Around 200 climate activists, including Sweden’s Greta Thunberg, blocked Norway’s largest oil refinery on Monday to demand an immediate end to the country’s oil industry, according to organisers and police.
Activists from Extinction Rebellion sat on the road and stopped entry to the Mongstad refinery in Bergen, located on Norway’s southwest coast. At the same time, kayaks and sailboats blocked the port’s entrance.
“We are here because it’s crystal clear that there is no future in oil. Fossil fuels lead to death and destruction,” Thunberg said in a statement. She also accused oil producers like Norway of having “blood on their hands.”
Burning fossil fuels releases carbon emissions, which are the main cause of global warming.
Police said they had been at the site monitoring the protest since around 9 a.m. local time (0700 GMT).
The activists also announced that they plan to continue holding demonstrations across Norway throughout the week.
The Mongstad refinery is operated by Equinor, an oil company that is majority-owned by the Norwegian state. The protesters are calling on Norway’s leaders to introduce “a plan to phase out oil and gas.”
Norway is Western Europe’s largest oil and gas producer, but it faces regular criticism over its fossil fuel production. Government officials argue that the industry provides important jobs, supports technological development, and ensures stable energy supplies for Europe.
Equinor has said it plans to maintain oil production at about 1.2 million barrels per day until 2035. The company also expects to produce 40 billion cubic metres (52 billion cubic yards) of gas annually by 2035.
