The New Face of Greenpeace
I mean the title quite literally. A new leader for Greenpeace was recently interviewed and I found the article in the New York Times.
I found this article fun and interesting because the questions Naidoo answered vary over many different topics and offer some insight into Greenpeace and the philosophy of the organization.
In terms of energy, Naidoo believes that wind and solar power are the best sources. They do have very little impact on the environment and are sustainable. He makes it clear that Greenpeace does not endorse nuclear energy. (This seems to be an energy form that is frequently labeled as green.) Nuclear energy, he feels is dangerous and often over stays its welcome which increases its negative impacts.
The interviewer also asked Naidoo about biofuels and what progress he feels has been made. The two of them made sure to acknowledge some of the failings of the first generation of biofuels, such as requiring energy to grow the plants. Naidoo said that the best way to examine the second generation of biofuels is to ask whether it has a negative impact on the ecology of the area, its efficiency, and it's greenhouse gas output.
The last subject that I paid particular attention to is genetically modified crops (GMC). I have not written much about them in the past because it is a tricky subject with many questions still remaining. Naidoo feels that GMC's should be avoided and are utterly unnecessary. He says that the areas with the highest starvation rates are areas with an abundance of food. Naidoo blames the economy and feels that sustainable farming is the answer.
For more reading, click the link above.
