We, Fossil Free Culture NL, call upon every cultural institution that accepts fossil fuel sponsorship to immediately cut their ties with this catastrophic industry.
The climate crisis is the biggest existential challenge humanity has ever consciously had to face. Its likelihood has been cemented by decades of climate denial; paid for and promoted by fossil fuel companies. Artists, critics and cultural institutions must recognise and act upon the fact that the planet and its life support systems are collapsing all around us in the hands of unrestrained fossil capital.
We are extremely fucking angry. And deeply scared.
The climate crisis fuels and aggravates myriad other structural crises, deepening inequality, injustice, racism, and exploitation. With the whole world at stake, the fossil fuel age must be brought to an immediate screeching halt.
1. We believe in the transformative power of art. Artists have the capacity to envision other worlds and to devise the tactics that can make those worlds a reality.
2. We believe artists, cultural workers and institutions must respond with courage to the situation at hand. Our role is core to exposing and countering the very real possibility of climate collapse.
3. We must resist the appropriation of cultural heritage by oil and gas corporations to decorate the name of their profit-addicted death cult.
4. We call for eradication of all opportunities for the fossil fuel industry to pimp their image using their toxic profits. Banning art-washing and all other image sanitising strategies is crucial to dismantling fossil power.
5. We commit to eroding the social license that fossil fuel corporations rely on to criminally prolong their catastrophic business practices, annihilating our future in the process.
6. We commit to jamming closed the revolving door that fossil fuel lobbyists use to move between business, political and cultural sectors, pedalling their poisonous influence.
7. We call upon our cultural institutions to choose for the right side of history; to cut all ties now with fossil fuel corporations, or be branded accomplices and share their lasting guilt.
Cultural institutions that fail to liberate themselves from the influence of this ecocidal industry shall receive a relentless series of reputation corroding performances on the subject, wherever and whenever they may cause the most embarrassment.
We’re not joking.