Climate activists stage a ‘zombie dance’ outside insurance company offices

Climate activists dressed as zombies gathered outside a number of insurance companies to call on the industry to stop insuring new fossil fuel projects.

Extinction Rebellion Scotland activists staged “zombie dances” outside the Glasgow offices of insurers Howden, AIG and AXA, which they say provide insurance for fossil fuel projects.

In addition to the Killer Drillers – a dance routine inspired by Michael Jackson – protesters also heard speeches and a musical performance, and chanted “No more gas, no more oil, keep the carbon in the soil.”

Activists have called insurance a “weak spot” in the fossil fuel industry and said companies could become “climate change heroes” if they choose not to insure projects.

Lois Legendre, 44, a senior engineer and climate activist, said: “The UN Code Red for Humanity should be pretty clear, we should have phased out fossil fuels decades ago and have new fossil fuel projects now, in 2024 is pure madness.

“Insurance is a weak point that could prevent the fossil fuel industry from extracting and drilling more oil, gas and coal.

“The insurance industry could see damage from extreme weather events that are already flooding our homes, destroying our food supplies and threatening to kill billions of people in our lifetimes.

“They can become climate heroes by refusing to support the fossil fuel industry and help save our entire civilization and the biosphere we rely on for life.

“We demand that these companies and the entire insurance industry immediately stop insuring all new oil, gas and coal projects – and we will keep coming back until they do.”

The protest was part of Extinction Rebellion’s Insure Our Survival campaign, which will see protests across the UK this week.

A Howden spokesman said: “We are aware of protests targeting a number of UK insurance companies this week. We have taken steps to ensure the safety of our premises and the safety of our staff and visitors.

“Howden is committed to playing an active role in the transition to net zero and we believe we can make a greater impact by working with clients to accelerate their decarbonisation than by not doing so.

“We have invested heavily in developing the solutions and driving the changes needed to ensure our industry plays its critical role in mitigating the risks of both the continued development of alternative energy sources and the decarbonization of existing ones.”

AIG and AXA were asked to comment on the situation.