BP Fortnight of Shame
The BP Fortnight of Shame is call to action from the UK Tar Sands Network, Rising Tide and the Camp for Climate Action to force BP to pull out of their crazy plans to move into Canadian Tar Sands. It runs between the annual Fossil Fools day on April 1st, which in recent years has seen a flurry of action against the fossil fuels industry, up until the BP Shareholder's Meeting on April 15th. Grassroots groups across the UK, in solidarity with the Indigenous Environmental Network, will be taking action to stop BP's deadly plans in their tracks. All are encouraged to get involved and get plotting.
Why Tar Sands?
Attempts to avert the planet from sliding into climate crises are being threatened by a single project in the Canadian Wilderness. Already, millions of barrels of tar sands oil are being extracted every day, and the oil produces three to five times as much greenhouse gas emissions as conventional oil. This is not to mention the fact the extraction process itself is immensely resource intensive, currently using enough natural gas every day to heat 3.2million Canadian Homes. Add this to the mass deforestation the projects are causing, ridding us of desperately needed carbon sinks, then it becomes clear this project cannot be allowed to happen if we are serious about preventing runaway climate change.
The effects tar sands are having on the First Nations indigenous communities are devastating. The tar sands development in Alberta covers an area the size of England, with toxic tailing ponds so huge they are visible from space. Not only are indigenous livelihoods and futures being destroyed, but communities on land where tar sands extraction has been imposed are seeing disturbingly high rates of rare forms of cancer and respiratory diseases.
Why BP?
BP are the only major oil company with no tar sands projects currently in operation. This is set to change. Since 2007, BP ditched the 'Beyond Petroleum' sham it had been trying to craft because it simply wasn't going to make them enough profit. They have returned to being a straight no nonsense Fossil Fool under the leadership of Chief Executive Tony Hayward.
Moving into tar sands was the first step they took to mark their revised strategy, acquiring a half share in the Sunrise Project with Husky Energy. The Sunrise Project would be the worst tar sands project to date, producing 200,000 barrels of filthy oil a day, and using Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD), an extraction process far more energy and water intensive than those currently in operation.
The recession has given us a window of hope, in that BP were forced to postpone a final decision until the second half of 2010. This means it is not too late for us to stop this outrageous project going ahead. BP are desperate for the Sunrise Project to go ahead, and certainly go down without a fight, but will effective and sustained action we can win this one.
What can I do?
Local groups across the UK, from Brighton up to Scotland, are already engaged in plotting and planning for the Fortnight of Shame. If your local group isn't already planning something, then get suggesting ideas. If you haven't already got a local group, then check out the local groups that form the Camp for Climate Action network. All are open to everyone to join.
There is a crabgrass group set up to share resources and information that may prove useful for the two weeks of action. To join this the group go to https://we.riseup.net/uktarsandsnetwork
The BP Fortnight of Shame is in solidarity with the Indigenous Environmental Network. They warmly welcome non-violent direct action as part of their tool kit. There are a couple of protocols we're asked to follow. They ask for no violence, damage to property, or masking up. This is because of the, potentially serious, reverberations this can have for First Nation indigenous activists in Canada. Apart from this, their message to us is simple: Think Creatively!
