Hong Kong Greenpeace Joins Action Against Arctic Oil Exploration

["greenbase" <greenbas@gb.greenpeace.org>]

HK GREENPEACE ACTIVIST JOINS ACTION AGAINST ARCTIC OIL
EXPLORATION

20 August, 1998 -- Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, which
embarked  for her second expedition to the Arctic from Hong Kong
in May,  launched four inflatables to the seismic vessel Arctic
Star, with  banners that read "Stop Oil; Go Solar" to protest
against new oil  reserve exploration in the Alaskan Beaufort
Sea. 

Greenpeace China campaigner from Hong Kong, Clement Lam Hau
Keen, joined the international crew on board to document the
human impact of climate change and the proposed oil explorations
conducted with dangerous and unproven technology which operates
in an area leased by oil giant British Petroleum.

"We can not afford to burn more than one quarter of the known
reserves of fossil fuels without risking dangerous climate
change, therefore we cannot continue to explore for new oil,
especially in difficult and dangerous frontier areas such as the
Arctic," urged Clement Lam.  

Oil accounts for about 44% of the CO2 emissions from fossil fuel
use. On this recent trip to the Arctic, Greenpeace discovered
that as a result of the Western Arctic being the fastest warming
region in the world- approximately three to five times the
global average, traditional hunting, fishing and gathering of
plants of the Alaskan native peoples are affected. Such warming
has also created a negative impact on a wide variety of unique
wildlife such as polar bears and walrus. 

"Oil exploration such as in the Arctic and the rest of the
world, not only affects local people and environment, but
eventually has a worrying global impact. What's happening now in
Hong Kong and particularly in China weather-wise perhaps
testifies to that," said Clement Lam.

Higher temperatures cause more evaporation, abnormally heavy
rainfall, intense monsoons and more rapid snow melt. There is
increased evidence to suggest that these factors are related to
the disastrous floods in China, as well as abnormal and adverse
weather conditions in the rest of the world. 

"Greenpeace is deeply concerned that the oil exploration also
entails unavoidable oil spills and leakage, air and water
pollution, disturbing wildlife and destroying fragile habitats
in the Arctic," said Clement Lam. 

Greenpeace urges immediate actions to halt climate change and
global warming through reduction of fossil fuel burning and
divert more investment to develop clean and renewable energy
sources such as wind and solar power.

Greenpeace on the Internet: http://www.greenpeace.org