On April 1st 2009, a number of Cambridge residents successfully established a Climate Camp outside the European Climate Exchange, in protest at the UK government's contradictory policies on climate change.
A number of Cambridge residents have today (Wed 1st April) set up camp outside the European Climate Exchange in London in protest at government policy on Climate Change.
Shortly after noon today, this group, committed to a peaceful protest, pitched their tents in Bishopsgate with a few thousand others.
Cambridge resident Julian told us: "There's a fun atmosphere, spirits are high and I can see something like two or three hundred tents pitched. The police are trying to move us on, but we've done nothing wrong and are determined to stay for 24 hours."
The Bishopsgate Climate Campers are campaigning against the government's current energy and transport policies, which starkly contradict the action required to achieve the targets set by the Climate Change Act. The government, power companies and airport operators are saying that carbon trading will counteract these increases. This is impossible. The UK’s top climatologists predict that aviation’s emissions alone are predicted to exceed the government’s target for the country’s entire output of greenhouse gases in 2050 by around 134%. (Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research)
The campaigners say that: "carbon trading is aimed at the wrong target. It doesn’t address climate change. Solving climate change means figuring out how to keep remaining fossil fuels in the ground. It means reorganizing industrial societies’ energy, transport and housing systems – starting today – so that they don’t rely on coal, oil and gas. Carbon trading isn’t directed at that goal. Instead, it’s organized around keeping the wheels on the fossil
fuel industry as long as possible and making it seem politically excusable to go ahead with new carbon-intensive infrastructure, like the 3rd runway at Heathrow and the proposed new coal-fired power plants, like the one at Kingsnorth." [from
http://climatecamp.org.uk/carbon-trading]
Back on the ground in Bishopsgate, Julian informed us that whilst the Camp has made their best efforts to enjoy cake, tea, dancing and general merriment, the police seem to have other ideas, and are controlling when people can and cannot leave. Elsewhere, and perhaps equally as antagonistic towards the largely peaceful protesters, city workers were seen waving £10 notes out of window's at the demonstrators below [ http://news.sky.com].
The message from Julian and friends is simple: we want coherent commitment to solving the climate crisis we face, not just a short term fix.
Shortly after noon today, this group, committed to a peaceful protest, pitched their tents in Bishopsgate with a few thousand others.
Cambridge resident Julian told us: "There's a fun atmosphere, spirits are high and I can see something like two or three hundred tents pitched. The police are trying to move us on, but we've done nothing wrong and are determined to stay for 24 hours."
The Bishopsgate Climate Campers are campaigning against the government's current energy and transport policies, which starkly contradict the action required to achieve the targets set by the Climate Change Act. The government, power companies and airport operators are saying that carbon trading will counteract these increases. This is impossible. The UK’s top climatologists predict that aviation’s emissions alone are predicted to exceed the government’s target for the country’s entire output of greenhouse gases in 2050 by around 134%. (Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research)
The campaigners say that: "carbon trading is aimed at the wrong target. It doesn’t address climate change. Solving climate change means figuring out how to keep remaining fossil fuels in the ground. It means reorganizing industrial societies’ energy, transport and housing systems – starting today – so that they don’t rely on coal, oil and gas. Carbon trading isn’t directed at that goal. Instead, it’s organized around keeping the wheels on the fossil
fuel industry as long as possible and making it seem politically excusable to go ahead with new carbon-intensive infrastructure, like the 3rd runway at Heathrow and the proposed new coal-fired power plants, like the one at Kingsnorth." [from
http://climatecamp.org.uk/carbon-trading] Back on the ground in Bishopsgate, Julian informed us that whilst the Camp has made their best efforts to enjoy cake, tea, dancing and general merriment, the police seem to have other ideas, and are controlling when people can and cannot leave. Elsewhere, and perhaps equally as antagonistic towards the largely peaceful protesters, city workers were seen waving £10 notes out of window's at the demonstrators below [
http://news.sky.com]. The message from Julian and friends is simple: we want coherent commitment to solving the climate crisis we face, not just a short term fix.