Now, photos and videos have surfaced of two climate change activists from the Just Stop Oil group throwing soup at a Vincent van Gogh painting. sunflower The exhibition at the National Gallery was widely shared on the internet and splashed across newspapers.
But hours after the story broke, people online were saying that more than just a few young activists simply think pouring soup over a 130-year-old painting will solve impending climate change. Instead, I began to wonder if something more sinister was going on.
A video posted by a TikTok user named Mars has received 927,000 views, showing that climate change activists are not acting in good faith, and that big oil companies are instead trying to skew the public's view of climate change activists. We discussed the possibility that this was created by
But how much truth is behind these claims, and can they actually be true?
What is Just Stop Oil?
Just Stop Oil is a UK-based coalition of climate change organizations that says they are “working together to ensure the government ends all new licenses and consents for the exploration, development and production of fossil fuels in the UK”. .
The group, which was founded in February 2022, has made headlines multiple times for its reckless behavior, which includes members of the group jumping into Liverpool's soccer field during a match and hitting their head on a goalpost. There was also an incident where people were tied up with cables. In another example, several activists invaded the racetrack at the 2022 Formula 1 British Grand Prix, but the race they were protesting had been suspended minutes earlier due to an accident.
In addition to protesting sporting events, the group made a name for itself in the art world long before they poured soup on Van Gogh's paintings.
In July 2022, two of our members were glued to John Constable's home. Hey Wayne The National Gallery has covered the painting with printed images that reimagine the work as a “vision of an apocalyptic future” after climate collapse. And just one day later, a group of Just Stop Oil members were glued to Leonardo's copy of his Vinci writings. Last Supper I painted a picture at the Royal Academy of Arts and spray-painted the words “No New Oil” on the wall below.
The group says on its website that the bulk of the funding comes from the Climate Emergency Fund (CEF). CEF is a US-based movement founded in 2019 that provides grants and funding to climate organizations around the world.
Since the beginning of 2022, CEF claims to have funded 39 different organizations and distributed more than $4 million to each organization. Other notable groups receiving funding from them include Extinction Rebellion and Scientist Rebellion, both of which became famous for acts of civil disobedience.
This may seem innocuous enough on the surface, but when information about CEF's founder, Eileen Getty of the multibillion-dollar Getty Oil Company, started circulating online, people eventually discovered the organization's closet. I started to suspect that there was some kind of skeleton inside.
Who is Eileen Getty?
As mentioned above, Eileen Getty is one of several heirs to the $5.4 billion Getty fortune, which the family acquired through an oil company founded in 1942. The company no longer exists and was certainly sold in the early 2000s. It continues to this day, and people are starting to wonder if Eileen Getty actually still has active ties to the oil industry.
But unless Mr. Getty's investments in oil ventures are so secret that there are no records available to the public, the opposite appears to be true. In 2012, she founded the Eileen Getty Foundation. According to the foundation's purpose, it “supports a wide range of local and global organizations and initiatives that improve the environment, our communities, and the lives of individuals through innovation, conservation, connection, and kindness.” ”
On this basis, it would appear that the oil fortune heir has been using his money to fight the very business in which his family made its fortune.
In 2019, the Getty provided a foundation grant to establish CEF, contributing more than $500,000 to CEF's cause, citing its belief that civil unrest is the only way to create change on the front lines of the climate emergency. promised to donate.
If “Big Oil” isn’t funding the CEF, can Just Stop Oil be trusted?
While Getty itself doesn't seem to be funneling money to unscrupulous actors intent on making climate change activists look bad, Just Stop Oil's reputation is far from good.
But when you consider the facts, they seem to genuinely believe in their cause, even though their method of protest is considered controversial.
“British households will be forced to choose between heating and eating this winter as fossil fuel companies make record profits.”
Anna Holland: “Stop oil''
Despite its singular purpose of ending the use and production of fossil fuels, the Just Stop Oil website offers a way for interested parties to donate via cryptocurrency if they wish.
Stop using oil and cryptocurrencies
Ethereum, the cryptocurrency of choice in this movement, was reported by the Digiconomist website in 2021 to use the same amount of energy per transaction as the average US household consumes in 2.5 days. , which corresponds to a carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to approximately 34 kg of carbon dioxide. . This means that the cryptocurrency, in which the majority of all NFTs are created, consumes more energy per year than all of Denmark and is the same size as the carbon footprint caused by Lithuania.
