This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience while browsing it. By clicking 'Got It' you're accepting these terms.
Most recent
Trending
The best of EcoWatch, right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!
Breaking: 13 Greenpeace Activists Suspended From Bridge Block Shell Oil Vessel
Shell Oil's vessel, the Fennica, turned around today after being blocked by activists hanging from the St. John's Bridge in Portland, Oregon. Thirteen Greenpeace activists remain suspended below the bridge to block Shell's ice breaker from leaving the Portland port headed for the Arctic Ocean where the company plans to drill for oil. Greenpeace has been stationed on the bridge for more than 30 hours, and plans to stay put for the time being. The organization is urging President Obama to use his last chance to stop Shell’s Arctic oil drilling plans. The images streaming in from the event are stunning.
#PDXvsShell showdown as climbers hung from a bridge to turn #Fennica icebreaker 'round, delaying @Shell's arctic plan pic.twitter.com/VX9DuSAe6U
— Daniel (@DanielMicah) July 30, 2015
Greenpeace wants to prevent the vessel from leaving the port because it's "one of two primary icebreakers in Shell’s drilling fleet, and is equipped with a capping stack, which Shell is federally required to have on site in the Chukchi Sea," says Greenpeace. "Until the MSV Fennica and the capping stack are on site in Alaska and Shell is granted federal drilling permits, the company can only drill top wells, thousands of feet above any projected oil." Kristina Flores, a Greenpeace activist live-streamed the event via Periscope from the bridge. She is acting as one of the 13 "anchor supports" for the 13 activists suspended from the bridge below.
Feeling victorious! The Fennica turned around and headed back to the port. Another successful day of blockading! #shellno arctic drilling!! — Kristina N. Flores (@KristinaNFlores) July 30, 2015
Supporters on land are cheering as the #Fennica turns around. This fight is not over, and our activists are not going anywhere! #ShellNo
— Greenpeace USA (@greenpeaceusa) July 30, 2015
“The activists went to sleep last night prepared for this moment, and they were in incredible spirits hearing the support from local Portlanders below and from people around the world," said Cassady Sharp, Greenpeace USA media officer. "The one person they really hope is listening is President Obama. There has never been a better time for our president to do the right thing and cancel Shell’s lease to drill in the Arctic." Read page 1
The police and coast guard have been repeatedly broadcasting this message to the activists on the bridge: "You are unwelcome and are trespassing. You are violating the safety zone set by the coast guard as well as a federal court injunction against Greenpeace and those acting with it prohibiting your current action. You must immediately depart from this area."
One activist shouted "Shell No" every time the message was broadcast. The police informed Flores and other Greenpeace activists that if they did not leave the area, they faced arrest, but the activists remained put. “These brave activists have done what hundreds of thousands of Americans have called on President Obama to do: stop Shell from drilling in the Arctic," said Dan, Ritzman, director of Sierra Club's Arctic campaign.
"The actions taken by those suspended from the bridge and paddling in the water are just the beginning of the ‘Shell No’ movement. We expect more reckless attempts by Shell to persist with their risky drilling plans, even as the effects of climate change are already felt throughout the Arctic. The region must remain untouched from the dangers of drilling. That’s why there are 13 protesters suspended from the St John's Bridge and dozens of ‘kayaktivists’ in the water, and it’s why over 1,500 people gathered last night to declare that they stand with them. President Obama must listen to science, common sense and the American people and say ‘Shell No’ to drilling in the Arctic," Ritzman said.
Here's live Twitter coverage: Tweets about #ShellNo, #PeopleVsShell #SaveTheArctic:
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
4 Videos Explain Why 13 People Would Hang From a Bridge to Say ‘No Arctic Drilling’
Hillary ‘Skeptical’ of Obama’s Plans to Allow Oil Drilling in the Arctic
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
By Gretchen Goldman
The Independent Particulate Matter Review Panel has released their consensus recommendations to the EPA administrator on the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter. The group of 20 independent experts, that were disbanded by Administrator Wheeler last October and reconvened last week, hosted by the Union of Concerned Scientists, has now made clear that the current particulate pollution standards don't protect public health and welfare.
55 Elephants Have Died in 2 Months From Unprecedented Zimbabwe Drought, Wildlife Agency Says
The unprecedented drought that has caused a water crisis in Zimbabwe has now claimed the life of at least 55 elephants since September, according to a wildlife spokesman, as CNN reported.
By John C. Cannon
Life is reshuffling itself at an unsettling clip across Earth's surface and in its oceans, a new study has found.
The country's largest fossil fuel company goes on trial today to face charges that it lied to investors about the safety of its assets in the face of the climate crisis and potential legislation to fight it, as the AP reported.
Trending
El Niños are getting stronger due to climate change, according to a new study in Monday's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
By Julia Ries
- Antibiotic resistance has doubled in the last 20 years.
- Additionally a new study found one patient developed resistance to a last resort antibiotic in a matter of weeks.
- Health experts say antibiotic prescriptions should only be given when absolutely necessary in order to avoid growing resistance.
Over the past decade, antibiotic resistance has emerged as one of the greatest public health threats.
Trending
Corazón Latino, a Nonprofit That Helps Urban Residents Spend More Time in Nature
There are hundreds of millions of acres of public land in the U.S., but not everyone has had the chance to hike in a national forest or picnic in a state park.
By Simon Evans
Renewable sources of electricity are set for rapid growth over the next five years, which could see them match the output of the world's coal-fired power stations for the first time ever.