Vancouver, Canada – It has been 30 hours since climbers began their ascent yesterday to form a 12-person blockade on Vancouver’s Ironworkers Memorial Bridge in Canada to prevent the oil tanker Serene Sea from leaving Kinder Morgan’s Westridge Marine Terminal. The tar sands oil tanker has pulled away from the terminal and is sitting at anchor. Seven climbers remain suspended on the bridge, while the remaining five climbers are supporting and reinforcing the blockade on the bridge catwalk.
“It’s always a beautiful day to stand up and protect the water but waking up this morning with 11 other brave defenders as we enter hour 30 of our aerial blockade of a tar sands oil tanker to protest the Trans Mountain and its expansion, is truly breathtaking. Seeing these beautiful waters and watching that gorgeous sunrise, you know that people will never stop fighting to protect them. Prime Minister Trudeau: you’re currently on the wrong side of history on this one. It is time to live up to your promises on climate change and Indigenous reconciliation,” said Mike Hudema, a Greenpeace Canada campaigner and climber from Alberta currently suspended in mid-air for the blockade.
“Hundreds of thousands have lent their voices from around the world, hundreds have been arrested, and now seven incredibly courageous activists and Indigenous leaders hang from a bridge for the second day. Our future hangs in the balance if we don’t stop fossil fuel extraction, as does the health of these precious waterways, and the communities and wildlife depending on them. Mr. Trudeau, this resistance will only grow: do the courageous thing and stop this pipeline,” said Joanna Kerr, Executive Director of Greenpeace Canada.
Greenpeace is calling on 12 global banks to not finance dangerous oil and gas pipelines, including three proposed pipelines that would expand Canada’s tar sands (TMX, TransCanada’s Keystone XL, Enbridge’s Line 3) and those proposed by Energy Transfer Partners, which has launched a meritless USD $900 million lawsuit against Greenpeace USA, Greenpeace International and other groups, designed to intimidate and silence critics. More than 200,000 people from around the world have joined the campaign.
ENDS
Photos and videos:
https://media.greenpeace.org/collection/27MZIFJWLMBUH
Contacts:
Jesse Firempong, Communications Officer, Greenpeace Canada: +1 778-996-6549, [email protected]
Leola Abraham, Global Communications lead, Greenpeace USA: +1 202-413-8930, [email protected]
Greenpeace International Press Desk: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), [email protected]
Discussion
Politicians always say they are doing their best to help our world. But every time you read a news paper,switch on the TV or look on the internet there is always something going wrong with our environment. So? who do we really blame? Politics for not doing enough or corporate business for wanting to much out of every available element for productive usages. Or ourselves as a Greenpeace Activist or member of an international general populous/ public what are we to suggest to the powers that be that will minimize the unpleasant impact on our environment.
No one from Greenpeace at The Hambacher Forest in Germany where massive deforestation is occuring for the sake of dirty coal and no-one from Greenpeace protecting the primeval forest of Bialowieza in Poland where the last European Bison roam!
In fact, Greenpeace is very involved in the Bialowieza situation: http://www.greenpeace.org/poland/pl/wydarzenia/polska/Greenpeace-Poland-and-Wild-Poland-activists-blockade-loggers-in-the-Biaowiea-Forest/ And you can show your support here: https://act.greenpeace.org/page/20885/petition/1?locale=en-US