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綠色和平 力阻北冰洋石油鑽探

2010年09月03日
摘譯自2010年8月31日ENS格陵蘭,巴芬灣報導;段譽豪編譯;蔡麗伶審校

2010年8月31日,綠色和平組織成員麥克納吊掛在巴芬灣的鑽油平台上。背景是綠色和平的橡皮艇與丹麥警艇。圖片來自:英國綠色和平組織。綠色和平組織希望號(Esperanza)上的成員,在31日避開了丹麥軍方的守衛,爬上了凱恩能源公司(Cairn Energy)位於格陵蘭冰冷海域的鑽油平台。

4名攀爬者在黎明時分,搭乘充氣橡皮快艇躲過了警察與軍方,登上了斯特諾唐(Stena Don)鑽油平台。他們爬進平台內,並且待在由繩索所吊掛的帳棚內,以阻止平台的運作。

這些人有足夠持續數天的補給。如果他們成功阻止平台運作,即使是很短的時間,凱恩能源將很難在10月初的最後探勘期限,在冬季海面結冰前完成鑽探工作。

其中一位懸吊在北冰洋海面15公尺以上,來自美國的成員麥克納(Sim McKenna)說,「我們之所以要盡力阻止這個鑽油平台的運作,是因為我們必須阻止能源公司染指北冰洋,也要降低人們對石油的依賴。」

「BP發生在墨西哥灣的事故,表明了是該放棄石油的時候了,」麥克納說。「這個鑽探平台可能會導致北極地區石油被大量開採,這會讓氣候以及此地脆弱的環境受到極大的威脅。」

由於500公尺範圍安全區受到侵入,現在這個平台已被迫停止鑽探。它目前在火山岩上鑽探的結果,並沒有發現石油,即將移往100公里外一處新的鑽探點。

綠色和平組織成員希望阻止平台運作的時間夠長,以免在冬季結冰之前發現油蹤,進而能阻止今年內更進一步的鑽探。

「現在這個平台是全世界最重要的探油平台,」麥克納說,在加入綠色和平組織這艘位於北極的希望號之前,他一直在幫忙清理BP在墨西哥灣的漏油事件。

「如果我們能夠在未來數週之內阻止他們開採石油,我們將至少能夠再阻止大型石油公司一年,並希望能夠爭取到足夠的時間,來擬定像這類平台的全球性深海鑽探計畫禁令,」他說。

格陵蘭總理克萊斯特(Kuupik Kleist)說:「格陵蘭政府認為綠色和平的行動,已經嚴重侵害並違反了格陵蘭的憲政權利。令人不安的是,綠色和平用盡一切手段吸引媒體的關注,而破壞了那些為了保護人民與環境安全而設立的法規。」

「一份全面性的查驗計畫顯示,凱恩能源在格陵蘭的鑽探計畫,是在非常高的安全標準下執行的,」總理表示,「凱恩能源對政府所有的要求都已確實達成,所以格陵蘭政府對其在境內的活動安全有充分的信心。」

但綠色和平組織說,斯特諾唐所開採的深度達300-500公尺,而美國歐巴馬總統在深水地平線(Deepwater Horizon)事故後所頒布的禁令,是不得超過152公尺。

總部設在斯格蘭愛丁堡的凱恩能源公司,拒絕公佈斯特諾唐鑽油平台對於洩漏事件如何處理的詳細計畫,綠色和平組織憂慮,只有14艘船隻有能力處理漏油事件。BP在墨西哥灣的事故,需要超過300艘船隻協助處理。

由於嚴酷的環境以及充滿冰山,迪斯科島(Disko Island)西方脆弱的區域被稱做冰山巷(Iceberg Alley)。原本這樣的環境可令石油公司卻步,但綠色和平組織指出,凱恩能源對這裡已開始感到興趣。

如果凱恩能源採到石油,分析師預估將引發新的北極石油爭奪戰。艾克森美孚(Exxon)、雪佛龍(Chevron )以及其他能源公司已經在收購該地區的開採許可。

在被佔領平台1公里外的希望號上,丹麥籍的綠色和平組織成員布格瓦爾德(Jon Burgwald)說,「與其讓石油公司在北極這樣原始的地方抽走最後一滴石油,我們的政府應該推動清淨的能源科技,以面對氣候變遷的問題,並且減少對這些骯髒燃料的依賴。」

「我們已有取代石油所需的工具,所缺少的是加速它更快實現的決心,」布格瓦爾德說,「這就是我們為何要盡力阻止這個鑽油平台的運作,我們不能讓這些石油巨擘牽著鼻子走,去開啟北極海域新的石油爭奪戰。」

全世界80%-90%的獨角鯨居住在巴芬灣。那裡也是藍鯨、北極熊、海豹、鯊魚以及許多候鳥的家。

Greenpeace Climbers Shut Down Oil Rig in Greenland Waters
BAFFIN BAY, Greenland, August 31, 2010 (ENS)

Greenpeace campaigners from the ship Esperanza today evaded Danish military security to scale a Cairn Energy oil rig in the icy seas off Greenland.

