SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Greenpeace volunteers arrived at the HQ in St James' Square, central London, before dawn on Monday. They have encased themselves in specially designed, toughened containers weighing several tons each, blockading all the HQ's main entrances and preventing staff from entering the building. (Photo: Jiri Rezac / @Greenpeace)
We're Shutting Down BP Because It's a Climate Emergency
BP is motivated by profit, regardless of the damage. Their time has come to an end.
May 20, 2019
As you read this, I'm sitting in a big container outside BP HQ in London, blocking one of the main entrances to the building. Along with a team of climbers on the roof, and more people in containers like mine, we've shut down the building. This is one of the scariest things I've ever done, but I know it's the right thing
We're at a critical point in history. We have the science telling us that we are destroying our planet - that we're facing a climate emergency. And one thing we know for sure is that oil and gas must become a thing of the past.
But companies like BP are still exploring for new oil, getting us deeper and deeper into this crisis. They need to stop exploring for oil or wind down their business.
The video below explains BP's climate crimes in one minute. My request of you is that you watch it, then share it on social media - please get the word out however you can.
Future generations will look back at this time and ask why we didn't do more, and I will be able to say I did everything I could. Yes it may get me in trouble, but I was always taught to stand up to bullies and speak up when I think something is wrong. And while I know we can't all afford to take the kind of action I'm taking today, we must all do something. Because the only thing needed for companies like this to get away with stealing our future is for most people to do nothing.
Sometimes you have to take a step back and look at what we consider 'normal'. Sometimes you realise that something you've always thought of as 'normal' is no longer acceptable, and it's time to change how we do things. The way that companies like BP operate is no longer acceptable.
BP are just motivated by their profits, regardless of the damage they're doing. And their time has come to an end.
We do have a future - but BP's not in it.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
© 2023 Greenpeace
Paula Radley
Paula Radley is one of the Greenpeace activists who blocked BP headquarters in London on May 20, 2019 to highlight the climate emergency humanity is currently facing.
As you read this, I'm sitting in a big container outside BP HQ in London, blocking one of the main entrances to the building. Along with a team of climbers on the roof, and more people in containers like mine, we've shut down the building. This is one of the scariest things I've ever done, but I know it's the right thing
We're at a critical point in history. We have the science telling us that we are destroying our planet - that we're facing a climate emergency. And one thing we know for sure is that oil and gas must become a thing of the past.
But companies like BP are still exploring for new oil, getting us deeper and deeper into this crisis. They need to stop exploring for oil or wind down their business.
The video below explains BP's climate crimes in one minute. My request of you is that you watch it, then share it on social media - please get the word out however you can.
Future generations will look back at this time and ask why we didn't do more, and I will be able to say I did everything I could. Yes it may get me in trouble, but I was always taught to stand up to bullies and speak up when I think something is wrong. And while I know we can't all afford to take the kind of action I'm taking today, we must all do something. Because the only thing needed for companies like this to get away with stealing our future is for most people to do nothing.
Sometimes you have to take a step back and look at what we consider 'normal'. Sometimes you realise that something you've always thought of as 'normal' is no longer acceptable, and it's time to change how we do things. The way that companies like BP operate is no longer acceptable.
BP are just motivated by their profits, regardless of the damage they're doing. And their time has come to an end.
We do have a future - but BP's not in it.
Paula Radley
Paula Radley is one of the Greenpeace activists who blocked BP headquarters in London on May 20, 2019 to highlight the climate emergency humanity is currently facing.
As you read this, I'm sitting in a big container outside BP HQ in London, blocking one of the main entrances to the building. Along with a team of climbers on the roof, and more people in containers like mine, we've shut down the building. This is one of the scariest things I've ever done, but I know it's the right thing
We're at a critical point in history. We have the science telling us that we are destroying our planet - that we're facing a climate emergency. And one thing we know for sure is that oil and gas must become a thing of the past.
But companies like BP are still exploring for new oil, getting us deeper and deeper into this crisis. They need to stop exploring for oil or wind down their business.
The video below explains BP's climate crimes in one minute. My request of you is that you watch it, then share it on social media - please get the word out however you can.
Future generations will look back at this time and ask why we didn't do more, and I will be able to say I did everything I could. Yes it may get me in trouble, but I was always taught to stand up to bullies and speak up when I think something is wrong. And while I know we can't all afford to take the kind of action I'm taking today, we must all do something. Because the only thing needed for companies like this to get away with stealing our future is for most people to do nothing.
Sometimes you have to take a step back and look at what we consider 'normal'. Sometimes you realise that something you've always thought of as 'normal' is no longer acceptable, and it's time to change how we do things. The way that companies like BP operate is no longer acceptable.
BP are just motivated by their profits, regardless of the damage they're doing. And their time has come to an end.
We do have a future - but BP's not in it.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.