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Out of our depth: deep-sea oil exploration in New Zealand
The inability of the authorities to cope with the effects of the recent oil spill from the Rena cargo ship, despite the best efforts of Maritime New Zealand, has brought into sharp focus the environmental risks involved in the Government’s decision to open up vast swathes of the country’s coastal waters for deep-sea oil drilling.
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Telling the oil companies the truth
Today, the Greenland Bureau of Mineral and Petroleum invited the world’s biggest oil companies to a meeting that can have extreme importance for the future of the Arctic. Greenland wants…
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The oil is less obvious but the problem is spreading
The sun rose to lesser amounts of oil on the beaches of Tauranga. Even so, its removal was essential because it’s toxic and harmful to a range of wildlife and…
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Rena oil spill could make deep sea oil drilling an election issue
Photo: Gemz Photography Environment Minister Nick Smith has declared that the Rena oil spill off the coast of Tauranga has become the worst maritime environmental disaster in New Zealand’s history.…
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Toxic Rena oil washes ashore
Photo: APN It has now been seven days since the container ship Rena struck and stranded itself on the Astrolabe reef, just off the coast of Tauranga and the situation…
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Rena oil spill 2011 – An unfortunate lesson in the dangers of oil at sea
Photo by APN The Container ship Rena inexplicably crashed into the Astrolabe Reef, about seven kilometres north of Motiti Island, near Tauranga early on Wednesday. It is carrying 1700 tonnes…
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Why Petrobras has no right(s) to drill for deep sea oil off the East Cape
While the oil industry has no moral right to be opening up new, extreme frontiers in its search for the last few drops of oil; given the damage climate change will do to life on this planet - it’s also apparent that the industry may not have a legal right either.
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Are the Government’s deep water oil plans running into deep trouble?
Stop press: The breaking news from over the weekend was that the Government has had to concede that the wheels are starting to come off its petroleum wagon. Late on…
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Mattel’s controversial career choice for Barbie: rainforest destroyer
For over 50 years now Mattel has been choosing Barbie’s career for her. She’s had a lot of different professions over the years but Mattel’s latest choice for Barbie: ‘Rainforest…
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Warships, polar bears, ice and oil are not a good mix
I have a small boat that I use for fishing and exploring where I live in the Manukau Harbour. It’s beautiful out there and it can get a bit wild…