Parvati.Org Celebrates Postponement of Seismic Testing in Eastern Arctic

TORONTO - May 29, 2015 - PRLog -- Parvati.Org Celebrates Postponement of Seismic Testing in Eastern Arctic

May 29, 2015

Canadian environmental not-for-profit parvati.org celebrates the news that a Norwegian consortium is suspending its plans to conduct seismic testing for oil reserves off the community of Clyde River, Nunavut, this summer.

Seismic testing, the method of choice for oil companies to look for more places to drill, is a violent and traumatic event for marine animals, subjecting them to incredibly loud sounds, every ten seconds, 24 hours a day, for weeks on end. Yet, a recent study concluded Arctic oil is “unburnable” if we want to slow global warming. The strong popular opposition in Seattle to Shell’s proposed drilling in the Chukchi Sea shows that our society is no longer prepared to allow oil interests carte blanche to harm the environment.

Parvati.org is pleased to see that the consortium have decided to shelve their plans to carry out this harmful seismic testing in 2015. But seismic testing continues elsewhere. “We are under no illusion that the consortium, or the oil companies that are likely pre-funding them, are walking away from the Arctic for good,” says founder, Canadian musician, yogi and activist Parvati Devi.

“That’s why, far from standing down on our efforts to stop seismic testing in the Arctic, we are taking them to the next level. Our long-term vision has always been establishing the Arctic Ocean above the Arctic Circle as the Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary (MAPS), free from seismic testing, drilling, fracking, or any kind of commercial or political gamesmanship. As the waters in the Arctic become navigable due to global warming, we call on all countries with interest in the Arctic to come together and agree that this vulnerable region will not be subjected to exploitation of any kind.”

In the meantime, Parvati.org continues to call for transparency and accountability from governing bodies and those who would seek to exploit the planet’s resources without considering the true cost:

Parvati.org calls on oil companies who pre-fund seismic testing in Canadian waters to identify themselves instead of hiding behind obscure testing companies, and calls on the Canadian government to compel this disclosure. “Consumers have the right to know if their dollars are going to a business that supports oil exploitation in the Arctic,” says Parvati.

Parvati.org calls on the Canadian government to deny any and all future requests to conduct seismic testing in Canadian waters. “If this government does not have the political courage to protect the vulnerable land with which it has been entrusted in this time of climate crisis, the government must change,” says Parvati.

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Vandana Ryder, Legal Counsel

778-839-3231

vandana@parvati.org


Pranada Devi, Manager, Publicity and Social Media Advocacy

(416) 805-9894

pranada@parvati.org