Bellona Foundation

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The Bellona Foundation
Company typeNGO
IndustryEnvironmentalism
FoundedJune 16, 1986
HeadquartersOslo, Norway
Area served
Norway, EU, Russia and U.S.
Key people
Frederic Hauge (co-founder)
Revenue764,898 euro (2020) Edit this on Wikidata
Number of employees
About 70 (2010)
Websitewww.bellona.org, www.bellona.no, www.bellona.ru

The Bellona Foundation is an international environmental NGO headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with branches in Europe and North America. Founded in 1986 by Frederic Hauge and Rune Haaland as a direct action protest group to curb Norway's oil and gas industry pollution, it grew to be multi-disciplinary and multinational in scope and maintains offices in Oslo, Brussels, Berlin and Vilnius. In 2022, Bellona ended activities in Russia and relocated experts to the Vilnius, Lithuania office to assist Ukraine with environmental challenges resulting from the Russian invasion.[1] In 2023, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office recognized Bellona as an "undesirable organization".[2]

Bellona works with ecologists, engineers, economists, attorneys, journalists, specialists in the natural and social sciences, to accomplish its objectives.

History

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In 1994, the Bellona Foundation's report "Sources of Radioactive Contamination in Murmansk and Archangel Counties" raised serious concerns about the safety of the decommissioned Soviet nuclear-powered submarines after the dissolution of the USSR.[3] In February 1996, Russian FSB arrested Bellona's Russian expert Alexander Nikitin, a former Soviet naval officer, and charged him with treason through espionage for his contributions to Bellona's report on the nuclear safety within the Russian Northern Fleet.[4] The Russian Supreme Court exonerated him in 2000.[5]

In 2003, Bellona accessed radioactive contamination at Sellafield nuclear reprocessing facility in England.[6]

At the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen, Bellona presented "101 Solutions to Climate Change".[7][8]

In 2013, Bellona Foundation filed a police report after it learned that a "disposal well in the Norwegian Sea owned by Norway’s state oil company Statoil leaked 3,428 tons of hazardous chemicals and oil-based drilling fluids over six years at the Njord site".[9]

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 led Bellona to terminate its operations in Russia, close its offices, and relocate its staff and expertise to a new office in Vilnius, which opened in 2023.

In April 2023, Russia declared Bellona as an "undesirable" organization.[10]

Funding

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Bellona's yearly spending was 25 million Norwegian Kroner (NOK) in 2001. Amongst the sources: 10 million NOK came from selling advertisements; 6 million NOK was received from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for projects in Russia, and 1 million NOK was received from the Norwegian government for general purposes; 6 million NOK was received from business sector to implement the B7 program; 2 million NOK came from donations and gifts.[11]

For many years, Bellona has collaborated with major international philanthropic organizations, including the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and the ClimateWorks Foundation. The organization also receives project-specific funding from European and Norwegian sources, such as the European Climate Foundation (ECF), the European Union’s Horizon programme, the Research Council of Norway, and the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority.[12]

Criticism

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In Norway, the Bellona Foundation was criticized for "seeking publicity", and in Russia — for accepting funds from the Norwegian government.[13] Some maintain that Bellona damaged its environmental credibility by "cooperating with market agents", transforming it into more of a consultancy for private companies than an environmental NGO.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Jonassen, Text Trine. "Bellona Closes its Offices in Russia". www.highnorthnews.com. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  2. ^ "Генпрокуратура признала экологический фонд "Беллона" нежелательным в России". Kommersant (in Russian). 2023-04-18.
  3. ^ Took, Roger. Running with Reindeer Encounters in Russian Lapland. Boulder, Colo: Westview Press, 2004.
  4. ^ Charlton, Angela (13 September 2000). "Russian Whistle Blower Acquitted". Associated Press. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
  5. ^ "Old Habits Die Hard: Aleksandr Nikitin, the European Court of Human Rights, and Criminal Procedure in the Russian Federation". B.C. Int'l & Comp. L. Rev. 25 (1): 190. 2002.
  6. ^ Bellona Report No. 8: Sellafield Archived 2015-05-26 at the Wayback Machine, Oslo: The Bellona Foundation, 2003. ISBN 82-92318-08-9
  7. ^ Meg Lowman. The Bellona solution, Herald-Tribune, February 15, 2010.
  8. ^ Bellona presents 101 Solutions Archived May 14, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "Bellona files police report against Statoil over six years of chemicals leaked into Norwegian Sea". nuclear-news. 2013-10-24. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  10. ^ "Russia Adds Norwegian Environmental Group Bellona To List Of 'Undesirable' Organizations". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. April 18, 2023.
  11. ^ Cecilie Løne. Communicating Solutions for a Greener World: A case study of The Bellona Foundation’s communication process within the Hydrogen Project. University of Oslo, 2001.
  12. ^ https://etc.bellona.org/funding/
  13. ^ Krupnick, Charles. Decommissioned Russian Nuclear Submarines and International Cooperation. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2001, p. 183.
  14. ^ Grendstad, Gunnar. Unique Environmentalism: A Comparative Perspective. New York: Springer, 2006, p.125.

Further reading

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