Tag Archives: #savethearctic

April 2013 Photo of the Month

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Not quite the photo op you’d expect from this location, but Christian Åslund’s shot from the North Pole is the April 2013 Greenpeace USA Photo of the Month.

Team Aurora lowers a titantium time capsule with the names of 2.7 million people who want to save the Arctic from the impacts of climate change and pollution of oil production.

Team Aurora lowers a titanium time capsule with the names of 2.7 million people who want to save the Arctic from the impacts of climate change and pollution of oil production.

Here Team Aurora prepares to lower a titanium time capsule through a hole in the ice and down to a permanent resting place on the seabed. On top is the “flag for the future” a design selected in a global competition. The orb holds the names of 2.7 million people from around the world who signed on to support protecting the Arctic. Continue reading →

Brrrrrrrr: Arctic ice loss responsible for our chilly spring

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Although it’s Cherry Blossom festival time in Washington D.C., Greenpeace’s United States headquarters, we’re still bundled in our winter gear. Turns out that the same warmer temperatures causing Arctic ice loss at record-breaking speeds are responsible for the extreme winter weather and cold temperatures experienced in much of Europe and North America. The ice loss in the Arctic broke a previous 2007 record shrinking 18 percent, according to data published by National Snow & Ice Data Center last fall. Continue reading →

Shell abandons 2013 Arctic drilling: Timeline of Greenpeace’s Shell campaign

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For those of you who missed any of the drama from Shell’s season in the Arctic, the finale revealed-SPOILER ALERT-that 2013 Arctic drilling is a no go. While Greenpeace welcomes this news with a “hip hip hooray”, it’s not a huge shocker when looking back at a year of Shell’s mishaps. Greenpeace will continue to campaign for the Arctic Council and President Obama to establish the Arctic as a refuge, safe from drilling from any company.

Catch up below on all the drama from #Shellfail.

FEBRUARY 2012

Greenpeace activists join actress Lucy Lawless as they climb Shell’s drilling rig the Noble Discoverer, or as Lawless calls it “an aging rust bucket, calling attention to Greenpeace’s Save the Arctic campaign. Continue reading →

Shell abandons 2013 Arctic drilling

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Greenpeace today welcomed the announcement by Royal Dutch Shell that the company will not attempt to pursue offshore drilling in Alaskan Arctic waters in 2013. Phil Radford, Greenpeace USA Executive Director said in response:“This is the first thing Shell’s done right in Alaska – calling it quits. Shell was supposed to be the best of the best, but the long list of mishaps and near-disasters is a clear indication even the ‘best’ companies can’t succeed in Arctic drilling. Secretary Salazar and President Obama gave drilling a chance; now the responsible decision is to make Arctic drilling off limits, forever.

“Taking the lead on saving the Arctic from dangerous exploitation will not only protect the fragile Arctic ecosystem and the communities that depend on it, it will send a powerful signal to other nations that it’s time to kick our addiction to fossil fuels.   Drilling in the Arctic will propel us towards catastrophic climate change, so it needs to end now.

“Shell’s announcement today is an admission that  the millions of people around the world were right to urge Obama to keep the company out of the Arctic. Now Obama needs to listen to the 2.7 million people who have signed on to #SaveTheArctic and make Arctic drilling off-limits forever.”

Tell President Obama to make Arctic drilling off limits for good. 

SHELL to the Arctic: “Valentine’s Day is for saying ‘We love you’”

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If there’s ever been a more appropriate day to say you’re sorry with a bouquet of roses, it’s today.  Stores are near sold out of chocolate hearts, red roses and teddy bears this time of year, and we’re hearing a particularly interesting Valentine’s Day message from everyone’s favorite oil company. Continue reading →

We did it for the future

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Film and TV star Lucy Lawless and seven activists were today convicted and sentenced to 120 hours community service each
and for attempting to stop an Arctic-bound oil drilling ship last year.

Along with six Greenpeace volunteers, the New Zealand actress occupied the Shell-chartered Noble Discoverer in New Plymouth last February in a move that captured headlines around the world.

Actor Lucy Lawless, right, aboard Shell drillship

It’s almost a year since we climbed the Shell-contracted drilling rig, Noble Discoverer.  Landing on the pier that day we felt dwarfed by the vast 53 meter drill tower that sat atop this rusting hulk which Shell was to use to pioneer their drilling programme in the Arctic.

Insignificant as we were we felt something had to be done – a light had to be shone on Shell’s insane plans to drill for oil in the icy Arctic wilderness.

Not in my wildest dreams did I think we would succeed as we did remaining atop the drill tower for over 77 hours. Continue reading →

Why you should know about the Arctic Council

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Shell's Kulluk Drill Rig Runs Aground in Alaska

While the thought of official councils — with their high-level policy workshops and multilateral task forces — is enough to send most sensible people into fits of abysmal loathing, there is one such council that anyone passionate about the high north should care about: the Arctic Council. Continue reading →

Stop Shell from Drilling in the Arctic Before It’s Too Late

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Looking at news tapes and pictures of Shell’s beached rig, the Kulluk, is an amazing sight. The Kulluk is now off the beach and in the middle of prime tanner crab grounds in Kiliuda Bay on Kodiak Island. Floating in the middle of this calm bay surrounded by snow covered mountains, it looks innocent enough. But, we have since known better.

Royal Dutch Shell is telling the world that they have the technology and ability to drill for oil in the frozen and treacherous Arctic Ocean, and do it well. Unfortunately the grounding of the Kulluk and the grounding of the Noble Discoverer earlier last year are a stark reminder that drilling in the Arctic is wrought with extreme dangers. Continue reading →

PHOTOS: From the Gulf to the Arctic, oil drilling doesn’t make sense

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We arrived on Kodiak Island today, near the spot where Shell’s drilling rig, the Kulluk, ran aground several days ago. We were able to charter a small airplane to take us to survey the rig at its current resting place in Kiliuda Bay where it has been towed for assessment and repairs. During our transit from Kodiak to the rig we were treated to views of the stunning, pristine environment of Kodiak Island, saw bald eagles and harbor seals, and had a chance to chat with our local pilot who described the history of the area going back more than 7500 years.

As we came over the last set of ridges leading to Kiliuda Bay the rig came into view. Seen from above, the entire fleet (the Kulluk and its tugs, tenders and coastguard escort) is dwarfed by the majesty of this breathtaking landscape. Unfortunately, it is this very majesty, remoteness and power that make the pursuit of offshore drilling in the Arctic so irresponsible. The series of accidents that have accompanied Shell’s first season drilling in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas have done nothing but reinforce the notion that conditions even in Southern Alaska  have proved too rough to allow safe operation let alone effective clean up were a spill to occur. Continue reading →

PHOTOS: Shell fumbles with ancient and hazardous rig in the Arctic

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In another example of why drilling for oil in the Arctic is such a monumentally bad idea, Shell’s drilling rig, the Kulluk, has run aground off the island of Sitkalidak, near Kodiak in Alaska.

The ancient rig was being towed back to harbor after a spectacularly unsuccessful summer drilling season when it ran into serious trouble and hit the shore.

Last Thursday the Kulluk was being towed from the Arctic by Shell’s brand new $200 million tug the Aiviq when it hit heavy weather that caused the 400 foot towing line to break and the rig to drift free. Continue reading →