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“Oil Orgy” invades Energy Summit

Activists interrupt UK-Canada talks aimed at promoting the future of tar sands oil

Tuesday October, 11th 2011

Protesters interrupted the Canada-Europe Energy Round table [1] in London today, to expose the UK government’s opposition to European legislation, which would label tar sands oil as highly polluting. The campaigners stripped down to Union Jack boxers and maple leaf underwear and covered each other with oil while kissing and groping in a provocative ‘oil orgy’ [2].

“We interrupted the Energy Round table today because the UK and Canadian governments’ flirtations are developing into friends with benefits.  This seedy relationship puts profits for the oil industry and banks ahead of much needed legislation which will curb emissions from transport fuel in Europe,” [2] said UK Tar Sands Network campaigner Emily Coats.

Since PM Cameron’s visit to Canada last month, the UK government has been echoing the position of the Canadian government that the EU is ‘unfairly discriminating’ against the Canadian tar sands [3]. Contrary to Canada’s claims that the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) will discriminate against the tar sands, the current FQD proposal also includes values for other unconventional oil feed stocks, such as shale oil [4].

“The UK government is supporting sleazy Canadian lobbying efforts and today’s Energy summit shows just how intimate they have become to promote the tar sands industry,” said climate campaigner and performance poet Pete the Temp.

Despite extensive lobbying by the Canadian government over the last year, [5] last Tuesday the European Commission announced its recommendation that tar sands fuel should be assigned an accurate value in order to account for the higher emissions caused by tar sands extraction [6].

“A Canadian government body [7] proved that tar sands extraction is very filthy, yet the Harper government is increasing extraction of bitumen without full scientific knowledge of the impacts on the local environment and the global climate.” said Coats.

In the upcoming weeks the UK will continue to receive Canadian officials [8] as Canada attempts to secure the UK as an ally to stall the FQD directive, which has already received extensive support from the EU commission. The controversial UK government support for the Canadian tar sands industry has received disapproval and outrage from UK climate activists, which shall escalate as the relationship deepens.

 

Video of this Story Can be Viewed here http://www.vimeo.com/30373841 Available in High Rez 720 25p Pal – Please contact  +44(0)7531 987 531 Video / Image Rights

 

 

 

 

[1] 2011 London Energy Roundtable: Canada Europe Energy Summit http://www.energyroundtable.org/london.php

[2] Minister for Transport, Norman Baker, stated the UK government will oppose an inclusion of a tar sands value. http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/oct/04/oil-sands-imports-eu-ban?newsfeed=true

[3] http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawas-ethical-oil-sands-campaign-heats-up/article2181234/ The Cameron government commented “tar sands oil sands should not be singled out as a dirty source in a world that will need oil, and increasingly heavy crudes, for the foreseeable future.”

[4] The directive includes values for a range of transport fuels including shale oil.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/04/eu-tarsands-idUSL5E7L41ST20111004

[5] See ‘Canada’s dirty lobby diary – Undermining the EU Fuel Quality Directive’ released by Friends of the Earth Europe http://www.foeeurope.org/publications/2011/FOEE_Report_Tar_Sands_Lobby_Final_July82011.pdf

[6] See ‘EU ‘tar sands’ stance welcomed’ http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5haVri_2f3ta4WIB7h_FfkCv5DgZg?docId=N0755991317741677000A

[7]  Environment Canada’s audit http://www.oagbvg.gc.ca/internet/English/parl_cesd_201110_e_35765.html

Summary of report by Pembina Institute http://www.pembina.org/media-release/2276

[8] Joe Oliver, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources will be speaking at the London School of Economics to discuss investment opportunities and the strategic importance of the tar sands. http://www2.lse.ac.uk/publicEvents/events/2011/20111020t1300vHKT.aspx

The Minister has vowed to fight the EUs’ recent decision http://www.canada.com/business/Oliver+vows+fight+smacks+oilsands+with+pollution+penalty/5501777/story.html

 

 

 

 

7 Responses to ““Oil Orgy” invades Energy Summit”

  1. Kim Hunter says:

    Keep up to date on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/keystonepipeline
    4000 lbs (2 tonnes) of our beautiful Boreal Forest bed must be destroyed for one $60 barrel of oil.
    With grossly inflated unsubstantiated job numbers, environmental assessments done by paid advisers: http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/678247
    covering 800 000 gallon oil spills with basically AstroTurf and sand: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlnri_scklA
    We must no allow this massive expansion to destroy us. The Lupicon Cree’s plight: http://www.amnesty.ca/lubicon
    is the canary in the coal mine. Please help!??

  2. […] ahead of much needed legislation which will curb emissions from transport fuel in Europe,” said UK Tar Sands Network campaigner Emily […]

  3. […] was part of their official statement of the UK Tar Sands Network, explaining the oil orgy to the rest of us: “Protesters interrupted the Canada-Europe Energy […]

  4. […] was part of their official statement of the UK Tar Sands Network, explaining the oil orgy to the rest of […]

  5. […] was part of their official statement of the UK Tar Sands Network, explaining the oil orgy to the rest of us: “Protesters interrupted the Canada-Europe Energy […]

  6. John Brown says:

    Yet, most activists still drive cars, buy products which has plastic, eat products that use fertilizer and use heating oil. If you cut your consumption, then the oil companies will cut their production.

    And why not target COAL, whose carbon footprint is much worst than tarsands. Not willing to live without electricity, huh?

    Such Hypocrits!

  7. The silver-haired fellow with glasses in the clip is the former privatizating Premier of British Columbia Can. This guy will sell anything he can get his hands on. We along the coast of B.C.are in a major battle with Embridge a major player in who wants to pump the black crap westward to China through the port of Kitimat. We need the tar proformers to come to Canada, to Parliment Hill. GOOD Stuff.

    Cheers Gaetan Pozsgay
    Canada

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