Cancun, Mexico– The Canadian Youth Delegation (CYD) voiced their opposition to offshore drilling and oil tanker traffic today at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP16) in Cancun, Mexico. Outside of the main plenary the group carried banners saying, “Oil and Water Don’t Mix,” while delivering messages of impacted communities.

Offshore drilling and tanker transport are damaging to marine life and coastal communities. Government and industry need to leave oil and gas in the ground. With peak oil behind us non-conventional sources of fossil fuels, such as offshore and arctic drilling, are becoming increasingly exploited, and this dangerous trend cannot continue. Local community opposition to offshore drilling and new tanker routes must be respected to mitigate the effects of climate change and coastal destruction.

“Offshore drilling and the use of oil tankers guarantees disaster,” says CYD member Robin Tress. “The question is not if there will be a spill, but when.” Spills cannot be cleaned up, and effected ecosystems cannot be restored to their natural state. The negative ecological effects of the Exxon Valdez spill in the arctic are still suffered twenty years later and continue to show signs of contamination in local wildlife.

Adam Thomas, of the Carrier Nation of Northern British Columbia and a member of the CYD says, “Canada needs a legislative tanker ban on the Pacific North Coast. It is the only way to protect the jobs, the environment and above all the communities of this unique place; the last coastal temperate rainforest in the world.”

Offshore drilling and oil tanker traffic promote the expansion of a fossil fuel economy, which is one of the root causes of climate change. As an international community we must oppose the continuation of such projects and promote community-based alternatives to fossil fuels.

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For additional information, please contact:

Emilie Novaczek – (+52) 998 141 5815

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