Come and give BP boss Browne a (globally) warm welcome this Thursday, October 23rd at the RIBA

***PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY***

This Thursday evening (October 23rd), BP boss John Browne will be attempting to spread some top-dollar greenwash at a lecture called 'Squaring the circle: The role of energy in Sustainable Development'.

If you would like to join London Rising Tide outside beforehand to give him a noisy, forthright welcome, and to explain to those attending how we feel about the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, the human rights abuses, the climate change and ecological destruction wrought by BP, come to the RIBA at 5pm (or as close to 5 as you can make it). Bring whistles, drums, instruments, banners, bikes, noise, colour, creativity, friends and good vibes.

RIBA: 66 Portland Place, London W1
And, in case you want to tell the RIBA how you feel about Browne's visit, tel: 7580 5533; fax: 7255 1541.
-----------------------------
Here are some reasons to call this company to account, (not that any other oil company is any better...) It's taken from a leaflet given out by London Rising Tide at BP-sponsored institiutions such as the British Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Natural History Museum and Tate Britain.

How much do you know about BP?

If most of your knowledge has come from BP itself, or from the institutions it sponsors, it might be worth digging a bit deeper before giving the company a clean bill of health. Many people believe that BP (not to mention the entire oil industry) causes human rights violations, ecological devastation and the growing destabilisation of the world’s climate, (also known as global warming).

9 facts BP would rather you didn’t know:

* BP bankrolls Colombian paramilitary death squads in exchange for the ‘protection’ of its oilfields;

* BP’s planned Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil & gas pipelines, if built, would be a human rights disaster and produce over 150 million tonnes of CO2 every year for 40 years, causing untold damage to the world’s climate. (More info: www.baku.org.uk)

* BP is part of a consortium bidding for Bolivia's state gas industry, leading to a widespread popular uprising to prevent it, over 80 civilian deaths and the flight of the Bolivian President.

* BP invests less than 1% of its annual budget on solar and other renewable energy sources, a great deal less than what they spend on advertising and public relations.

* BP has been investigated by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) for serious and widespread safety breaches at its UK refineries. In 2002, the HSE fined it £1m for these breaches.

* ‘BP and Shell have discussed with the government the prospect of claiming a stake in Iraq's oil reserves in the aftermath of war.’ Financial Times, 11.3.03

* ‘$319m US lawsuit accuses BP of pollution offences and lying’, FT 14.3.03

* ‘Alaska cites and fines BP over death of worker’, FT, 28.5.03

* ‘BP has been warned by a panel of experts…that it could trigger human rights abuses if it proceeds with a $2bn gas scheme in Indonesia.' Guardian on Tangguh, West Papua, 12.3.03.

Don’t be fooled by oil company public relations that the only people opposing their destructive agenda are privileged western environmentalists. In fact, resistance to Big Oil’s constant need to find new oil-rich frontiers is most determined amongst some of the world’s poorest people. People in places as far-flung as Colombia, West Papua, Angola, Azerbaijan and Alaska have come together to say no to BP. After all, the wealth from their lands flows straight into the pockets of western investors. Perhaps they should be the ones to control their own resources, instead of being displaced, polluted or even murdered?

What can you do? Possibilities include discussing the issue with friends and colleagues, distributing critical material, or taking action against the companies involved.

Specifically, here in autumn 2003, voicing your opposition to the public funding of the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline could make a real difference. Start by emailing Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for International Development:  privatesecretary@dfid.gov.uk , cc. to the head of the International Finance Corporation:  pwoicke@ifc.org, and to the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development:  caspianoilandgasprojects@ebrd.com.

Having said that, it’s not really the job of this leaflet to tell you what action to take, except to say that contrary to popular opinion, we can make a difference.

Contacts and further information

This leaflet was written and distributed by London Rising Tide (LRT). LRT is part of the Rising Tide UK and international networks, and takes direct action to confront the root causes of climate change, and to promote local, community-run solutions to our energy needs. At the moment we are focussing on stopping BP’s planned Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, and raising awareness about the real price of oil.
Email:  london@risingtide.org.uk
Address: 62 Fieldgate Street, London E1 1ES
www.burningplanet.net
Rising Tide UK: www.risingtide.org.uk
(for info about combating climate chaos with local action)
See also:
Baku-Ceyhan campaign: www.baku.org.uk
www.bpamoco.org.uk (not the official BP site!)
On resistance to BP in West Papua:  http://www.eco-action/opm/
Colombia Solidarity Campaign: www.colombiasolidarity.org.uk/

“We want to simply say that BP is a bad company; when BP is based in West Papua, Indonesia can send more military to “protect” BP and then kill us. BP is creating pollution in West Papua. BP will kill our forest and our sea. BP must get out of West Papua. BP are coming and offering “development”. They are bringing more schools, hospitals, roads, airports, pollution, money and western goods. We do not want these. They will cause us more problems. We are just fine how we are. We are not asking for development. We are not asking for BP. What we are asking for is Freedom.” From a statement made by DeMMaK (Koteka Tribal Assembly) Spokespeople on BP’s Tangguh natural gas project in West Papua, March 2003