September 18, 2008
Today a group of climate activists disrupted the AGM of Ryanair at the Radisson Hotel, Dublin Airport. Campaigners dropped a banner from the hotel with a subvertised Ryanair logo reading ’ LYINAIR.CON’. One campaigner confronted a dumb-struck Michael O’Leary at the podium, while other eco-clowns juggled outside.
The PLANE MAD campaigners are campaigning for responsible aviation. By pioneering the cheap flights model Ryanair have been responsible for a significant proportion of the massive growth in the aviation industry. Aviation is currently the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases. While governments and individuals are gearing up to tackle their carbon emissions it is necessary to accept the reality that flying is the most polluting form of transport.
Plane Mad is an Irish campaigning group taking action against the unsustainable nature of aviation in Ireland. To find out more visit www.planemad.org
Today a group of climate activists disrupted the AGM of Ryanair at the Radisson Hotel, Dublin Airport.
Members of Plane Mad entered the meeting as shareholders and told Michael O’Leary directly that he was lying about climate change. The Campaigner, Rob Mac, told the AGM that he was campaigning for the responsible use of aviation. He also stated that aviation would negate all other reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in Ireland if current growth continues. A mention was also made of the unfair tax breaks that aviation enjoys.
A briefing was distributed in the AGM from a mysterious ‘M. O’Liary’ outlining a climate change denial strategy, apparently already being rolled out.
A banner that read “Lyin Air” in the Rynair livery was dropped form the roof initially. Finding the conditions a bit windy the activist moved the banner to a balcony at the front of the hotel, where it remained for nearly an hour.
A pair of “Eco-Clowns” turned up near the banner and juggled for a while. The clowns were wearing Pinocchio noses to represent the lies being told by Michael O Leary.
One of the ‘Eco-clowns’, Ian Clotworthy, said ‘O’Leary is clearly misleading the public to try to protect his profits. Ask any scientific institution from NASA to MET Eireann and they will tell you climate change is real. Climate change can’t be denied anymore and neither can aviation’s contribution to the greenhouse gas emissions that cause it’.
The campaigners are members of the Irish group Plane Mad. The action was designed to draw attention to denial of climate change by the CEO of Ryanair in recent press and radio statements. Plane Mad believe that climate change is the defining challenge of our generation. The group believes that there are solutions to this challenge and that we need to face them head on as soon as possible.
One of the campaigners at the airport, Tara Sheehy from Tipperary said, ‘By dismissing the clearly proven link between man-made emissions and our changing climate, Michael O Leary is running from the truth. Sticking our heads in the sand and trying to deny that there is a problem will not make climate change go away. Michael O Leary claims not to be “a cloud bunny”, its time then for him to come down to earth about the science of climate change and admit to the damage his airline is causing.’
‘By pioneering the cheap flights model Ryanair have been responsible for a significant proportion of the massive growth in the aviation industry. Aviation is currently the fastest growing source of greenhouse gases. While governments and individuals are gearing up to tackle their carbon emissions it is necessary to accept the reality that flying is the most polluting form of transport.’
‘Climate change is happening now. It is negatively affecting the lives of thousands of people all over the world. Aviation is the fastest growing contributor to it. Trying to claim anything else is just plane mad.’
Plane Mad is an Irish campaigning group taking action against the unsustainable nature of aviation in Ireland. To find out more visit www.planemad.org
For further information or comment,
Contact: Tara Sheehy 086 8581605
Molly Walsh 00353879252820
Ryanair Agm
September 18, 2008
Spoof Briefing to Investors,
Dear Shareholder,
As I’m sure you are aware, a key threat to our revenue is the possibility that passengers would heed environmental concerns and fly less. We clearly need a strategy to avoid consumers becoming aware of the climate impact we have.
I want to take this opportunity to assure you that I will not let this eco-bollocks affect our profit, and to outline my strategy for dealing with it.
The tactics of denial employed by the tobacco industry proved successful for decades after the health impacts were proven. Exxon have successfully used the same tactics and many of the same personnel to deny the reality of climate change.
Currently very few passengers know that flying is the most carbon intensive way to travel. We need to direct attention away from the science by fostering a culture of doubt around the facts. The eco-loonies may attempt to cling to peer-reviewed science, but we don’t need to be able to refute their facts, all we need is to spread enough misinformation for doubt to linger.
I have already been active in national newspapers and on radio questioning whether climate change is caused by carbon dioxide. In the letters pages of the Irish Times on July the 17th, I used the current inclement weather to suggest that the climate could not be warming. The liberal idiots who read the Irish Times will believe anything.
The International Aviation and Transport Association (IATA) have done commendable work suppressing information on the damage caused by aviation. There are certain concrete facts that we cannot afford to allow to become accepted. If they did so environmental awareness could become a ticking time bomb for the health of our profits. The following facts will be denied by me, like lying is going out of fashion.
1. The reductions in emissions per passenger are meaningless due to our growth.
2. Due to the additional pollutants released by airplanes and the altitude at which they are released the total warming effect of aviation emissions is 2.7 times greater than the warming effect of the carbon dioxide alone.
3. The 2 per cent figure I always use for the share of carbon that aviation accounts for, conveniently ignores the whole story of other pollutants and recent growth.
Despite their sandal-wearing, muesli eating carry-on, these eco-loons have the potential to mess up our marketing. I’m just a lad from a farm in Mullingar, but I know how to put bums on seats. People want to fly, they want to fly cheaply and they don’t want to have to deal with the guilt peddled by those eco fun-police. All we need to do is to make it seem like the science might not be solid and our money will keep rolling in.
I know that you are rational people who understand business. I hope that you can stand behind my blatant lies, as I am working to protect our profits.
The 12 million or so passengers I carry around Europe on cheap flights may well be causing climate change but it’s putting money in my pocket. I am making money today. It is not my business to care about tomorrow.
And who do these eco-loons think they are anyway, denting the bottom line of the company I’ve been tying my ego to for years? I lie very hard every day so my kids can be richer than their friends. Will I be sparing a thought for those who are now dying as a result of climate change? You must be eco-joking!
Screw the Bangladeshis.
Screw the next generation.
Deny climate change.
Fly Ryanair.
Yours sincerely,
M. O Liary
Chief Executive