Archived press release

Hallowe'en protest at esso hq

31 October 2002

A Hallowe’en protest against petrol giant Esso’s stance on climate change will take place outside its London HQ on Thursday. Satan, and his followers (all wearing death masks) will greet Esso staff as they arrive for work, to highlight the company’s role as a fossil fuel fiend and the nightmare impacts of future global warming.

Climate change will cost the lives of millions of people, but Esso has been lobbying against international action to tackle the problem, helping persuade US President George Bush not to ratify the Kyoto Protocol – the only international treaty that should cut the emissions causing climate change. International negotiations on tackling climate change are currently underway in Delhi, India, and further protests will take place at Esso garages around the UK this Saturday to mark the close of talks.

Friends of the Earth climate campaigner Nick Rau said:
“The impacts of global warming will be a disaster for the entire world. It’s time Esso woke up to the horror of climate change, and stopped fuelling the fires of global warming. Until then the message is clear – don’t fill up at Esso.”

Even creatures of the night and denizens of the underworld are feeling the impacts of climate change. Festivities to mark Hallowe’en are under threat as this year’s pumpkin harvests in the US have been reduced by unseasonal temperatures. Some staple constituents of basic witchcraft (eye of newt, toe of frog, wool of bat and tongue of dog) are also in short supply. Amphibian and bat populations round the world are declining, and global warming is thought to be a contributing factor. Furthermore, raised CO2 levels will lead to elevated levels of CO2 in the blood, making it slightly more acidic, and leaving a nasty taste in the mouth of vampires and other blood sucking creatures.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust