10 things you’ve always wanted to ask someone facing a $300 million lawsuit
They’re suing you for what??
For Greenpeace campaigners, this is a very real situation. As spokespeople that name and draw attention to the companies that destroy the places we love, it can turn into a very real “David vs Goliath” battle. That’s what’s happening right now to six Greenpeace campaigners who have been personally named in two lawsuits totalling more than $300 million Canadian dollars by Resolute Forest Products, Canada’s largest logging company.
Why? For exposing the company’s unsustainable forestry practices. For that, Resolute has filed SLAPPs (strategic lawsuits against public participation), which aims to tie up its critics in legal proceedings and costs so they can’t afford to speak out anymore.
Amy Moas, Ph.D. is a Senior Forest Campaigner for Greenpeace USA based in Las Vegas and San Francisco. She uses science and market based campaigns to drive changes in the supply chains of many large corporations, and has been speaking out about Resolute for more than four years.
She is one of the defendants named in one of the SLAPPs.
- You’ve spent your entire career protecting forests. Why?
I grew up in the desert of the southwest United States, so visiting the trees and forests was always a treat. I’ve been lucky enough to step foot in some of the most amazing forests around the globe. From the infinite shades of green in the Amazon, to the amazing array of wildlife in the Indonesian rainforest, or the Indigenous cultural connection to the land I experienced in the Canadian boreal forest — my heart drives me to do all I can to make sure these special spaces are protected. The threats that the last great forests on this planet face are so large that I worry about my children growing up in a world without their awe inspiring natural beauty.
2. Apart from these forests being incredibly beautiful, why is it necessary to protect forests?
For so many reasons! Forests store huge amounts of carbon and help regulate our global climate, provide habitat for countless wildlife species, help provide the clean air we breathe and clear water we drink, and are cultural landscapes for Indigenous Peoples who have relied on them for generations.
Not all forests are created equal however. Intact forests are the cream of the crop of forests. They are large blocks of forest that have not been disturbed by industrial development, which means they do all the things forests do better than anywhere else. Intact forests are also more resilient to climate change and other disturbances than any other forest, so they are our best hope for the future. We need to protect all forests, but intact forests are an absolute priority.
3. Roughly, how has the number of intact forests globally decreased over the years?
The easy answer is way too many! The technical answer can be complicated as it involves how we define intact forests and how we remotely detect they have been lost. Basically, what the best scientists tell us is that from 2000–2013, the world lost more than 90 million hectares or more than 225 million acres on intact forests. That’s roughly two times the size of the state of California! And that’s only intact forests! The global rate of deforestation and forest degradation is a whole other, more general indicator of the cost humans are inflicting on forests. That number is also way too high.
4. What would you say is the primary driver behind deforestation? Is it our need for palm oil, paper, IKEA furniture?
I wish it was as simple as naming the one primary driver of forest loss. My job would be a lot easier if it was! Unfortunately it’s complicated and varies depending on where you are.
At Greenpeace, we always start with identifying the most important forest regions, then identify what is contributing to its demise. For example, in the Canadian boreal forest, Resolute Forest Products, is one of the largest logging companies in Canada, so it is impossible to ignore the damage they are causing to intact forests and threatened species habitat. In Indonesia, the rapid rise of palm oil plantations in the last 10 years is so dramatic it has altered huge swaths of land. And in the Congo Basin, logging, industrial agriculture, and infrastructure projects are all bulldozing huge areas of rainforest.
5. There are environmental and Indigenous land rights activists all over the world that are being threatened by major logging companies and people have put their lives on the line for their cause — even murdered. Berta Cáceres is the most high profiled example. In your career, what type of people have you encountered that have been directly impacted by the loss of a forest?
I wish more people would ask this question. One common misconception about what Greenpeace does and how I spend my time is that we are only interested in saving the animals or the trees. But in reality, everywhere that we work, the Indigenous Peoples and local communities are at the center of what we do. Respecting their rights to shape what happens on their land is paramount.
A couple of years ago, I was lucky enough to have the honour of traveling with the Waswanipi Cree onto their traditional land in Canada’s boreal forest. This First Nation has seen more than 90% of the intact forests on their land lost, so they are actively calling for the protection of the last 10% of their intact forests. This land is critical to their identity and cultural way of life. Greenpeace is proud to stand next to them and amplify their voices. Losing a forest is not just about the trees, it is about so much more to the people who have called that forest home for generations.
6.Greenpeace is currently being sued by Resolute, one of Canada’s largest logging companies, for $300 million Canadian dollars. How does it feel to be one of the defendants sued by this massive corporation?
It’s a bit surreal. It can be scary when I think about what it means for me and my family. But I also know that I did not do anything wrong. Everything I have said and done has been truthful, genuine and only aimed at providing a better future for the forest and our planet; and I pride myself on relying on the best science to guide my understanding of the Canadian boreal forest and the impact logging is having on intact forests and threatened species.
I feel extremely proud to work for an organization that refuses to be silenced and is fighting back against Resolute’s SLAPPs. Unfortunately though, these types of “scare tactics” are working. As they tie us up in court, smaller nonprofits and individual activists are thinking twice about speaking out. But Greenpeace refuses to let this company attack freedom of speech and shut down discourse on issues of public concern forever — and neither will I.
7. Why do you think Resolute has chosen to sue you? Why would any corporation go to such extremes?
Greenpeace is brave. We bear witness to what is happening and broadcast it to the world.
This attitude is absolutely counter to what is enabling Resolute to get away with its destructive practices. They want to continue doing “business as usual”, but I, and my fellow defendants, were standing in their way.
Instead of listening, engaging and adopting sustainable operations, they prefer to dig their heels in. So like a bully in a playground they’re stamping down on anyone that gets in their way.
8. Obviously this is a lot of money and the consequences are severe — Greenpeace offices around the world are in danger of being shut down if Resolute wins. What strengths do you channel during a time like this?
I am blessed in this life to be surrounded by an amazing large family, including my husband and two young children. They keep me strong and remind me what I am fighting for. In addition to being a Greenpeace campaigner and SLAPP defendant, I am also an everyday mom that cooks and cleans and runs after her children. But I also cannot overstate the strength it gives me to fight for something I truly believe in and to do it on behalf of an amazing organization filled with genuine, smart and brave people.
9. What does “sustainable logging” mean to you? Is it even possible?
Of course it is! The fight to protect the world’s last great forests only makes sense because we know there is a viable way forward. Greenpeace is best known for its nonviolent direct actions and flashy protests, but above all is absolutely focused on solutions — solutions that make sense for the forest as well as for local communities and industry. Because of this ‘sustainable logging’ can mean different things in different contexts.
For Resolute Forest Products, being “sustainable” would mean abandoning the controversial elements of its logging practices (like destroying intact forests and logging in threatened woodland caribou habitat), and instead sit down with First Nations and other stakeholders to establish conservation planning for these forests. Ultimately it means protecting key places and embracing Forest Stewardship Council certification across its operations. By doing this, they’d be a stronger company with more customers that can shepherd a healthier forest longer into the future, ensuring longevity for workers and local communities.
10. What lengths would you go to to protect a tree? Would you ever chain yourself to one or live in one?
I am not sure about a single tree, but I am being sued for $300 million to protect an entire forest’s worth!
Shuk-Wah Chung is a Writer and Content Editor for the Communications Hub at Greenpeace East Asia. Follow her on Twitter here.
