The government of Spain has given permission to allow oil exploration off the Canary Islands, located near the north western coast of Africa.
Spain’s biggest oil company, Repsol, gained approval from the Energy Ministry despite protests from environmentalists. Repsol will work with German and Australian partners, RWE AG and Woodside Energy Ltd.
The Spanish government’s decision follows a 10-year stand-off with Canary Island tourism bodies, local politicians and residents, as well as environmentalists from all over the world - all of whom are concerned about the potential damage to the environment. More than 12 million tourists flock to the Canary Islands each year – and tourism is the archipelago’s biggest employer. The project has sparked massive protests, with numbers surging to 150,000 and 200,000 at demonstrations in June.
The people of the Canary Islands do not want the risk of an oil spill destroying the environment and thereby their economy. Moreover, fossil fuels are dead – the world needs governments and industry to explore renewable alternatives.
Please sign and share the petition to demand Spain reverses its decision to allow oil exploration off the Canary Islands.
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Greenpeace is protesting Spain's plans to allow drilling by the oil company Repsol. In mid-November, Spanish navy boats protecting an oil drilling ship rammed into a Greenpeace boat. One activist, 23-year-old Matilda Brunetti, suffered a broken leg. Greenpeace captain, Joel Stewart, says the protesters will remain. As he said in The Guardian: “We are obligated to stay here as our duty is to protect the environment.”
