Greenpeace fined for reef damage

November 1, 2005 5:13 AM

Greenpeace fined for reef damage Environmental group Greenpeace has been fined almost $7,000 (£4,000) for damaging a coral reef at a World Heritage site in the Philippines. I know it's wrong, but I just couldn't stop laughing when I read this...
posted by drewlondon (26 comments total)

Greenpeace agreed to pay the fine, but blamed the accident on outdated maps provided by the Philippines government.

Sailors today...they get one set of coordinates and never bother to compare/contrast them to other aeronautical surveys.
posted by Smart Dalek at 5:25 AM on November 1, 2005

adding, however, that Greenpeace felt "responsible" for the damage.

Nothing to see here, move on.
posted by tellurian at 5:36 AM on November 1, 2005

Greenpeace agreed to pay the fine, but blamed the accident on outdated maps provided by the Philippines government.

Is there anything in the future that isn't going to get blamed on "faulty intelligence"?
posted by clevershark at 5:59 AM on November 1, 2005

Nice to see an international oil/shipping/fishing conglomerate taking responsibility for the damage it causes and paying reparation without resorting to legal shenanigans.
posted by NinjaPirate at 6:01 AM on November 1, 2005

Dag-gum hippies can't even drive a boat right. Probably too high on them drugs they all smoke.
posted by JeffK at 6:22 AM on November 1, 2005

Speaking of coral reefs... We were diving not long ago and the guides were talking about how much colors have changed over the past 10-15 years. The seemed to suggest that it was global. Is this right? Any good sites about changes in Reef-ness?
posted by tomplus2 at 6:22 AM on November 1, 2005

tomplus2: "Anygood sites about changes in Reef-ness?"

maybe here

Coral reef bleaching, the whitening of diverse invertebrate taxa, results from the loss of symbiotic zooxantheallae and/or a reduction in photosynthetic pigment concentrations in zooxanthellae residing within scleractinian corals. Coral reef bleaching is caused by various anthropogenic and natural variations in the reef environment including sea temperature, solar irradiance, sedimentation, xenobiotics, subaerial exposure, inorganic nutrients, freshwater dilution, and epizootics. Coral bleaching events have been increasing in both frequency and extent worldwide in the past 20 years. Global climate change may play a role in the increase in coral bleaching events, and could cause the destruction of major reef tracts and the extinction of many coral species.
posted by zouhair at 6:31 AM on November 1, 2005

I know it's wrong, but I just couldn't stop laughing when I read this...

But did you have to post it?

There's no story here except your titillated giggling; the boat accidentally damaged - what? about a 10x10 meter section of reef? - the owners paid the fine, the park manager praised their quick action in helping assess the damage, and likes their work in general. That's worth a front page post? Can we raise the bar a little higher, please?
posted by mediareport at 6:41 AM on November 1, 2005

:)
posted by caddis at 6:44 AM on November 1, 2005

I think it's a fine post but would have been better if it had mentioned that this is the second time in a year one of Greenpeace's ships has committed a big environmental no-no.
posted by Heminator at 6:52 AM on November 1, 2005

What's the matter with you, mediareport?
No Controversy != bad post.

Maybe it is a bit of newsfilter, but it isn't typical. It draws attention to the reefs, which is warranted (agenda filter). It is interesting to know even those of best intent can cause damage. It is a delightful illustration of the right way to business (whoops, so sorry, mea culpa).
posted by Goofyy at 6:53 AM on November 1, 2005

Meanwhile Habitat For Humanity buys a house (to tare down) and now wants to kick out the elderly, poor couple (one of whom is wheelchair bound) who's been living there rent-free as caretakers for 23 years!
posted by delmoi at 7:00 AM on November 1, 2005

Coral bleaching, teeth bleaching, anal bleaching - my gawd, where will it stop?!?
posted by twsf at 7:03 AM on November 1, 2005

Lame.
The post, I mean.
posted by signal at 7:06 AM on November 1, 2005

Failure to file the required paperwork a *BIG* environmental no-no? Say it ain't so, Heminator

PS: Sailormongering is also not a BIG environmental no-no
posted by magullo at 7:22 AM on November 1, 2005

Irony is a dead scene.
posted by gwint at 7:25 AM on November 1, 2005

Sailormongering makes the whole lame thread worthwhile.
posted by srboisvert at 7:34 AM on November 1, 2005

I guess nobody likes hearing stories about a group owning up to the damage they cause and refusing to pass the costs of their activities on to society.

I enjoyed reading the story. It's nice change from the constant propaganda the media spews out about how anybody trying to raise social awareness is a trouble maker who's out to destroy everything you care about.
posted by dsword at 8:05 AM on November 1, 2005

Thanks for the post. People who don't at least chuckle a little at this are broken.
posted by Foosnark at 9:14 AM on November 1, 2005

Fine post - it gave people the chance to talk about other damaging incidents comitted by well-intentioned agencies. Well done!
posted by chai-rista at 10:21 AM on November 1, 2005

I love the smell of irony in the morning.

it smells like....iron
posted by chibikeandy at 10:39 AM on November 1, 2005

Man, I hate Greenpeace. "...stifling our tradition of civil protest, a tradition that..." Being a cock-hat is a tradition now? Twats. Get a job.
posted by BadSeamus at 10:41 AM on November 1, 2005

Hey, who let in the troll?
posted by caddis at 11:14 AM on November 1, 2005

If only these things would happen every day. Somebody like Glenn Reynolds could have a whole blog about them.
posted by dhartung at 12:33 PM on November 1, 2005

Thanks. I got a bit of a chuckle off that irony. Not surprised, though.
posted by laurenbove at 1:38 PM on November 1, 2005

Not much to discuss in the post. delmoi's Habitat story is much more interesting.

FWIW, 2005 is the 20th anniversary of the French government's planted bombing of the Rainbow Warrior, killing photographer Fernando Pereira.

More trivia, I suppose. Louis Pierre Dillais is living well in Washington D.C, I believe, selling weapons. Ugh.

Greenpeace was a great organization in the 1980s, but then they were infiltrated by various secret polices and their flunkies. Unfortunate.
posted by mrgrimm at 6:04 PM on November 1, 2005