On Sunday the Formula One circus was at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, for the Belgium Grand Prix, the biggest Shell sponsored event of the year. Greenpeace also attended the event to turn the tables on this huge PR event and tell the world about Shell's plans to exploit the Arctic for crude oil, and threaten the survival of one of the most iconic animals on our planet the Polar Bear.
Last year one Shell boss admitted that "there will be spills" when drilling for oil in the Arctic, a clean up in this harsh environment would be almost impossible because the oil will disperse under ice and it is too cold for the detergents to be effective. Shell also lost their licences to drill for oil in US territory last year because of a catalogue of equipment failures and bad judgements calls, including trying to avoid corporation tax by towing an oil rig through severe weather conditions. This year Shell are back and this time they have struck a deal with Russian oil giant Gazprom, and will be drilling exploration wells in the Russian Arctic.
A video produced by Greenpeace celebrating the successful deployment of its banners at the podium ceremony was removed by Youtube after complaints by Shell and Formula One, in an attempt to hide the nature of the danger Shell are seeking to bestow on our planet. Subsequently the same video (below) went viral when it appeared again on vimeo and also highlighted google's sympathies.
If Shell thought that their PR nightmare was over they were wrong, because two days after the Grand Prix activists in Denmark dressed in Polar Bear costumes chained themselves to the gates of a Shell refinery while the climbing teams re-branded the Shell logo (picture above). To remind the oil multi-national that for as long as they are prepared to destroy our planet for profits we will continue to hound them.
The Belgium Grand Prix was won by the late Ayrton Senna on five occasions, arguably the greatest driver to have graced Formula One. A man who never forgot his roots and after his death a charity was set up and largely funded by his personal fortune to help the underprivileged young people of Brazil, yet if Shell find oil in the Arctic the work of this and many other charities around the world may be in vain, as the poorest in our societies will suffer the most as a result of Climate Change.
We are calling for the Arctic to be made a sanctuary where no comercial exploitation is allowed please join the 3.7 million people who have already signed our petition at SaveTheArctic.org, and help protect one of the last remaining pristine environments on our planet.
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