1,000 signatures reached
To: WOMAD Festival
WOMAD: Drop the oil sponsors!
Dear Womad: we love your weekend of world music and dance, but in this time of climate crisis we ask you not to take dirty money from the fossil fuel corporations that are causing it - Todd Energy and OMV.
Why is this important?
We love WOMAD as an international festival that celebrates diversity, and brings artists together from all over the world. At the same time as we come together to celebrate we remember we’re in a climate crisis fueled by the profits of companies extracting as much oil and gas as possible. We know that the oil industry has knowingly created the climate crisis.
This is why it’s staggering to see WOMAD take money from the oil and gas industry.
Climate change is an injustice that disproportionately affects our neighbours in the Pacific, indigenous people, and people in the majority world. These are the people who are also the least responsible for causing it.
We understand it costs a lot to put on a great event like Womad. But the costs we’re all paying from the actions of climate criminals such as the oil corporations are not sustainable.
As the global climate crisis intensifies each year with more fires, floods and droughts, we can’t help OMV continue to search for more fossil fuels to burn. Just 100 companies are responsible for more than 70% of the world’s carbon emissions. OMV is one of those companies.
Companies like Todd and OMV are greenwashing their dirty business by sponsoring family-friendly music festivals like WOMAD. Todd Corporation companies and Austrian oil giant OMV were New Zealand’s number 6 and number 8 biggest climate polluters respectively in 2021.
On the other hand WOMAD is in a unique position to use its platform to take a stand and protect the values it promotes.
If WOMAD ended its fossil fuel sponsorship of future festivals, it could have a big impact. History has shown that when people, businesses, and brands publicly distance themselves from those who are causing harm, they can spark action in many others.
For the love of art, music, and everything we hold dear, let’s tell WOMAD that the time has come to take a stand.
https://www.womad.co.nz/info/sponsors/
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/130991637/new-zealands-biggest-climate-polluters-ranked
https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/slider/6547567/On-line-strike-at-festival-backers
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/464595/company-allowed-to-search-for-oil-and-gas-off-taranaki-coast-despite-ban
This is why it’s staggering to see WOMAD take money from the oil and gas industry.
Climate change is an injustice that disproportionately affects our neighbours in the Pacific, indigenous people, and people in the majority world. These are the people who are also the least responsible for causing it.
We understand it costs a lot to put on a great event like Womad. But the costs we’re all paying from the actions of climate criminals such as the oil corporations are not sustainable.
As the global climate crisis intensifies each year with more fires, floods and droughts, we can’t help OMV continue to search for more fossil fuels to burn. Just 100 companies are responsible for more than 70% of the world’s carbon emissions. OMV is one of those companies.
Companies like Todd and OMV are greenwashing their dirty business by sponsoring family-friendly music festivals like WOMAD. Todd Corporation companies and Austrian oil giant OMV were New Zealand’s number 6 and number 8 biggest climate polluters respectively in 2021.
On the other hand WOMAD is in a unique position to use its platform to take a stand and protect the values it promotes.
If WOMAD ended its fossil fuel sponsorship of future festivals, it could have a big impact. History has shown that when people, businesses, and brands publicly distance themselves from those who are causing harm, they can spark action in many others.
For the love of art, music, and everything we hold dear, let’s tell WOMAD that the time has come to take a stand.
https://www.womad.co.nz/info/sponsors/
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/climate-news/130991637/new-zealands-biggest-climate-polluters-ranked
https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/slider/6547567/On-line-strike-at-festival-backers
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/464595/company-allowed-to-search-for-oil-and-gas-off-taranaki-coast-despite-ban