If the global community is to be true to its commitments, carbon emissions need to be reduced by at least 45 % globally and by at least 55 % EU-wide by 2030. Fossil fuel use and production need to be scaled down, yet the industry remains heavily subsidised. It is time to explore the most effective ways of bringing movement into the stuck system of ‘big oil’ power. What can (shareholder) activism, (financial) regulation, investment stewardship, or other actors achieve?