She's Baaaaaack! Greta Thunberg Arrested After Creating a 'Total Siege' at Oil and Gas Conference
Fresh off an arrest for protesting Wind Energy, the professional protestor is going back to her roots against organic legacy energy producers.
Professional Protestor Greta Thunberg was arrested last week in London after she joined a huge anti-oil protest which brought a prominent energy conference to a halt.
Hundreds of demonstrators blocked access to the event at the Intercontinental London Hotel, which is hosting the Energy Intelligence Forum.
The event was due to feature some of the top names in oil and gas, including Wael Sawan of Shell, Patrick Pouyanne of TotalEnergies, as well as top executives from BP, Chevron, Saudi Aramco and others.
Some 200 to 300 demonstrators picketed the venue from early Tuesday morning, organised with banners, drums, chants and informative material.
Thunberg addressed the crowd, some of whome where holding signs adorned with slogans including “People not profit”.
Groups protesting included Just Stop Oil, Extinction Rebellion and Stop Rosebank.
A group of activists abseiled from the roof of the building to unfold a large black banner with the words Make Oil Pay.
In recent years, the global energy landscape has witnessed a seismic shift, driven in part by a teenage climate activist with a powerful message.
Who is Greta?
Greta Thunberg has captured the world's attention with her unprecendented access to the media, her relentless efforts to create a climate change narrative and questionable attention given from people in power, considering her age and complex subject matter.
In 2018, at the age of 15, she decided to skip school and protest outside the Swedish Parliament, demanding immediate action on climate change. Her message was simple but powerful: "Never mind the words. Nothing matters apart from actions to halt emissions".
Her protests sparked the global youth climate movement and propelled her to the forefront of environmental activism.
In 2019, the then-16-year old was allowed to speak at the UN Climate Action Summit.
“Imagine being the top climatetologist in the world and you’ve spent your entire life studying the climate and every atom and molecule that impacts a very complex system,” The Crude Life founder Jason Spiess said in 2019 on mutiple stages after Greta spoke at the UN Climate Action Summit. “Only to have your decades of education, science, experience and knowledge usurped by a 16-year-old. This is an example of the leadership at the UN, the media and in Washington more than anything else really. Why was she allowed that platform? Who approved it and who facilitated it? That’s the real story. The birth, management and enablement of manufactured news.”
In the video below from 2019, Greta chides world leaders at the 2019 UN climate action summit. She chastised leaders in an emotional speech with the repeated phrase, ‘How dare you?’ She said, “This is all wrong. I shouldn't be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet, you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you? You have stolen my dreams in my childhood with your empty words. Yet, I, I'm one of the lucky ones. People are suffering. People are dying and entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction. And all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you?”
Industry's Response
Overall, industry has leaned into her rhetoric and challenged Greta's call, which actually validated her claim as key leaders and industry professionals in the oil and gas sector acknowledged Greta’s plea for the need for change.
The UK's offshore oil and gas sector, for instance, declared that they were "listening" to Greta's message, recognizing the urgency of addressing climate concerns.
In the United States, many industy CEO’s were denouncing Greta’s message while paying their dues and support to the American Petroleum Institute, who began directing the industry more towards a European Energy Agenda than and American one.
In 2021, Jerry R. Simmons, President and CEO of the Domestic Energy Producers Alliance (DEPA) headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma said he believes that Mike Sommers of the American Petroleum Institute (API) has done some great work for the industry and can continue, however, he questions their goals of aligning with the European Union and the Paris Agreement.
He even questioned Sommer’s loyalty to American saying the API is acting more like an EPI - European Petroleum Institute.
This acknowledgment was a turning point, emphasizing the importance of sustainability and carbon reduction in our operations.
Ongoing Dialogue & Debate
Greta Thunberg's impact on the oil and gas industry is a testament to the power of youth activism.
Her consistent message is quite clear:
the world accepts emotion over fact
the world supports the future more than the present
the United States has appointed many industry leaders who have been following Greta’s leadership for years
industry leaders continue to allow Michael Mann’s hockey stick chart and Al Gore’s docu-drama to continue to spread misinformation
industry leadership has supported Greta’s Planet of Platitudes movement rather than the oilfield professionals living, working and raising families in the Realm of Reality.
Many industry leaders have a responsibility to engage in constructive dialogue with media professionals, indsutry advocates and even activists like Greta, working together to find sustainable solutions that safeguard our planet and ensure a prosperous future.
While the petroleum industry faces challenges, it is a reminder to embrace more innovation, explore cleaner energy alternatives, and collaborate with industry professionals who broker peace and sustainable solutions rather than polarizing political rhetoric.
Greta’s impact is a reminder that change is inevitable, and adaptation is the only path forward.