180,000 German speakers have signed a petition protesting against speculative oil drilling off the coast of Mallorca, the Euro Weekly has heard. The petition, signed by 180,610 people, was presented to government ministers on Monday by German environmental platform ‘OceanCare’, together with the activist group ‘Avaaz’. Environmental organisations are warning of the potential dangers that prospective drilling can cause. The drills emit an extremely loud noise for ten to fifteen seconds at a time. ‘OceanCare’ fear that noises at such a high decibel could be fatal to whales, dolphins and other marine creatures. Locals are also concerned about the possibility of such drilling producing a negative effect on Mallorca’s all-important tourist industry. This is not the first time that controversial drilling plans have caused anger amongst environmentalists and locals alike. Spanish oil company Repsol has already announced its intentions to begin speculative drilling off the Canary Islands later in the year. Spain currently imports the great majority of its oil and gas, and the government is looking for a more self-sufficient approach to the country’s energy needs.
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