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FASCINATED EYES looked up at the sheer size of the ship docked at the Pier 13 in Manila’s south harbor that Wednesday afternoon.

It was no ordinary ship, either, but the MV Arctic Sunrise, owned by Greenpeace International, the environmentalist group.

It was July 31, the ship’s last open-boat day in Manila, and the crew, together with their local Greenpeace partners, were busy accommodating a crowd of children patiently waiting for their turn to board the ship.

The ship had also held open-boat days the previous weekend, before sailing south to Negros in the Visayas on Aug. 1. In its three open-boat days, the ship received more than 2,000 visitors, most of whom were children.

Choose Positive Energy Tour 2002
The MV Arctic Sunrise’s arrival in Manila on July 18 was part of a five-week Southeast Asia "Choose Positive Energy Tour 2002" campaign aimed at raising awareness about the problem of climate change caused by burning fossil fuels like coal.

The 16-member crew came from Canada, Europe, Great Britain, Australia, Scotland, New Zealand, France, and Indonesia. The ship, which had been in Japan and was scheduled to sail to Thailand next, called for support for clean renewable energy alternatives.

"We are asking you to reject negative dirty energy such as coal, oil and gas, and to choose positive renewable energy such as solar, wind, and modern biomass," Greenpeace said in a brochure handed out to each visitor.

Children learn about the greenhouse effect
What happens to the plants when temperature heats up inside a greenhouse? Athena Ballesteros, a Filipino and Greenpeace campaign director for Southeast Asia, asked the young visitors.

"They die," came the answer.

"The earth is like a one big greenhouse," she told the children, pointing out that too much heat can have bad effects on the earth and its inhabitants.

For many years now, humans have been burning massive amounts of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas for their energy needs, and in the process producing vast amounts of greenhouse gases that get trapped in the earth’s atmosphere.

These have accumulated and created a hole in the ozone layer, which has resulted in global warming, also known as climate change, that is causing ice glaciers to crack and melt, Ballesteros said.

According to the environmental group’s brochure, the consequences of such actions include extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, disruption of water supplies, rising sea levels, loss of coral reefs and much more.

Consequences for Metro Manila
Ballesteros told the children that if such dangerous climate changes are not stopped, there may come a day that low-lying areas in Metro Manila could be submerged in water.

"It’s not going to happen tomorrow, or next week but it may and it could happen in the next 40 to a hundred years," she said. "The problem is really serious."

"We need help—from you," said Bernard McLeod, a Canadian crewmember, pointing a finger at a boy who smiled immediately while his companions broke into smiles and giggles.

"And you… and you…and all of us," he added. "It is quite impressive that there are people from all over the world who are in agreement [with Greenpeace] who wish to save the future."

On the deck, McLeod shared a bit of the work done by Greenpeace, a very important aspect of which is making sure their actions out at sea or in remote places are recorded and brought back to shore.

For example, inflatable speedboats, such as those found in Arctic Sunrise and in other Greenpeace ships have been known to rush in between poaching ships and whales to prevent the former from shooting their harpoons. The Arctic Sunrise’s own helicopter takes the aerial footages.

"It’s important that you see what we’re doing," McLeod told the visitors, before leading the youngsters to a winding staircase down to the belly of the ship where another crewmember met them.

What followed was a video presentation of footage of the earth’s natural scenery, and how global warming is destroying these, and how using renewable energy can make things better for the environment and the people.

No serious programs for energy conservation
In an interview, Ballesteros lamented that the Philippines "has no serious programs to promote energy conservation and renewable energy." The country still relies heavily on coal and oil and gas for its power plants.

While government claims to have programs promoting renewable energy, the Greenpeace campaigner pointed out that these projects are merely "token or demonstrative", more like a show-and-tell, she said.

Boat visitors were asked to sign a petition urging the Philippine government to "choose positive energy now." Those who wish to support this cause may sign copies of the petition in The Body Shop outlets.

The MV Arctic Sunrise is a part of Greenpeace’s fleet of ships that play an important role in the work of the organization. The ships are at the forefront of Greenpeace’s campaign around the world, often sailing to remote areas "to bear witness" and take action against environmental destruction.

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