Hello, my name is Anna and I’m an intern with the Greenpeace Activist Network.
Receiving thousands of Save The Arctic petitions
My fellow interns and I are having a fantastic time working here, its such a great opportunity. One of the things that we are all very passionate about is saving the Arctic.Its been so cool to witness how much people care, and their willingness to take action to protect thisfragile region. Weve had over 4500 petitions (4771, to beprecise) sent into our San Francisco office alone!
Greenpeace spent the summer fighting for Arctic protection, becausethe region is under threat from both climate change and oil drilling. Above the Arctic circle, freezing temperatures, a narrow drilling window and a remote location mean that an oil spill would be almost impossible to deal with.
We have worked to rally international support to demand that the UN create a global sanctuary in the uninhabited parts of the Arctic.So many Americans have shown their opposition to the reckless and greedy oil companies, and the political leaders who allow them to continue in a place home to people, polar bears, whales, walruses, and incomparable beauty.We’ve placed particular emphasis on preventing Shell from oil exploration and drilling, and the campaign has been super successful.
Globally, more than 2 million people have signed the petition and last Monday, Shellcompany bosses announced they were scrapping their oil drilling program for this year. Its a huge victory for people power.Win!
However, the battle isn’t over.This is a huge step forward in our campaign, but we need to build on it to make sure we keep the Arctic protected from all oil drillers, for good.We have seen the devastating effects of oil spills elsewhere and we just cannot afford to have the same thing happen in the Arctic. The risk is too great and the stakes are too high.
A healthy planet Earth depends on a healthy Arctic. We have the power to save it and just need to use our collective voice to do so.We must make certain once and for all that the Arctic is off-limits to those who would harm it.
President Obama has been in UN meetings all week and we want him to know that Americans care about the Arctic, so we’re sending all of these petitions to The White House today!
Will you join us in asking thePresident to advocate for Arctic protection in the United Nations?
We need you to help pile the pressure on politicians to do the right thing and to stop companies like Shell from returning to the Arctic next year. Please join now to make the movement even stronger.
