There was only one way to win the online game played by hundreds of staff at asset manager Abrdn: convince the board to cut oil and gas investments, even if it meant distracting them with pastries. The game was sent to employees by climate activists and was quickly banned on company servers.

Campaigners are increasingly using this type of stunt to highlight inaction on climate change in the real world. The goal is to capture the attention of the clients and staff of big polluters and their financiers without being too confrontational.  

Shell settled a court case it brought against Greenpeace in December after activists boarded its oil platform in the North Sea in 2023. After Shell announced it was suing, Greenpeace visited the company’s London HQ to leave a model of “the world’s tiniest violin”, making fun of Shell for saying the non-violent protest had endangered the lives of its staff.