Thank you for copying me on your letter to the National Energy Board (NEB) and the Prime Minister about the NEB’s decision to allow seismic testing in Nunavut. I agree that this exploration must not go forward.
I am very concerned about the biological damage from seismic testing. Particularly seismic testing is a threat to cetaceans who rely on sonic communication. The air guns used create vibrations and continuous noise that causes changes in behaviour and in some cases death for whales, dolphins and porpoises. Dr. Jeffrey Hutchings at Dalhousie University has also found that ground fish, such as cod, can have reproduction success compromised by seismic testing. This testing, coupled with potential oil and gas drilling, will result in devastating consequences for pristine northern ecosystems and inhabitants.
Of course the purpose of the testing is to advance oil and gas exploitation in one of the planet's most fragile ecosystems. Protecting the Arctic from the dangers of unmitigated climate change should be the government’s priority. Our Arctic has already been affected by climate change. Permafrost is melting at unprecedented rates. When permafrost melts, large amounts of methane are released, causing more permafrost and ice to melt and gas to be released into the atmosphere. The loss of Arctic ice reduces the cooling effect, known as the albedo effect. The white ice at the pole reflects the sun's radiation back to the upper atmosphere. Without the ice, the solar radiation is absorbed and further warms Arctic Ocean water, further melting the ice.
There are inadequate measures in place for oil spills in less unpredictable environments. An oil spill in the Arctic would present new challenges and situations that we have yet to face.
The people who will be affected most and who possess the best knowledge of the region have not been consulted. In deferring the decision to the NEB, the Harper Conservatives, including Minister of Environment and MP for Nunavut, Leona Aglukkaq, are evading their duty to consult the people of Nunavut. Many citizens of the Arctic, including five Nunavut Mayors, are opposed to the project.
In order to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on the planet, especially the Arctic, we must look into more progressive ways to source our energy. Transitioning to a low-carbon economy is the direction Canada and the world should be taking. Exploration into oil and gas drilling in the Arctic is not a viable solution.
Thank you again for writing. I will stand up for the Arctic in the House of Commons and oppose this project.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth May, O.C, M.P.
Saanich- Gulf Islands
Leader of the Green Party of Canada
From: Johannes [mailto:
[email protected]] On Behalf Of Johannes
Sent: January 21, 2015 8:30 AM
To: Harper, Stephen - P.M.;
[email protected]; Valcourt, Bernard - Député; Aglukkaq, Leona - M.P.; May, Elizabeth - M.P.; Bevington, Dennis - M.P.; Leslie, Megan - M.P.; McKay, John - M.P.; Bennett, Carolyn - M.P.; Regan, Geoff - M.P.; Charlton, Chris - M.P.; Crowder, Jean - M.P.
Subject: Stop dangerous oil exploration in the Arctic
Dear Mr. Harper and Mr. Watson, I am writing to you today in solidarity with the community of Clyde River, Nunavut, in Canada’s Arctic. Dangerous seismic testing has been permitted off the coast of Clyde River in Baffin Bay and Davis strait without adequate consultation and despite local concerns for the safety of marine mammals and other wildlife that could face permanent physical damage or death as a result of this industrial activity. If you allow oil companies to continue on this destructive path, drilling in the Arctic could devastate coastal communities forever as an oil spill in icy waters would be impossible to clean up. I am asking you to put an immediate moratorium on seismic testing and ban all offshore drilling in Canada’s Arctic. Mr. Harper and Mr. Watson, what happens in the Arctic affects us all. Please act on the right side of history and invest in a healthy and sustainable Arctic. Sincerely,
Johannes
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