Greenpeace Thailand activists jump in lake to protest against greenwashing in APEC

At 9.15am, activists from Greenpeace Thailand jumped into the lake at Benjakitti Park in Bangkok to protest against “greenwashing” in APEC.

Protestors held up signs saying “APEC STOP GREENWASHING” from the lake outside the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, where the APEC 2022 Summit will be held next week from November 14-19.

The protest happened as Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan headed to the convention centre to oversee security preparations ahead of the important meeting, which will be attended by global leaders.

Greenwashing, also called “green sheen” is the use of “green marketing” to persuade the public that an organisation’s aims, products, and policies are environmentally-friendly, when in reality, they’re not.

The activists – led by Director of Greenpeace Thailand Tara Buakamsri – also held up signs saying “To Climate Polluters: PAY UP FOR LOSS & DAMAGE.” The group calls for a rehabilitation fund to be set up by the world’s biggest polluters to compensate for the damage they have caused to the environment.

Would the protest have been more effective if it was staged when the meeting had already kicked off, and APEC leaders were more likely to see the message, you ask?

It’s unlikely the Greenpeace protestors would have made it to the lake if they tried to stage the protest next week. The road is going to be closed off to the public for five days to reduce traffic and prevent security threats in the area.

Tara said the protest was also targeted at global leaders attending the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) which is currently being held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from November 6 to 18.

The activist also criticised Thailand’s bio-circular-green (BCG) economy model. He said the committee making BCG decisions is made up of influential billionaires (a perfect example of “greenwashing.”)