Climate Chaos
Reporting on Climate Chaos and related actions.
Mainshill Solidarity Camp digging in to resist eviction
23-01-2010 09:56
After seven months of occupying woodlands in South Lanarkshire the Mainshill Solidarity Camp is preparing for an eviction on Monday the 25th. The camp called a pre-eviction gathering after receiving a tip-off.
They are calling for people to come to the site and prepare to resist the forced removal by the notorious National Eviction Team, who visited the site late last year. The land they are occupying belongs to the Earl of Home who plans to allow Scottish Coal to extract 1.7m tonnes of coal ear marked for Drax power station in Yorkshire.
In September clear felling and test drilling of the site restarted since the woods were first occupied and since then a relentless campaign has been launched by the camp to disrupt it, including lock-ons and sabotage (see a round-up of actions here).
Local opposition to the coal mine has solidified, especially since the release of a health study revealing the health impacts of the open cast already spread across South Lanarkshire. Practical support for the camp has continued since the site was taken and locals are currently bringing down supplies for those holding the site against eviction.
Numbers on site are growing as activists from across the UK to stand in solidarity with the residents of the camp and the communities in South Lanarkshire, but campers say more people are still needed.
Links:
Mainshill Solidarity Camp | Pre-Eviction Gathering Details | Coal Action Scotland | Directions to the camp | Indymedia Scotland
COP15 Fails -- Capitalism is Ecocide
20-12-2009 21:59
As the politicians and protesters disperse from Copenhagen , the COP15 climate talks were judged to have ended in a failure to produce any binding commitment to tackle climate change. On Saturday 12th, an estimated 100 000 joined a demo, to be met with repressive policing and mass arrests. The same style of policing continued for the duration of the summit, with hundreds of protestors detained for hours in degrading and inhumane conditions. Whilst the police demonstrated the limits of freedom and democracy on the streets, inside the convention centre western powers and corporations dominated the proceedings, imposing unfair conditions and watering down the already inadequate proposals that were on the table.
In London, the Climate Camp which was set up after the 'wave' demo on December 5th, remained in situ in Trafalgar Square throughout the summit, mounting a number of actions, including an action against Tar Sands at Canada House on Monday 14th, and a protest against the Danish police on Thursday 17th.
Links:
Time Line | Climate IMC | IMC Denmark | iCOP15 aggregated site.
Titnore Woods Need You
20-12-2009 13:54
With the threat of development on Titnore Woods fast approaching now is the time to rise up and resist the destruction of our natural environment by corporate greed.
Campaigners have been camping in Titnore Woods, in resistance against the development, since 2006.
West Durrington Consortium, which consists of Persimmon Homes, Taylor Wimpy and Heron Homes could be given the go ahead to build a 1250 home development and a road in the new year. Previously the consortium had planned to build 875 homes. The project is estimated to cost over 3 billion pounds to build and take 6 years to complete which is utter madness when Worthing is reported to have over 1000 empty buildings! If the development goes ahead West Durrington will no longer home a semi- ancient woodland with its rich diversity in rare species, flora and fauna or its surrounding farmland but a massive housing development, road and a giant Tesco.
Links:Protect Our Woodland| Tinore's Blog|The Pork Bolter|Time out at Titnore - By SchMOVIES
Previous Indymedia features about Titnore Woods: [1|2|3|4|5|6|8]
Once You COP You Just Can't Stop
10-12-2009 22:09
Going to COP15? Wondering which pair of socks to bring? A space-hopper and a peace flag or a gas-mask and a bag of transit wheel nuts? Ask no longer as SchNEWS brings you our prepare-for-action guide to the week long climate protest in Denmark, a country which professes itself to be a 'key developer of climate solutions'. Let's hope they're right. Read on for yer essential what's-what: border checks, police tactics, and probably most importantly, what will the weather be like?
See www.schnews.org.uk or click 'full article'
Full article | 1 addition | 7 comments
50,000 in Climate Change Protest + Climate Camp Occupies Trafalgar Square
04-12-2009 09:46
Around 50,000 people took part in 'The Wave' demonstration in London on Saturday 5th December [ photos: 1 | 2 | 3 ] ahead of the Cop15 Climate conference - see Indymedia London Feature reports.
Following the Wave events and demonstration the London Climate Camp invited people to the COP Out Camp Out action - which took over Trafalgar Square, setting up a camp for an intended 48hrs to highlight the issues around the Cop15 mobilisation, summed up in the phrase "System Change not Climate Change. See Climate Camp Feature reports.
