On Tuesday 18th October, join frontline communities and allies outside the ‘Oil & Money’ conference to declare it ‘a crime scene not a conference’.
Meet 7.45am at Hyde Park Corner, or 6pm at The King’s Arms, W1J 7QA to join morning or afternoon demonstrations.

This October, senior oil and gas executives from across the world are meeting in London as part of an annual conference called Oil & Money. Hosted by Energy Intelligence and the New York Times, it’s a prime opportunity for leading figures in the industry to mingle, network and discuss the most pressing issues facing their business. The theme of this year’s gathering is: “Boom, Bust and Beyond: Strategies for Survival.”

But with each passing month seeing record highs in global temperatures, and the destructive effects of climate change already being felt, we ask: whose survival? What matters more, the profits of multinational companies, or the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people? The multi-million bonuses of fossil fuel CEOs, or the future of entire communities and the ecosystems that sustain them?

We cannot have both. The fossil fuel industry’s ‘strategy for survival’ implies death and destitution for much of the world’s population, especially marginalised communities in the Global South. The science states clearly that the vast majority of fossil fuels must remain in the ground, and we must make a rapid transition to a cleaner economy that thrives within planetary boundaries.

Yet this industry’s practices fly in the face of the weight of science and justice. Although oil and gas companies have known about the environmental risks posed by their industry for decades, they have done their utmost to delay an effective response to climate change, pouring hundreds of millions into political lobbying and climate denial. ExxonMobil, a conference sponsor, is currently the subject of criminal investigations for misleading the public in the state of New York. Other conference sponsors and attendees, including Chevron, Rosneft and BP have been responsible for environmental catastrophes and systematic human rights violations from Ecuador to Russia, Colombia to Nigeria.

Together, Aramco and 7 of the oil majors on the sponsors’ list hold enough oil and gas reserves to blow half of our carbon budget for a 1.5 degree world.

In order to design and implement a just transition away from fossil fuels, we need to recapture our environment from the clutches of the oil and gas industry and recast the debate around issues of justice, accountability, and the collective good. We must move away from the logic of unrestrained profit that privatises our livelihoods, our lands and our resources.

That is our strategy for survival.

Last year we caused a stir with our Oil & Money-themed intervention. This year we’re declaring the conference a climate crime scene, and welcome representatives of frontline communities from Brazil, Angola, Bahrain, Colombia and Ecuador to join us in demanding the immediate closure of the conference.


ACTION 1: Climate Crime Scene

In the morning, we’ll be disrupting the opening of the conference at the Intercontinental Hotel by setting up a ‘climate crime scene’.

WHEN: Meet 7.45am, to set up the climate crime scene at the Intercontinental by 8am
WHERE: Hyde Park Corner entrance to Hyde Park


ACTION 2: Walk of Shame // Red line for the Climate

In the evening, at the Dorchester, we will show guests to the black-tie gala dinner that their profit means the destruction of ecosystems and communities, by creating a symbolic ‘walk of shame’ as they enter. Come wearing red or black.

WHEN: Meet 5.45pm
WHERE: The King’s Arms, W1J 7QA

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