Batangas City, Philippines – Ahead of the coming week’s global mobilizations for the climate, representatives from climate-impacted communities, together with Greenpeace activists, blockaded the entrance to the Batangas refinery of fossil fuel giant Shell.[1] The peaceful protest is a bold challenge to fossil fuel companies to show accountability for their role in the climate crisis, heed the call of climate-impacted communities for justice, and start a rapid and just transition to phase out fossil fuels.
“Today, at a time of climate emergency, we, communities and Filipinos from across the country, are raising the alarm for climate justice,” said Greenpeace campaigner Khevin Yu. “The most vulnerable communities in the Philippines are some of the first to suffer the gravest consequences of the climate crisis. But even as the human cost is steep, Shell and other fossil fuel companies who have fueled the crisis continue to profit from this catastrophe. We need to put a stop to this injustice.”
The blockade consisted of eight activists, while climbers on top of one of the facility’s silos unfurled a banner with the words “Shell, stop burning our future.”
The non-violent direct action escalates a week of lone protests[2] by climate-impacted communities at the Philippine headquarters of Shell in Taguig City to demand climate justice from fossil fuel companies. For four straight days, Shell refused to speak to the communities outside the building.
Since recent years, the call for climate justice has been gaining momentum globally and in the Philippines. The blockade comes a day after the People’s Summit on Climate, Human Rights and Human Survival in New York [3], as well as the filing of the petitioners’ final Memorandum [4] on the climate change and human rights investigation at the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines (CHR). Early this month the UN warned that the climate crisis is the greatest threat to human rights.
The action also comes ahead of the youth climate strikes, which transpire today until September 27. Millions of people around the world, including thousands from the Philippines, will participate in youth-led strikes to demand transformative action to address the climate crisis ahead of the UN Climate Summit in New York City on September 23. Greenpeace is calling on all Filipinos participating in the climate strikes to sound the alarm for climate justice by simultaneously ringing alarms at 2:00 PM today.[5]
“We won a huge victory against fossil fuels in our province but it is not enough to solve the climate crisis,” said Krishna Arriola from Youth for Climate Strike, who joined the peaceful activity and who also stood in silent protest in front of the Pilipinas Shell HQ yesterday. “Shell and other fossil fuel companies are part of prolonging this system of climate injustice. We want to change the system that stopped us from reaching our dreams and our right for a better future.”
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Notes to editors:
[1] Shell is one of the 47 ‘Carbon Majors’ – the world’s biggest fossil fuel and cement companies, which include Exxon, BP, Chevron, and Total – being investigated in the landmark case for significantly contributing in fueling climate change that resulted — and continues to result — in human rights harms suffered by Filipinos.
[5] More information on sounding the alarm: https://act.greenpeace.org/page/47007/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=fy3ge0it&_ga=2.2812720.1843250522.1568864579-217507624.1568864579; and on global climate strikes: https://www.greenpeace.org/international/act/global-climate-school-strike/
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