For coverage see Indymedia London Timeline
See also Liveblog archive | Twitter Tag search | Twitters: climatecampldn | copoutcampout
Help report what's happening by sending your reports from the streets.
See: The Wave Demonstration | Bike Ride | Climate Emergency | Climate Camp Action
Also see: Indymedia London | Imc uk Cop15 Section
For Cop 15 coverage see: Indymedia Denmark | Climate IMC
Full article | 4 additions | 5 comments
Cop15 Climate Conference: System Change, Not Climate Change
23-11-2009 16:55
As the world watches Copenhagen, thousands of people will participate in protest marches, direct action and alternative forums. In Denmark new repressive laws have been proposed [update: now passed] to discourage protests including extending preventitative detention from 6hrs to 12hrs, significantly increasing fines for public order offences under Danish law, and increasing the penalty for not dispersing when ordered to do so by police [see 1 | 2]. Meanwhile in a clear display of political policing, four uk activists on their way to an organising meeting in Copenhagen were detained and questioned under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 [2 | 3].
Despite this hundreds of people from the uk will head to Copenhagen to participate in the protests, actions and the Klimaforum. The uk Climate Camp is organising coach transport and has joined the Climate Justice Action network which is co-ordinating some of the protests, in particular the Reclaim Power! action on 16th December, which aims to push into the conference area and hold a "People’s Summit for Climate Justice". They are supported by a wide range of groups, including members of Climate Justice Now, a network formed in Bali during Cop13 and including many groups and networks from the global south, such as Via Campesina. Other planned actions focus on food sovereignty, migration, corporations and 'business as usual'.
In the countdown toward Cop15, there has been an upswing in direct action around climate change. On September 12th hundreds of people protested and took direct action at Hazelwood coal power station in Victoria, Australia [utube video]. On 26th September, hundreds of protestors in Denmark took direct action, breaching the fences at Amagerværket coal-fired power station (owned by Vattenfall) in an action called "Shut It Down" [reports 1 | 2 | video]. In the uk on 17th October around one thousand people protested at Eon's Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal power station, repeatedly breaching fences [pics]. On 26th October, activists in the uk occupied parts of Npower’s Didcot power station, blockaded an access road at Mainshill Wood where Scottish Coal plans a new coal mine, and climbed onto machinery at Shipley opencast coal mine stopping work [collected reports]. On October 28th activists from the action group Climate Alarm! blockaded the entrance to the Business Europe Copenhagen conference in Brussels [video 1 | 2 | 3 | pics]. At the start of November in Barcelona at the last preparatory session before Copenhagen, protestors marched, blocked roads and blockaded entrances to the meeting, whilst inside delegates from the African bloc staged a walk-out of the discussions [reports 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 ]. Whilst on 23rd November in Australia around two hundred protestors blockaded Parliament House in Canberra.
Ahead of Cop15, demonstrations are scheduled in Geneva alongside the WTO, and on November 30th the Mobilization for Climate Justice has called for a global day of action coinciding with the 10 year anniversary of the famous Seattle WTO protests. Linking the WTO to the Cop15 mobilisation is the Social & Climate Justice Caravan, with 60 representatives from global movements from the South travelling two routes from Geneva to Copenhagen, arriving 9th December. In London, a large pre-Cop15 protest march called "The Wave" is planned by a coalition of NGOs on December 5th, meeting at the US Embassy before marching off at 1pm to encircle Parliament. Earlier there is a Climate Bike Ride meeting at 10am at Lincoln's Inn Fields, and a Climate Emergency Rally at Speakers Corner, Hyde Park at midday. Update: An action has also been announced by Climate Camp in London: COP OUT Camp Out, to take place after the Wave demonstration.
Listings of Events + Protests: 1|2|3
Latest Logistics (accomodation etc) | Legal Advice / pdf | Medics and Trauma Support | Google Map
Climate Camp UK Coaches (11th-19th Dec) - (Booking deadline 25th Nov) | Other Coaches from European Countries
See coverage at: Indymedia DK | Climate IMC | Imcuk Cop15 Section
Recent: Bolivian COP-15 Delegate's Call Video | 300-350 Show: Civil disobedience for climate justice + legal issues
See also:Why Climate Change is Not an Environmental Issue (pdf) | Deal or No Deal Newspaper (pdf) | 350 Reasons Why Carbon Trading Won't Work (pdf) | Carbon Supermarket Comic by Kate Evans | More Background
Oil companies left with egg on their faces
06-11-2009 11:17
Both BP and Shell had their flagship recruitment events at the Randolph Hotel hijacked by protesters in the last few weeks. Linking the global issues of climate change and exploitation to local attacks on people and the environment, campaigners from Thames Valley Climate Action took over stages, heckled, asked awkward questions, unplugged display equipment, leafletted and chatted with audiences.
