Greenpeace warns of threat to whales from deep-sea oil, gas exploration off Greece

Greenpeace on Wednesday criticized a proposed oil and gas exploration project in the seas off Greece, saying it would create “unbearable noise and pollution” for at-risk whales and dolphins.

Greece seeks the project will increase revenues and promote energy security, but Greenpeace’s statement “demands that all fossil fuel plans in Greece are immediately cancelled.”

Kostis Grimanis of Greenpeace Greece said in the statement that the proposal should be nixed before “it starts to wreck the Mediterranean.”

Grimanis said the project would be “exposing endangered species and crucial ecosystems to unbearable noise and pollution from seismic blasts and deep-sea drilling operations.”

“And for what?” he asked. “To keep burning oil and gas, one of the dirtiest and most expensive energy sources, when the climate crisis demands we urgently walk away from them.”

The group recently published research about sea mammals, including 35 endangered sperm whales and dozens of dolphins, in areas that would be impacted by the proposed project. 

While officials have said they would impose strict environmental safeguards, Greenpeace argues the endangered species would be at risk from the project’s blaring sonic blasts as the animals are particularly sensitive to underwater noises, which experts say could be deadly, according to The Associated Press.  

In 2019, Athens gave energy companies TotalEnergies and ExxonMobil as well as Greece’s Hellenic Petroleum exploration rights for the project in a part of the sea off of the island of Crete, the AP reported. 

Protesters spoke out against the decision at that time, and it remains unclear when the prospecting will begin, the wire service added.