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CEO of American Oil Company rushed off stage during climate event as protest erupts
A group of activists with Climate Defiance take the stage during the New York Times’ Climate Forward event on Wednesday. Credit: Ken Schles/Climate Defiance
Kaieteur News – The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of American oil company, Occidental Petroleum, Vicki Hollub, was rushed off the stage as she made her way to an interview at the New York Times’ Climate Forward event.
Inside Climate News, an independent organization in a report of the incident said an audience member leapt up into her path, insisting that the company was destroying the environment.
“You are not welcome here,” he said. “Tricky Vicki, you can’t hide, we charge you with ecocide.”
A dozen other demonstrators joined the action and took to the stage with chants and a banner that read “DON’T TRUST TRICKY VICKI,” and two others that read “LIAR” and “SNAKE OIL.”
Some Climate Forward attendees began clapping for the protesters, while others watched in silence or pulled out their phones to record it. There was little audible criticism of the action from the audience, although some attendees voiced annoyance or disappointment at not seeing Hollub speak as they exited and others said they had expected a protest.
The event organizers paused the proceedings and cleared guests from the auditorium as New York Police Department officers arrived, warned the protesters that they were trespassing and prepared to arrest the group. Ten activists were taken into police custody.
Times staff brought guests back into the auditorium about 10 minutes after the demonstrators had been removed, but after five minutes, they asked everyone to leave again, announcing that the rest of the programme, including Hollub’s interview, would be presented online only. The Climate Forward interview with Michael Regan, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, was canceled due to the delay.
“Climate criminals should not be allowed in polite society,” said Climate Defiance’s Michael Greenberg after the event. “It is outrageous that the New York Times is hosting a fossil fuel CEO at a supposed climate event.”
“The New York Times Climate Forward is a live journalism event designed to bring together influential newsmakers for rigorous and challenging interviews around climate change and political policy,” wrote a Times spokesperson in an emailed statement. “This afternoon, a small group briefly disrupted an on-stage session at Climate Forward. The last interview was streamed live, and a recording will be available on our website and events YouTube page.”
In the recorded interview, Hollub responded to the protest.
“Here at Occidental, we are working for solutions to the climate change situation that our world faces,” she said. “It’s the greatest crisis that our world has ever faced and we have to come together to work on solutions for that and so, to me, to have those that are seeking headlines rather than solutions interrupt discussions that need to be had is a sad day for them, and I feel bad that they have nothing better to do with their time.”
A handful of scattered demonstrations disrupted other events at Climate Week NYC, which brings government, business and NGO leaders, along with thousands of others working in climate and related fields, to the city for 600 environmental events and activities. For activist groups like Climate Defiance, which specialize in disruptive action aimed at powerful individuals, the week provides myriad potential targets.
Inside Climate News reported that Occidental Petroleum, known as Oxy, garnered headlines in 2020 when it outlined its “Pathway to Net Zero” strategy. To reach net zero emissions of greenhouse gases, the company projected it would rely heavily on carbon capture projects that use costly and largely unproven technologies many climate activists have said are slowing the implementation of renewable energy. The company also stated it would be “expanding low-carbon fuel products” to meet its goals.
This year, a report from Carbon Market Watch, a nonprofit tracking corporate and government carbon policies, called these plans “vague and not aligned with the recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.”
- American oil company, Hollub’s interview, Occidental Petroleum, Pathway to Net Zero, programme, The New York Times, Vicki Hollub
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