I am copying that e-mail here. Please - anybody reading this - please sign the petition. Hopefully we can prevent Shell from destroying this precious land - the largest ecosystem in South Africa.
In our country we change the names of roads, dams and companies. We have asked Shell for a guarantee that if they proceed with the project, that they would change their name and drop the “S’.
They will make life ShearHELL for all those in the Karoo.
Boycott SHELL – they won’t stop their plans on moral grounds and they have enough money to bribe whoever they need to but if their pockets are affected then maybe they will look to alternate solutions.
We have plenty of sun and wind in the Karoo, why not use solar and wind energy?
Those of you who may own garages that sell Shell fuel, we are NOT targeting you, but you will be affected too. Put pressure on Shell to change their plans…and to do it quickly before EVERYONE suffers.
Sign the ‘Stop Fracking in the Karoo’ petition: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/
(The actual petition is at: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/295/--if-gte-mso-9xml-wworddocument-wviewnormalwview-wzoom0wzoom-wpunctuationkerning/)
This email is doing the rounds – showing gas wells back to back in the US, which is what could happen in the Karoo as Shell has said that each well requires one hectare, but they haven’t said they can join hectare to hectare. Shell has also said that they can run 14 plus wells from each well pad, extending horizontally for 2.5 kilometres at depths of 4-5km.
Try and sell your land when it looks like this on the surface plus, when the groundwater is polluted by the millions of litres of toxic chemicals that lie beneath and no one can live there because they get sick!!!
Please forward to as many people as possible!
Here are some photo's and a little information on the Karoo:
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| Photo credits: DanieVDM http://www.safariguide.co.uk |
The Karoo National Park has a wide variety of endemic wildlife. Many species have been relocated to their former ranges - such as black rhino and buffalo, as well as Cape mountain zebra. Over 20 breeding pairs of black eagle find sanctuary within the park. There is also a wide diversity of succulent plants and small reptiles." Source: http://www.sanparks.org/parks/karoo/
The Karoo National Park have recently re-introlduced / relocated black rhino, buffalo, lion and mountain zebra to this park.
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| Photo credit: http://www.routes.co.za |
In SF#104, we mentioned a vast bone bed consisting mainly of fish remains. Now, an exchange of letters in a creationist journal gives us the opportunity to present a few facts about a giant bone bed of terrestrial vertebrate fossils: the Karoo Supergroup of southern Africa.
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| Photo credit: Fossil Shells and starfish near Prince Albert http://www.firstscience.com |
...Nowhere else on the planet is there such a massive, continuous, fossiliferous land deposit." Source: http://www.s8int.com/boneyard1.html
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| Photo credit: http://www.graaffreinettourism.co.za |
"The radio telescope - brainchild of a consortium of major international science funding agencies in 16 countries - comprises 3000 giant antenna dishes, each the height of a three-storey building.
Astronomers plan to use the SKA to peer back through time, across vast distances, to investigate the history of the universe and when the first stars were formed." Source: http://www.timeslive.co.za/scitech/article970476.ece/Karoo-gas-plans-could-hurt-telescope-bid
If Shell were to be granted permission, and were to proceed with the proposed fracking for natural gas in the Karoo, all in the name of more profits for this already immensely profitable company, the impact on our shortlisting to host this incredible radio telescope would be extremely negative.
Petrol companies, and their oil wells have raped our land, our seas, and now they want to rape our heritage and fossil sites!
Have they no shame?
Please - sign the petition - for the sake of all our future generations, science and knowledge.
I live in an area that is being hit hard by these fracking operations. We live over a very rich natural gas field. Everyone of my neighbors had signed a lease but me. Some signed over their property for $50. It keeps me up at night knowing what is going to happen. The first well is operational about 5 miles away. It lights the night sky up with the huge flame that burns the first of the gas off. Water Wells are being shifted or filled with poisons, animals are are dying from from drinking the water, they are all being fined for illegally dumping the waste water into streams, and so far 3 wells have blown up killing several people. I wish you the best of luck in your fight, in our case greed won. It is one of the worst things I have seen in my lifetime.
ReplyDeleteThat picture you posted looks a lot like big parts of West Texas. An oil company is a corporation and has no soul or heart as is is just a money making machine. Good Luck!.
ReplyDeleteJane - oh dear, I never knew you lived near a fracking field. If you are using underground water, please be careful. Perhaps it may be wise to use a small reverse osmosis machine to purify your water.
ReplyDeleteFrann - the large corporations are all the same - they like to play with other peoples lives, but at what expense to their victims?
Your name is new to me among my commenters. I wonder if you read this post?
ReplyDeletefracking Karoo
Elephant Eye - Yes, I'm new to your blog. Found you on thegardeningblog. Wasn't aware of your Fracking post.
ReplyDeleteMy map is not of Africa - t'is of the flights which take off daily, round this planet.
Thanks for the links to your grey water system.