THIS IS THE PEOPLE VS. ARCTIC OIL

24/10/16
Author: 
Greenpeace staff
the people vs arctic oil

A new wave of oil drilling threatens the Arctic – but today saw the start of the fight back. This morning a lawsuit was filed that could stop the expansion of this reckless industry northwards, and now we need your help to show that what happens in the Arctic matters to everyone everywhere.  

This is The People vs. Arctic Oil.  

As the Arctic melts oil companies are moving in to drill for more oil. Next year the Norwegian owned oil company Statoil will drill further north than ever – unless we stop them. An unprecedented case was filed this morning that could do just that.

This case is about holding back the oil industry at this final frontier, it is about protecting the beautiful Arctic, and it is about people stepping up to hold governments to account. If we win millions of barrels of oil could be kept in the ground. We will argue in court that we must take action to keep the Paris climate agreement on track, and we will invoke Norway’s constitutional right to a healthy and safe environment for future generations.

The largest network of young environmentalists in Norway, appropriately called Nature and Youth, have partnered with Greenpeace, and together we are the co-plaintiffs. The defendants are the Norwegian government who granted 13 oil companies licenses to drill in the Arctic. The case will be heard in Oslo – but the eyes of the world will be watching.

Already the case is supported by a broad based, international coalition. Statements of solidarity and offers of help have come from around the world, including from scientists, lawyers and activists who themselves have incredible stories about battling the oil industry at the front lines. Some of the most respected leaders in the struggle against the oil industry have travelled to Oslo to witness the moment the case was filed. We are calling these supporters ‘Friends of the Case’. By connecting and listening and learning from each other we hope to build movement that is as powerful and international as the adversaries we face. Together we can be the generation that ends the oil age.

If you believe this case matters to everyone everywhere please add your name here, and we will submit your name with thousands of others to the court, to demonstrate this is a global concern.