At dawn four climbers in inflatable speedboats got past the military and police to board the oil rig Stena Don. They climbed up the inside of the rig and now are hanging from it in tents suspended from ropes, halting its drilling operation.

The climbers have enough supplies to occupy the hanging tents for several days. If they stop the drilling for even a short time then the operators, Cairn Energy, will struggle to meet a tight deadline to complete the exploration before winter ice conditions close in sometime in early October.

Sim McKenna from the United States, one of the campaigners hanging 15 meters above the Arctic ocean, said, "We've got to keep the energy companies out of the Arctic and kick our addiction to oil, that's why we're going to stop this rig from drilling for as long as we can."

"The BP Gulf oil disaster showed us it's time to go beyond oil," McKenna said. "The drilling rig we're hanging off could spark an Arctic oil rush, one that would pose a huge threat to the climate and put this fragile environment at risk."

The rig has been forced to stop drilling because any breach of the 500 meter security zone around it results in a routine shutdown. It is currently drilling in volcanic rock, having failed to strike oil, and is due to move soon to a new drill site 100 kilometers away.

The Greenpeacers hope to hold up drilling operations for long enough to prevent any oil strike before icy winter conditions make further exploration impossible for the rest of the year.

"Right now this platform is the most important oil rig in the world," said McKenna, who had been helping clean up the Gulf of Mexico from the BP oil spill before joining the Greenpeace ship Esperanza in the Arctic.

"If we can stop them striking oil here in the next few weeks we'll hold back the oil giants for at least another year, hopefully gaining enough time for a global ban on dangerous deepwater drilling projects like this to be enacted," he said.

Greenland Premier Kuupik Kleist said, "The Greenland government regards the Greenpeace action as being a very grave and illegal attack on Greenland's constitutional rights. It is highly disturbing that Greenpeace in its chase on media attention with all measures breaks the safety regulations put in place to protect people and the environment."

"Through a comprehensive inspection program it has been demonstrated that Cairn's drilling program in Greenland has been executed according to very high safety standards," the Premier said. "All government requirements have been met conscientiously and the Greenland government therefore remains fully confident about Cairn's activities in Greenland."

But Greenpeace says the well being drilled by the Stena Don is at a depth of 300-500 meters, while the moratorium introduced by President Barack Obama after BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster applies to wells deeper than 152 metres.

Cairn, headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, has declined to publish a comprehensive plan for how it would deal with a spill from the Stena Don well, and has just 14 vessels capable of reacting to a spill, Greenpeace worries. BP's response in the Gulf of Mexico required more than 300 vessels.

The fragile environment west of Disko Island is known as Iceberg Alley due to its many icebergs and tough conditions. This has deterred oil companies from attempting exploration there, but Greenpeace notes they are watching the Cairn project with interest.

If Cairn strikes oil, analysts expect a new Arctic oil rush, with Exxon, Chevron and other energy companies already buying up licenses to drill in the area.

Jon Burgwald, a Danish Greenpeace campaigner onboard the Esperanza, which is about a kilometer from the occupied platform, said, "Instead of letting the oil companies drill for the last drops of oil in pristine places like the Arctic, our governments should be pushing the development of the clean energy technologies we need to fight climate change and reduce our dependence on dirty fuels."

"We already have the tools we need to go beyond oil, all that's missing is the determination to make it happen quickly," Burgwald said. "That's why we have to stop this rig from drilling for as long as we can. We can't let the oil giants take us all in the wrong direction by opening up the Arctic seas to a new oil rush."

Baffin Bay is inhabited by 80 to 90 percent of the world's narwhals. The region is also inhabited by blue whales, polar bears, seals, sharks and numerous migratory birds.

全文及圖片詳見:ENS報導

作者

蔡麗伶(LiLing Barricman)

In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.