CLIMATE activists from across Scotland have set up camp in Aberdeen, often described as “the oil capital of Europe.”
The camp is based in St Fittick’s Park and aims to highlight the effort of local campaigners to save the last green space in Torry from industrial development.
It will be in place for five days and brings together climate activists, trade unionists and community campaigners, highlighting shared priorities around the need to stop new oil and gas fields and ensure the transition to renewables directly benefits workers and communities.
Spokesperson for Climate Camp Scotland Jessica Gaitán Johannesson said: “As the pressure mounts on companies and the UK Government to bring carbon emissions down, we need to be honest about their true priorities.
“These are not to save lives and livelihoods, but to hold on to power and wealth at all costs.
“Allowing the power over an energy transition to stay in the hands of fossil fuel executives will not only result in emissions continuing to rise – and increased climate catastrophe for all – it will also lead to worse suffering for those who did the least to cause climate collapse, in Aberdeen and around the world.”
The camp follows UK government approval for Shell to drill the Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea and also coincides with the company posting record profits of £10 billion with payouts to shareholders of £6.5 billion in the past three months.
It is also taking place in the run up to key decisions over a new gas-fired power station at Peterhead, and proposed ‘Energy Transition Zone' in Aberdeen, which has been criticised by local campaigners for sacrificing St Fittick’s park.
Friends of St Fittick’s Park and Torry resident Scott Herret said: “I welcome Scotland’s climate camp, who share in the idea of putting people and planet first, unlike those who are proposing to destroy St Fittick’s Park and Doonies Farm for the sake of private profit.”
Activists want Aberdeenshire council to reject a new gas-fired power station at Peterhead and the Scottish Government to ensure communities and workers have a greater say in how money from its Just Transition Fund is spent.
This is money which will be put towards projects in the North East and Moray which contribute towards the region’s transition to net zero.
The event follows a successful camp held in July 2021, which brought together over 150 people to protest against pollution from the Mossmorran petrochemical refinery in Fife.
This year’s will end with a rally and mass action targeting major polluters in Aberdeen.
