Shell Oil doing Seismic testing along South African shores
Shell Oil doing Seismic testing along South African shores is going to have a big impact on all marine life and seabirds.
Seismic surveys for oil along the Wild Coast using air-gun blasts known to be highly damaging to marine life. Globally, seismic testing on the marine environment has been found to have a disastrous effect on zooplankton at the base of the food chain.
Bigger marine animals will swim for their lives. But plankton, which depends on the current to carry them to safety, cannot do this. This puts them squarely in harm’s way. An Australian research team found that air-gun operations caused significant losses to zooplankton populations directly after seismic surveys were conducted. A day later zooplankton were still dying.
COP26’s mission: Net-zero emissions, or carbon neutrality, by 2050 – something which must be achieved for the world to escape the worst impacts of climate change. The term net-zero is important because this is the state at which global warming stops. South Africa received an R131 billion investment for renewable energy.
Ford, Mercedes-Benz, General Motors, and Volvo, during the COP26 climate talks, committed themselves to work towards reaching 100% zero-emission new cars sales in leading markets by 2035 or earlier. All new cars should be electrical.
Why are we against Shell Oil doing Seismic testing along South African shores?
- All along the Wild Coast, communities are faced with losing their beloved oceans to fossil fuel greed.
- Every 10 seconds, 24 hrs a day, for the next 5 months straight, Shell will blast air guns into the Wild Coast sea at incredibly high decibel levels, which will likely disrupt, injure & kill many of the Wild Coast’s diverse array of sea animals.
- Fossil fuel production is at odds with their stated plans to “become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050”.
What happened in Nigeria? From Ocean Pledge at: https://web.facebook.com/OceanPledge/
We have only to look at the ecological devastation left in the wake of Shell’s 30-year colonial reign in Nigeria to understand the ultimate cost of putting profit before the planet. The environmental degradation because of the unchecked pollution associated with Shell’s profiteering, has had tragic consequences for the Niger Delta and the Ogoni peoples (amongst others): Thanks to Shell, the rivers and streams are now continuously polluted; the atmosphere is choked with carcinogenic fumes and gas flares that have been burning 24 hours a day for 33 years. There is acid rain and oil spillages are common. Mangroves, which are meant to act as a climate protection barrier and a nursery for breeding stocks, have been decimated only to be replaced by invasive species. And fish, which were once a common source of protein for many subsistence livelihoods, can now only be bought, and on rare occasions.
Companies taking a stand:
- “Express Petroleum CEO Russell Wells told the Daily Dispatch on Thursday that its petrol stations were de-branding from Shell because of its internal silence over its intention to carry out seismic blasting on the Wild Coast, public pressure from customers over Express Petroleum’s relationship with Shell, and horror on the part of the Eastern Cape owners who are passionate about the Wild Coast.”
- MIDAS Vincent East London (Vincent) We as individuals cannot stop a machine as large as this, however, if we all take a stand, we just might. Historically we have always happily been a Shell stockist in the East London automotive after-market, however, we cannot sit idly by and do nothing about the impending seismic surveys and Shell’s potential plans for oil and gas extraction on our majestic Wild Coast. The Wild Coast is one of South Africa’s untouched gems. It is a part of South Africa that is unique and unmatched in all our planet’s oceans.
- Truly, it is a world of its own. Apart from being home to an abundance of wildlife, both land and sea, it also offers remote locations that we as South Africans are privileged to spend time in, relax in, and experience the primal beauty of nature. The Wild Coast of South Africa is not something that Shell cares about. They are simply another massive corporation looking to grow market share no matter the cost. We as individuals cannot stop a machine as large as this, however, if we all take a stand, we just might. As of today, Vincent Midas will no longer support Shell or any of its products through future stock orders.* *For the sake of transparency, we do still have some Shell products in stock, however, this stock has been removed from our store front and once sold, will not be replaced. Together we can make a difference.
Wild Coast birding in the Transkei will have a great impact on the bird life.
