Protesters across Europe are taking action to disrupt access to North Sea oil infrastructure in a coordinated effort against climate change.

Protests against the continued extraction of fossil fuels from the North Sea have been occurring at oil and gas terminals, refineries, and ports in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden in the form of blockades.

Additional activities took place in Denmark, with activists in Scotland strategically displaying banners demanding a stop to the exploitation of oil and gas from the North Sea.

The demonstration occurred during the same week that a study revealed none of the major fossil fuel-producing nations in the area had strategies in place to cease drilling soon enough to reach the 1.5C (2.7F) goal for global warming established by the Paris climate agreement.

Extinction Rebellion stated that civil disobedience actions are occurring throughout the North Sea as part of the North Sea Fossil Free campaign.

These six countries’ governments are currently allowing the development of new infrastructure for extracting fossil fuels. This is not only damaging the North Sea ecosystem, but it is also putting the entire world at risk of dangerous levels of warming.

“Today, activists have gathered to take part in a series of events throughout the day, calling for all countries involved in North Sea oil drilling to adhere to the Paris agreement immediately.”

A group of activists in Norway obstructed access to the Rafnes petroleum refinery on the south-east coast. Despite snowy weather, others were also preventing tankers from docking at the site.

I am embarrassed to be a citizen of Norway, according to Jonas Kittelsen from Extinction Rebellion Norway. He expressed disapproval of Norway’s reliance on expanding our oil and gas industry, which has led to widespread suffering and loss of life worldwide. The government presents a flawless image of our country, when in reality, we are not superior to the rest of the world.

In the Netherlands, activists from Extinction Rebellion and Scientist Rebellion blocked the main access roads to Pernis refinery, the biggest refinery in Europe. The refinery is owned by Shell, a company with plans to grow and enhance its North Sea oil and gas extraction.

According to XR Netherlands spokesperson Bram Kroezen, the fossil fuel industry and government officials are promoting the false idea that gas extracted from the North Sea is environmentally friendly. However, Kroezen states that this claim is misleading and that so-called “clean gas” is actually a deceptive falsehood.

German climate activists wearing white overalls from the Ende Gelände group obstructed entry to the Brunsbüttel floating liquified natural gas terminal; while XR activists in Sweden blocked the oil harbor in Gothenburg.

XR groups in Scotland organized banner drops at specific locations deemed crucial to the government’s plans to increase oil and gas production. In recent months, the UK government has issued multiple licenses for offshore oil and gas extraction near the north-east coast of Scotland.

According to a recent report from the organization Oil Change International, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark have not properly aligned their oil and gas policies with their commitments to combat climate change in accordance with the Paris agreement.

The study discovered that the actions taken by Norway and the UK were not in line with the goals of the Paris climate agreement, as they were actively pursuing new oil and gas reserves through exploration and licensing.

Source: theguardian.com