The actress is urging people to sign a Greenpeace petition to fight deep sea oil drilling off the coast of New Zealand (where Lawless is from). The petition, which calls for using clean energy and ending coal industry expansion, already has 100,000 signatures.
“I’d urge anyone who wants to protect our coasts from an even worse oil spill than that which we saw in Tauranga, to sign this petition. By doing so, they’ll also be doing something positive about the climate crisis that this planet is facing,” said Lawless.
She’s not alone in her plea. Climate scientist Jim Salinger and Greenpeace Climate Change Campaigner Steve Abel are also asking for more signatures.
“Opening up the final, extreme frontiers of the oil industry, whether they are in New Zealand or the Arctic, is only going to make global warming worse now and in the future. Decisions we make today will determine the severity of climate change that our children and grandchildren will have to deal with. I urge all New Zealanders who care about the future of humanity on this planet to sign this petition,” said Salinger.
Added Abel, ”Given that international oil giants like Shell, Andarko and Petrobras are planning to drill in New Zealand waters at depths even greater than the 1500 metres the Deepwater Horizon was operating in, the risk of a catastrophic spill happening here is very real.”
Added Abel, ”Given that international oil giants like Shell, Andarko and Petrobras are planning to drill in New Zealand waters at depths even greater than the 1500 metres the Deepwater Horizon was operating in, the risk of a catastrophic spill happening here is very real.”
Ready to add your name to the list? Check out the petition to sign and get more information.