LONDON Greenpeace is no stranger to controversy, and its latestgoal - phasing out the global use of oil - is sure to stir uptroubled waters.
For more than a decade, the international environmental groupprotested nuclear testing in the Pacific until France finally changedits policy after admitting it had blown up the Greenpeace flagship,Rainbow Warrior, in 1985.
Despite being told it was "totally unrealistic," the group alsopushed for an international agreement to ban mining in Antarctica fora minimum of 50 years.
An accord was signed in 1991.
"We're now talking about an oil-free future as opposed to justraising the issue of global warming," said Australian Paul Gilding,the new executive director of Greenpeace International.
"Nuclear testing was the issue for the first 20 years ofGreenpeace, and I think oil will be for the next 20."
Gilding readily acknowledges that phasing out oil won't beeasy, and he sees it as an arena in which Greenpeace will face somebig battles.
"We won't take second best for a solution," he said.
"We set our sights high and have proven that it could be verysuccessful. No one ever believed that the French would stop nucleartesting."
Greenpeace says phasing out oil and other fossil fuels, such ascoal and natural gas, is necessary because they contribute to globalwarming and acid rain and because of the environmental damage fromoil spills.
A study commissioned by Greenpeace, titled "Energy WithoutOil," contends that other energy options already are available andthat such a transition would not bankrupt economies.
"It is technically and economically feasible to halve currentglobal use of oil within 40 years," the report says, adding that oiland other fossil fuels could be phased out over the next century.
It calls for improvements in energy efficiency, especially intransportation and power, and replacing oil with biofuels derivedfrom agricultural sources such as plants and hydrogen and electricitygenerating sources such as solar and wind power.
Among the report's recommendations are government support forpublic transport, tough new fuel-efficiency standards for vehiclesand pollution taxes on oil and other fossil fuels to reflect thecosts of oil spills and pollution damage.
"If the public want to see a halt to the continuing tragedy ofoil spills like those in the Shetlands and also prevent climatecatastrophe, the choices are now clearly available," the report saysin a reference to the Liberian-registered tanker Braer, which ranaground in January in bad weather off Scotland's Shetland Islands andspilled 84,500 tons of crude oil into the sea.
Greenpeace has been monitoring oil spills, exploration anddrilling sites for many years.
It is developing a long-term concept, focusing on car-freecities and oil-free cars and trying to persuade oil companies tochange their policies.
In Australia, the group is focusing on smog as a way to drawthe public's attention to the oil issue. In Britain, it hasemphasized the environmental damage to the Shetlands.
"The campaign," Gilding said, "depends on where it is beingrun, but the ultimate goal is to phase out oil."
No comments:
Post a Comment