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Yorkshire Development Agency given a lesson about flooding

Sam Nexter | 03.09.2007 18:57 | Climate Camp 2007 | Climate Chaos | Sheffield

Yorkshire Forward, Yorkshire's Regional Development Agency which famously starves grass roots community initiatives of funds whilst giving millions to big business, today held a flooding "summit". The summit was closed to local people, and attempted to airbrush climate change from the story. Locals turned up anyway to make the truth known.

Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency which takes from the poor and gives to the rich held an outrageous "Flood Summit" at Finninley airport today. Local people visited with pop-up tents and banners, including one which read "flying costs the earth". The intention was to leaflet the conference's participants and hold alternative workshops highlighting the link between aviation growth and worsening climate change.

The conference was intended as a blatant pat on the back for Yorkshire Forward's response to the recent floods. The choice of venue, Finningley "Robin Hood" airport near Doncaster, show just how out of touch with reality these half-wits are. Finningley is already a major contributor to climate change, and also the recipient of over £5 million of Yorkshire Forward money for a new "Air Academy". Their support for this criminal organisation is likely to get much bigger - they want to put around £20 million into a new access road!

Banned from the event, a concerned group of ordinary local people who had been inspired by the recent successes at Heathrow, turned up anyway and set up a camp site outside, where they hoped to offer worskhops on the links between aviation and climate change.

The stated aim of the summit was billed as a chance “for Yorkshire Forward to learn lessons from the floods” and it was attended by prominent climate criminals including John Hutton, Secretary of State for Business and Steven Timms, Minister for Competitiveness. The campers message was clear; these blinkered morons are badly missing the point - concentrating solely on emergency responses, rather than on the policy changes needed to prevent climate change, is already having devastating effects on Yorkshire!

The lessons from the Yorkshire flooding are clear – emissions from aviation must be included in the climate bill and tax breaks and public subsidies given to the criminal airport industry must cease.

The police, as usual, showed that they are enthusiastic supporters of climate crime, and there were three arrests - two for leafleting and one for breaking bail conditions that only apply to Heathrow! Maybe to yer average plod, all airports look the same?

Sam Nexter
- e-mail: info@climatecamp.org.uk
- Homepage: http://www.climatecamp.org.uk