Yet another strong documentary from Al-Jazeera’s People & Power series, this time on oil corporations operating in Congo (Brazzaville), corruption and gas flaring.   Congo Brazzaville is one of the poorest countries in the world, despite the fact that it produces nearly 300,000 barrels of oil a day.Denis Sassou Nguesso, the country’s president has been in…

Pacific Environment are organising to challenge offshore drilling in the US: On his way out of Washington, former President Bush pushed through a plan that would sell off almost all of Alaska’s Arctic waters to Big Oil and would also open California’s coastlines to drilling. This plan continues the U.S.’s unmatched contribution to greenhouse gas emissions…

This news also came in on Tuesday via the climate camp twitter: “climatecamp: 12 climate campers have just blockaded RBS. Go campers go! Big group about to leave for Bank of England too” “climate camp: Up to 20 campers inside rbs. On second floor too. Dressed as construction workers. More info as it arrives!” “climatecamp: Cyclists…

Most of my news from this year’s Camp for Climate Action arrived by twitter: “climatecamp: Balcony of Shell building occupied, big ‘Shell’ sign now reads ‘hell’…” “climatecamp: Tarsands activists are now giving speeches at bp headqrtrs having stopped by at national portrait gallery in Trafalgar square” “climatecamp: Bp is one of the biggest players in the extracion…

PLATFORM generated two articles in Sunday’s Observer that highlight the collaboration between the Foreign Office and Shell over Libya. The documents referred to show the deep and long-term foreign policy backing provided by the British government to Shell in its efforts to break into Libya. Corporate executives have easy access to the highest level of…

Thai oil company PTT and the Australian government are struggling to deal with an enormous oil spill of the north coast in the Timor Sea. The leak, which started on August 21st, has created a spill stretching over 70 miles by 25 miles. Yet during the same week, Canberra granted environmental approval to Chevron &…

A warning of accelerated climate change to come. This not the Svalbard of Philip Pullman’s warrior polar bears, but the non-fictional Norwegian Arctic. While government and oil corporations focus on the Arctic’s potential as a great new oil province. (See BP’s own brochure for boasts of “a solid Arctic track record”.) The ice in the Barents Sea…

Lobby groups funded by BP & Shell are organising public rallies in the US to oppose proposed legislation that would cap carbon emissions. The American Petroleum Institute (API) provided “upfront resources” to pay for an events company to organise public protest meetings. The tactic of “astroturfing” has been used by corporations since the 1990s to…

BP brand hypocrisy continues, with Marketing Magazine reporting on the company’s plans for the London Olympics in 2012. Energy company BP has appointed agencies Landor and Ogilvy to handle its sponsorship of London 2012. Tony Hayward, executive director of BP, said that […] as BP is the UK’s biggest company with headquarters in London, the 2012 Olympics…