Just Stop Oil: The Future of the Climate Movement?

By Min Jae Kwak, August 22, 2023

A British-based activist group called “Just Stop Oil” has made a name for itself and become the centerpiece of the disruptive climate movement.

As the urgency of the climate crisis becomes more and more pronounced by the day, activists in the climate movement have begun to evolve their methods of protest and change. Recently, disruptive activism has emerged at the forefront of the climate movement. More specifically, a British-based activist group called Just Stop Oil has made a name for itself and become the centerpiece of the disruptive climate movement.

Just Stop Oil, a coalition of environmentalists in the United Kingdom, first emerged in early 2020 for a series of highly public protests during several Premier League football matches. Images of protestors tying themselves to goalposts with shirts emblazoned with “Just Stop Oil” quickly went viral. Since then the organization has made a name for itself by staging highly public protests in a number of public venues. The organization’s protests have occurred at a number of different sporting events, ranging from Wimbledon to cycling tournaments, as well as other public events such as the Proms, a classical music festival to the National Gallery. The disruptive nature of these protests at public events has certainly brought about significant attention to the organization itself and the cause that the organization is fighting for. Just Stop Oil’s stated primary objective is for the U.K. government to stop licensing new oil, gas, and coal projects. This is in contrast to other climate organizations that look to cover a broader range of climate-related causes.

While the virality of Just Stop Oil’s protests certainly brings attention to important climate issues as a whole, the organization’s tactics have equally come under fire. Detractors argue that Just Stop Oil’s protests have little impact on climate policy and only serve to disrupt public events, drawing the ire of the public eye. In July 2023, a video went viral showing a mother unable to take her newborn to the hospital due to a Just Stop Oil traffic protest that blocked the roads. Viral incidents like this have provided detractors with the ability to fan the flames against the climate movement. Even activists in support of the climate movement have not entirely agreed with Just Stop Oil’s tactics. 

Peter Tatchell, a prominent LGBTQ activist in the United Kingdom, has argued that the organization should seek to target the bosses of oil and gas companies, as well as government ministers and banks. He continues by stating that real climate action cannot occur without broader public support and that the organization’s provocative protests can draw support away from the cause. Conversely, Professor Bart Cammaerts of the London School of Economics has stated,

“The history of social change is also a history of political contestation and disruption. Disruption of everyday life is often the best way to receive media attention, generate visibility for a cause and above all to push political and economic elites to compromise and accept change.”

Despite the pointed criticism of the organization’s tactics, there have been no indications that Just Stop Oil will scale back its efforts. As the organization continues to protest, it remains to be seen whether this rise of disruptive activism in the climate movement is a unique blip or the beginning of a fundamental change in the activist sphere. Whatever the case may be, disruptive tactics and groups like Just Stop Oil will continue to play an important role in driving change.

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