Report back from True Cost of Coal and Coal Action Scotland Infotour - The Space Project, Leeds

We had a really inspiring talk from Coal Action Scotland and the Beehive Collective and as numbers were low I thought I'd do a quick write up to share with people who couldn't make it.

Coal Action Scotland have been doing direct action, community organising against open cast in the Douglas Valley and challenging the local council and Scottish Coal. They have had site occupations at Mainshill and Happendon Wood and they're on tour now to drum up posses of people to go up this summer to take action against a new open cast mine planned at Glentaggart East.

Glentaggart East is peatland and mining it would be really destructive, cause carbon dioxide and methane emissions causing climate change and it's ruining the lives of the local community. The council are totally in the pockets of Scottish Coal. But Scottish Coal are having to sell off machines to fund the project - they're getting strapped for cash and need Glentaggart to go ahead so action against this mine is really strategic to stopping the destruction of the Douglas Valley and stopping Scottish Coal and direct action is having effect!

Before we heard from CAS and watched the video where they interview locals on the impact open cast mining is having on their lives Sophie from the Beehive Collective talked us through their poster on mountain top removal open cast coal mining in the Appalacian mountains in the USA. The 'poster' is the size of my bedroom and so detailed that you could study it for weeks on end and still find new details and references.

It tells the story of the Applacian mountains and land rights, coal mining and union organising, climate change and the greenwashing, and the community resistance and sustainable alternatives that are out there. I've bought a copy of the poster which I'll put up at mine and your welcome to come and have a look. It's amazing!

Coal Action Scotland are keen to get groups from around the country to come up and take action. It would be great to get a group going from Leeds if you're interested get in touch.

So for those of you that couldn't make this inspiring meeting, there's going to be another ace talk from the Traveller Solidarity Network at the 1 in 12 in Bradford on Tuesday 20th March so come along to that instead.

http://www.beehivecollective.org/

coalactionscotland.org.uk/