In a startling interview with NPR, Secretary of State John Kerry said that President Obama thought of Shell's plan to drill in the Arctic as a "test".1 This test needs to be called what it really is -- a ticking time bomb for our climate.
Take action today to protect our climate and stop all future drilling in the Arctic.
President Obama has just returned from his trip to Alaska where he saw first-hand the impacts of climate change on Alaskan communities. In fact, he pledged federal funds to help Alaska Native communities experiencing the devastation and dangers that a changed climate brings -- powerful storm surges, eroded coastlines, and the need to relocate entire villages in the worst scenarios.2 The immediate needs of these struggling communities must not be ignored, but the President must think about the long term as well.
The answer to stopping climate disruption is clear -- keep dirty fuels in the ground. Shell may have gotten the green light for exploratory drilling this summer, but it's up to activists like you to make sure Big Oil cannot continue to exploit America's Arctic for financial gain while jeopardizing our climate.
Send a letter and tell President Obama to cancel all remaining and proposed Arctic offshore drilling leases for the coming years.
More Arctic drilling sets us on a dangerous path. By cancelling Arctic lease sales scheduled for the next two years and abandoning a plan to open more areas in the Arctic Ocean to drilling, President Obama could do exactly what he asked leaders from 20 countries to do at Monday's GLACIER Conference in Anchorage -- usher in a world where countries act quickly and urgently to stop climate disruption.3
Tell President Obama to be the leader he's asking others to be, and put an end to future Arctic drilling.