15 May 2013

Reaching Out for a Clean Future

Wellingtonians are joining forces with groups in 50 countries across the world on Saturday by taking part in “Hands Across The Sand”, a global day of action against extreme-oil extraction. Participants will join hands across Oriental Bay to express their concern at the government’s plans to allow Texan oil company Anadarko to explore for oil off Wellington’s coast this summer.

The Hands Across The Sand movement was begun in Florida in 2010, and the movement continues to grow as groups of people across the world become more concerned about the effects of ‘frontier’ fossil-fuel extraction. Event organiser, Miria Hudson said that the Oriental Bay gathering will be one of the many ways in which people across New Zealand are expressing their opposition to deep-sea drilling.

“There are serious concerns about the safety record of Anadarko, who had a 25% share of the Deepwater Horizon well that caused an environmental catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico. The permit granted for exploration of the Pegasus Basin extends out to areas that are twice as deep as the Deepwater Horizon, and New Zealand simply does not have the capacity to respond to a blow-out in water that deep,” said Ms. Hudson.

Many people are also concerned about climate change. Last week it was announced that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have topped 400 parts per million for the first time in over three million years.

“As a society, we need to be looking towards clean-energy alternatives and transitioning away from fossil-fuel use now, rather than continuing to invest in a risky, dying industry,” Ms Hudson said.

Hands Across the Sand will take place by the band rotunda at Oriental Bay at 3pm this Saturday (18 May).

ENDS

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