Back in November 2011, Lucy sent the following note again deep sea oil drilling.
I’d urge anyone who wants to protect our coasts from an even worse oil spill than that which we saw in Tauranga, to sign this petition. By doing so, they’ll also be doing something positive about the climate crisis that this planet is facing."
Lucy Lawless
She sent the following note to the NZ Governmenet about Petrobras and deep sea oil drilling in NZ waters on 15 November 2011
Dear New Zealand Government,
I and many other New Zealanders are putting you on notice that your courting Deep Sea Oil Drillers is totally unacceptable to us.
Petrobras [the Brazilian oil company that is intending to drill for oil in up to 3100 metres of water off the East Cape, is the part-owner of an oil field northeast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where a serious oil leak has developed] already has an uncontrollable leak off their own coast which is spewing filth into their own marine environment.
Why are you giving offshore oil companies carte blanche to risk OUR fisheries, OUR coastal way of life, OUR clean green brand upon which all our premium exports rely?
Do you work for us or for them?!
Your answer, please?
Lucy Lawless
The petition exists in hard copy form, and online at:http://greenpe.ac/nodeepseaoil
Today there was a victory and Greepeace has posted the following press release:
GREENPEACE PRESS RELEASE:
Petrobras announce that they ain’t lovin New Zealand
4 December 2012
Today we learned that the Brazilian oil giant Petrobras has handed back its license to drill for oil in the deep waters off the East Cape. And this news has been welcomed by those communities whose beaches and livelihoods were at risk from an oil spill and the pollution that comes from oil drilling. The cultural and environmental heritage of this beautiful, pristine part of Aotearoa is now safe.
However, this news should also be a wake-up call for Steven Joyce and his Cabinet colleagues who have pinned our economic hopes on the whims of overseas oil companies. Every effort has been made by this National Government to court some of the world’s most polluting industries, allowing them to damage the once proud reputation New Zealanders had by lobbying for the weakening environmental safeguards and demanding taxpayer handouts.
As Bill English said today; “the Government has invested a bit of time and money making sure that oil and gas exploration is attractive”. But it’s just not working, is it Bill.
Earlier this year, Anadarko announced they were delaying their drilling activities until the end of next year, perhaps the next, and now Petrobras has pulled out. It’s like a young John Key’s posted on Facebook that his parents have left him the keys to their bach and everyone’s invited to come drink Vermouth from their drinks cabinet, but nobody’s turned up.
And from an economic standpoint, this is good news. Not only because the risk of a catastrophic oil spill on our coastlines is reduced, but making the right choice for building a more prosperous economy has become easier.
The Government’s business growth agenda – the route map to National’s economic road to nowhere – is failing. They’ve bet the house on big oil to help them think big, but this is not what’s going to help raise the standard of living in New Zealand. Neither is diminishing our global reputation by weakening laws to favour our biggest polluters or undermining global efforts to tackle climate change. All of this will harm our economy, not strengthen it.
So now, as the Ministers stand around scratching their heads looking for excuses, it’s time for us all to demand that our Government make a different choice. One which will help us build a cleaner, smarter, more inclusive economy, that is supported by progressive business and industry and will help us grow a wealthier by reducing our pollution.
An economy which is built upon our greatest resources – our values and ability to innovate – and the bedrock of our world class renewable know how.
The Portuguese have a saying: ‘Cada carneiro por seu pé pende’ which roughly translates as ‘we must depend on ourselve’s, and perhaps if the Government started believing in our ability to build our own prosperous nation, we would be well on our way to a brighter future.
See more on the AUSXIP Lucy Lawless No Drill No Spill Support Page for more news, photos, video and other multimedia
See more of Lucy's role as an Eco-Warrior and Greenpeace Ambassador