Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior: The fight for climate justice at sea

KLANG: Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior dropped anchor in Port Klang last month, marking its second visit to Malaysia since it last docked in 2018.

Thing Siew Shuen, Senior Programme Manager of Greenpeace Southeast Asia said the presence of the ship in the country was to call for climate justice.

With Malaysia continuing to experience changes in weather and rainfall patterns, Thing said it was crucial for the government to establish a Climate Change Act immediately.

“During the general elections last year, we demanded for the Act to be tabled in 2023,” she said.

“We hope that it can be expedited so vulnerable groups affected by climate change-related incidents can be protected.”

In recent years, rising sea levels and temperatures in the country have largely contributed to increasingly frequent floods, landslides, as well as food insecurity.

Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad had said the development of the bill was expected to take another two to three years.

But Thing warned that three years may be a bit too late, noting that the bill had already been delayed by multiple changes of government since 2020.

“They (the government) often talk about adaptation plans, but not mitigation plans. What we want is for both of these to come together.”

She added that there was a need to put all involved government departments under a legislative framework.

“There are some departments working to reduce carbon emissions or trying to address certain parts of climate change. For example, some are pushing for electric vehicles (EV) or renewable energy, but they are not working under a regulatory framework so it is scattered everywhere.

“These departments should not work in silos,” she added.

Beyond the new bill, Greenpeace is also calling for a Transboundary Haze Pollution or Clean Air Act, which was initially drafted by the Pakatan Harapan-led government in 2018 but has since been shelved.

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including Greenpeace, previously filed an air pollution complaint to the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM). It highlighted gaps in Malaysia’s legislative tools, including air quality standards that were not in line with the World Health Organization’s global guidance.

A low-hanging fruit for the government, said Thing, would be to revise the Environmental Quality Act 1974 to take into account the effects of modernisation and industrialization.

She said provisions must be included to enable pollution control and more effective waste management.

An undisputed sailing icon

One of three ships in the Greenpeace fleet, the current Rainbow Warrior has been patrolling the world’s oceans and fighting for environmental justice since 2011.

Its name hails from the North American Cree Indian prophecy, which reads: “When the world is sick and dying, people will rise up like Warriors of the Rainbow.”

Captain of the ship, Jose Barbal Badia, or better known as Pep, told Astro AWANI that it was actually the third vessel to bear the name of Greenpeace’s flagship.

The Rainbow Warrior I was sunk in 1985 after French secret service agents planted two bombs onto the ship, leading to the death of one crew member. The ship had been ready to confront French nuclear testing in the Mururoa Atoll in French Polynesia.

The Rainbow Warrior II was subsequently launched in 1989 and sailed for 22 years, before being retired and replaced with the current Rainbow Warrior III.

Stretching at 62-metres long, Pep said the ship continues to be a symbol of hope and peaceful protest.

It is run by 17 dedicated crew members made up of engineers, cooks, mechanics, radio operators and more, all from different nationalities.

“You don’t find this on other ships,” said Pep. “(The crew) on other ships are usually made up of one nationality, at most, from two to three countries.”

After Malaysia, the Rainbow Warrior would continue its voyage to Western Australia, where it aims to continue defending its oceans and climates.