GreenFacts
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GreenFacts, formerly the GreenFacts Foundation, is an international non-profit organization founded in 2001 in Brussels, Belgium. It produces short summaries of technical scientific reports for the public.[1] It states that its mission is "to bring complex scientific consensus reports on health and the environment to the reach of non-specialists."[2]
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[edit] Aims
GreenFacts' primary function is to provide summaries of scientific consensus reports on environment and health issues (such as climate change and tobacco).[3] GreenFacts' aim is to rewrite these highly technical, scientific publications into something more easily understood by lay readers. The summaries are subjected to a review by experts in that field for faithfulness to the original document.[4] The peer review process is overseen by GreenFacts' Scientific Board composed of independent scientists.[5] After peer-review, the summaries are published in English on the organization's website. Most summaries are translated into French and Spanish, and a growing number into German and/or Dutch. GreenFacts also publishes and widely distributes paper versions of some of its shorter summaries.[6] Some of these paper summaries were also translated into Chinese, Russian or Arabic.
GreenFacts states that one of its missions is to foster dialogue between environmentalists, industry and others by providing accessible and neutral information.[7]
An article published by the European Commission writes that GreenFacts "recognised that progress in health and the environment would need to come from 'dialogue and co-operation, rather than activism and confrontation'." [8]
[edit] Funding
GreenFacts was founded in December 2001 with seed money from the Belgian chemical company Solvay. Until 2004, it remained primarily funded by industrial companies such as Solvay, Carrefour, Suez. Since 2005, over 50% of its funding has come from other sources, such as individuals, foundations, UN organization, the European Commission, and national governments and agencies such as the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). In 2006, GreenFacts' total income was €510,000.[9]
[edit] Partnerships
GreenFacts has partnership agreements with several commercial companies, industry associations, NGOs, governmental organizations, UN institutions, and media organization.[10]
It is a member of the IUCN [11] and is an observer organization of the IPCC.[12]
In December 2007, GreenFacts joined the COM+ Alliance of Communicators for Sustainable Development as associate partner.[13] In this context GreenFacts has produced the official summary of the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), which is available on the IAASTD website.[14]
GreenFacts regularly collaborates with the organizations publishing the scientific reports it summarizes (such as WHO, FAO, CBD, Millennium Assessment...).
[edit] Referrals
GreenFacts summaries have been praised by several eminent scientists, such as Robert Watson.[15] GreenFacts summaries are linked to from tens of thousands of websites, including many NGOs and UN organization websites.
GreenFacts works under contract for the European Commission to produce summaries of scientific reports of the Scientific Committees of the Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection, which are published both on the European Commission's website [16] and on GreenFacts "Co-publications" website.[17]
[edit] Criticisms
GreenFacts is accused of being a "front group" on two websites of the Center for Media and Democracy.[18][19]
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ "Chernobyl's legacy still undecided". BBC News, 24 April 2006. 2006-04-24. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4923220.stm. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
- ^ "GreenFacts' Mission Statement". GreenFacts Website. http://about.greenfacts.org/organization/mission.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
- ^ "GreenFacts' publications". GreenFacts Website. http://www.greenfacts.org/en/digests/. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
- ^ "GreenFacts' publication process". GreenFacts Website. http://about.greenfacts.org/publications/process.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
- ^ "GreenFacts' Scientific Board". GreenFacts Website. http://about.greenfacts.org/whos-who/scientific-board.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
- ^ GreenFacts' Paper Summaries
- ^ "A foundation for environmental debate". European Commission: European Research Headlines, 20 June 2003. http://ec.europa.eu/research/headlines/news/article_03_06_20_en.html. Retrieved 2007-11-13.
- ^ "The Research Headlines". EUROPA Website. http://ec.europa.eu/research/headlines/news/article_03_06_20_en.html. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
- ^ "GreenFacts' funding figures". GreenFacts Website. http://about.greenfacts.org/funding/figures.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
- ^ "GreenFacts' Partners". GreenFacts Website. http://about.greenfacts.org/partners/. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
- ^ "IUCN MEMBERSHIP LIST – JUNE 2007". IUCN. 2007-06-01. http://www.iucn.org/members/Documents/members_list_june2007.pdf.
- ^ "DRAFT REPORT OF THE 26TH SESSION OF THE IPCC". IPCC. 2007-05-04. http://www.ipcc.ch/meetings/session26/draft-report.pdf.
- ^ "GreenFacts Joins the COM+ Alliance". COM+ Alliance. 2007-12-21. http://www.complusalliance.org/Modules/ENews/ENewsDetails.asp?id=MTE0OA&MenuId=2&BackLink=%2FTemplates%2FCOMPLUS%2FCOMPLUS5%2Flayout%2Easp%3FMenuID%3D2.
- ^ "Press Materials". IAASTD. 2008-06-12. http://www.agassessment.org/index.cfm?Page=Press_Materials&ItemID=11.
- ^ "GreenFacts' credentials in Science Communication". GreenFacts Website. http://about.greenfacts.org/pressroom/presskit/folder/credentials.doc. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
- ^ "Bringing the results of the Scientific Committees closer to the public". EUROPA Website. http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_risk/popularizing/popularizing_results_en.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
- ^ "GreenFacts' Co-publications website". GreenFacts. http://copublications.greenfacts.org/en/index.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
- ^ "Front Groups We're Scrutinizing". Full Frontal Scrutiny. http://www.frontgroups.org/frontgroups. Retrieved 2008-11-16.
- ^ "GreenFacts Foundation". SourceWatch Website. http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=GreenFacts_Foundation. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
