* S.Africans protest against oil search in pristine stretch
* Area home to whales, penguins, dolphins, seals
* Objectors want Africa to stay poor, Gwede Mantashe says
By Tim Cocks
JOHANNESBURG, Dec 9 (Reuters) - South Africa's energy
minister defended on Thursday Royal Dutch Shell's plans
for seismic oil exploration along a pristine coastal stretch,
saying critics of the plan want to deprive Africa of energy
resources.
Environmentalists and others have protested against Shell's
plans to start seismic blasting on the Wild Coast, home to some
of the country's most undisturbed wildlife refuges, and a major
tourist draw.
They say the blasting on the east coast threatens marine
wildlife such as dolphins, seals, penguins and endangered
humpback whales. Local people also fear the seismic surveys
conducted over 6,000 square kilometres will kill or scare away
the fish they depend on to live.
"I cannot help but ask myself, are these objections meant to
ensure the status quo remains in Africa ... of energy poverty?"
Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe told a news conference.
"Could it be possible that this is an extreme pure love for
the environment, or an unrelenting campaign to ensure Africa and
South Africa do not see the investment inflows they need?"
Last Friday, a South African court struck down an
application brought by environmentalists to stop the oil major
exploring in the Wild Coast, rejecting as unproven their
argument that it would cause "irreparable harm" to the marine
environment, especially migrating humpback whales.
Ecologists say seismic blasting, which involves firing
high-powered airguns every 10 seconds and measuring the echoes
to detect cavities under the sea bed, hurts wildlife, especially
sea mammals, causing hearing loss, disturbing feeding and
breeding, and interfering with their own communication systems.
The U.S. government last year declined to renew federal
permits for fossil fuel companies to use seismic air guns off
the Atlantic Coast, after objections from environmentalists and
East Coast residents on similar grounds.
Mantashe defended the seismic surveys.
"There is currently no conclusive evidence ... that seismic
surveys have caused irreparable harm to marine life," he said.
Environmental groups are urging oil companies to stop
prospecting, arguing the world has no chance of reaching net
zero carbon by 2050 even if only existing oil deposits are
burned. Earlier this year, a Dutch court ordered Shell to cut
its carbon emissions by 45% by 2030 from 2019 levels.
But Mantashe said, "Oil and gas exploitation has been
carried out for decades across other economies in the world ...
Africa deserves an equal chance."
(Reporting by Tim Cocks; Editing by Susan Fenton)
