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oil spill
'Chaos': Peru Declares Environmental Emergency Over Oil Spill
"So far, we have not had any response from the oil company," said one fisherman whose livelihood has been threatened by the accident.
Dec 27, 2024
At least seven beaches and the safety of local wildlife have been impacted by an oil spill in northern Peru, said the South American country's Environmental Assessment and Oversight Agency on Thursday as the government declared an environmental emergency.
The environmental watchdog, known as OEFA locally, said in a preliminary report that about 10,000 square meters of surface seawater have been contaminated by the crude oil, which spilled from a vessel at a terminal of the Talara refinery.
Petroperu, the state-owned oil company, was preparing to load the oil onto a tanker when the spill was detected at Las Capullanas beach.
The company has not disclosed exactly how much oil spilled, but OEFA said it has extended over an area of 116-566 acres. Petroperu has also not stated the cause of the accident.
Petroperu told Reuters it has coordinated with the fishermen's union, but fisherman Martin Pasos told the local radio station RPP that he has heard little from the company about when he will be able to resume his work.
"We have not been able to go out for six days now," Pasos said. "It is chaos, what happened in Lobitos. So far, we have not had any response from the oil company."
Petroperu said Wednesday it had deployed clean-up crews as soon as the spill was detected earlier this week and that the cleaning of six beaches in Talara province was almost done.
Authorities were directed under the environmental emergency to carry out recovery and remediation work over the next 90 days.
Infobae reported that Petroperu was "minimizing" the damage as local authorities expressed concern over the safety of "turtles, crabs, octopuses, and fish [that] have been seriously harmed by contact with the spilled oil."
On Sunday, shortly after the spill, the public prosecutor's office launched an investigation into Petroperu's alleged criminal environmental contamination.
Rocío Silva-Santisteban, a poet, activist, and former member of Peru's Congress, noted that "it is not the first time that Petroperu has polluted."
"Since 2014 in Cuninico, Loreto, oil spills have been occurring, affecting the health of animals and people," said Silva-Santisteban. "This has been an ecocide!"
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Ecological Disaster Feared After Pair of Russian Oil Tankers Sink
“Another ship is going down. Holy shit!” said a sailor from a nearby boat who was filming the incident in the Black Sea's Kirch strait.
Dec 15, 2024
A pair of Russian oil vessels on Sunday sunk in the Black Sea, according to reports, causing what Russian officials termed an "oil spill emergency" and touching off fears of an ecological disaster.
"Today two tankers, Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239, were damaged due to a storm in the waters of the Black Sea," said the Federal Agency for Sea and Inland Water Transport in a statement. "There are 15 people on board of one ship and 14 people on the other. The damage caused an oil spill emergency."
It was subsequently reported that one of the vessels, and later the second, had sunk in the violent seas of the Kirch strait, which connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov. One person was reportedly killed, according to Russian officials, and an estimated 4,300 tonnes of oil product was on each vessel, though the amount spilled was not immediately known.
Footage taken by nearby ships captured portions of the disaster as it unfolded:
“Another ship is going down. Holy shit!” said a sailor from a nearby boat as the filming took place.
Paul Johnston, head of Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter in the U.K., warned of possible grave consequences from the maritime disaster.
"Any oil or petrochemical spill in these waters has the potential to be serious," Johnston said. "It is likely to be driven by prevailing wind and currents (moving now to the North-East) and in the current weather conditions is likely to be extremely difficult to contain. If it is driven ashore, then it will cause fouling of the shoreline which will be extremely difficult to clean up."
Russian outlets reported the oil product on board at least one of the vessels was mazut, a viscous and heavy fuel oil primarily used as a fuel oil in power plants, for shipping, or other industries.
"Any environmental impact will depend on the type of oil spilled," added Johnston. "Heavy residual fuel oils will tend to cause more visible damage than refined fractions and marine gas oil which will tend to disperse and break up quite rapidly."
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Trinidad and Tobago Mulls Historic Disaster Declaration After 'Ghost Ship' Oil Spill
"Right now the situation is not under control," the prime minister said Sunday on the eve of the Caribbean nation's world-renowned Carnival.
Feb 11, 2024
The government of Trinidad and Tobago this weekend said it is considering what would be the island nation's first-ever Level 3 diaster declaration amid a worsening environmental disaster caused by an oil spill from a mysterious ship on the eve of the Caribbean country's famed Carinval.
