BREAKING: Activists stage die-in at offshore oil & gas conference

Around 40 activists from Extinction Rebellion participated in a die-in today at the front entrance of the P&J Live arena to protest the SPE Offshore Europe Conference & Exhibition, an oil and gas exploration and production conference hosting over 36,000 attendees from all over Europe.

After reading a speech about the oil and gas industry’s role in the climate and ecological crisis the activists lay down and pretended to die, representing those that have already died and will die in the future due to the climate and ecological emergency caused in part by burning fossil fuels.

Exploration of new oil and gas threatens to push the world over dangerous climate tipping points; even burning fossil fuels already extracted could lead to global heating of 6 degrees Celsius, with catastrophic consequences.

Hannah, 23, student and XR activist said: “Oil and gas companies have known about climate change for over thirty years now and actively lobby to block climate change policies. Meanwhile, people are already being displaced due to the catastrophic effects of the climate and ecological crisis. This is only going to get worse in future. We are here today to raise awareness of the role of these companies in the destruction of our planet. We’re calling on the oil and gas industry and the Scottish Government to take this crisis seriously by ending oil extraction immediately. We challenge them to rapidly create jobs in renewables energies and to retrain workers to work in these industries.”

Neil Rothnie, 67, a founding member of Offshore Industry Liaison Committee, said “Our children and grandchildren deserve more from us than business as usual. They and the rest of the remaining life of the planet need a chance of a future that does not include the misery of living through global meltdown.”

The action follows the Rebel Rising Festival, held in Aberdeen Arts Centre on Sunday 1^st August, which included non-violent direct-action training, as well as talks, art making, and workshops about the climate and ecological emergency, and an evening programme of music and poetry performances.

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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