Keep the Baltic Sea clean and safe!
To the Ministry of Climate and Environment of Poland, the Helsinki Commission (HELCOM), the European Commission, and the Secretariat of the Espoo Convention (Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context)
Petition
We call on you to undertake urgent actions to:
- Stop the plans for oil and gas extraction in the Oder Estuary and the Pomeranian Bay, which would violate climate and environmental regulations and goals;
- Ban any new oil and gas extraction across the Baltic Sea, preventing deterioration and ensuring protection of the Baltic marine ecosystem;
- Ensure strong cross-border cooperation and communication among all involved states, including the sharing of environmental impact assessments and timely notifications of planned consultations or other measures.
Why is this important?
Shocking plans just came to light: drilling for oil and gas in the Baltic Sea on the edge of a protected bird sanctuary in Poland. [1] Imagine holiday beaches shadowed by drilling rigs, seas filled with toxic leaks, and porpoises silenced by constant underwater noise. It’s an immediate danger to nature, our climate and the livelihoods of people who depend on tourism and a clean Baltic sea.
Scientists are clear: if we want to slow down global warming, no new oil or gas fields can be developed. [2] Yet the Polish government risks locking us all into decades more of fossil fuel dependence, while breaking EU nature protection rules and climate goals. [3]
We can force decision-makers in Warsaw and Brussels to stop the drilling plans off the Polish coast and ban all oil and gas extraction in the Baltic Sea. At a meeting in just two weeks, EU policymakers and civil society will come together. This is our chance to be heard. [4] If we flood them with signatures and community voices just before that meeting, they’ll be forced to respond.
Every signature is proof that people across Europe refuse to let short-term profits destroy our seas and our future. Add your voice to a growing European movement calling for a rig-free, safe Baltic!
References:
- https://www.polskieradio.pl/395/7786/artykul/3554241,central-european-petroleum-confirms-major-oil-discovery-off-baltic-coast
- https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by-2050
- Such projects contradict the purpose of EU NATURA 2000 protected areas and would breach several EU and international commitments, including the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the Birds Directive, the Habitats Directive, the Helsinki Convention and its Baltic Sea Action Plan (BSAP) as well as climate goals.
- https://www.oceanweek.eu/
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