UPDATE Rig Rebellion 2.0 Extinction Rebellion Scotland occupy Dundee Harbour Shell Rig

Rig Rebellion 2.0: This Is Just The Beginning

#RigRebellion2.0 #ItsTimeToLevelUp

This morning, three activists boarded a rig in the Dundee Harbour. This rig, leased to Shell, is due to head out to the North Sea imminently to begin drilling for gas. They took this action with the aim of physically stopping the extraction of fossil fuels, which are the key drivers behind the climate and ecological emergency. 

Despite high winds and the weight of enough kit for 10 days occupation, the three women managed to scale halfway up one of the legs of the rig. 

They stayed up for five hours before coming down, long enough to alert the world of the need to take further action against fossil fuel criminals. After five hours, deteriorating weather conditions forced them to come down and they were then arrested. 

Three other activists had also attempted to board another leg of the rig earlier in the day but were arrested. 

These activists had one chance, and they took it. In the end, it was too dangerous to carry on. Others don’t get to choose what danger they are in. The climate crisis, driven by fossil fuel emissions, is putting millions, potentially billions in grave danger. 

This is just the beginning of Rig Rebellion 2.0, Extinction Rebellion Scotland’s series of actions focussing on the fossil fuel industry and its driving role in the climate crisis. Actions are planned across Scotland for the next fortnight. 

Driven by the urgency of the climate and ecological emergency, these rig rebel activists were willing to put their safety and their bodies physically on the line to halt the extraction of fossil fuels. 

Fiona from Inverness commented; “I feel responsible for what happens here in Scotland because it’s the one place in the world where I can really make a difference, where my voice can actually be heard. I don’t feel like I have much of a choice but to do something like this, that directly impacts this industry, because the government is not doing their job.” 

An Extinction Rebellion Scotland spokeswoman commented; “When we boarded the rig this morning, Oil & Gas UK, who certainly have a lot to lose from a transition away from fossil fuels, said we lacked foresight. Unlike them, we knew when it was sensible to stop. What is really lacking in foresight and dangerous is continuing to drill, extract, burn and explore for ever more fossil fuels, putting us above dangerous levels of global heating. Australia burns, millions are displaced by flooding and whole ecosystems are collapsing. This is just the beginning of climate breakdown at 1.1C warming – what will we be facing in 30 years time at potentially 2, 3 or even 4 degrees warming? Oil & Gas UK, the Government body whose ‘statutory principle is to maximise the economic recovery of the UK’s oil and gas resources’ need to own up to its role in the climate crisis and face the fact that our future must be fossil free.”

Before the action, Jo from Edinburgh commented; “I’m doing this for my niece Ivy. I am going to give it my best shot and go down fighting, because I can see the world through her eyes and I want to protect things for her.” 

Shell is not an asset to our economy. They avoided paying corporate income tax in the UK in 2018 despite generating pretax profits of 731 million dollars. They pay their CEO 143 times what the average worker receives. And they receive massive amounts of money in subsidies from the UK and Scottish Government.

Worldwide, the fossil fuel industry receives five trillion dollars of subsidies a year. That’s $10 million a minute according to the International Monetary Fund.

About Extinction Rebellion Scotland

Extinction Rebellion Scotland is a non-violent direct-action movement formed to take urgent action in the face of climate emergency and ecological catastrophe, as part of the global justice movement.

Our demands, issued as a Declaration of Rebellion to the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Government on 24 November 2018, are as follows:

1. That the Scottish Government tell the truth about the climate and wider ecological emergency, acknowledge and reverse any policies that help drive the climate crisis, and commit to enabling a rapid and just transition to a sustainable and fair society.
2. That the Scottish government enact legally binding policy measures to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2025, including by replacing a system based on accelerating consumption with one based on ensuring the well-being of all.
3. The creation of a Scottish Climate Citizens’ Assembly to oversee the changes, as part of creating a democracy fit for purpose and a society that cares for all.

Read more about Extinction Rebellion: https://rebellion.earth