As more than 1,000 emergency workers and volunteers raced to clean up the massive spill off Tobago's southwestern coast, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Keith Rowley told reporters Sunday that "cleaning and restoration can only begin as soon as we have the situation under control. Right now the situation is not under control."
The spill came from a vessel of indeterminate origin that capsized off the coast of the Cove Eco Industrial Park on Wednesday. As Agence France-Presse reported, the ship—named Gulfstream—"made no emergency calls, with no sign of crew, and no clear sign of ownership."
Officials said the spill has affected over 25 miles of coastline and has damaged a coral reef and Atlantic beaches, threatening not only the environment and residents' health but also the vital tourism industry as the country prepares to host its world-renowned Carnival this week.
Farley Augustine, chief secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly, told reporters Saturday that the government may declare a Level 3 disaster for the first time in the nation's history. Level 3 spills require "substantial" international support.
"Everything indicates that we are going in that direction," Augustine said.
There have been hundreds of oil spills off Trinidad and Tobago's coast over the past decade. These accidents rarely attract international media attention and often go unpunished.
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Red Sea Oil Spill Averted, No Thanks to the Fossil Fuel Industry
Transnational polluters like TotalEnergies, Exxon, OMV, and Occidental should be paying the estimated $140 million cost of the FSO SAFER salvage operation.
Aug 15, 2023
After more than eight years of relentless effort and numerous hurdles, the U.N.-led hazardous operation to remove more than a million barrels of oil from the decaying FSO SAFER supertanker off Yemen’s coast and scrap the ageing vessel has taken a major step towards a safe conclusion.
This momentous achievement means the almost decade-long saga is in the home stretch, highlighting the power of collective action, but also exposing the heartless indifference of the oil industry to the consequences of its actions.
Crisis Averted
The FSO SAFER, once a looming threat on the horizon of the Red Sea, is now rid of its perilous cargo. This success stands as a testament to international cooperation, determination, and the unwavering commitment of organizations like Greenpeace, Holm Akhdar, and other allies who played a pivotal role in galvanizing global awareness about the impending dangers posed by the deteriorating supertanker.
Years of tireless advocacy and collaboration have culminated in the commencement and successful completion of the operation. The fact that the operation was necessary in the first place underscores not only the remarkable feat of averting disaster but also serves as a stark reminder that too often, communities and governments are left to clean up the mess created by the oil industry.
The potential consequences of an oil spill in the Red Sea cannot be overstated. It could inflict irreparable damage on coastal communities, fragile ecosystems, and marine life, exacerbating both the ongoing humanitarian crisis and the impacts of the climate crisis in the region.
Make Polluters Pay
As we commemorate this significant milestone, it is crucial to confront a disheartening reality: The very oil companies behind this perilous situation have demonstrated a glaring lack of responsibility. Despite reaping record profits, these major polluters have abdicated their obligation to address the potential risks and consequences posed by the FSO SAFER.
Oil giants such as TotalEnergies, Exxon, OMV, and Occidental, beneficiaries of the SAFER’s operations, have not taken meaningful action to forestall a potential oil spill catastrophe in the Red Sea. These transnational polluters should be paying the estimated $140 million cost of the salvage operation. Instead, U.N. members, the private sector, and individuals from all over the world have contributed $121 million, with another estimated $22 million still needed.
This underscores the urgent necessity for heightened accountability within the oil industry, laying bare the stark disparity between financial gains and ethical responsibility.
Shipbreaking: Do No Harm
Even as we celebrate the successful resolution of the immediate FSO SAFER crisis, it is crucial to acknowledge that the journey is far from over. The legacy of neglect and disregard for environmental consequences demands a transformative shift in the oil industry’s practices. Oil companies that have used this vessel to shovel money into their coffers should pay for its scrapping in environmentally sustainable ways that safeguard against potential harm its disposal could inflict on other communities.
We agree with the NGO Shipbreaking Platform call for the vessel to be recycled in a yard that complies with the E.U.-Ship Recycling Regulations. Such facilities are also found in non-E.U. countries. The concern lies in the possibility of the U.N. opting for cheaper options to scrap the ship, driven by insufficient funding. This scenario could lead to the SAFER winding up on one of the ship scrapping shores in South Asia dismantled under rudimentary conditions, with harmful consequences for the host country and its people.
