secret services in Auckland. Greenpeace Aotearoa spokesperson Ellie Hooper says, "It's ironic that so close to the 40th anniversary of the French Government's attempt to silence Greenpeace here in Auckland by bombing the Rainbow Warrior, the French Government is again trying to shut us down by blocking our ship from entering Nice." "But just like we were not silenced then, neither will we be silenced now. Climate change, ecosystem collapse, and accelerating species extinction pose an existential threat, and our work has never been more important." The Arctic Sunrise had been invited by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to participate in the "One Ocean Science Congress" and in the Ocean wonders parade taking place right before the UN Ocean Conference. Greenpeace International had intended to deliver the messages of three million people calling for a moratorium on deep sea mining to the politicians attending the conference. The ship's entry to Nice has now been blocked. Mads Christensen, Greenpeace International's Executive Director, says, "The French authorities' attempt to silence fair criticism ahead of this UN Ocean Conference is clearly a political decision and is utterly unacceptable. Greenpeace and our ships have been working peacefully to protect the oceans for decades. The Arctic Sunrise highlighted the failure of the French government to properly protect its Marine Protected Areas - where bottom trawling is still permitted - and now we are being punished. "France wants this to be a moment where they present themselves as saviours of the oceans, while they want to silence any criticism of their own failures in national waters. We will not be silenced. We believe the voices of the three million calling for a stop to deep sea mining must be heard in Nice. Greenpeace and the French government share the same objective to get a moratorium on deep sea mining, which makes the ban of the Arctic Sunrise from Nice even more absurd." Millions of people around the world have joined Greenpeace's campaign to stop deep sea mining from starting. In 2023, the Arctic Sunrise crew took action at sea to bear witness to the threat of the deep sea mining industry. They peacefully protested against The Metals Company, which had been publicly accused of "environmental piracy" by the French government a few weeks ago, given their attempt to bypass international law by requesting an exploitation permit through President Trump's administration. Right now, the Rainbow Warrior is in the Tasman Sea to expose the damage being done to ocean life there and will be in New Zealand to mark the anniversary of the bombing in Auckland on 10 July. Onboard photographer Fernando Pereira died in the attack, which came soon after Operation Exodus, in which the Greenpeace flagship had evacuated victims of American nuclear tests on Rongelap Atoll and was preparing to oppose French nuclear tests on Mururoa Atoll. Following the first-ever deep sea mining licence application by The Metals Company to the United States, Greenpeace says that now is the time to resist and stop this industry from starting. This UN Ocean Conference will be a key moment to galvanise support ahead of the July meeting of the International Seabed Authority, the UN regulator.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Greenpeace removes wax statue of Macron over French trade with Russia
PARIS: Greenpeace activists removed a wax statue of French President Emmanuel Macron from the Grevin Museum in Paris on Monday and put it in front of the Russian embassy to protest against French business ties with Russia and lack of stronger climate action. In its statement announcing the removal of the statue, Greenpeace said Macron "does not deserve to be exhibited in this world-renowned cultural institution until he has terminated French contracts with Russia and driven an ambitious and sustainable ecological transition across Europe." The French presidency was not immediately available for comment. A Greenpeace spokesperson said the activists had entered the museum Monday morning as regular visitors and went to the room displaying Macron's wax statue. They quickly took the statue and exited the building, where other activists were waiting with a car. "There was no confrontation with museum security because we had planned everything carefully to ensure it happened quickly," the spokesperson said, adding the museum had not been made aware of the action beforehand. The Grevin Museum, which according to its website displays waxwork figures of more than 200 famous people, was not immediately available for comment. "We do not deny the political, diplomatic, and financial support of France and Europe for Ukraine," Greenpeace France director Jean-Francois Julliard told Reuters. "But if we want to be coherent and consistent, we cannot, on the one hand, support Ukraine and, on the other, continue to import such massive amounts of gas, chemical fertilisers, and uranium." France, along with Belgium and Spain, is among the main importers of LNG into Europe. The European Union has been working to reduce its dependence on Russian gas, but some imports are tied to long-term contracts, lasting up to 2041. Companies with these contracts include France's TotalEnergies, SEFE and Naturgy.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why did activists steal the wax statue of Emmanuel Macron from Paris' Musée Grévin?
Greenpeace activists stole the wax statue of French president Emmanuel Macron from the Musée Grévin on Monday before planting it outside the Russian embassy in Paris. According to reports, activists posing as tourists entered the famous Parisian museum, located in the 9th arrondissement. After posing as museum employees, they managed to steal the statue, worth €40,000, and hid it under a blanket. A man who identified himself as a member of Greenpeace then contacted the museum to claim responsibility. The museum management immediately informed the police. The activists then took the statue to the Russian embassy in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, brandishing placards and a banner saying 'Ukraine burns, business continues' to denounce France's economic ties with Russia – specifically French imports of gas and fertiliser from Russia. Greenpeace said in a statement that it had "borrowed" the statue and explained their action on social media. 'For us, France is playing a double game,' said Jean-Francois Julliard, Director General of Greenpeace France. 'Emmanuel Macron embodies this double discourse: he supports Ukraine but encourages French companies to continue trading with Russia.' He added: 'We are targeting Emmanuel Macron, because he has a particular responsibility in this situation. He is the one who should be at the forefront of European discussions to put an end to trade contracts between Russia and European countries.' The protest lasted a few minutes before police intervened. Two people have been arrested, and no news yet on when the wax statue will head back to the Musée Grévin.
