Bellona Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Bellona Foundation is a multi-disciplinary international environmental NGO
based in Oslo, Norway. Founded in 1986 by Frederic Hauge
and Rune Haaland as a direct action protest group, it has since blossomed into a recognized technology and solution-oriented environmental champion with offices on two continents. Altogether, close to 75 ecologists, nuclear physicists, scientist, engineers, economists, lawyers, advisers and journalists work at Bellona.
Through offices located in Brussels, Washington DC, St. Petersburg, Murmansk and Oslo, Bellona works with relevant governments, experts and other NGOs to achieve sustainable solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental problems. These include fighting global warming, the clean-up of the Cold War legacy in Russia, and the safety of the oil and gas industry in Europe.
In February 1996, Russian FSB
arrested Bellona's Russian expert Alexander Nikitin
and charged him with treason through espionage for his contributions to a Bellona report on the nuclear safety
within the Russian Northern Fleet. He was fully acquitted by the Russian Supreme Court in 2000.
At the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference
(COP15) in Copenhagen, Bellona presented 101 Solutions to climate change.
The Bellona Foundation was sponsored between 2005 and 2008 by the Norwegian oil company Statoil
with 500,000 NOK (approx.€ 55,000).
Bellona and Statoil have opposing views on important environmental issues, but they both acknowledge that dialogue can be an important tool in order to promote better environmental standards. Through objective dialogue and by challenging each other they hope to further the development of new and better solutions for tackling the global climate challenges through the development of forward-looking solutions.
Statoil is one of more than 100 businesses, organisations and enterprises that have partaken in the foundations B7-program –since it was introduced in 1998.
The foundations cooperation program for industry and business came about as a result of recognition by the Bellona Foundation that the environmental movement alone would not be able to impel the necessary technological changes in order to counter the impending threats against our common environment. Through this program, Bellona wanted to extend a hand to those enterprises that were willing to take the environment in earnest, and to offer them an arena on which they could prove their commitment by working together in order to take the step from being part of the problem to become part of the solution.
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
based in Oslo, Norway. Founded in 1986 by Frederic Hauge
Frederic Hauge
Frederic Hauge is a Norwegian environmental activist, and co-founder and CEO of the Bellona Foundation since 1986.He appeared on Time Magazine's list of "Heroes of the Environment" October 2007.- References :* - External links :...
and Rune Haaland as a direct action protest group, it has since blossomed into a recognized technology and solution-oriented environmental champion with offices on two continents. Altogether, close to 75 ecologists, nuclear physicists, scientist, engineers, economists, lawyers, advisers and journalists work at Bellona.
Through offices located in Brussels, Washington DC, St. Petersburg, Murmansk and Oslo, Bellona works with relevant governments, experts and other NGOs to achieve sustainable solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental problems. These include fighting global warming, the clean-up of the Cold War legacy in Russia, and the safety of the oil and gas industry in Europe.
In February 1996, Russian FSB
FSB (Russia)
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation is the main domestic security agency of the Russian Federation and the main successor agency of the Soviet Committee of State Security . Its main responsibilities are counter-intelligence, internal and border security, counter-terrorism, and...
arrested Bellona's Russian expert Alexander Nikitin
Alexander Nikitin
Aleksander Nikitin, a Russian former submarine officer and nuclear safety inspector turned environmentalist, started to co-operate with Norwegian environmental Bellona Foundation in 1994. He was arrested in February 1996 by Russian FSB and charged with treason through espionage for his...
and charged him with treason through espionage for his contributions to a Bellona report on the nuclear safety
Nuclear safety
Nuclear safety covers the actions taken to prevent nuclear and radiation accidents or to limit their consequences. This covers nuclear power plants as well as all other nuclear facilities, the transportation of nuclear materials, and the use and storage of nuclear materials for medical, power,...
within the Russian Northern Fleet. He was fully acquitted by the Russian Supreme Court in 2000.
At the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference
2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference
The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as the Copenhagen Summit, was held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 7 December and 18 December. The conference included the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate...
(COP15) in Copenhagen, Bellona presented 101 Solutions to climate change.
The Bellona Foundation was sponsored between 2005 and 2008 by the Norwegian oil company Statoil
Statoil
Statoil ASA is a Norwegian petroleum company established in 1972. It merged with Norsk Hydro in 2007 and was known as StatoilHydro until 2009, when the name was changed back to Statoil ASA. The brand Statoil was retained as a chain of fuel stations owned by StatoilHydro...
with 500,000 NOK (approx.€ 55,000).
Bellona and Statoil have opposing views on important environmental issues, but they both acknowledge that dialogue can be an important tool in order to promote better environmental standards. Through objective dialogue and by challenging each other they hope to further the development of new and better solutions for tackling the global climate challenges through the development of forward-looking solutions.
Statoil is one of more than 100 businesses, organisations and enterprises that have partaken in the foundations B7-program –since it was introduced in 1998.
The foundations cooperation program for industry and business came about as a result of recognition by the Bellona Foundation that the environmental movement alone would not be able to impel the necessary technological changes in order to counter the impending threats against our common environment. Through this program, Bellona wanted to extend a hand to those enterprises that were willing to take the environment in earnest, and to offer them an arena on which they could prove their commitment by working together in order to take the step from being part of the problem to become part of the solution.
External links
- Bellona Foundation – website in English, Norwegian and Russian
- 101 Solutions to climate change
- The St.Petersburg Times – Ecologists: 10,000 Tons Of Waste Headed for City
- Youtube video Bellona activists measure radioactivity, protest near barrels of uranium waste, in St Petersburg.