Make Polluters Pay.

Help us campaign for proper compensation from the big polluters for the climate damage they have done.

We know that the Government is planning to backtrack on pledges made at previous UN conferences on climate to provide loss and damage funding for countries worst affected by climate chaos and which have done least to cause it.

This is unacceptable, especially as higher income countries have done most to create the greenhouse gases which are heating the planet.

Also, the worst polluters, the fossil fuel companies are not only raking in huge profits but are also heavily subsided (unlike renewable energy sources). Surely it is only fair that they are taxed to provide the funding needed?

You can real more about subsidies to oil and gas companies here:

The Big 5 fossil fuel companies (Chevron, ExxonMobil, BP, Shell and TotalEnergies) have played a particularly big role in this, contributing to over 11% of global historic carbon emissions between them. Collectively, they could owe as much as $8 trillion in climate damage to the global south.

These companies reported over $170 billion in profit in 2022 alone

During the Autumn, there are several occasions when we are asked to act.

There are Climate talks in New York 15-17 September, with big demonstrations planned. https://fightfossilfuels.net/

23rd September is a National Day of Action for Make Polluters Pay.    https://makepolluterspay.co.uk/mpp-action-day

From 30/11 to 12/12, the UN Climate Talks, COP28, will be taking place in Dubai, hosted by the United Arab Emirates

For the Portsmouth area, we have decided

  1. To ask as many local groups as possible to support our letter to all the local MPs.
  2. To encourage as many people as possible to write individually to MPs.
  3. To organise a photo-opportunity in Guildhall Square on 15/9 at noon at which we hope lots of groups will be represented. We did this – see picture above.
  4. To send the letter and photo to the press as well as to MPs.
  5. To have a big event in Guildhall Square with stalls, music, speakers and a march during the COP28 talks – this will be on December 9th.

The groups letter we have created is available from havclimate@gmail.com

Could you please get a representative from your group to send a name, role if any and the name of the group which we can add to the letter.

Please send to havclimate@gmail.com by 15th September.

Protest in Guildhall Square 2022

COP 28

COP28 (30/11 to 12/12) will take place in Dubai, hosted by the United Arab Emirates, a leading oil and gas producer. And the official chosen to preside over the summit – Sultan Al Jaber – is the chief executive of the country’s national oil company, Adnoc, which is planning a big expansion of production capacity. There is also going to be a huge contingent of fossil fuel companies, which many believe should be banned.

If you want to read a bit more about this issue, see: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/01/leak-uae-presidency-un-climate-summit-oil-gas-emissions-yemen

Pascoe Sabido, at Corporate Europe Observatory and the co-coordinator of the Kick Big Polluters Out coalition of more than 450 organisations, said:  “The Cop28 UAE key messages “rip the green façade off of this fossil fuel presidency. Anyone who reads them should have alarm bells ringing.

“The UN climate talks have become an oil and gas industry trade show, not the flagship for climate action. An entire industry has successfully co-opted the process and is leading us in a death spiral to climate catastrophe. How far are we prepared to go to make sure that doesn’t happen?”

In Portsmouth, we plan to have a large demonstration during the COP 28 talks, with speeches, music and a march from Guildhall Square. We’re not sure of the exact day of national action yet but will publicise it soon.