To: United Nations and President Donald Trump
UN: Ban drilling for oil in the Arctic Ocean
No sooner has Climate Change melted the Arctic ice, than Big Oil is rushing to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean. The irony is stunning. President Obama has just approved Shell's application and the rest of Big Oil is busy tooling up; soon Shell will be (pardon the expression) the tip of the melting iceberg. The catastrophic potential of a spill has been well-described, and is reason enough for such a ban. In the long run, even more important is the catastrophic potential of increasing the extraction and burning of fossil fuels. It is high time that the world came to its senses and slowed the extraction of fossil fuels in favor of alternative energy sources. We therefore urge President Obama to cancel his permit to Shell and demand that the UN issue a moratorium on drilling for oil in the Arctic Ocean.
Why is this important?
This petition was occasioned by the general concern over potential environmental consequences of an oil spill in the Arctic Ocean. It was triggered by President Obama's approval of Shell's application to drill there, but the overriding concern is about the long term consequences of the rush to drill by all 4 countries bordering the
Arctic Ocean - which would significantly expand the overall effects of burning more and more fossil fuels rather than focusing on alternative energy sources. Hence, the petition is directed not only at President Obama, but also, and more importantly, at the UN.
I have been personally affected as a professor at New York University Medical School, which was very heavily damaged by Hurricane Sandy—a hurricane and flood whose intensity was arguably worsened by climate change. All my mice were lost, my major equipment was destroyed, and the animal quarters will never be rebuilt.
Arctic Ocean - which would significantly expand the overall effects of burning more and more fossil fuels rather than focusing on alternative energy sources. Hence, the petition is directed not only at President Obama, but also, and more importantly, at the UN.
I have been personally affected as a professor at New York University Medical School, which was very heavily damaged by Hurricane Sandy—a hurricane and flood whose intensity was arguably worsened by climate change. All my mice were lost, my major equipment was destroyed, and the animal quarters will never be rebuilt.