The actions were amongst the first in a new grassroots campaign against the extraction of Tar Sands oil in Alberta, Canada. Shell are massively involved there, whereas BP are still in the process of getting involved; it's hoped that by targetted them early on we might be able to put them off. You can find out more, and hear first-hand stories from touring indigenous activists at the talk on Monday 16th November at Science Oxford, and at the film screening of H2Oil on Sunday 22nd November at Oxford Action Resource Centre.
[ Shell action: 1 | 2 | Video ] [ BP action: 1 | 2 | Video ]
[ Tar Sands background: 1 | 2 | 3 | UK tour | film screening ]
[ Thames Valley Climate Action | Shell To Sea | Hands Off Iraqi Oil ]
Full article | 1 addition | 7 comments
No New Coal. Actions at Power Station and Open Cast Mines.
26-10-2009 15:44
Update: At 4:30 am after 48 hours of protest, the remaining 10 came down from the roof of Didcot Power station and were arrested.
Early on Monday morning, activists entered a NPower coal fired plant in Didcot. A group chained themselves to the coal conveyor, and prevented coal from entering the power station, although a report indicates that those chained to the conveyor were cut loose and arrested. Others erected tents on the roof and have climbed chimneys, and have spent two nights up there.
In associated actions, work was stopped at two open cast mines on Monday. Twenty activists entered the site at Shipley which provides coal to Ratcliffe-on-Soar, and climbed onto vehicles, which they occupies, stopping work on the site for 4.5 hours. Mainshill, site of an ongoing protest camp was blockaded for seven hours. After action to stop night time felling on Monday, another blockade was mounted on Tuesday.
Climate activists swoop on Ratcliffe
17-10-2009 11:19
Around one thousand climate activists have been attempting to shut down Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal power station in Nottinghamshire, taking direct action with repeated breaches of the security fencing. [Pics 1 | 2 ][ Video ]. The action comes only weeks before the UN COP15 Climate Conference in Copenhagen, and follows the arrest of 114 activists allegedly planning to infiltrate the power station in April.
More info: Notts IMC timeline | Swoop Live Coverage | 2 | #Swoop Twitter | Climate Camp Twitter | Swoop Flickr Pics | CC Galleries | Swoop Videos| Mainstream TV Reports
Previous coverage: Mass Arrest of 114 Climate Activists in Raid | No case to answer after Notts E.On protest | Fossil Fools Take On E.On In Nottingham | Convictions For Activists - Climate Criminals Walk Free | 'Clean' Coal On Trial | Climate Activists Bring Powerstation Operations To A Halt | Spring Into Action Now!
Links: The Great Climate Swoop | Climate Camp
BAA bows to third runway opposition?
11-10-2009 22:14
Hot on the heels of Eon announcing delays on Kingsnorth, climate activists gained another major victory this week as BAA bowed to anti-aviation opposition of a third runway at Heathrow Airport. Following a seven year campaign, with a series of direct actions including mass action at Climate Camp 2007, the airport authority has said it will not yet be submitting a planning application to expand Heathrow.
In an unusal twist, BAA stated thay would not apply for the third runway before the general election, due to the possibility of the Conservative Party forming the next government (who claim to oppose the expansion). In which case they said they would give up the fight.
A spokesperson from NoTRAG said: "For over seven years, residents have pulled together, come together and campaigned together to stop a third runway. This may be our moment and a victory for future generations... If BAA can swiftly drop their plans following the party conference season then this clearly shows there has never been a compelling case for a third runway."
Emma Jackson, a spokesperson for the Climate Camp, stated: "E.ON and BAA know that the days of committing new climate crimes are over. Now we have to start shutting down existing coal-fired power stations, and that's why we're going to Ratcliffe-on-Soar next week." Climate Camp is calling for renewable energy to replace coal fired stations.
Links: NoTRAG | Plane Stupid | HACAN Clear Skies | Climate Camp | The Great Climate Swoop
