Greenpeace disrupts oil industry's annual jamboree

Industry bigwigs face huge protest at defiant party planned for day Kyoto became law. The international oil industry's most prestigious annual gathering was disrupted tonight after Greenpeace volunteers blockaded a £50-a-plate dinner at London's Grosvenor House Hotel.

The defiant function had been scheduled to take place on the day the Kyoto Protocol came into force and was set to host middle-eastern energy ministers and the heads of some of the world's most powerful companies.They had gathered at the Park Lane venue to hear an address from Esso CEO Lee Raymond - the man who led efforts to wreck Kyoto. But dozens of Greenpeace volunteers locked themselves together to block the entrances to the Great Hall, where the dinner - intended as the centrepiece of the 91st International Petroleum Week - was due to begin at 7.30pm. The annual gathering sees the industry's top players meet to discuss threats and opportunities to the oil business. Climbers have hung a banner across the front of the Park Lane venue, saying: "CLIMATE CHANGE KILLS - OIL INDUSTRY PARTIES"

Earlier today Greenpeace protesters disrupted trading on the global oil market by occupying the International Petroleum Exchange in London. The day of activity comes as Kyoto targets to cut emissions of greenhouse gases become legally binding in 128 countries. Although Kyoto is a good first step, governments need to agree huge cuts in emissions - way beyond Kyoto targets - if the threat of global warming is to be defeated.

Greenpeace climate campaigner Emily Armistead said:

"On the day the world finally enacted Kyoto, the oil industry tried to hold a huge party to say, 'we don't care, it's business as usual'. We hope for at least one evening they've been forced to face the reality of what they're doing. Climate change is the gravest threat we face, with the potential to kill millions and wipe out entire species. The world is addicted to oil, the threat is unprecedented and the people who bought tickets for that party share a large part of the blame."

Past emissions of greenhouse gases mean the world cannot avoid an increase in average global temperature of 1.3 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. If the average temperature rises more than 2 degrees, the impacts could be catastrophic. Industrialised countries must go beyond Kyoto to cut emissions by 80 percent by the 2050s. But many key players in the oil business have worked tirelessly to wreck even the modest targets set by Kyoto.

Emily Armistead added:

"The industry wanted to honour Esso boss Lee Raymond, the world's number one climate criminal. According to the UN, climate change is already killing 150,000 people a year, yet Raymond and Esso have waged a ten-year campaign against efforts to tackle the threat. The men and women who feed the world's oil addiction came to London to hear him speak in a show of defiance against Kyoto. Instead we told them to consider the terrible damage they're wreaking on our planet."

For more information contact Greenpeace on 07801 212993 or 0207 865 8255

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