What's next for #StopCambo?
Stop Cambo makes headlines
It’s been a whirlwind two months since the #StopCambo campaign began. A little-known project has exploded into a movement-wide campaign that threatens the UK government’s climate credibility and the industry’s ability to continue business as usual. And with the IPCC’s "code red for humanity" ringing in our ears, we’re just getting started!
So far, we’ve occupied the UK Government building in Edinburgh, protested outside Shell’s London HQ, confronted Nicola Sturgeon over her silence on Cambo, jammed the phone lines of the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy, and delivered an 80,000+ strong petition to Boris Johnson’s doorstep demanding he rejects Cambo. We’ve dominated headlines in the Times, BBC, Channel 4, Sky News, Guardian, Telegraph and more.
The fight isn't over but we’re making steady progress! In Scotland, both the Scottish Greens and Scottish Labour have filed motions in Holyrood against Cambo, and the First Minister has urged the Prime Minister to reassess the field. The UK Labour party has come out strongly against Cambo, even demanding a ‘hard-edged’ timeline for ending oil and gas extraction, and the Green Party has been grilling the UK government over Cambo every chance it gets.
Lastly, US climate envoy John Kerry and Executive Director of the International Energy Agency Dr Fatih Birol, have both effectively urged the UK government to reject the project.
So far, the UK Government has refused to listen and could make a decision on Cambo anytime this Autumn. The head of Oil & Gas UK, Deirdre Michie, went so far as to claim that opening the Cambo field is good for the climate. Shell's CEO whined that symbolic bans on new oil & gas extraction won’t help the climate. They never expected this kind of backlash, and it shows.
So what more can you do right now?
Lobby your MP on #StopCambo
- We’ve made it super easy to email your MP and over 200 MPs have already been contacted. Write to your MP today and let us know how they respond.
- We’re also encouraging you to set up a meeting with your MP once they return to constituency work from 6th September. Register an MP lobby action here and check out this handy MP Action Toolkit.
Get organised
- Hundreds of you volunteered to get more involved in #StopCambo and we’re now sorting organisers into working groups for Scotland Actions, London actions, MP lobbying, Design and Media. Whatever your skills and experience, please sign up today if you can devote some energy to the campaign and we’ll connect you to other great people.
- We’re also already plotting several bigger actions, including in London and Scotland in September, and invite any interested grassroots groups to get in touch.
We’ll send further updates whenever there's big news. Watch this space in early September as we’re launching a Stop Cambo website to make it easier for anyone to take action, download Stop Cambo resources and stay updated.
Onwards,
Louise
p.s. thanks to everyone who’s been posting and amplifying @StopCambo on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Keep it up with the hashtag #StopCambo