Greenpeace activists closed dozens of BP petrol stations across London this morning in a series of interventions. Teams of volunteers descended on forecourts early this morning, putting up signs and removing the switches the pumps. The campaign group claims to have temporarily halted the sale of petrol at all 50 of London’s BP stations.
Making full use of the company’s advertising slogan, and put up banners reading ‘closed. moving beyond petroleum.’ The stations were also rebranded, updating BP’s friendly green flower logo with an image of a sun setting into a sea of oil – an entry in a competition to subvert BP’s logo.
Today BP announced that Tony Hayward would be standing down as CEO, and the action sends a clear message to the company to live up to its ‘beyond petroleum’ rhetoric.
“We’ve shut down all of BP’s stations in London to give the new boss a chance to come up with a better plan” says Greenpeace director John Sauven. “They’re desperate for us to believe they’re going ‘beyond petroleum’. Well now’s the time to prove it.”
Company strategies from March this year showed that BP planned to invest $19 billion in oil and gas, and $1 billion in renewable energy.
The campaign is also raising awareness of the Fuel Quality Directive, which will decide how much oil can be imported from certain sources such as tar sands. Campaigners want to limit imports of the most polluting forms of oil. Oil companies, including BP, are lobbying hard for as few restrictions as possible. You can send a letter to the Transport Secretary here.
The Earthbound Report 
Great Protest. It shows what really needs to happen if we are to stop the madness of the oil age. Shame it was only temporary.