Right this minute a global fleet of Arctic destroyers is speeding towards one of the last unspoiled places on earth.
The ships are part of oil giant Shells mission to drill the very first wells in the pristine waters off the coast of Alaska. Its insane, but melting sea ice from global warming has made it a reality. If Shell finds oil, the Arctic oil rush will be on.
Its not over yet though. People are pushing back. In New Zealand, Greenpeace activists (including Xena Warrior Princess star Lucy Lawless) occupied a drill ship and prevented it from leaving for the Arctic for several days. And just last week activists occupied two icebreakers in Finland.
But to stop Shell for good, we eventually need the public support of millions around the world. Ben, that means you.
Widespread public opposition here in the US is going to be the key to stopping Shell. The US government is responsible for giving Shell the green light to drill. Greenpeace will be delivering these messages to the company soon. Our goal is to add the names of at least 40,000 Americans to that list before we do. Your message matters.
Shell isn’t prepared for a disaster in the Arctic Ocean. No one is. The Arctic Ocean makes the Gulf of Mexico look like a flat, calm lake. With constant high seas, icebergs and massive waves, theres no way to effectively cleanup an oil spill in the Arctic Ocean. Even the head of the US Coast Guard has publicly admitted that his agency would have little chance of dealing with a spill in the frozen Arctic on their own.
The plan Shell has submitted actually includes using things like shovels, brooms and a sniffer dog called Tara to cleanup a potential spill. It would be funny if there wasnt so much at stake.
All Shell cares about is its corporate bottom line. Polar bears and unspoiled natural beauty are just obstacles to making ever greater profits. Together we can create a public obstacle Shell cant overcome but its going to take millions of us.
