Greenpeace deliver 500 solar panels to BP’s new CEO and shutdown HQ

At 3am this morning, 100 Greenpeace activists delivered 500 solar panels with a total area of over 800 square metres to BP’s London Headquarters in St James’ Square, London. All six office doors around the building have been blocked with activists locked to dirty oil barrels to prevent staff from entering.

Police prevented the activists from installing the panels on the pavements and roads surrounding the offices but there are currently 50 activists blocking the road outside the HQ.

BP has caused more carbon emissions in the last fifty years than any other European company[1], and is currently the highest-spending lobbyist against climate legislation amongst the oil majors[2].

Today is the first day on the job of BP’s new CEO, Bernard Looney, who is expected to commission a report on BP’s future direction in a warming world, to be published in the summer. But despite the warm words, BP are still intending to spend $71 billion developing new oil and gas fields this decade – £32 for every £1 they invest in renewables – and they are a world leader in lobbying to block legislation which could speed up the decarbonisation of our economy. The Trump administration has given a significant boost to their efforts in recent years, abandoning or weakening environmental regulations at BP’s request[3,4].

Richard George, climate campaigner for greenpeace and one of the activists at BP’s headquarters today, said –

“This morning police managed to block our solar installation, but BP are trying to block the transition to clean energy on a global scale. Their lobbyists have the ear of governments around the world, they spend millions blocking action to fix the climate emergency and billions on drilling for more oil and gas to make it worse. Floods, droughts, forest fires and hurricanes all over the globe start right here with the plans made in BP’s headquarters.

“Their new CEO needs to accept that if BP wants to keep trading in the twenty-first century, they need to switch to 100% renewable energy. We’re not going to settle for a green-themed rebrand, solar panels on their petrol stations or wind turbines on their oil rigs. The only realistic response to the climate emergency is to cut emissions. BP need to stop wasting billions drilling for more oil and gas that we simply can’t burn, and produce a plan to get out of the oil business entirely.”

The activists will be keeping the offices closed to ensure that Mr Looney’s mind is focussed on the most important part of his new job, how to stop causing the climate crisis.

Source: Greenpeace