Rishi Sunak and his fossil fuel backers are taking us all for fools. Most people in this country know that oil is over. They know that carbon capture is greenwash. Only Sunak and the Tories have failed to get the message. Addicted to power and illegal donations from the fossil fuel industry they are shamelessly stoking culture wars and spinning endless lies to keep themselves in power.
But it is much, much worse than that. July was the hottest month ever because of burning fossil fuels. We can all see that something is desperately wrong when tens of thousands of panicking holidaymakers rush to Rhodes beaches to escape wildfires, Americans have suffered second degree burns from scorching pavements and European wheat crops are burning to a crisp.
Every new oil and gas license makes it harder for the world to reach net-zero emissions and to stop global heating. Every delay in stopping global heating means worse climate impacts and more suffering.
Sunak is worse than a war criminal. He knows new oil and gas will impose unimaginable suffering and destroy the lives and livelihoods of billions of people. He knows that it will push the world past irreversible tipping points, meaning that the consequences and suffering will echo for centuries. He is risking nothing less than the collapse of human civilization. What will his obvious lies about “energy security” mean, when you can’t grow food, when violence stalks the streets, when everything you know and love is destroyed?
Licensing new oil and gas, in full knowledge of these consequences, isn’t just a crime against humanity. It is the greatest crime in human history.
We will not let this stand. We refuse to die quietly. Civil resistance is no longer an option, it is a necessity. In late October, thousands of people will join Just Stop Oil in London to march on the roads, and we will not stop until we win. Sign up for action here: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/take-action-with-just-stop-oil/
