Environmental activists try to disrupt global gas conference

More than 50 Greenpeace activists from across Europe on Monday attempted to disrupt the opening ceremony of one of the biggest gas conferences taking place in Milan but met heavy resistance from the police.

Gastech 2022, taking place from 5-8 September in Milan, is the single largest global meeting place for natural gas, LNG, hydrogen, and low-carbon energies.

Greenpeace Italy protested at the event’s entrance by releasing green fumes and sounding alarms illustrating what they said is the fate of humans if oil and gas producers continued burning fossil fuels.

“Attention, please! This is not a drill. The climate emergency is well underway. Please do not believe the misleading advertisements of oil and gas companies. Greenwashing means climate hell,” Greenpeace said in a release.

A giant balloon in the shape of planet Earth flew over the area in front of the fair bearing the messages “Gas is green… washing” and “End fossil fuels now!”

“Activists also hacked the advertising spaces with dozens of posters revealing what the oil and gas industry tries to hide: a grim reality of pollution, increasingly destructive extreme weather events, and conflicts over control of fossil fuels,” the group said in a release.

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Federico Spadini, climate campaigner at Greenpeace Italy, said: “We have brought our peaceful protest to this event because for 50 years it has brought together the companies most responsible for the climate crisis.

“But there is something we can do to put a stop to the influence of polluting companies and the inaction of politicians: ban advertisements and sponsorships of fossil fuel companies, which threaten the right to information and the health of people and the planet.”

Gastech conference provides a forum for governments and CEOs to take stock of the evolving energy landscape; assess the state of the industry post-pandemic and navigate a route to a ‘just’ energy transition whilst managing the current gas supply crisis.

The 50th edition of the event will gather Ministers, CEOs, policymakers, business leaders, engineers, innovators, and disruptors.

Often timed 2-months ahead of COP-27, the four-day exhibition and conference will provide a forum for exhibitors, sponsors, and speakers, to showcase to a global audience, their solutions to the challenges faced on the journey to net-zero, the organisers said.

Gas companies from around the world including Nigeria’s LNG, attend to discuss the latest trends, agree on deals and discuss strategies to lower emissions.

However, Greenpeace activists say this is greenwashing after years of denying that burning fossil fuels accelerates climate change.

“When denial became impossible, advertising became a means of greenwashing and distracting the public from the fact that, beyond the fine promises, their main business remains one: extracting and burning fossil fuels,” said Silvia Pastorelli, Greenpeace EU climate and energy campaigner.

Greenpeace Italy is calling on European citizens to sign the European Citizens Initiative, a petition that is officially recognised by the European Commission and seeks to allow EU citizens to participate directly in the development of EU policies. It will require one million verified signatures in the timeframe allowed to be legally recognised.