Greenpeace International has denied it has pulled the plug on its branch in Ireland. It has promised to support a new national organisation, Voice. It has also undertaken to continue to back Government initiatives within the global environmental context, particularly on nuclear waste.
Its Irish office is the first national office to close, said Greenpeace International's senior manager, Mr Brian Fitzgerald. However, the decision was unavoidable because it was not financially viable.
"We have had to allocate resources in the best way we can," he said. "We don't wish to diminish environmental problems in Ireland, which are considerable."
He said Greenpeace had found its niche by addressing global problems but would as much as possible "lend a hand" to Voice - Voice of concern for the Irish environment - including giving it seed funding.
The organisation would "continue to work with the Government in a number of areas, including nuclear waste and the International Whaling Commission".
He said addressing environmental issues on an international scale, including work through the United Nations, would have tangible effects for Ireland. "We have no doubt that Voice will address Irish environmental issues in coalition with other groups."
Irish support for Greenpeace, he said, was "tremendously helpful" and would be needed for the future. He hoped Irish people would have dual membership in Voice and Greenpeace.
Greenpeace International could not continue to subsidise offices, particularly those in Europe, when it was trying to move into South-East Asia, notably China, its press officer, Mr John Walter, said.
Its revised strategy was concentrated on global problems of air pollution, toxic waste, deforestation and climatic change reducing biodiversity. "Unless we are active in these countries, we are not going to be globally able to turn around these problems."
Funding was "not increasing in leaps and bounds as it was 10 or even five years ago", he said, and that necessitated "tough and unfortunate decisions". The former director of Greenpeace Ireland, Ms Clare O'Grady Walshe, said the disengagement with Greenpeace International was not bitter, though it had been challenging to ensure it was not so. Its two remaining fulltime staff are being made redundant.
"I'm taking time out after eight years of environmental campaigning. I do hope Voice gets the support it deserves throughout the island of Ireland because our pollution problems are huge."
For anyone to say it was not of crisis proportions, she said, amounted to "a huge denial".
A joint statement is to be issued to Greenpeace Ireland supporters and the media within the next two weeks. "The board of Greenpeace Ireland have pledged that the void created by the closure will be filled in a potentially vibrant and empowering way," its spokeswoman, Ms Gay Brabazon, said.
