The worst fire in Israel’s history has been the cause of some embarrassment to Greenpeace and other global warming activists when some uncomfortable facts emerged recently.

Late last year Israel’s worst ever forest fire was blazing out of control, destroying homes and releasing untold quantities of Co2 into the atmosphere. Over 5,000 hectares of forest were utterly destroyed, and experts say it will be half a century before the forest gets back to anything like its former state.

Greenpeace lost no time, of course, in pointing the finger squarely at global warming, and issued a press release, demanding Israel abandon construction of a new coal power station, and calling for all comrades to join the “international struggle”:

Greenpeace wishes to emphasize that this fire is a direct expression of the effects of climate change and global warming which threaten us all. Climate change is already here and it is taking a heavy human toll! Israel must take this warning sign seriously and take immediate measures in order to eradicate the effects of climate change. Israel must cancel its plans to construct another coal plant, reduce use of fossil fuels, and realize that we are dealing with an international struggle. Green Prophet. Greenpeace Responds to Israel Carmel Fire.

It’s what known as the sign of the burning bush – Greenpeace style.

However, it didn’t have much to say following an investigation by Israel’s fire service which discovered that the fire was started by a global warming activist at a Rainbow Camp. As the Jerusalem Post reported:

The cause of this particular fire was, sadly enough, the good intentions of a participant in the Rainbow Festival that was being held at the site. For ecological reasons, she burned toilet paper she had used so as not to leave it in nature, and in normal circumstances, that would have been the thing to do. However, due to the strong winds and the unseasonable hot air, the dry grasses caught on fire immediately, and the fire spread in four different directions simultaneously. Jerusalem Post.

Greenpeace have yet to retract their statement blaming the fire on global warming.