Protestors from Totalement Down and Extinction Rebellion rallied in Brussels against the EACOP project, a new oil pipeline in Uganda and Tanzania, outside the headquarters of Total Energies.
Demonstrators staged a “die-in” to symbolise victims of the climate crisis, with others performing a slow dance around them. Meanwhile, four masked activists, portraying Total Energies’ CEOs and partners, spat out mock oil from champagne glasses.
"EACOP is an oil project that Total Energies plans to initiate in Uganda and Tanzania. If it proceeds, it would be the largest heated pipeline ever constructed," says Elliot, an Extinction Rebellion activist. He adds that NGOs, scientists, and local and international associations have been warning of the project’s harmful effects on people and the environment for years.
The activist noted, "Not only does EACOP endanger over 2000 km2 of natural areas, once completed, it could release up to 34.3 million tonnes of CO2 annually, significantly more than the combined current emissions of Uganda and Tanzania. It has already affected the homes and properties of over 100,000 individuals. It’s high time to end Total Energies’ colonialist and ecocidal strategy."
Total greenwashing
Total Energies claim to be a leader in transitioning to renewable energy, but according to Greenpeace, 99% of the energy they produced in 2022 was still from fossil fuels, the demonstrators stated. They stressed that Total Energies are part of multiple fossil fuel projects endangering the climate, biodiversity, and human rights.
"The financing of the EACOP project is now in peril due to the global #StopEACOP campaign backed by activists," the protesters reported.
According to Le Monde, 26 banks and 23 insurers have agreed not to finance or insure the estimated €9.8 billion project. However, several major players still support the project. "We are using this artistic demonstration to urge Amundi, Marsh, and Standard Bank to stop supporting Total Energies’ destructive ‘carbon bomb’. It’s essential the public understands these three companies are complicit in environmental disasters and human rights violations. If their image is sufficiently threatened, they’ll retreat."
