Greenpeace kayakers have stopped an oil rig drilling in the Norwegian Arctic. I know, because I’m there right now.
My name is Lizzie. I’m a web developer from New Zealand, and I’m here on the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise with people from all over the world to take action against new arctic oil drilling.
Lizzie Sullivan
We stopped them drilling for several hours by kayaking into the oil rig’s exclusion zone and attaching a large floating globe to the rig’s anchor chain. The globe carried messages from people all over the world to the Norwegian Government demanding an end to the drilling.
As a result, Norwegian authorities have arrested our whole ship, including all 35 activists and crew, and we're currently being towed back to Tromso on the mainland.
The Norwegian Government has opened more of the Arctic for oil drilling than ever before. They want to profit from oil, but that means climate chaos for the rest of us.
Statoil is owned by the Norwegian Government but they’re in bed with ours too. Big oil and Government are as thick as thieves. Evidence has emerged that Statoil has hired people to spy on Greenpeace New Zealand staff - and the New Zealand Government is involved.
We stopped them drilling for hours
Our Government is prosecuting Greenpeace activists for a peaceful protest against Statoil here in New Zealand waters earlier this year. And the law they’re using? The ‘Anadarko Amendment’ - a new law they rushed through a few years ago without any public consultation in order to protect the oil industry.
This can’t continue. Together, we need to Get Oil Out of Government! Join the campaign today, to call on all political parties to cut ties with oil.
It doesn’t have to be like this. In New Zealand, we’ve been pushing back against the oil industry, and we’ve been winning. Together, we disrupted the oil conference in Taranaki. Together, we crowdfunded a boat to take on Statoil’s seismic blasting. And earlier this week, intense public pressure finally forced the NZ Superannuation Fund to divest almost $1 billion from fossil fuel companies.
Action in the Arctic
This is exciting. It only takes a few people to shut down an oil rig. But it’s going to take all of us to get oil out of government. Public pressure has already got the oil industry on the run. We’ve got them out of our pensions, now let’s get them out of our Government. This will be an epic fight. Every name counts. Every name tells a politician that we’re watching, and that we’re not happy.
For us to have a future, the oil industry must have no future. Let’s make sure the Government knows without doubt where we stand. And let’s get them looking out for our future, not Statoil’s.
Kia kaha,
Lizzie