A group of Christians occupied the lobby of insurance company, Probitas 1492, in London for five hours on Tuesday 27th February to ask them not to insure the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). Others gathered in prayerful vigil outside the building.

 Those involved are concerned the pipeline will produce around 380 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and is already causing human rights abuses.

Rev Vanessa Elston, an Anglican priest who stood in vigil outside the building, said:

‘The insurance industry is critical to the growing risks of climate change. They can refuse to insure new fossil fuel projects or they can fuel the climate emergency by providing cover for increased gas and oil production. The church has to highlight the true risk, suffering and unacceptable cost of financial decisions that back reckless greed. Our God-given ethical responsibility is to insure the future of a habitable and healthy earth as a first priority. We have to stand against the financial institutions that are putting that future at risk.’

Dr Michelle Barnes, 56, an ex-geologist, who was inside the lobby, said:

‘I’m here today because EACOP is already having a devastating impact on communities in Uganda and Tanzania. Families have been displaced from their land and not properly compensated. If EACOP goes ahead more than 100,000 people across Uganda and Tanzania will lose the land they reply on for farming and animal raising. The pipeline would also pose significant risks to the Lake Victoria basin, which over 40 million people rely upon for drinking water and food production.

‘I can’t stand by and let this happen. Insurance companies can choose not to fund this harm and instead contribute to a better, brighter future for all in which the extraction and burning of fossil fuels plays no part.’

The action was part of a week of action targeting the insurance industry and asking them not to insure major fossil fuel infrastructure. Without insurance, projects such as coal mines and pipelines can’t go ahead. 2023 was the hottest year on record. The effects of the climate and ecological crisis are already being felt on every continent. From water shortages and droughts to flooding and rising food prices. Communities in the poorest parts of the world are suffering the worst impacts despite contributing the least to the problem while communities in the UK have been up to their necks in polluted flood water in recent weeks and months.

After five hours of occupying the lobby, a march that was visiting a number of occupations of insurance companies, came to the building and those taking part in this action left to join them.