Widespread Airport Disruption

The international uprising started on 24th July, days before the start of the Olympics, amid record-breaking global temperatures. The first action kicked off at 3AM in Germany, when a group of supporters of Letzte Generation cut the fence of the Cologne Bonn airport and glued themselves to the taxiways, stopping air traffic for 4 hours.

Actions followed one after the other: for more than 3 weeks, in 14 countries across Europe, North America and Africa, supporters of 20+ groups [1], including Stay Grounded and Just Stop Oil, disrupted airports and took to the streets in peaceful protests. Their demand: a legally binding Fossil Fuel Treaty to phase out oil, gas, and coal by 2030, with support for poorer countries in a just transition.

Besides actions in which people stepped onto the tarmac to disrupt air traffic, a vast array of tactics were used: painting airport facilities and equipment; blocking boarding doors or the external access to airports; or even disrupting the take off of a flight, caused by a group who rose up and made a speech just before a plane started moving.

At the end of the first week, Stay Grounded campaigners joined the rally They Fly, We Die, by Fossil Free London, against the expansion of London City Airport, a hub serving the super-rich, located in a working-class area where 7.5% of deaths are linked to air pollution.

Escalating Repression

This wave of action followed the harshest prison sentences ever given to climate activists in Europe, with five Just Stop Oil supporters sentenced to 4-5 years for speaking in a Zoom session. In the lead-up to the protests, authorities conducted numerous raids and arrests, including at public events.

Over the course of the action days, 144 people were arrested across 31 airports, with 14 people still held in prison on remand in the UK. 8 people were raided in connection with Oil Kills actions in Germany, a country which has recently seen an escalation in the repression of climate activists, with Letzte Generation being indicted as a criminal organisation.

In Uganda, 50 Students Against EACOP supporters were arrested for attempting a peaceful march, with two detained for four days.

Breaking: 47 of our members have violently been arrested as we led a protest to the parliament of Uganda calling for an end to EACOP and the government of Uganda to sign a fossil free treaty. Several road blocks were mounted to foil the protest march. https://t.co/rgcTj83DWY

— Students Against Eacop Uganda (@Studenteacop) August 9, 2024

The Deadly Cost of Fossil Fuels

The actions coincided with two consecutive days of record-breaking global temperatures in a year predicted to be the hottest on record. The deadly impact of extreme heat is already being felt, particularly in the Global South, where hundreds have died. Yet, world leaders continue to invest in new fossil infrastructure like airports and pipelines, while luxury emissions, such as those from private jets, are sky-high. Oil Kills warns that “continuing to extract and burn oil, gas, and coal is an act of war against humanity. It will kill hundreds of millions of people, adding to the already mounting global death toll from climate breakdown. It will push our climate, oceans and the living world beyond the point of no return, triggering runaway global heating and setting in motion an unstoppable process of global societal collapse.” The campaign emphasises that those who bear the greatest responsibility and have the greatest capacity must do the most to tackle climate breakdown. That’s why the demand to stop extracting and burning fossil fuels by 2030 focuses on governments of wealthy countries based in the Global North and stresses the need to support and finance poorer countries to make a fast, fair and just transition. This can be accomplished by endorsing the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative [2] and seeking a negotiating mandate to establish the treaty.              

Oil kills and so does aviation

The actions targeted airports because of their central role in fossil capitalism and for the opportunity they provide to directly confront society’s illusion of normalcy, calling for everyone to resist against profit-driven climate destruction. Aviation epitomises climate injustice, with the majority of flights taken by wealthy frequent flyers while most of the world never flies. The sector has seen accelerated growth in recent years and is projecting to double its passenger numbers by 2038. Moreover, despite industry greenwash, no viable technology exists to reduce aviation emissions; Fossil Fuel Substitutes (or so-called Sustainable Aviation Fuels) have dire impacts themselves and are in no way scalable to the needs of the sector. So, ending Fossil Fuels by 2030, demands drastic cuts to air traffic.                      

Flying is the fastest way to fry the planet. pic.twitter.com/laMr8dCgv7 — Stay Grounded Network (@StayGroundedNet) August 11, 2024        

What’s next?

These actions confirm a growing trend in direct action targeting aviation to highlight it’s injustice and role in climate destruction. The past year has seen an increased number of groups targeting airports in actions aimed at obnoxious private jets. Daring tactics like painting aircrafts or entering the tarmac causing major disruption to flights have become more frequent; this has been done, not only in small (but very effective) affinity group actions, but also in big mobilisations that invite masses of people to take direct action against an industry that puts profit above people. The message is clear: there can be no climate justice without steeply reducing flights.

Oil Kills declares they are not done yet: “Governments must take heed: you cannot arrest your way out of this, just as you cannot imprison a flood or serve injunctions on a wildfire. If you continue to ignore the looming reality, if you fail to protect the public from what is coming, then ordinary people will continue to take matters into their own hands to do what you have failed to do. We will act to protect humanity by stopping the machine that is causing us harm – the global fossil economy.”

“They Fly, We Die” protest against the expansion of London City Airport.

[1] Including Just Stop Oil and Fossil Free London (UK); Letzte Generation (Germany); Letzte Generation Österreich (Austria); Last Generation Canada; Folk Mot Fossilmakta and Scientist Rebellion Norway; Extinction Rebellion Finland; Extinction Rebellion e Scientist Rebellion Sweden; Extinction Rebellion Netherlands; Futuro Vegetal (Spain); Drop Fossil Subsidies, Act Now – Liberate and XR Geneve (Switzerland); Ostatnie Pokolenie (Poland), Doe Deurne Dicht nd Extinction Rebellion Antwerp (Belgium); Scientist Rebellion Turtle Island and Extinction Rebellion Boston (USA); Students Against EACOP (Uganda).

[2] The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty initiative is a diplomatic initiative working with a global network of thousands of civil society organisations and first mover governments who are spurring international cooperation to end new development of fossil fuels, phase out existing production within the agreed climate limit of 1.5°C and develop plans to support workers, communities and countries dependent on fossil fuels to create secure and healthy livelihoods.