Tuesday 18 June, Washington D.C. – Today, Greenpeace UK activists forced a BP-operated rig away from a major oil drilling site in the North Sea for the third time, blocking the oil giant’s operation for the 10th day in a row. Photos available below.
The activists held the BP-operated rig in Cromarty Firth, Scotland, for seven days from Sunday June 9 until last Friday. On Saturday, the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, arrived to pursue the oil rig as it was towed out to sea.
Since Saturday, the Arctic Sunrise has remained between the 27,000 metric ton rig and the Vorlich drill field off the coast of Scotland where BP is planning to drill a new well to access 30 million barrels of oil [1].
Fourteen people were arrested so far, including 11 activists and three freelance photographers.
Greenpeace US Climate Campaign Director Janet Redman said:
“The world is facing a climate emergency. The consequences of climate change – more intense floods, fires, superstorms, heatwaves – are already hitting people across our country.
“The first rule when you find yourself in a hole: Stop digging. But oil companies like BP are doing just the opposite. They’re making the climate crisis worse every day by drilling for more oil.
“BP has played a key role in lobbying the Trump administration to allow oil and gas drilling in previously protected areas of the Alaskan Arctic.”
Despite BP claiming that its business is compatible with the Paris climate agreement, Greenpeace argues BP’s operations are in direct opposition to efforts to prevent catastrophic climate change. Evidence for this includes:
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Despite scientists warning that existing oil and gas reserves already exceed what we can safely burn, BP is seeking to expand its operations, including in the Gulf of Mexico. BP has also played a key role in lobbying the Trump administration to allow oil and gas drilling in a highly sensitive area of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Writing to Trump administration officials, the company first lobbied for more areas to be opened up to drilling off the U.S. coast and then welcomed plans to lease swathes of the Arctic’s Beaufort Sea for oil and gas exploration, according to documents seen by Unearthed, Greenpeace UK’s investigative unit [2].
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BP is outspending other oil majors on efforts to lobby against climate action. An investigation by Unearthed revealed BP successfully lobbied the Trump administration to weaken regulations that would have prevented the release of millions of tons of the potent greenhouse gas methane [3].
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BP capital expenditure remains heavily skewed towards fossil fuels. In 2018 it spent around $16 billion adding to oil and gas reserves, with $500 million – just over 3% – spent on alternatives to fossil fuels. As Bob Dudley admitted to the Washington Post: “If someone said, ‘Here’s $10 billion to invest in renewables,’ we wouldn’t know how to do it”.
“To curb the worst of the climate crisis, a fossil fuel phase out is absolutely necessary, which means BP stopping any more drilling, whether that’s in the North Sea or off America’s shores. What we need now is to begin the responsible drawdown of oil and gas production.” Redman continued.
“This is the end of the oil age. Climate leaders in the energy industry need to shift to renewables and help transition workers to sustainable jobs now.”
ENDS
[1] www.offshore-technology.
[2] https://unearthed.
[3] https://unearthed.
Images:
Current rig protest in the UK https://media.greenpeace.org/
Historic images of Greenpeace USA protests against BP, and BP Deepwater Horizon spill impacts. https://media.greenpeace.org/
Contact:
Valentina Stackl, Senior Communications Specialist, [email protected], (734) 276 6260
