Climate activists pull a prank that packs a punch on April Fools Day

1st April 2008 – For immediate release

Today climate activists from Eastside Climate Action blockaded E-on workers as part of International Fossil Fools Day.

At 7:30 this morning 30 people blockaded the entrances to E-on's offices on Mount St, Nottingham City Centre. People covered in green paint to represent E-on's greenwash, locked onto the front entrance to E-on's office and stood in front of other entrances preventing E-on workers from getting to work.

At E-on's offices today, Bob Castle said “We are here today because despite E-on publicly claiming green credentials, it is trying to build a new generation of coal fired power stations. It is trying to build the first new coal fired power station in the UK in 50 years, at Kingsnorth in Kent, and wishes to continue its expansion with a new power staion at High Marnham in Nottinghamshire. We are here to tell E-on that they will not suceed and the only real solution to climate change is to keep fossil fuels in the ground. Coal is the dirtiest Fossil Fool and to build new coal power stations in the face of climate change is collective suicide.”

Fossil Fools Day, called by the international Rising Tide network and its allies, has seen over one hundred actions take place around the world. Protests have focused on the companies responsible for runaway carbon dioxide emissions, as well as complicit governments and those promoting false solutions.

Groups who have taken action today in the UK include Eastside Climate Action, Rising Tide, the Camp for Climate Action, World Development Movement, People and Planet, the Network for Climate Action and Earth
First!

While Eastside Climate Action were visiting E-On in Nottingham, other groups around the UK were in Parliament Square (where People and Planet built a coal power station complete with 12ft cooling towers), Porsche HQ in London (where a public apology was issued on behalf of Porsche), the Department for Enterprise, Business and Regulatory Reform (where WDM held the world’s first laugh-in over plans for new coal at Kingsnorth) and Manchester City Centre (where a parade toured the city’s biggest fossil fools).

“We are taking action to prevent the fossil fuel industry from destroying our future,” said Bob Castle from Eastside Climate Action. “Vested interests in business and government are bent on pursuing economic growth at all costs. We need to shrink, not protect, the fossil fuel economy if we are to survive climate change.”

For interviews and more information about today’s action at E-on contact 07880 937511
** Updates will be available throughout the day at www.fossilfoolsday.org **


Notes to Editors:

1)E-on own Ratcliffe on Soar Power Station the site of protests by 11 people who locked themselves to machinery to prevent coal entering the power station. The judge in the trial agreed that the 11 defendants had acted to prevent death and serious injury from the release of CO2 from Ratcliffe into the atmosphere.
2)Ratcliffe is the largest CO2 emmitter in the East Midlands and 2nd largest in the UK
3)Despite E-on's green claims they only produce 9% of their energy from renewable sources.  http://www.eon.com/en/unternehmen/8559.jsp
4)E-on's infrastructure investment fund is 95% for non-renewable energy projects.  http://www.energyrisk.com/public/showPage.html?page=449443
5)E-on plan to build the UK's first new coal fired power station, plans that are opposed by groups from Greenpeace to World Devolpment Movement.
6)The Climate camp, (which previously held camps and did actions at Drax and Heathrow) plan to target Kingsnorth this year. www.climatecamp.org.uk
7)E-on also plan to build a new Coal Fired Power Station at High Marnham near Retford in Nottinghamshire.
 http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=133965&command=displayContent&sourceNode=133948&contentPK=20117809&moduleName=InternalSearch&formname=sidebarsearch