Protesting & Saving the Arctic

Save the Arctic campaign consists of many protests, mostly targeted directly to the oil companies. These protests performed by activists aim to achieve the publicity and increase the awareness among the general public. To make you more aware of them, here are some of the examples!

1. Save Santa's Home is a new addition to Save the Arctic campaign. The viral video shows Santa in really bad shape because North Pole is melting and he cannot serve the children of the world any longer. Greenpeace doesn't forget to bring in the political point of view, as Santa mentions that Obama and Putin have both been naughty this year...
Have a look! 

2. On December 9, 2013, Greenpeace protest hit Real Madrid news conference at FC Copenhagen. According to The Guardian article, the protest poster appeared shortly after the conference had begun. The oil company Gazprom is one of the sponsors of Europe elite groups... And the oil company's logo was covered with the poster that stated: "Save the Arctic Show Gazprom the Red Card". Well done, Greenpeace!

3. On December 11, 2013, Shell was hosting an event in Germany called "Science Slam" -  an event for young innovators to pitch ideas of greener energy use. However, according to Huffington post, the event was "hijacked" in one point, when a German activist Jean Peters brought a machine on the stage which covered the whole area with brown liquid representing an oil spill in Arctic. Have a look yourself: 

Slam Shell link can be found HERE

Do you think Greenpeace and its activists are doing a good job by these protests?

Do you have some more ideas of how to protect the Arctic from the oil companies? 

Let us know! 

What can you do?

Everything that Greenpeace does is only possible because of the support from people. 15,000 volunteers worldwide help to do everything from licking envelopes to climbing smokestacks. People like you are the ones who make the change happen. Fragile Arctic need action, and with your support, the reality can be changed. It's time to raise your voice against the oil drilling and save the Arctic!

So, what can you do to join the global movement?

1. Stand with the Arctic 30, write to your local Russian embassy! These brave men and women are still accused of hooliganism, and could spend years in prison if convicted for a crime they did not commit. Help to keep Russian embassies' inboxes flooded with messages of support for the the Arctic 30. Every letter is counted and every letter counts!

2. Sign the petition, call on Canada to do the right thing, make your voice heard! The next power grab is about to happen at the Arctic Council (an international body representing all Arctic nations). The Arctic Council's new chair, Canada, has a choice: allow Shell and other companies to drill, spill and destroy OR uphold the Council's environmental agenda and protect the Arctic. 

3. You can get involved in protection of Arctic in many ways, whichever feels closer to your heart. Donate, run your own campaign, help to recruit, volunteer. To find out more, you'll want to talk to your local Greenpeace office. If you live in the Netherlands and would like to volunteer at Greenpeace's International headquarters, have a look here about volunteering at Greenpeace International in Amsterdam. You can also sign up as a cyberactivist. 

The risks of oil drilling

The general conditions in Arctic are extreme. Starting from the wind, minus temperatures and the rare sunlight. Though the oil companies are claiming to have a sufficient knowledge, equipment and expertise to successfully perform oil drilling in Arctic, it seems that the only motivation is the money. The threats of risks are left behind- almost like they don't exist...

The main threats of oil drilling in Arctic according to Greenpeace are:

• In case of spill, populations of walrus, seal and polar bears will die
• Getting on the spot of the disaster is complicated, as the closest harbors and coast guards are further than 900 km
• The cranes and equipment may simply stop working in these extreme weather conditions
• The leaked oil may go under the ice-bergs, which might be carried to miles away (and it won't be detected until it is too late)
• Arctic is home for over four million people! 
• The drilling would be limited for only two months during the summer (meaning, there is no way they can manage to get all the oil within that time)
• If people keep consuming oil in the current rate, the oil found in Arctic would last only for 3 years... 
• AND we don't even know if it is possible to get all of that out from there.

Didn't we learn already from BP case in the Gulf of Mexico enough? Do we need to repeat the damages once again? When do we learn?

We have to keep those adorable pieces safe!