Greece’s offshore gas hunt poses serious threat to marine life: Greenpeace

By Ahmet Gencturk

ANKARA (AA) - Greece's planned offshore deep-sea oil and gas exploration poses a serious threat to marine life, a global campaigning network said on Wednesday.

Greenpeace’s Greece office shared findings of research conducted in collaboration with the Athens-based scientific and non-profit organization Pelagos Cetacean Research Institute in parts of the Hellenic Trench.

Stressing that the Mediterranean is already experiencing the effects of the climate crisis, Greenpeace warned that the planned project would expose endangered species to “unbearable” noise and pollution from seismic blasts and deep-sea drilling operations.

Greenpeace urged that all hydrocarbon exploration plans in the region should be canceled.

“Any new investment in the falsely advertised ‘good’ fossil gas will in a few years become a stranded asset with dire consequences for the economy, Greek and European taxpayers, and the country's natural resources,” it added.