Resolution accepted at the 9th EGP Council meeting, Montreuil, Paris, France, October 9-12, 2008
The oil industry's claim that it can prevent any negative environmental impact from their activities is blatantly false. Searching, drilling and transporting oil is inherently risky, proven not only by frequent acute oil spills, but also by environmental catastrophes such as the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989.
The European Greens stand for maintaining biological diversity and combating global warming through sustainable use of renewable resources and the careful husbandry of non-renewable resources. Exploring and drilling for oil in the Arctic Region directly contradicts both these targets.
Not only is the call to exploit the Arctic as another frontier for oil production likely to further deepen the energy crisis and environmental crisis the world is facing; it is also a recipe for disaster in a biologically rich and vulnerable region.
The oil industry's claim that it can prevent any negative environmental impact from their activities is blatantly false. Searching, drilling and transporting oil is inherently risky, proven not only by frequent acute oil spills, but also by environmental catastrophes such as the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989.
The Barents Sea – north of Scandinavia and Russia – has rich fisheries and a diverse wildlife. The sea areas outside Lofoten are equally rich in life. One of the world's largest cold-water coral reefs – the Røst reef – is located west of the island and municipality of Røst. This municipality also has one of the biggest bird cliffs in the North Atlantic, with colonies of puffins, shags, kittiwakes, cormorants, etc.
The European Greens therefore call for:
1.An all-European effort to prevent oil exploration, drilling and to limit oil transport in the vulnerable Arctic region, including the Barents Sea, the Lofoten area, and Greenland.
2.An immediate cessation of all seismic studies in the Lofoten area.
3.Diplomatic efforts from the European Union towards Russia, Canada and the United States (Alaska) with the goal of limiting and preventing oil industry activities in the Arctic areas.
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