John -
Across the U.S., we’ve seen a sharp increase in cases of extreme heat, flooding, tornadoes, and wildfires. These kinds of climate disasters are all too familiar for our neighbors in the Global South, who have been bearing the brunt of the climate crisis for far too long.
These disasters are a stark reminder that the climate crisis is a global issue — and that the real culprits are international oil giants like TotalEnergies.
Last week, 350.org supporters joined activists for a protest at TotalEnergies’ New Jersey office where we called on them to drop their support for the East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP).
Their response? To cover up all of their identifying signage and shut down their office for the day.
TotalEnergies owns over 62% of EACOP — making them one of the major stakeholders for this project. In addition to causing the extreme heat and other climate impacts we are facing across the globe, they are also actively displacing and disrupting the livelihoods of people in Tanzania and Uganda through EACOP. Here’s how:
For starters, the pipeline would run through the basin of Lake Victoria — which over 40 million people depend on for food and their livelihoods. On top of that, thousands of Tanzanian farmers face eviction for construction of the pipeline.
John, EACOP is a reminder that as our planet burns, powerful transnational elites continue to profit off the backs of the world’s poor, and keep us further from a sustainable and just transition off of fossil fuels.
Thank you for taking action,
Team 350