End Oil: “this is how we win”

Written By: - Date published: 12:40 pm, December 5th, 2019 - 4 comments
Categories: climate change, energy, peak oil - Tags: , ,

This is how it’s done folks. Engaging, fun, symbolic, high profile, sustained, movement-building activism. All power and much gratitude to Greenpeace and all the other activists involved.

https://twitter.com/GreenpeaceNZ/status/1202348226524762113

That is an awesome piece of activism. As Robert Guyton commented,

The Greenpeace “OMV” protests have been very stylish events. The latest, where a “Museum to oil” was set up, shows how well presented these protests have become; no hand-scribbled placards here; everything that gets seen by the public is, well, classy, these days.

The School Strike for Climate crew followed up with this,

From Greenpeace,

Led by Greenpeace, the three day occupation brought together people young and old from across the country, with groups including Climate Justice Taranaki, Extinction Rebellion, 350 Aotearoa, Oil Free Wellington, and many more, joining forces to disrupt Austrian oil company OMV’s operations.

At least 300 of the oil giant’s staff were forced to stay away from the office during the protest.

It followed a three day occupation of OMV’s support vessel, the Skandi Atlantic, last week in the Port of Timaru. There, around 30 people occupied what they dubbed OMV’s ‘henchboat’, preventing it from leaving port to join the oil giant’s monster drill rig sitting off the coast of New Plymouth.

OMV is preparing to drill a series of wells around 50 nautical miles off the Taranaki coastline, and a high risk deep sea well in the Great South Basin.

Climate groups up and down the country have also held protests targeting OMV over the past week in regions including Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.

Greenpeace climate and energy campaigner, Amanda Larsson, says OMV must give up its permits and leave New Zealand.

“Over the past year, tens of thousands of people have signed petitions, held local events, occupied ships and offices, and even scaled a 24-storey building to tell OMV that their climate destroying agenda is not welcome here,” she says.

“News of New Zealand’s resistance has spread to Austria, the home country of OMV, where protesters have targeted their offices and international media have covered their contentious drill programme here.

“This three day occupation in Taranaki may have come to a close, but it’s certainly not over. People around Aotearoa will continue to be all over OMV at every turn, right up until they give up their permits and leave. We’re over companies like OMV continuing to search for new oil in a climate emergency.”

OMV is one of just 100 companies that have caused over 70 percent of the world’s climate emissions.

Donations to Greenpeace can be made here.

 

4 comments on “End Oil: “this is how we win” ”

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  1. Robert Guyton 1
    5 December 2019 at 1:03 pm

    Well said, weka and to add a little to the discussion I'd point to the frequency and reliability of the protests; they are happening thick and fast, regularly and with obvious intent to increase the pressure on those they're protesting against. None of the protests are "do or die"; these guys know how long to stay and when to stop; they are not, in my view, over-staying their "welcome"; their sense of how far to push and when to pull out is finely-tuned and something to be admired. I notice also, that the police and the oil company too, are playing a similar game; no one wants to be the bad guys. I think this plays out very well for the protesters, as they will be able to appear over and over, broadening their audience, rather than making the evening news just once and annoying viewers 🙂

  3. Stuart Munro. 3
    5 December 2019 at 3:21 pm

    It may be that this is part of the path to the end of oil – reducing or replacing is that old penny saved/earned thing.

  4. cleangreen 4
    5 December 2019 at 7:24 pm

    Good one Weka,

    We love the dancing video; -. awesome stuff.

    Love to see the young getting involved makes me proud of them.

    Greenpeace your”e awesome too.