London, UK. 350.org condemns the Conservative Party’s push for more North Sea oil drilling, warning it is a reckless gift to fossil fuel giants as drought-striken British farmers face the worst harvest in 40 years and communities reel from Europe’s worst wildfire season on record.
Matilda Borgström, UK Team Lead at 350.org, said:
“This summer we have watched Europe burn. Our forests are scorched, our harvests are failing, and people are losing their lives. The real arsonists are the fossil fuel companies and billionaires who bankroll them — and the politicians who choose to side with profiteers over people. More drilling will not bring down bills, it will not keep us safe, it will only accelerate the climate crisis.”
Europe has seen over one million hectares destroyed by fire this year — an area larger than Cyprus — with Spain, Portugal, and the UK suffering devastating losses. Farmers here warn of the worst harvest in 40 years amid drought and record-breaking heat. Yet oil giants like BP and Shell are slashing renewable spending, doubling down on fossil fuels, and raking in billions while households struggle.
Against this backdrop, people are rising. Between 15–21 September 2025, movements in more than 30 countries will mobilise under the banner Draw the Line, demanding climate justice, demilitarisation, and economic transformation. In the UK, the wave of action will culminate with Make Them Pay — a massive march planned in London on 20 September, where tens of thousands will demand that billionaires and polluters pay for the crisis they created.
A coalition of groups representing millions of workers, citizens and communities are demanding that the UK government:
- Tax the super-rich to fund public services and climate solutions.
- Protect workers, not billionaires, by backing renewable jobs and industries of the future.
- Make polluters pay for the destruction they have knowingly caused.
Anne Jellema, Executive Director of 350.org, added:
“This mobilisation is about power — people power. We reject the lies of fossil fuel billionaires, resist the violence of militarism, and rise to remake a world that works for the many, not the few. When governments fail, we draw the line. The answer is us.”
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Notes to editor
Media contact: Mark Raven, [email protected], +447841474125