Four Greenpeace volunteers have occupied a second oil exploration rig in Cromarty Firth, Scotland, as part of a campaign to stop dangerous climate change and protect marine life in the north east Atlantic. The occupation comes just days after two Greenpeace climbers occupied the Jack Bates exploration rig in the same area. Both rigs are due to begin drilling operations in the deep waters west of the Hebrides (the so called "Atlantic Frontier") which is Europe's most important habitat for whales and coral reefs. The drilling area was the subject of a successful legal challenge by Greenpeace in the English High Court in November 1999.
All of the main environment and conservation groups in the UK (including RSPB and WWF) have written to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott asking him to prevent further drilling in the Atlantic Frontier (letter attached at [2]). Greenpeace have also written to Scottish Office Minister Brian Wilson asking for a meeting to discuss the future of renewable energy schemes in Scotland but have received no reply.
Rob Gueterbock, Greenpeace Climate & Energy campaigner, said:
"All of Britain's conservation groups oppose this drilling yet John Prescott refuses to even comment. Brian Wilson claims that Greenpeace is hiding behind the renewable energy argument and yet avoids meeting us to discuss these issues. Mr Wilson lacks even the most basic facts - he doesn't know that Denmark has already created 15,000 jobs in the wind industry. Scottish Enterprise has recently said that Scotland is missing out on a major opportunity to develop a thriving renewable energy industry."
Rob Gueterbock continued:
"The UK government must face up to this issue: will it invest in a massive expansion of the renewable energy industry which will protect the environment and create thousands of jobs or go ahead with oil exploration condemning us all to more dangerous climate change and wrecking the marine environment."
The occupied rig is the Sovereign Explorer currently chartered by Marathon Oil. The Greenpeace volunteers intend to maintain the occupation until such time as the UK Government suspends the drilling on the Atlantic Frontier.
Rob Gueterbock added:
"In the last 10 years, the number of oil jobs in North East Scotland has fallen by around 14,000. While the UK Government continues to support this declining industry it is missing out on massive opportunities to create a wind and wave industry. If the UK adopted a target of generating 10% of electricity from offshore wind, it would create 36,000 jobs."
The drilling scheduled for the Atlantic Frontier is unnecessary since none of the potential oil discoveries could safely be used as fuel if the climate is to be protected. The Government has estimated that industrial countries like the UK may have to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 90% if we are to prevent catastrophic rates of climate change and that "achieving this will almost certainly require a major shift away from fossil fuels." The police have detained a large but unknown number of Greenpeace volunteers in the region.
Notes to Editors:
[1] In November 1999 the UK Government was defeated by Greenpeace in a landmark legal ruling to protect coral reefs and whales and dolphins. The English High Court ruling means that all future offshore oil licensing is now illegal until the Government properly applies the EU Habitats Directive. However, the Government is allowing drilling to go ahead even though it has not yet implemented the High Court ruling which aims to protect vulnerable species and habitats.
In his judgement, Mr Justice Maurice Kay told the court that Greenpeace's case that whales and dolphins can be harmed by oil industry activity was "substantially uncontradicted" by UK Government and oil industry evidence, and that oil exploration was "at least likely" to have an "adverse effect" on deep water coral reefs.
Greenpeace's case centred on the UK Government's decision to only apply the EU Habitat's Directive up to 12 miles from the coast rather than the 200 mile limit where it licenses oil drilling. The judge said that the government had "clearly" not applied the Habitats Directive offshore.
[2] Text of letter to John Prescott from UK environment and conservation groups 27 March 2000:
Dear Deputy Prime Minister,
As Secretary of State for the Environment you have been an effective champion of environmental issues and have made real advances in climate protection and marine pollution. Some of this good work is about to be undone by the Department of Trade and Industry. With their consent, three new oil wells - the first wave of development - are about to be drilled in the pristine Atlantic Ocean west of Scotland. These wells should not be drilled. You are one of the few people who can prevent this haven for whales, dolphins, seabirds and coral reefs being needlessly scarred by oil exploration.
As a result of a High Court ruling last November, all UK oil licensing is illegal until appropriate protection is provided under European Habitats Directive. But in the short space of time since the ruling, the necessary steps to apply the Directive have not yet been completed by your department. The DTI is ignoring this and putting coral reefs in particular under a very real threat.
Far from being in the national interest, this destructive drilling is totally unnecessary as none of the oil found can safely be used as fuel. Your recent climate strategy made clear that a major shift away from fossil fuels is required to cut CO2 emissions by as much as 90%. This means that instead of exploring for new oil, reliance on fossil fuels must be phased out in an orderly way. Existing reserves of fossil fuels would, if burnt, produce at least twice as much carbon dioxide as can be tolerated if we are to prevent dangerous levels of climate change.
Nor is there a good economic case for allowing these wells. Employment in oil is in decline. For the long-term protection of jobs and the environment, Government money must switch from oil to clean renewable energy, such as wind, wave and solar power.
Please continue to support the protection of our marine environment and our climate by stopping this drilling.
Environmental Investigation Agency
Friends of the Earth England and Wales
Friends of the Earth Scotland
Greenpeace
Marine Conservation Society
RSPB
Wildlife trusts
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
WWF
Further information:
Contact:
Greenpeace Press Office - 020 7865 8256
