ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS

ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS
There are several groups in Britain which try to protect the environment. The most famous group is Greenpeace, which campaigns in many countries around the world. They have campaigned against hunting whales, pollution in the North Sea, nuclear power, testing nuclear weapons, and many other issues. Greenpeace supporters organize demonstrations and they also take direct action. For example, they block pipes that pour pollution into the sea.
Another important environment group is Friends of the Earth. They have led campaigns against global warming, the destruction of the rain forest, and the hole in the ozone layer. There is also a green Party, which is a political party. It regularly fights elections and it has won seats in the European Parliament and on local councils.
There are many other groups which are concerned with protecting the environment, for example, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), which campaigns to protect birds against dangers such as pesticides and hunting. Some environmental groups are very old. The oldest is the National Trust which was set up in 1895 to protect parks, buildings and monuments in Britain.
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Almost every country is a member of the United Nations (UN). Most countries also belong to other smaller international groups. Britain belongs to three other international organizations: the Commonwealth of Nations, the European Union (EU) and NATO ( The North Atlantic Treaty Organization).
The Commonwealth consists of most of the countries that were once parts of the British Empire. There are 53 members. Some are very large countries like Canada, India and Australia. Some are just small islands like Barbados and Tonga. The Head of the Commonfwealth in the Quuen. There is also a Secretary-General, who is chosen from any one of the 53 countries. The Commonwealth promotes educational programmes and exchanges between the different countries. Every four years they hold the Commonwealth Games.
Britain is one of the fifteen countries of the European Union. She joined en 1973 at the same time as Denmark and the Republic of Ireland. Joining the EU brought many changes. Previously, Britain had bought a lot of food from the other countries in the Commonwealth, but after joining the EU, she had to buy it from European countries instead. The caused some problems for Commonwealth countries like New Zealand.
NATO is a military organizations. It consists of most of the countries of Western Europe together with Canada and the United States. Its headquarters is in Brussels.

Oxford ed.