It would be a tragedy to have averted one disaster in the Red Sea only to have another impacting people elsewhere.
Yemen Oil Risk Not Over
It’s also vital to emphasize that storing the oil in a new vessel cannot be a final solution. Although the YEMEN tanker is in notably better condition than the SAFER, the crisis can only be fully mitigated by safely and completely removing the oil from Yemeni waters.
Demand Climate Justice
The salvage operation serves as a poignant reminder of the pressing need to liberate ourselves from the shackles of fossil fuels. The long-running FSO SAFER saga underscores the imperative for the oil industry to reckon with its complicity in the climate and nature crisis and to take decisive measures to rectify the damage it has caused.
Success in averting a catastrophic oil spill in the Red Sea offers a moment of reflection and inspiration, reiterating the urgent demand for accountability, sustainability, and climate justice in our relentless pursuit to safeguard our planet and the generations that will inherit it.
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The Cure for Climate Anxiety? Climate Action
What we’re seeing is a pressing need for people to connect and become active in their communities—for the health of their communities as well as their own mental health.
Aug 06, 2023
I remember being a young girl, no more than 7, and older people telling me: “Sorry we destroyed the planet. Now it’s your responsibility to fix it.” At such a young age, I didn’t understand what those words meant. But it wouldn’t be the last time I heard them.
I live in New Mexico. In my 22 years, I’ve seen our winters becoming less and less white, each summer getting hotter, and the water slowly disappearing from the great Rio Grande. It’s a story my peers in other states could tell just as well.
The continuous occurrence of these events—and the lack of meaningful action by our representatives to stop them—have been a source of constant stress. I’ve spent years of my young life battling intense feelings of uneasiness, dread, and fear—all of which would become exaggerated whenever I read about a natural disaster or an oil spill.
For many years I felt alone with these feelings. But then I learned that they had a name: “climate anxiety.”
It turns out I’m not alone.
These feelings are valid. But we can’t let them overpower our desire to see a future in which renewable energy is flourishing and fossil fuel pollution is a thing of the past.
In one large study of 10,000 children and young people in 10 countries, 45% of respondents said their feelings about climate change negatively impacted their daily functioning. Another 75% found the future frightening—and 83% said that they think people have failed to take care of the planet.
A Yale and George Mason report called “Climate Change in the American Mind” said that about 1 in 10 Americans report having experienced anxiety because of global warming for several or more days out of the last two weeks. Almost as many report experiencing symptoms of depression for the same reason.
These feelings are valid. But we can’t let them overpower our desire to see a future in which renewable energy is flourishing and fossil fuel pollution is a thing of the past.
So how do we keep going? By turning climate anxiety into climate action.
And fortunately, there’s promising research in that area, too. A 2022 study published in Current Psychology suggested that collective action could bring a sense of community, connection, and social support.
“Engaging in collective action can have a multitude of benefits including social connectedness with people who share similar goals and values,” study coauthor Sarah Lowe told Yale Sustainability. “We also thought that individuals who engaged in collective action—particularly if they saw those actions as having an impact—could have a stronger sense of self-efficacy and hope for the future.”
Proponents of a mental health approach called “ecotherapy” have suggested that developing an environmental identity and engaging in environmental conservation may be another effective approach to treating climate anxiety.
What we’re seeing is a pressing need for people to connect and become active in their communities—for the health of their communities as well as their own mental health. The possibility of hope begins when you can see paths for change, however small, in your own community.
Over the years my own waves of climate anxiety have been eased by watching climate organizations like YUCCA and New Mexico Climate Justice demand just energy transitions in my home state and across the country.
I’ve felt the crippling effects of climate anxiety. But we must be able to use our emotions to fuel positive change. I’ve learned these feelings can help us create communities focused on empowering and motivating each other to stand up to those who disrespect and pollute the earth.
The greatest strength of humanity lies in our ability to come together, support each other, and fight for the future that we and future generations deserve.
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UN Launches High-Stakes Effort to Prevent Catastrophic Oil Spill From Tanker Near Yemen
U.N. chief António Guterres called the initiative to transfer oil from the decaying FSO Safer to another tanker "the critical next step in avoiding an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe on a colossal scale."
