Campaigners disrupt Oil Executive awards dinner in London

To highlight damage caused by the oil and gas industry, campaigners from Fossil Free London interrupted the World Energy Council Assembly’s dinner at the Hilton in Mayfair on 3 December.

Oil and gas executives had gathered to present and receive industry “achievement awards”. Award nominees and attendees included Shell, BP, and Ithaca Energy.

Campaigners chanted “no awards for climate criminals”, as they were dragged out of the building by security.

The protest comes after devastating flooding has killed at least 1,250 people across much of southeast Asia in recent days. Human-caused climate breakdown has increased the intensity of such extreme weather events.

Oil damages

A report recently found that oil and gas giants are responsible for €25 trillion in climate damages. Now, survivors of Super Typhoon Odette in the Philippines are suing Shell for damages, in a legal first for holding big oil accountable for its role in climate destruction.

Robin Wells, Director of Fossil Free London said:

Whilst executives drink champagne in tuxedos, the world floods outside. They pat themselves on the back for the ‘deal of the year’, whilst their projects sign death warrants for communities in the Global South and future generations everywhere.

How can it be that business as usual awards the fossil fuel corporations that depend on the systematic destruction of our life support systems? The science is clear: every new oil field is an act of violence. We crashed their party to remind them that history will not give them an award; it will put them on trial.

Featured image via the Canary