As of last month, Ethereum claims it has upgraded to a more environmentally friendly plan, which it claims will reduce carbon emissions by more than 99%. However, crypto experts and users appear to be divided on whether this upgrade actually matters.
While it's true that this upgrade could potentially reduce carbon emissions by 99%, there's no guarantee this will actually happen, according to technology news website The Verge.
“Some miners are resistant to change and are desperate to keep the existing proof-of-work Ethereum blockchain alive, which could limit the total energy savings.” A Verge article on the subject explains: Even if the old methods were changed, the reductions would not be as dramatic.
And since it was only released last month, there's still no information on whether this is actually the case.
Additionally, as dramatic as Ethereum's carbon footprint reductions are claimed to be, Just Stop Oil's website does not actually indicate when it will start accepting donations via this cryptocurrency. There is no information on whether it has started. This means that if this option had been available to you before 15th September, organizations whose main goal is to minimize the UK's carbon footprint would have to emit more than 11 million tonnes of CO2 per year. This means that they were supporting the use of virtual currency.
jerusalem post Just Stop Oil did not respond to requests for further information on its use of virtual currency.
misjudged act of treason
Cryptocurrency use aside, the group has been widely criticized, not just by climate change deniers, for its actions inside the National Gallery on Friday.
In a statement to the stunned crowd, activists Phoebe Plummer and Anna Holland explained why they threw two cans of tomato soup into one of Van Gogh's most famous works of art.
“The cost of living crisis, driven by fossil fuels, is putting everyday life out of reach for millions of cold, starving families who can't even afford to heat up a can of soup,” Plummer said. said Mr Holland, adding: “British families will continue to find themselves in a difficult situation.'' Fossil fuel companies are making record profits, forcing us to choose between heating and eating this winter. ”
For some, the repeated references to food insecurity were offset somewhat by cans of soup thrown against the wall.
Following the incident, a climate activist who goes by the handle @katie_jr criticized the group's actions on Twitter.
“I usually support your actions 100%,” wrote Katie, who has more than 16,000 followers on the social media platform. “I don't support this and it makes me sad. I think the goals were wrong and we can't tolerate food waste. Yes, this is propaganda for a good cause, but most people There is no connection between this action and the cost of 'living crisis'. ”
Monica Araya, a climate activist and member of the European Climate Foundation, also expressed concern on Twitter, particularly about art being used as a target.
“I fully support the drive towards a fossil-free society. I fully support public participation and call out the polluters. But leave the art alone! This is not the way to go. No. It was sad to watch,” she said in a statement.
I fully support the promotion of a fossil fuel-free society. I fully support public participation and call out polluters. But leave the art alone! This is not the method. It was sad to watch. I hope it never happens again.
— Monica Araya (@MonicaArayaTica) October 14, 2022
Additionally, some were quick to point out that the National Gallery is a free museum, meaning that everyone has access to the art it houses, regardless of their financial situation.
“Art has always given me joy when I'm feeling down. I've never been rich. In fact, I'm pushed to the limit financially,” said one person. He said this. “The art gallery here is free and it is one of my happy places to go to relax and ground myself.”
In fact, this is not the first time that the Just Stop Oil group appears to have targeted the wrong protest.
In March, a Just Stop Oil activist ran onto a soccer field during a game and was ultimately sentenced to six weeks in prison for aggravated trespassing.according to telegram, his reason for disrupting the match was to protest against News Castle FC, which is owned by Saudi oil giant Aramco. But in reality, the group is owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
Just Stop the Oil: In the pockets of big oil or the real activists?
It's almost impossible to know whether “Just Stop Oil” is actually funded by honest climate change activists or secretly in the pockets of oil billionaires, but their National It's clear from the widespread reaction to the gallery's stunts that they are certainly controversial, no matter what the issue. People who are funding their work.
Despite the overwhelmingly negative public reaction to Friday's tomato soup-based protest, the group shows no signs of slowing down. Despite the arrest of the members involved and around 20 others, the group took to the streets again on Saturday, this time blocking major roads in central London, leaving vehicles stuck in traffic and CO2 leaked into the environment. , over an hour.
