We had a fantastic couple of hours at the Shell garage at Arnos Vale, Bristol on Saturday morning to tell Shell to stop their insane plans to drill for oil in the pristine and dangerous waters of the Arctic. The only reason they can drill is because the ice is receding due to climate change due to burning too much oil - you get the picture!
Regulars from the East Bristol group were joined by numerous Greenpeace supporters, many of whom were out on a demo for the first time. They had all heard and responded to the Greenpeace HQ call to protest outside a Shell garage. We were 35 in total including children of various ages and a baby in his buggy!
We took it in turns to be disguised as polar bears (it was a hot day!), hold up banners and leaflet cars/pedestrians in front of the garage plus on both sides of the dual carriageway. We handed out over 400 leaflets and, judging by all the hooting and thumbs up signs from passing cars, there was massive support from the general public. One motorist said "I had no idea this was happening" as he took a leaflet and promised to sign the online petition.
This protest was all part of Greenpeace's long term campaign to protect the Arctic and its unique wildlife from the one in five risk of a major oil spill, as estimated by the US Minerals Management Service. It took long enough to try and clean up the easily accessible Gulf of Mexico after the BP Deepwater Horizon blowout (if indeed it has been cleaned up), but the extreme cold, the poor visibility, the remoteness and the threat from passing icebergs makes the task of dealing with a major spill in the Arctic virtually impossible.
The effects of a major spill on the indigenous people and such wildlife as the narwhals, arctic foxes, owls, orcas, puffins and polar bears would be devastating and it is not surprising that people are waking up and saying 'NO, THIS MUST NOT HAPPEN'. It is too high a price to pay for what has been estimated by the US Geological Survey at a mere three years worth of global oil supply. There has to be another way, and there is, making cars more fuel efficient in the short term and finding alternative renewable sources of fuel in the future, surely a far cheaper and more sustainable solution than the billions being spent on risky drilling.
Speaking to Tim at HQ on the day, we discovered that we were one of over 55 demos in the UK and that demos were happening in Switzerland, Sweden, Netherlands, France, Canada, Germany, Lebanon, Chile, Russia and Poland. It gave us all a real buzz to be part of something so big.
It was great to meet so many new Greenpeace friends. It was also good to be joined by a heroine and hero from the actions on Monday – both of whom stayed away well away from the forecourt this time! You know who you are and it was amazing that you came after a hectic week. An excellent morning and a big thanks to all (from Fi and Richard).
So Shell can you hear us? Because the campaign is just beginning and it is going to get louder and louder and stronger and stronger. The public care about this issue, they really do.
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