The recent formation of Climate Choirs includes the Oxford Climate Choir who were represented on Saturday 7 October at the Science Museum in London. They were part of 126 choir members from nine choirs challenging the Science Museum over its fossil fuel corporation sponsorship. Huge banners were dropped, and placards displayed, as singers raised their voices in a stunning protest inside the Science Museum.
Hazel Dawe, Oxford Climate Choir, comments:
We sang, “The climate’s changing, what are we doing?” as a banner reading “Science Museum, Stop Ignoring Science” was dropped from the Energy Hall balcony above. The Climate Choir Movement gave their support to the Fossil Free Science Museum group and sang in harmony as they held banners saying “drop your toxic sponsors” demanding trustees refuse toxic sponsorship money from fossil fuel companies including the giant coal and gas producer Adani which sponsored the new “Energy Revolution Climate Change Gallery”, in the Museum.”
The protest comes prior to a meeting of Science Museum Trustees later in the week which will provide the opportunity for the sponsorship deals to be cancelled before the new Gallery opens.
Co-founder of the Climate Choir Movement, Jo Flanagan said on the 7 October:
“We are here to peacefully use our voices to challenge the Science Museum who are one of the last of our public institutions to accept fossil fuel money. It gives their sponsors an unwarranted respectability and privileged access to their networks while sending the message that these fossil fuel companies are doing the right thing when quite clearly they are not. When tobacco sponsorship became toxic the laws started to change. We now need that shift with fossil fuel companies”.
The Science Museum enables its sponsors, which in addition to Adani, include BP who are rowing back on renewables and Equinor, who own the controversial Rosebank field in the North Sea, to greenwash their continued investments in oil, gas and coal. Adani has been accused of violating the human rights of indigenous people, contaminating crops, and was called out for corruption and fraud after publication of the Hindenburg report.
Singers from the rapidly growing Climate Choir Movement recently brought the Barclays AGM to a standstill singing their version of the Spice Girls ‘Stop Right Now’. Their numbers are growing rapidly – they currently have nine Climate Choirs and over 500 singers. They continue to use their voices in peaceful protest performances to prevent climate and ecological breakdown.
Ed: West England Bylines does not support any particular organisation or company. We do however give space to those who promote progressive and sustainable goals.
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