Greenland iceberg shows threat to Cairn Energy oil well

Commenting on the news that an iceberg twice the size of Manhattan has broken from the Petermann Glacier in Greenland, Friends of the Earth Scotland Campaigner Paul Daly said:

“An iceberg the size of Edinburgh breaking free of the Petermann Glacier is exactly what we would expect to be happening to the Arctic given the increasingly unstable conditions associated with climate change caused by human action.

“These include Scottish company Cairn Energy who are employing unconventional oil extraction techniques similar to those that caused the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.  Cairn Energy has been drilling off the coast of Greenland not far from the Petermann glacier.  Cairn Energy are currently seeking financial partners to help share the risk associated with such a dangerous environment.  We strongly advise companies not to invest in such a dangerous and unnecessary project; especially given the lack of suitable contingency plans, as highlighted last year.

“Friends of the Earth Scotland would like to see Cairn cease their exploratory operations in the Arctic, where drilling is inherently unsafe and extremely costly, making it both a financial and environmental risk.  With icebergs the size of Edinburgh floating around the coast of Greenland, this is a very real danger.”

ENDS

For media enquiries, please contact Friends of the Earth Scotland: 0131 243 2700

Notes to Editors

1. Iceberg twice the size of Manhattan
2. Petermann Iceberg same size as Edinburgh
3. Friends of the Earth Scotland is * Scotland’s leading environmental campaigning organisation * An independent Scottish charity with a network of thousands of supporters and active local groups across Scotland * Part of the largest grassroots environmental network in the world, uniting over 2 million supporters, 77 national member groups, and some 5,000 local activist groups – covering every continent. www.foe-scotland.org.uk