This new campaign by Greenpeace just in time for the olympics this month in London will raise a few eyebrows. I think it’s ingenious and a perfect time to redouble efforts in the arduous fight against Arctic oil exploration. The industry will never stop trying to extract oil from the precious pristine landscape of the Arctic. The fight to save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge lasted years and still is under pressure with heavy dependence on political incumbency. Now other areas are targeted and oil groups are depending on resistance being lowered in these bleak economic times. With gas prices escalated and heightened conflict in the mid-East, people are more apt to give in to pressure to explore new fuel sources…especially in North America. This is time for all responsible individuals to step back from personal economic distress and fight for future generations….preserving the frontier of the North.
Oil lobbyists are banking on persistence. In our information – overloaded world, the tendency to be overwhelmed with “causes” can lead to complacency. As humans, we tend to engage a cause the first time with incredible effort and then less and less in subsequent campaigns. A perfect example of this is the harp seal campaign. In the 80’s the tenacious resistance to the practice of seal-clubbing was so intensely fought that the market dried up. Later on the passion to fight waned and activists moved on to another cause. It’s hard to focus on one campaign these days as we are more aware of numerous hardships in the world.
Polar bear on polar rover Photo Steve Selden
Granted, the oil issue is infinitely broader in scope. though we need to take that stance in order to preserve the planet. We have made incredible strides in alternative energy in the just the past two decades..we need to keep going in that direction and not fall back into the old familiar trap of oil…a limited resource. Will we keep using oil until the resource is exhausted or save a supply for emergency situations or future generations? We also do not know the planetary implications of taking all of this resource out of the Earth. I’m all for exploring less planet-exhausting resources! You?
