On Tuesday 2 November the Ocean Rebellion crew paid a visit to
Grangemouth oil refinery. Protesters projected slogans onto the
fossil fuel behemoth describing the multiple ways the industry is
destroying the Ocean, including: greenwashing, lobbying, tax
evasion, shipping pollution, profiteering, frankenstein fuels and
many more.
The slogans projected included: NO CAMBO OIL FIELD, BORIS IS A
TOOL OF THE FOSSIL FOOLS, IneosDIOTS, BPeeing ON HUMANITY, TAX
SHIPPING FUEL NOW among others.
Oil head Performers also vomited plant based water-soluble ‘oil’
and dressed in black theatrical costumes to represent an oil
slick.
Ocean Rebellion said the action represents the sad fact that many
Scottish jobs are reliant on the Fossil Fuel industry, making
Scottish communities vulnerable to any change in global fossil
fuel policies.
Grangemouth oil refinery is the U.K.’s largest oil refinery. The
site processes in excess of 10 million tonnes of crude oil per
year.
According to Scottish Environment Agency figures, Grangemouth
produced over 3.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2019,
making the company the largest source of emissions in Scotland.
It is also the largest employer in Scotland Grangemouth employs
over 1300 people working on the 700 hectare site.
Grangemouth is operated by PetroIneos a 50%/50% joint venture
between Ineos and the Chinese state oil company Petrochina. INEOS
is the UKs largest private company and is majority owned by CEO
Jim Ratcliffe, the UKs richest man - now resident in Monaco.
The petrochemicals industry is highly carbon-intensive and has
been called a “key blind spot in the global energy debate”.
In 2020, INEOS produced 22.8 million tonnes of petrochemicals,
more than it produced in 2019. Plastic lifecycle emissions are
predicted to grow exponentially. If present growth trajectories
continue, it is estimated that emissions from just the production
of plastics would consume at least 12% of the earth’s remaining
carbon budget by 2050.
INEOS has no ‘net zero’ emissions reduction target across its
business and does not disclose any aim to reduce the overall
amount of emissions it is responsible for by 2030.
In January 2021, INEOS expanded its fossil fuel business even
more, by buying BP’s global petrochemicals business (which
produced 9.7 million tonnes of petrochemicals in 2019) for around
$5 billion. The BP CEO, after announcing net-zero targets, called
the decision to exit petrochemicals “another deliberate step in
building a BP that can compete and succeed through the energy
transition”. INEOS’ CEO, by contrast, called the deal “a
logical development of our existing petrochemicals business”.
Ocean Rebellion demands the Scottish Parliament takes the
environment seriously, protecting it for future generations to
enjoy. The Cambo oil field cannot go ahead and the Scottish
government has a major role to play in stopping it. Pumping a
further 170million barrels of oil will deepen the climate crisis.
Instead the UK must focus on providing alternative job
opportunities in Grangemouth and other Scottish communities who
rely on fossil fuel jobs. We ask the Scottish Parliament to step
up and focus on renewables and carbon sequestration through
rewilding. We ask to make Fossil Fuel a
nightmare from the past.
Sophie Miller also from Ocean Rebellion adds: “The Cambo Oil
Field is a continuation of bowing to Fossil-fuel industry
pressure, we need to wean humanity off oil not dig more wells. We
know that won’t do anything, he’s a
weak-willed greedy fool, but the Scottish Parliament can show
leadership and deliver a blow to Westminster by showing what a
true environmental policy looks like.”
Rob Higgs from Ocean Rebellion says: “We are tired of successive
backhanded subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. Weak
international shipping legislation allows ships to burn heavy
fuel oil (HFO), an oil byproduct so toxic that one large ship
creates as much pollution as one million car exhausts.”
Roc Sandford also from Ocean Rebellion says: “How can the UK
government talk about ‘leading the world on commitments to the
planet’ when this government has increased subsidies to the oil
and gas industry by £2billion? Stop the back-handers now and give
us some near-term commitments which will genuinely drive emission
reductions. Stop the greenwashing and begin leading, now.”
