GREENPEACE CHALLENGES NEW OIL EXPLORATION TO PREVENT DANGEROUS CLIMATE CHANGE

GREENPEACE CHALLENGES NEW OIL EXPLORATION TO PREVENT DANGEROUS CLIMATE CHANGE
Three Quarters of Fossil Fuel Reserves Must Stay in the Ground: Study

19 May 1998

OSLO -- The oil industry must now switch investment from new oil exploration to renewable energy to avoid dangerous climate change, Greenpeace said today as it launched its 1998 international campaign to protest against continuing new oil exploration.

Greenpeace spokesperson Kalle Hesstvedt, speaking aboard one of the group’s ships, a two-masted schooner, in Oslo harbour, today attacked Norway’s government-owned oil company Statoil for failing to switch its investment from new oil exploration into renewable energy despite the scientific warnings of catastrophic climate changes if the industry continues business-as-usual.

“Statoil must realises that their exploration for new oil is indefensible when evidence of climate changes is getting more and more obvious,” Hesstvedt said..

Statoil invests annually more than 5.176 billion NOK ($US699 million) in oil exploration and Norway is the world´s second largest exporter of oil, after Saudi-Arabia. However the company only invests 3 million NOK ($US405,000) in renewables, such as s olar and wind power, or less than 0.06 per cent of its fossil fuel investment

“Since the Kyoto protocol was signed last December we have seen no indication of any change in the operations of the oil industry,” said Greenpeace International campaigner Hamilton. “While some oil companies (1) have spoken of the dan gers of climate change and the need for precautionary action, they continue to spend the bulk of their money on finding and developing new oil - it remains business as usual which will destroy the climate.”

A Greenpeace technical analysis, based on the conclusions of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has found that only a quarter of global economic reserves of fossil fuels - coal, oil and gas - can be burned before dangerous ra tes of temperature increase and climate change occur, to which many species of plants and animals will not be able to adapt. As part of its international campaign to protest new oil exploration, Greenpeace will launch its second Arctic expedition on May 29 from Hong Kong. Greenpeace will be protesting against BP’s oil developments on off the north coast of Alaska. The organisat ion will also be documenting the impacts of climate change including; melting glaciers, insect infestations which have destroyed millions of hectares of forest and threats to wildlife which live on the ice edge which is shrinking as temperatures rise fast er than in any other region of the world.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

- Kalle Hesstvedt, Greenpeace Nordic, +47 2220 5101, mobile: +47 9017 4871
- Mats Holmberg, Pressoffice +46 8 702 70 74 Greenpeace Press +46 701 300 000
- Dima Litvinov (Swedish Campaigner) / David Stenerud, (Norwegian Campaigner) and Nicholas Milton (UK Campaigner)on board the ship Stahlratte 00 871 321 83 75 10 (satellite phone)
- Greenpeace International campaigner Kirsty Hamilton + 31 653 417945.
- Greenpeace International press officer Jon Walter 31-20-524 9547

1. On May 19 last year the Managing Director of Shell UK Exploration and Production Heinz Rothermund said: “How far is it sensible to explore for and develop new hydrocarbon reserves, given that the atmosphere may not be able to cope with the greenhouse gases that will emanate from the utilisation of the hydrocarbon reserves discovered already? Undoubtedly it is a dilemma.”