Really interesting conversation with Captain Peter Willcox from Greenpeace. Here’s what he had to say:
http://gcaptain.com/captain-peter-willcox-greenpeace-interview/
Does the boat run on solar or wind energy?.. I didn’t think so.
Using that train of logic, nobody who eats should be able to criticize how food is grown. Nobody who drives a car should criticize the auto industry.
There is nothing wrong with insisting on better standards for energy production. Those Russians spill an enormous amount of oil compared to us.
And those are some of his criticisms. At least he has the balls to tough it out in Russian prison unlike that coward Paul Watson who fled extradition.
“It is not technically difficult to see that we should not be drilling for oil anyway”
He doesn’t want any oil drilled for period. That is his ultimate wish and goal.
Also, if you are protesting McDonald’s poor treatment of it’s minimum wage workers… I better not see you chowing down on a Big Mac.
There are many food sources… so eat from the one’s that you support as sustainable. Don’t eat GMO food, whatever, it IS possible to avoid it.
It depends on your criticism of the car industry… if your ultimate goal is to eradicate car use… I don’t think you ought to own one… or benefit from their use. If you are advocating we “get along without it”… then show us how you are getting along without it! This guy thinks oil/gas/coal is bad… and should be replaced by green energy… he should be on a sailboat and show us he can accomplish his goals without using it.
This isn’t just about the Russian’s spilling oil… they are just the “worst offenders” for him… he will move on over to the Gulf of Mexico to stop drilling there if he were to stop the Russian’s from doing it.
While I do somewhat agree with Saltgrain and “do as I say, not as I do” attitude of some people is pretty annoying, I’m not a total purist when it comes to protesting something or taking action. You don’t have to wear clothes made out of hemp and ride a kite in order to be allowed to protest, say, against Arctic oil drilling and risking destructive pollution of pristine environments. Of course, if you demand better treatment for farm animals, you better eat free-range meat and game…
It’s not that I agree with what Greenpeace has done - part of my job is to make operations in the Arctic safer, so stopping Arctic drilling and closing the sea routes would mean that I’d probably have to start growing bunnies - but I think the “THEIR SHIP RUNS ON OIL AS WELL!” argument is used way too often in place of better arguments.
BTW, I’m going to Komi this summer. Perhaps I could go and check out some of those Gazprom spill sites.
Last but not least, it is possible to run a ship by biofuel or -gas, although I’m not sure if you can get rid of fossil-sourced lubricating oils etc. Of course, that does not mean that Greenpeace is doing it, but at least they have an option to move their ship without burning dinosaurs…