Jul 25, 2023
"The United Nations has begun an operation to defuse what might be the world's largest ticking time bomb," U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres announced Tuesday.
"A complex maritime salvage effort is now underway in the Red Sea off the coast of war-torn Yemen to transfer one million barrels of oil from the decaying
FSO Safer to a replacement vessel," said Guterres.
If all goes as planned, the oil will be pumped from the abandoned supertanker to the Nautica over the next three weeks, UN News reported.
"In the absence of anyone else willing or able to perform this task, the United Nations stepped up and assumed the risk to conduct this very delicate operation," Guterres explained. "This is an all-hands-on-deck mission and the culmination of nearly two years of political groundwork, fundraising, and project development."
The U.N. chief called the oil transfer initiative "the critical next step in avoiding an environmental and humanitarian catastrophe on a colossal scale."
"Without action," he warned, "the vessel could have exploded or broken apart, spilling as much as four times the oil released in the Exxon Valdez disaster. Fishing communities would be wiped out. Hundreds of thousands of jobs would instantly disappear. Whole communities would be exposed to deadly toxins."
Moreover, "major ports including Hodeidah and Saleef would be forced to close indefinitely. Food, fuel, and life-saving supplies for millions would halt," Guterres continued. "Water, coral reefs, [and] sea life would be utterly devastated. Shipping all the way to the Suez Canal could be disrupted for weeks. The potential clean-up bill alone could easily run into the tens of billions of dollars."
"That is why we have been raising the alarm and working to mobilize support to avoid this nightmare," he added.
Peer-reviewed research published in October 2021 warned that an "increasingly likely" oil spill from the slowly corroding Safer into the Red Sea could cut off access to clean water and food aid for millions of people in a matter of days and completely decimate the region's fishing stocks within three weeks.
The 47-year-old supertanker has been moored roughly five nautical miles southwest of the Ras Issa peninsula on Yemen's west coast for more than 30 years. Maintenance of the vessel ground to a halt in 2015 amid the U.S.-backed, Saudi-led coalition's ongoing war on Yemen. As a result, it has deteriorated to a state beyond repair.
Despite several warnings about the life-threatening dangers posed by the decaying ship—including one made in June 2020 by the head of the U.N. Environment Program to the U.N. Security Council—it has taken years to finalize a plan to remove the 1.1 million barrels of crude it is holding.
According to Guterres, "The United Nations enlisted the best in the business: a team of world-leading experts in maritime law, oil spills, salvage operations, marine engineers, naval architects, insurance brokers and underwriters, chemists, surveyors, and more."
"This operation required relentless political work in a country devastated by eight years of war," Guterres noted. "It depended on generous financial support."
"The ship-to-ship transfer of oil is an important milestone, but it is far from the end of the journey," the U.N. chief continued. "The next critical step is arrangement for the delivery of a specialized buoy to which the replacement vessel will be safely and securely tethered."
"Looking immediately ahead, we will need about $20 million to finish the project, which includes cleaning and scrapping the FSO Safer and removing any remaining environmental threat to the Red Sea," he added. "I urge donors to act at this crucial time."
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Philadelphia Highway Collapse Could Impact Major Interstate 'For a Long Time'
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he would declare an emergency on Monday so the state could access federal money for repairs, which could take months.
Jun 11, 2023
A tanker truck fire caused a raised portion of Interstate 95 (I-95) to collapse in northeastern Philadelphia Sunday, indefinitely blocking one of the nation's busiest highways and threatening the Delaware River with an oil spill.
The fire and collapse was triggered by a crash under the northbound ramp around 6:15 am ET, The Associated Press reported. The fire then caused the northbound lanes above it to collapse and "compromised" the southbound ones, Derek Bowmer, battalion chief of the Philadelphia Fire Department, said. There have been no injuries reported at this time.
"I-95 will be impacted for a long time, for a long time," Philadelphia managing director Tumar Alexander said Sunday morning, as The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
I-95 is the main East Coast artery connecting Florida to Maine, The Washington Post explained. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he would declare an emergency on Monday so the state could access federal money for repairs, according to the Inquirer.
"With regards to the complete rebuild of the I-95 roadway, we expect that to take some number of months," Shapiro said Sunday.
