Help us protect Canadian marine ecosystems and habitats from oil spill disasters (Credit: Kris Krüg via Flickr).
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is causing unthinkable damage to marine ecosystems and habitats along the shoreline. People who depend on the gulf for their livelihoods have seen their incomes and local economies destroyed.
But the end is far from sight. BP is struggling to stem the flow of oil from its exploded drilling platform. As of yet, the oil company has no solution to the environmental crisis it caused.
Could something like this happen in Canada?
We are working to protect Canada from a similar oil spill
Canada is home to the world's longest coastline: three oceans and a sea of arctic ice that support some of the most abundant and diverse webs of marine life on Earth. Most of the world's creatures live in the ocean. More than half of the Earth's oxygen is produced there, too.
But there is a major push to find and exploit oil off all three of our coasts. Marine life and coastal communities are threatened by the negative effects of tanker traffic and drilling in our vulnerable waters.
Can we imagine an environmental disaster off one of our shores? Just look at what a B.C. oil spill would look like. It's not pretty.
That's why we are doing everything we can to protect Canadian waters from an oil spill disaster:
- We support a moratorium on oil tankers and oil drilling off the Pacific Coast in the Pacific Ocean, and a ban on all oil exploration and drilling in Canada's fragile Arctic. We continue to speak with media and publish online resources about why a moratorium is important.
- We are pushing for marine protected areas that are free from destructive practices. We encourage stronger marine planning processes to reduce any negative impacts of ocean-based industry.
- We promote clean energy production and consumption to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. Offshore oil extraction is simply too dangerous for our marine life, and the emissions from extracting and burning fossil fuels are speeding up global warming.
Do your part to keep Canada's waterways clean
Canada should learn from the mistakes made in the Gulf of Mexico.
It's up to people like you to tell leaders we need to be careful, because we won't get a second chance. You can help:
- Send a message to our leaders. Tell them you want them to create more marine protected areas and ensure a strong marine planning process.
- Tell the federal government that you want it to keep the moratorium on oil drilling and tanker traffic on the Pacific Coast.
- Cut back your oil and energy use. Find alternatives to the car, because they are the largest source of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. Reduce your energy consumption at home, or switch to green power.
- Donate and help fund our critical work to protect Canada's oceans and promote a cleaner energy system.
Check out what a B.C. oil spill would look like if Canada lifts the oil tanker and offshore drilling moratorium.
