Greenpeace is a
non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in
Amsterdam, the
Netherlands. Founded by
Canadian environmental activists in 1971, Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the
Earth to nurture
life in all its
diversity" and focuses its campaigning on worldwide issues such as
climate change,
deforestation,
overfishing,
commercial whaling,
genetic engineering, and
anti-nuclear issues. It uses
direct action,
lobbying, and
research to achieve its goals. The global organization does not accept funding from governments, corporations, or political parties, relying on 2.9 million individual supporters and foundation grants. Greenpeace has a
general consultative status with the
United Nations Economic and Social Council and is a founding member of the
INGO Accountability Charter; an international non-governmental organization that intends to foster accountability and transparency of non-governmental organizations.