Who’s bedding Boris?

Yes you guessed, it’s one of those Fossil Fuel Fools again. Boris has been a long term chum of theirs but this relationship has gone too far. It’s about time he cared less for the fossil fuel industry and more about the lives he’s supposed to be representing – if you live in the UK that’s your life by the way 🙁

The U.K. government has failed to act appropriately to the scale of the climate crisis. Boris Johnson’s government continues to proactively invest in and subsidise the use of environmentally destructive fossil fuels despite clear scientific evidence that this is destroying our global life support systems and increasing the likelihood of near-term environmental and social collapse. Boris Johnson and his government are in bed with the fossil fuel industry.

Ocean Rebellion members say the UK government must make the Ocean the number one priority at the G7, and want politicians to distance themselves from the fossil fuel industry. They demand all governments cease subsidies to shipping and aviation and begin to tax shipping and aviation fuel to reflect the environmental damage caused. Emissions from shipping, aviation and land-based fossil fuel are acidifying the oceans risking cascading near-term and irreversible biodiversity collapse. This tax must be used to furlough the fishing fleet until a full and open investigation of world fish stocks on carbon sequestration and biodiversity grounds is completed, with all fisher folk to receiving full pay via this tax. The implicit subsidy of destructive fishing practices by not taxing fuel makes no sense. Further, Blue Carbon, which is carbon safely stored in marine sediments and biodiversity, and therefore prevented from overheating the planet, must be included in national greenhouse gas inventories.

Rob Higgs of Ocean Rebellion says:
“We are tired of successive backhanded subsidies to the fossil fuel industry. Weak international shipping legislation allows ships to burn heavy fuel oil (HFO), an oil byproduct so toxic that one large ship creates as much pollution as one million car exhausts.”

Sophie Miller adds:
“If ships did not burn HFO the fossil fuel industry would have to dispose of this byproduct themselves, costing them billions upon billions (maybe trillions) of dollars a year – yet another massive fossil fuel subsidy. Stop this madness now! Ocean Rebellion demands the G7 tells the truth about their fossil fuel subsidies and acts now to end them.”

Clive Russell of Ocean Rebellion says:
“How can the UK government talk about ‘leading the world on commitments to the planet’ when this government has increased subsidies to the oil and gas industry by £2billion? We demand ambitious, near-term commitments which will genuinely drive emissions reductions, not glib statements. Stop the greenwashing and begin leading, now.”

Roc Sandford adds:
“Fossil fuel incumbents, through lobbying and other means, are impeding the emergency policy response which is the only thing which will save life in the oceans. In this way they are amplifying the damage their oil is causing, and are risking all our lives.”

Photos: Gavin Goulder