Shapiro added that the length of repairs would depend on the results of a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Pennsylvania State Police investigation into the cause of the crash.
"I found myself thanking the Lord that no motorists who were on I-95 were injured or died," Shapiro said Sunday, according to AP.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney promised to keep residents updated about detours and alternative routes.
The federal government has already pledged support to Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.
"The President has been briefed on the collapse and White House officials have been in contact with Governor Shapiro and Mayor Kenney's offices to offer assistance," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also said he was in contact with Shapiro, Kenney, and other regional leaders.
"This is a major artery for people and goods, and the closure will have significant impacts on the city and region until reconstruction and recovery are complete."
"This is a major artery for people and goods, and the closure will have significant impacts on the city and region until reconstruction and recovery are complete," he tweeted. "Our department will be there with support throughout the process of I-95 returning to normal."
The truck that caught fire had a capacity for 8,500 gallons of gasoline, the U.S. Coast Guard said, as The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. While it's not clear how much gasoline the truck was carrying, it was not empty.
The highway follows the Delaware River, and some of the gasoline drained into the waterway, The Washington Post reported.
"It hasn't made its way to the water that much," Ensign Josh Ledoux, a spokesperson for the Delaware Bay sector of the Coast Guard, told the Post.
The spilled oil has left a slight sheen on the river, the Inquirer reported, which authorities are attempting to contain with floating booms.
Otherwise, air and water quality have not been impacted by the crash, city agencies said.
Democratic strategist Larry Huynh pointed to the collapse as an example of why federal infrastructure funding is so important.
"People from every political perspective in America use I-95 in Philadelphia," he tweeted. "But only one party will defend it. What does a Republican do when they see roads like this? They steal our tax dollars, and give it to billionaires. Then they DEMAND spending cuts."
He noted that most Republicans opposed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021.
"Getting Republicans out is essential for our roads. For our country. For our lives," he said.
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'This Scares Me,' Says Bill McKibben as Arctic Hits 100.4degF - Hottest Temperature on Record
"100°F about 70 miles north of the Arctic Circle today in Siberia. That's a first in all of recorded history. We are in a climate emergency."
Jun 22, 2020
A small Siberian town north of the Arctic Circle reached 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday, a figure that--if verified--would be the highest temperature reading in the region since record-keeping began in 1885.
"This scares me, I have to say," environmentalist and 350.org co-founder Bill McKibben tweeted in response to news of the record-breaking reading in Verkhoyansk, where the average high temperature in June is 68degF.
"Siberian town tops 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the hottest temperature ever recorded north of the Arctic Circle. This scares me, I have to say."
-- Bill McKibben, 350.org
Washington Post climate reporter Andrew Freedman noted Sunday that if the reading is confirmed, it "would be the northernmost 100-degree reading ever observed, and the highest temperature on record in the Arctic, a region that is warming at more than twice the rate of the rest of the globe."
"On Sunday, the same location recorded a high temperature of 95.3 degrees (35.2 Celsius), showing the Saturday reading was not an anomaly," the newspaper reported. "While some questions remain about the accuracy of the Verkhoyansk temperature measurement, data from a Saturday weather balloon launch at that location supports the 100-degree reading. Temperatures in the lower atmosphere, at about 5,000 feet, also were unusually warm at 70 degrees (21 Celsius), a sign of extreme heat at the surface."
The World Meteorological Organization said Sunday that is "preliminarily accepting the observation as a new extreme" as it conducts a more thorough review of the Verkhoyansk reading.
"100degF about 70 miles north of the Arctic Circle today in Siberia. That's a first in all of recorded history," tweeted meteorologist Eric Holthaus. "We are in a climate emergency."
The reading comes as Siberia is in the midst of a prolonged heatwave that has alarmed climate scientists and activists.
"Been watching the Siberian heatwave for months and it's beyond terrifying--already suffering what was expected in 2100 in a worst case scenario," said climate activist and conservationist Charlie Gardner.
As the Guardian reported last week, "the freak temperatures [in Siberia] have been linked to wildfires, a huge oil spill, and a plague of tree-eating moths."
"Russian towns in the Arctic Circle have recorded extraordinary temperatures, with Nizhnyaya Pesha hitting 30degC on 9 June and Khatanga, which usually has daytime temperatures of around 0degC at this time of year, hitting 25degC on 22 May. The previous record was 12degC."
