Greenpeace: Greek gas hunt an ‘unbearable’ threat to whales

By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS
Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greenpeace has renewed calls against proposed deep-sea oil and gas exploration off southwest Greece, warning of “unbearable” consequences to endangered Mediterranean whales and dolphins. A Greenpeace Greece official said Wednesday the project should be scrapped before “it starts to wreck the Mediterranean.” The appeal came as the environmental group published new research on sea mammal populations in parts of the miles-deep Hellenic Trench, including areas that would be affected by prospecting. In 2019, Greece granted exploration rights for two blocks of seabed south and southwest of the island of Crete to a consortium of energy companies. Prospecting has not yet started, and it’s unclear when it will.