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Songs of freedom at opening of Shell Wildlife Photographer Travesty, 27.10.07

15 or so folk from all over Carbon Town gathered today to sing a new hymn of hope to an oil-free future in the co-opted cathedral that is the Unnatural History Museum, where the heartbreakingly beautiful Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition has just opened.

Here are the words we sang:

there’s a bird dressed in black
there’s a world nearly cracked
there is me, there is you
what the hell shall we do?

it’s not hard to explain all the ways we can gain from a world without oil no more spills,
no more spoils

On the line 'what the hell shall we do?', various possibilities were hollered, including 'Say no to Shell', 'Go beyond oil' and 'Start anew', as was the statement that 'Shell sells suicide on the forecourt'.

A couple of noisy singers were hustled out fast, (one being told 'If you don't walk, I'll break your arm!'), while those left behind kept up the tune, its notes floating up past the dinosaur skeleton and the special Shell Wildlife queue to the illustrious museum to take residence in the rafters above.

Gradually they were removed, gathering again on the pavement outside with images from the Shell's Wild Lie exhibition, a Remember Saro-Wiwa and more songs, including 'A Drunken Climate', 'None of Us Are Free', 'Mr. Bobby', '(War For) Oil' and a song to the Niger Delta. Spirits were high, and responses from the (predominantly non-English speaking?) public few and far between but lovely and heart-warming when they came.No one was arrested; no police were present.

It still looks as if the campaign to get Shell kicked out as sponsor might bear fruit - we'll find out very soon if its 2 year contract will be renewed. Let's keep the pressure up! Keep hollering,

Noisy Joe

Fossil Fools Global Day Of Action 2008

Fossil Fools Global Day of Action on April 1st 2008. We're on the lookout for singers, performers, would-be singers, musicians and makers of strange and beautiful objects to process with.

For more information, email ecstaticmourning@riseup.net'

 

Climate Change - Shell’s role in one of the biggest threats to biodiversity


As one of the world’s major oil companies, Shell has a significant role in causing - and therefore responsibility for - man-made climate change. Although Shell has gained high profile publicity for its statements on climate change and lobbying of Tony Blair for tougher action on climate change, the company’s own figures tell a different story. Indeed, Shell is explicit about how much fossil fuel it extracts and is in fact aggressively pursuing a policy of increasing the rate of extraction year on year:

  • In 2005, Shell produced 3.518 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe) per day. Production is expected to grow and reach 3.8-4.0 million boe per day by 2009, which is an increase of between 8 and 13 per cent.

  • Earnings in Shell’s exploration and production division - the division that explores for and extracts oil - increased by 45 per cent last year.

  • Last year Shell added 160 thousand square kilometres of exploration acreage to its portfolio, with new exploration licences in 14 countries and says it “will pursue an exploration programme to add more new acreage”.

  • Meanwhile, Shell’s investment in renewable energy has amounted to $1 billion over the past five years. This may sound impressive, but an investment of $15.6 billion in production and refining in 2005 alone puts it into context.

Climate change has been described by the Natural History Museum in its exhibition The Ship as “one of the most pressing issues of our time”. This is a view that concurs with that of leading politicians, including our own Prime Minister, and of leading scientists.


Average global temperatures have risen by 0.6°C since 1900. The ten warmest years on record have occurred in the last fifteen years. Climatologists say these increases in global temperature can best be explained as the impact of man-made pollution and predict that if urgent action isn’t taken average global temperatures could rise by almost 6ºC by 2100.


For more information/leaflets contact Rising Tide