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California Oil Spill Leaves 'Gooey Mess'--And a Reminder of Big Oil's Dangers
'It is distressing to once again see this kind of devastation visited upon a sensitive location'
Jun 23, 2016
An oil spill has reportedly leaked thousands of gallons of crude from a pipeline into a canyon in Ventura County, California; fire officials said Thursday--in what environmentalists say is a reminder of the dangers of coastal fossil fuel operations.
The leak spilled at least 29,000 gallons, or 700 barrels, as emergency crews used hoses to suck up the "gooey mess" that was created when the oil formed a small lake in a gorge known as Prince Barranca, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The operating line has been shut down. The LA Times notes that this is the 10th time in 10 years that the pipeline company Crimson Pipeline has had its pipes break or fail.
Meanwhile, the oil company Aera Energy, jointly owned by Shell and ExxonMobil, is responsible for 25 percent of California's output, making it one of the state's biggest oil producers.
"It is distressing to once again see this kind of devastation visited upon a sensitive location," said Brian Segee, senior attorney with the Santa Barbara-based Environmental Defense Center.
The figures on the oil spill have been difficult to verify. Earlier in the day, fire officials estimated the spill at 5,000 barrels—or 210,000 gallons—before amending it to a much smaller number.
Segee noted that the response to last year's Plains All-American oil spill on Santa Barbara's Refugio Beach was similar.
"So far, estimates for the size of this spill have been all over the map. It is important to remember that with last year's Plains All American Oil Spill at Refugio Beach, the initial industry estimates were orders of magnitude below reality," Segee said. "But we are still very early in understanding the scope of this spill and the challenges that yet another major oil spill will deliver to our region. Regardless of the size, any amount of spilled oil is inexcusable and destructive."
The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) told the LAT the spill should serve as another warning of Big Oil's risks.
CBD attorney Kristen Monsell said, "This major spill is another grim example of why we must get pipelines and oil drilling out of California's vulnerable coastal environment. The spill's already causing environmental damage. We've got to stop thinking about these oil spills as accidents and start regarding them as completely predictable ecological tragedies that we can prevent with strong action."
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Climate Activist Who Chained Herself to Shell Vessel Argues Necessity Defense
Chiara D'Angelo, who spent three days chained to a Shell vessel last year to protest Arctic oil drilling, says her actions were necessary to prevent climate catastrophe
Mar 01, 2016
A climate activist who chained herself to a Shell vessel last year to protest oil drilling in the Arctic argued this week that she was compelled to act to prevent environmental catastrophe.
Chiara D'Angelo, 21, climbed the vessel's anchor chain with a sign that read, "Save the Arctic," and locked her harness to the side of the ship for three days and nights in May 2015 in Bellingham, Washington. She now faces a possible $20,000 fine for crossing the so-called "safety zone" around the ship.
But in a hearing with the Coast Guard on Monday, D'Angelo and her attorney invoked what's known as the "necessity defense," arguing that her actions were far less dangerous than the risks posed by allowing the ship to depart for the Arctic's Chukchi Sea, where the oil giant was poised to undertake "one of the riskiest offshore drilling operations of all time," as D'Angelo told the Bellingham Herald.
Shell had planned to explore for oil in the remote and vulnerable northern waters despite warnings from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management that the operation posed a 75 percent chance of a spill, risking the food supply for native Alaskans, who rely on fishing and marine hunting for subsistence.
D'Angelo, supported while on the chain by fellow activists who took turns keeping her company and delivering food and other supplies, told the Herald, "I acted to prevent harm."
"There was a 75 percent chance of a major oil spill in Inupiat harvesting territory," she said. "If you have this disaster there, take out their food source."
Shell's Arctic plans also catalyzed large-scale protests by land, air, and sea last year. The energy giant called off its Arctic crusade "for the foreseeable future" in September 2015, stating that there were not enough indications of oil and gas in the region to justify continued drilling.
Five climate activists charged with blocking an oil train in January used the necessity defense in a groundbreaking case. This marked the first time a U.S. judge allowed the argument in a climate trial.
The defendants were eventually found not guilty of obstruction, avoiding jail time. During the proceedings, jury members clarified that they understood that the activists were trying to raise public awareness about critical issues.
One juror reportedly told them, "Thanks for the education."
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