This fall, we’re putting the spotlight on two of the biggest threats to our oceans — oil drilling and plastic pollution — and the community leaders fighting to protect people and the environment.
Here’s where you’ll find us on the 2017 Atlantic Coast Ship tour.
- New York City
- Norfolk, VA
- Wilmington, NC
- Miami, FL
Note: We are no longer making a stop in Charleston, SC
Check back here for updates on future stops and ports of call (full event listing), and head here for more information about visiting the ship (including public and private tours, accessibility info, and how to get in touch.)
Here’s what we’re fighting for as we sail the Atlantic coast.
An End to Offshore Oil Drilling
Drilling for oil in our oceans will would wreak havoc on our climate, our communities and our coasts — from the Atlantic to the Pacific and Alaska to the Gulf Coast.
Grassroots and bipartisan support for coastal and climate protection has only gotten stronger since the Obama administration made the Atlantic off limits to oil drilling. If the fossil fuel industry tries to reverse the progress we’ve made, it’s sure to meet stiff resistance.
That’s because expanding offshore oil drilling will lead to more polluting emissions across the globe — fueling climate change — and higher economic and social costs for people in the United States. From the impacts of seismic airgun blasting on local fisheries to the risk of oil spills, the threats to coastal communities are too great to allow the oil industry to further exploit our oceans.
Facing sea level rise and erosion, these communities are already on the front lines of climate change. They will also suffer the brunt of any oil spill on their beaches, which threatens public safety, kills off local wildlife, and destroys local economies that depend on healthy oceans.
We’re fighting a just transition away from fossil fuels and towards clean, renewable energy. We deserve an energy economy that puts communities first, creating good jobs and protecting all of us from the impacts of runaway climate change.
A World Without Single-Use Plastic Pollution
When corporations don’t take responsibility for the waste they produce, plastics end up in the ocean. These then turn into microplastics that are ingested by fish and enter our food supplies. While many beaches along the east coast of the United States might appear to be mostly plastic free, there is a virtual wasteland sitting offshore and out of sight. By the year 2050, some estimate that there will be more plastics than fish in the world’s oceans.
This fall, Greenpeace marine biologists will undertake groundbreaking research to document the microplastics in our oceans and rivers, and connect those plastics back to the corporations responsible for them.
Communities along the Atlantic coast are already fighting back to move toward zero waste and bans on single-use plastics. It’s time for our elected officials to listen to the will of the people and implement bans on this waste that ends up killing vulnerable marine life and polluting our oceans. Corporations must either clean up their acts or get left behind as the world moves away from this throwaway mindset.
Recovery in Puerto Rico
The tour will conclude by delivering materials to Puerto Rico, including solar systems, sustainable agricultural goods, and tools.
“Greenpeace is honored to play a role in ensuring a just recovery for the victims of yet another climate catastrophe in Puerto Rico,” said Greenpeace spokesperson Hannah Strange. “People continue to suffer and the Trump administration has left them behind in favor of malicious tweets. If the U.S. government won’t step up to properly assist with recovery, the people will rebuild in a way that puts climate justice at the forefront.
