Total, one of the most important oil companies in Europe, has warned about the risks associated with drilling for crude in Arctic waters, through its CEO Cristophe de Margerie.
He said that “Oil on Greenland would be a disaster,” and would make a bad reputation to anyone who would happen to spill it. A leak would do too much damage to the image of the company.”
This is the first major oil company that speaks out against Arctic drilling, after the protests of environmental activists from last month over an offshore platform of Russian Gazprom.
However, Margerie also said that Total is not against gas harvesting and Arctic exploration, as gas leaks are more easy to deal with than oil spills (methane is nevertheless a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO2).
