Greenpeace is an international NGO that strives to protect and conserve the natural environment of Earth.

The organisation has existed since 1972, a few months after a group of environmental activists sailed a boat out to try to stop the US government from testing nuclear devices in Alaska.

Even though the focus of Greenpeace in its infancy was on issues surrounding nuclear weapons, the organisation has grown dramatically and now serves to address a number of key international environmental issues.

Prominent on the Greenpeace agenda are issues around whaling, global warming, old growth forest preservation and genetically modified foods.

Greenpeace has offices and members in many countries, and is represented on every continent except Africa.

The organisation has been a leader in addressing the challenges of global warming, and this issue currently sits at the top of its list of priorities.

One of the strong points of Greenpeace in its interesting history has been its ability to publicise itself very well. A key to this has been the organisation’s use of ships, which serve to conduct ocean-based campaigns as well as provide great footage for television crews.

The most well known Greenpeace ship is the Rainbow Warrior, but two other ships (Arctic Sunrise and Esperanza) are owned by Greenpeace too.