In May 1998, 121 unarmed youths from the 42 communities of Ilajeland in the Niger Delta decided to join the waves of protests against the oil companies sweeping the region.

Whereas many of the previous protests had been against Shell, the oil company operating in their area was Chevron. They got into boats and canoes and set off to occupy Chevron’s Parebe platform that was miles off-shore.

Their demands were modest according to one of the leading activists in the Niger Delta. “Don’t pollute my water don’t destroy our mangrove forest, don’t devastate our ecology. Come and listen to us come and talk to our elders” . Continue reading ‘Justice Begins at Home’

The other day I went to a lecture by one of Britain’s leading marine scientists. His talk was on the “Other CO2 Problem,” which is not the problem of rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere, but of rising acidity in the world’s oceans.

The oceans absorb about a third of the CO2 released into the atmosphere by human activities. But when the gas dissolves in sea water it alters the ocean’s delicate chemical balance. Continue reading ‘The Other CO2 Problem…’

As the auto industry crisis continues in Washington after the impasse in Congress late last week, you could argue that the American car industry is paying a heavy price for ignoring the warning signs of a coming economic crunch and growing ecological consciousness.

Contrast the image of the ailing big three American car companies begging for a multi-billion bail-out to stay afloat with the news from Portugal, where Renault and Nissan have just signed an agreement to create a national network for “zero-emission” vehicles within three years. Continue reading ‘Portugal Leads the “Green” Car Revolution ….’

As the price of oil plummets below $50 a barrel, the price of gasoline falls too. The high oil prices and record gas prices of the summer now seem years away. As we fill up our cars, the temptation will be that cheaper motoring will mean more motoring.

But not if the friendly folks from Chevron have their way. They have begun posting helpful tips on how we can all use less energy. Continue reading ‘“I Will Point Out Hypocricy”’

So ends a political era. The Alaskan senator Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican senator in history and a force on Capitol Hill for decades, yesterday finally conceded the re-election race to his Democratic rival, Mayor Mark Begich.

This brings us to the end of the “Uncle Ted” era in Alaska, when billions of  Stevens’s “pork-barrel” money would flow North from the lower 48. For those who worry about the corrupting influence of oil and money on politics, Stevens’ end could not come a moment too soon. Continue reading ‘Good Riddance, Uncle Ted’