To prevent spills, halt Europe’s oil addiction

Fuel efficiency is a way to avoid future deep-sea oil spills.

Günther Oettinger, the European commissioner for energy, recently called for a moratorium on deep-sea drilling in Europe (“Oettinger calls for halt to deep-sea drilling”, 1-7 July), reflecting public concerns raised by the sight of toxic sludge continuing to drift across the Gulf of Mexico, destroying wildlife and livelihoods. But, while this move would certainly be wise, the EU continues to ignore the elephant in the room: Europe’s addiction to oil.

European demand for fuel is increasing, oil reserves are increasingly elusive and oil companies are prepared to go further and take greater risks for a slice of the lucrative EU market. From the North Sea to the southern Mediterranean, the hunt is on to find a hidden lake of oil, deep under the ocean floor. In North America, companies such as Shell and BP are devastating the environment on an unprecedented scale to turn oily mud – known as tar sands – into fuel to feed European cars.

The truth is that deep-sea drilling can never be safe and tar sands can never be clean. These practices will only stop when we cut Europe’s oil addiction. To do that, the EU must address consumption in the transport sector, where 60% of oil ends up in Europe.

Oil demand can be lowered drastically by making cars more fuel-efficient. But following forceful lobbying by carmakers, the EU is reducing car fuel consumption at a slower pace than the US. Over the coming months, the EU will have the opportunity to strengthen its targets for cars and to set robust standards for vans. The European Commission and EU member states will also have the power to close the European market to dirty tar-sands oil, by setting strict fuel-quality standards.

The EU must seize these opportunities or more BP-style disasters will take place. It’s not a question of ‘if’’, but ‘when’.

 

From:

Jorgo Riss

Director

Greenpeace EU

Brussels

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