Chameleon Magazine

 🏭💨ExxonMobil has decided that the Fife Ethylene Plant — a major industrial employer and source of environmental drama — will shut down in February 2026. Nearly 430 workers (179 direct, 250 contractors) are about to be shown the door, and with all the subtlety of a flaming flare stack at midnight. The official breakup letter? Blame the “UK policy environment,” weak markets, and—wait for it—high costs. Cue the world’s tiniest oil-soaked violin. 🎻🛢️

🧯The Big Flame-Out Nobody’s Fixing

Let’s not pretend this was a sudden decision. Mossmorran has been hanging on like a Windows 95 desktop—glitchy, loud, and always one error away from collapse. Communities raised health concerns. Environmental groups sounded alarms. ExxonMobil? They flicked on the flare, cashed the carbon credits, and now they’re off to greener pastures (read: cheaper and less-regulated countries).

And don’t let the government’s “we tried” line fool you. What does “explored every reasonable avenue” mean, exactly? Did someone Google “how to save an ethylene plant” and call it a day?

Meanwhile, what’s the plan for Fife and beyond? Crickets. 🦗 No green jobs transition, no retraining blueprint, no community investment parachute. Just more “market forces” hand-washing while workers are left holding the redundancy letter and wondering if Lidl’s hiring.

But hey, let’s all take comfort in knowing that ExxonMobil looked for a buyer. Probably sent a fax to “InterestedParty@Nowhere.com” and called it quits when no one responded within the hour. 📨🕳️

It’s not just a site closing. It’s yet another industrial artery slashed, with nothing — nothing — being pumped back in. Welcome to post-industrial Britain: where you don’t just lose your job, you lose your town’s purpose too. 🎡💀

💥 Challenges 💥

Why does every factory shutdown read like the same corporate breakup text? “It’s not you, it’s the economy.” If you’re from Fife, from Scotland, or just sick of the same tired routine of vanishing jobs and zero plans, we want your voice in the comments. Vent, rage, joke—whatever keeps the lights on. 🔦💬

👇 Comment, like, share — because Fife deserves more than silence.

The best takes, hot or hilarious, get featured in the next issue. 🗞️🔥