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Report from Plymouth Fossil Fools

executive genocide | 01.04.2008 18:08 | Climate Chaos

Report from Plymouth

Climate activists, a proud penguin, king rat, yellow clowns and critical massers joined forces to shut down the Esso petrol station on Exeter Street, Plymouth today.
The climbing clowns scaled the roof while others blocked access to the forecourt.
The atmosphere was celebratory in a doomed planet kinda way! - music and dancing, lots of leaflets given out and a surprising number of positive hoots from passing cars.
There were seven arrests, both the roof team and those blocking the forecourt.

Climate scientists are warning us to make immediate and massive reductions in our carbon emissions or face the end of life on earth, and yet profit-driven corporations and governments are dragging us deeper into climate chaos! We have got to cut ourselves free! We have got to organise ourselves to lead localised low-carbon lifestyles and we've got to leave the fossil fools behind!

PRESS RELEASE 1.4.2008 - For Immediate Release

Fossil Fools Day - Climate Activists Target Irresponsible Esso.
(The U.K. arm of the American oil giant ExxonMobil)

Climate activists from Rising Tide[1] have today occupied the Esso petrol station on Exeter Street in Plymouth.
The demonstrators are calling for ExxonMobil to acknowledge the urgency of climate change, to cease funding think-tanks and lobbyists that are committed to blocking internationally agreed policies on global warming,[2][3] and to start investing in renewable energy.
With banners, leaflets and costumes - this peaceful protest aims to focus attention on Esso as a major obstacle to those seeking solutions that address climate change.
This protest is part of Fossil Fools Day, a nationwide day of action called by Rising Tide for April 1st. While the fools at the head of the fossil fuel empire continue to plunder the earth, climate chaos threatens our very survival.

Despite high-profile campaigns by Greenpeace and Friend's of the Earth,[4][5] Exxon continues to funnel millions of dollars to groups identified as misleading the general public on global warming science and policy.[6]
In 2006 The Royal Society called on Esso to withdraw their support for groups that have "misrepresented the science of climate change by outright denial of the evidence."[7]

As the world's largest private oil company,[8] ExxonMobil has the power to direct the energy industry and policy makers towards a sustainable future. However it continues to invest solely in fossil fuels.
In March of this year Chairman and CEO Rex Tillerson promised record levels of fossil fuel investment. From 2008 to 2010 alone the corporation plans to fund 19 new projects which, at peak, will add more than 725,000 oil-equivalent barrels PER DAY to ExxonMobil's production. Mr. Tillerson also proposed to approximately double production of liquefied natural gas (LNG).[9] While combustion of this fuel produces 16% less CO2 than oil,[10] the energy required to process and transport it result in LNG being a major source of greenhouse gases.[11][12]

Last year temperatures in the U.K. were 1.3 degrees warmer that the 1961-1990 average.[13] If we reach two degrees of global warming the rise will trigger carbon-cycle feedbacks from soils and plants - instead of absorbing CO2 they will start to release it. This could tip the planet into runaway global warming by 2050. We must reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by 60% over the next 10 years to avoid this. If we do not, scientific evidence suggests that climate change will result in the end of life on earth.[14]

The warning signs of climate change are all around us; massive storms, devastating flooding, uncontrollable forest fires. We must make a stand against the lunacy and greed of corporations like ExxonMobil[15] before it is too late!


Notes for editors:

[1] Rising tide is a global network of local groups, taking action against climate change and building a movement based on social and environmental justice. Rising Tide activists from Devon and Cornwall took part in recent actions to highlight the climate impact of the Royal Bank of Scotland and to protest about the environmentally destructive expansion plans at Newquay airport.

[2]  http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/sep/26/climatechange

[3]  http://www.exxposeexxon.com/facts/Smoke-and-Mirrors.pdf

[4]  http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/exxon-still-funding-climate-ch

[5]  http://www.exxon-files.eu/

[6]  http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/assets/binaries/exxon-secrets-analysis-of-fun

[7]  http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2006/sep/20/oilandpetrol.business

[8] In 2005, ExxonMobil made an all time record profit of $36.1 billion - more than any corporation in history. In 2006, the company exceeded its own record with another $39 billion in profit.
 http://www.exxposeexxon.com/facts/failedpolicies.html

[9]  http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?p=irol-eventDetails&c=115024&eventID=1746215

[10]  http://earthtrends.wri.org/updates/node/188

[11]  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquefied_natural_gas#_note-1

[12]  http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/wordpress/liquified-natural-gas/

[13]  http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/2007/seasonal.html

[14]  http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article1480669.ece

[15] ExxonMobil also deserves to be shamed for its continued involvement with Arctic Power, the single-issue lobby group intent on plundering the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and for its refusal to pay the punitive damages it still owes for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
 http://www.exxposeexxon.com/facts/faq.html#1




 plymouth@risingtide.org.uk

 http://www.risingtide.org.uk
 http://www.fossilfoolsday.org/

executive genocide
- e-mail: howard@phonecoop.coop
- Homepage: http://risingtide.org.uk

Additions

Ahhh...fresh air...

01.04.2008 22:18

They let me out! The man who took my finger prints told me that climate change had very little to do with fossil fuels. He also said that if we were going to target anyone, we should have targeted someone like Esso... did someone say 'police incompetence'?! Round of applause for my fellow rising tiders, rising tiders around the globe and all the people that joined in, made some noise or simply accepted a leaflet

Climate Clown #3


Comments

Hide the following 5 comments

Well done Plymouth!

02.04.2008 16:33

Good action and good info posted to go with it.

Big love!

Bernie


Fossil Fools indeed

03.04.2008 23:20

You really are a bunch of fools, no doubt you now have the feel good factor. If you were to do any serious research into the matter instead of relying on the distortions from Greenpeace, FoE and WWF, you might actually discover that temperature and CO2 have not risen in tandem over the last fifty years, that polar bears are doing rather well lately because of a massive seal population, that the Arctic winter just gone is the coldest for decades, the ice extent is almost recovered and it was warmer in the 20's and 30's.

The truth is out there my friends.

harbinger
mail e-mail: harbinger@operamail.com


the protest continues...

03.04.2008 23:24

We would like to wish the best of luck and give a big pat on the back to our 'Fossil Fool #1' banner who continues to protest alone on the roof of Esso!

Climate Clown #3


Great Action!

04.04.2008 13:40

Well done to everyone involved, overall an excellent action.

There was a huge amount of public support on the day, and generally the police seemed quite sympathetic too!

A quick note to the moron who doesn't believe in global warming:
At Rising Tide Plymouth we don't rely on regurgitated facts, and as a group have had contact with a wide spectrum of people who have thoroughly researched the issues surrounding both the local and global impacts of climate change, including recently a member of the IPCC. The devestating effects are already being felt, and although you have picked a few facts that you believe are true, the mass of evidence still contradicts this. But let's say you are right. Even if global warming is a big scam, we are still running out of oil. Exxon is still committed to physically destroying large areas of the Arctic refuge, has not repayed what it owes to those affected by the Exxon-Valdez oil spill, is attempting to take control of Iraq's natural resources, and is not investing in the renewable energies that will become a necessity (global warming or not).

Exxon-Mobil are a very naughty company! The more clowns sit on their roof and penguins obstruct their forecourt the better!

Chris





Chris


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