Hi John,

 

Would you like some good news? If not, you should probably stop reading. But if you do, here it is:

 

Shell has been ordered to halt seismic blasting off the coast of South Africa! This is a massive victory for our people powered campaign - over 200,000 people signed our petition, and together we shone an international spotlight on an environmental catastrophe taking place thousands of miles from the UK. [1]

 

This marks the end of an important chapter, but unfortunately it’s not the end of the story. Shell will likely challenge this decision - so we need to keep up the pressure and grow our petition until Shell calls off its destructive blasting for good.

If you are not sure what seismic blasting is - you are probably wondering why it is such a problem and why we are trying to stop Shell from going ahead with it.

 

In short, seismic blasting involves detonating blasts that send shockwaves through the ocean. These blasts are louder than a space shuttle launch and repeat every 10 seconds for 5 whole months - all in the pursuit of finding new fossil fuels. [2]

 

We raised the alarm because these blasts will devastate South Africa’s marine ecosystem. Experts have warned that explosions of this magnitude will wreak havoc with humpback whales in particular and endanger mothers and calves in the midst of breeding season. [3]

 

Humans have killed over 3 million whales in the last century - so we cannot allow Shell's search for new fossil fuels to make matters worse. [4] Will you join us and tell the oil giant to call off their devastating blasting for good?

Just look at what we have been able to achieve together in only two months. We shone an international spotlight on the issue while local communities mobilised, and with the support of Greenpeace Africa, managed to get Shell blocked in court. [5]

 

If we can keep this momentum going - I have every faith we can stop them for good.

 

I hope I can write to you again with some more good news, but in the meantime please do keep up the pressure on Shell.

 

Thank you for all that you do,

 

Aiyan

Greenpeace UK

 

 

NOTES:

 

[1] Campaigners force Shell to halt oil exploration on South African coast

[2, 3] Will the courts stop Shell in the Wild Coast? Second urgent hearing to take place this week

[4] World's Whaling Slaughter Tallied at 3 Million

[5] Major victory for Wild Coast communities: Shell interdicted from conducting seismic operations with immediate effect

We don't accept any money from companies or governments so we can be independent and challenge anyone who threatens the planet or peace. To help us keep fighting climate change, defending our oceans and protecting ancient forests, you can become a monthly supporter today. Thank you!

 

To unsubscribe or change your communication preferences, please click here

 

You can find out how we use the information you give us in our recently updated Privacy Policy

 

Greenpeace Ltd, Canonbury Villas, London N1 2PN (registered in London no 1314381, VAT registration no 625951426)

 

This email was sent to: [email protected]