A little spill could ruin everything

Phyllis Oomittuk, Inupiat resident of Point Hope sings and dances @Jiri Rezac

During our recent visit to the community of Point Hope, we had an extraordinary opportunity to hear from the residents of this town in northwest Alaska, also known as “Tikigaq.” The people here have survived for generations off the bounty of the Chukchi Sea, and that’s now threatened by pollution, noise, and the risk of an oil spill that would accompany Shell’s offshore drilling in the Arctic.

It’s hard to describe the experience and the power of the stories we heard, so please take a moment to listen to their voices in this video. You can read more about the Esperanza team’s visit with Point Hope during our Save the Arctic tour in Jackie Dragon’s blog, Point Hope: The People and Their Garden.

You can also hear from Tereapii Williams, a native of the Cook Islands near New Zealand. Currently on board Greenpeace’s Esperanza, he wants to save the Arctic or as he calls it, his “big air conditioner.”