Counting on … day 1.172

14th September 2023

On Wednesdays I kneel for an hour’s vigil outside Shell’s Headquarters. I first began this when the campaign group Fossil Free London held weekly pickets outside the building protesting at Shell’s continuing exploration and production of oil. At all stages of oil production damages the environment – whether that is the leaking of oil that has pollute the Niger Delta; the noise from underwater explosions that disorientates whales off the coast of South Africa; the flailing of oil wells that releases methane into the atmosphere ( a gas which rapidly increases global warming); leaks from pipelines and tankers that pollute the sea and coat seabirds an oily slick; the air pollution from diesel and petrol engines; the global warming from the release of CO2 when oil is burned as energy; and the pollution of all areas of our planet by fragments of plastic. We need on some many counts to press oil companies to rapidly phase out the production of oil and instead develop renewable energy supplies.

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Author: Judith Russenberger

Environmentalist and theologian, with husband and three grown up children plus one cat, living in London SW14. I enjoy running and drinking coffee - ideally with a friend or a book.

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