Fossil fuels bosses were giving each other awards last night – until campaigners got involved

Activists took on planet-wrecking fossil fuel criminals over their contribution to the climate crisis, during a swanky awards dinner in central London. Of course, there’s something twisted about Big Oil patting itself on the back for killing people and planet – and campaigners made this clear, as they gatecrashed the industry do from the World Energy Council Assembly.

Gatecrashing the World Energy Council Assembly

Campaigners from Fossil Free London interrupted the World Energy Council Assembly’s dinner at the Hilton in Mayfair on Tuesday 20 November, where oil and gas executives gathered to present and receive industry “achievement awards”. Among the award nominees and attendees were Shell, BP, Equinor, ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, and Chevron:

The campaigners addressed oil and gas executives, suggesting awards the corporations present could receive instead. They presented “the award for over 200 dead in Spain” to Shell, “the award for over 200 people dying in floods in Pakistan” to BP and “the award for causing Hurricane Helene in the US” to Equinor:

The corporations receiving awards this evening are continuing to explore and develop new fossil fuel projects, contradicting warnings from climate scientists, the International Energy Agency, the IPCC, and the UN that expansion of fossil fuel production is incompatible with a safe climate.

The World Energy Council Assembly action came after Fossil Free London staged a week of action over COP29. This included protesting outside the offices of legal firms that have fossil fuel companies as clients, and targeting BP over its deadly activities.

Fossil fuel bosses are destroying us all

Joanna Warrington, a campaigner at Fossil Free London, said:

While fossil fuel executives clink glasses, pat themselves on the back and dance around the truth, communities are being torn apart.

The floods, wildfires, and hurricanes fueled by their continued expansion of oil and gas will only get worse, and have devastating consequences on our societies and economies.

As governments and people across the world are already struggling with the consequences of the climate crisis, these executives are knowingly crunching into the brick wall of ecological limits.

Tonight, we crashed their party to remind them that their relentless greed is nothing to celebrate.

Featured image and additional images via Fossil Free London