Possibly one of the most unethical industries on the planet is oil. Millions of people fill up their cars every day but very few realise that in doing so they directly fund some of the worst human rights abuses the world has ever seen.Take Total for example. A huge amount of the petrol in Totals stations comes from Burma, for which Total pay the Burmese regime $750 million per year. This is a regime that has imprisoned the democratically elected leader (Aung Sann Suu Kyi), is carrying out a genocide of the Karen people, imprisons and tortures hundreds of democracy activists (as young as four), uses rape as a weapon and is using chemical weapons on ethnic villages. The money that Total pays the regime for the oil provides the planes, guns, tanks and ammunition needed to keep the oppression going -Total is the regimes biggest supplier of funds and without Total they could not survive. If this isn't enough Total has used slaves to build its pipeline, employed Burmese soldiers to guard the pipeline and turned a blind eye whilst they rape girls and loot houses, and provided the French government with millions of Euros in order to water-down EU and UN action on Burma. In fact Total's very presence in Burma is in violation of the EU trade sanctions put in place to promote democracy and human rights. A coalition of groups led by Burma Campaign UK vigorously lobby to get Total out of Burma -providing detailed reports and leading an international boycott. Grassroots groups such as the extremely active Students Against Total have also sprung up; holding protests and leaflet drops at Total stations whilst lobbying Total through letters and e-mails; asking some of the most awkward questions which Total refuse to answer!
Have a look at their websites today and get involved in the campaign against what has come to be known by human rights activists as Totalitarian Oil.
Over the next few posts i'll be discussing the other huge oil giants, their human rights abuses, and the ethical choices when it comes to buying your petrol.
