Writers stage climate protest at Edinburgh International Book Festival over fossil fuel sponsorship

During the Edinburgh International Book Festival, more than 100 authors issued a statement urging sponsor Baillie Gifford to withdraw its investments from fossil fuels, threatening to boycott the event. Notable signatories included Ali Smith, Zadie Smith, and Greta Thunberg, who opted out of the festival due to this controversy. Organizer Mikaela Loach staged a walkout during her session, accompanied by nearly 200 attendees. The protest focused on Baillie Gifford's £5 billion fossil fuel investments and its financing of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, projected to produce emissions 25 times greater than the combined annual output of Tanzania and Uganda. Critics largely panned the protest as impractical, while the festival maintained its commitment to fostering dialogue. Author Lauren Elkin, a signatory, linked the protest to feminist art activism in her book 'Art Monsters', referencing artists like Theresa Hak Kyung Cha and Kathy Acker. She also mentioned Josh Appignanesi's film 'My Extinction', which addresses climate activism through a personal lens and includes insights from Simon McBurney. Elkin quoted Ursula K. Le Guin's 2014 speech on artistic resistance. This protest underscored the conflict between cultural funding and ethical accountability, as writers leveraged their influence to confront fossil fuel investments tied to environmental harm.