World Climate Chaos Newswire Archive

Statement From The Democracy Village, Parliament Square

"According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig lacked a device called an acoustic switch that could have shut off the flow of oil. The remote controlled device sends acoustic impulses through the water that can trigger an underwater valve to shut down the well.

All offshore rigs have one main switch to shut off the flow of oil by closing a valve located on the ocean floor. There is also supposed to be a backup, a so-called “dead man,” that will shut down the well in the event of a catastrophe on the rig. Apparently neither of these devices worked on the Deepwater Horizon rig. The crewmembers who would have been closest to the shutoff switch are among those missing and presumed dead.

With an acoustic trigger a crew can shut down a well even if the rig is damaged or evacuated. However, BP, which reported profits of $5.598 billion for the first quarter of 2010, vigorously resisted changes to US regulations that would have required acoustic triggers on deep sea rigs, citing effectiveness and costs, about $500,000 per unit. Compliant US regulators agreed, saying other backup plans were sufficient. They called the acoustic triggers unreliable and prone to causing unnecessary shutdowns."

Attached are recordings from a meeting organised to discuss and debate the origins of the global economic and ecological crises, and progressive policies to address them, which was held in Sheffield on 24th April 2010 and was organised by the Sheffield Workers Educational Association (WEA).

Right now in Cochabamba, Bolivia - the city made famous by water riots ten years ago - there is a 'World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth'.

We're in Cochabamba, Bolivia, at the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth, which began today and runs until April 22. We're there to launch the Spanish language edition of Turbulence and to participate in the event.

Profit comes before people and planet.

I was a volunteer in the War on Terror and I come from a large family of teachers. A lot of people are trying to do something about our education system. This video is a blueprint of science education in America anyone can use to prove how our "education" system trains Americans to depend on imperialism.

"My people are dying, and we believe British companies are responsible. My community, Fort Chipewyan in Alberta, Canada, is situated at the heart of the vast toxic moonscape that is the tar sands development. We live in a beautiful area, but unfortunately, we find ourselves upstream from the largest fossil fuel development on earth.

Here's to an incredible first action ..

Dateline: BP Shareholders Annual General Meeting, ExCel Conference Centre, London, Thu 15 Apr 10 – At the apex of the 'BP Fortnight of Shame', at the entrance to the BP AGM, climate chaos and human rights activists persuade BP shareholders to vote for the FairPensions anti-Tar-Sands motion. Mobilised by the UK Tar Sands Network, Rising Tide and Climate Camp, we let BP shareholders know, in no uncertain terms, that BP + TAR SANDS = CLIMATE CRIME.

Dateline: Party at the Pumps, Shepherd's Bush Green BP Petrol Station, London, UK, 13:00-17:00, Sat 10 Apr 10 – Hundreds of people descend upon the BP petrol station on the south side of Shepherd's Bush Common for a four hour long 'Party at the Pumps'. Dancing to live music from the Rhythms of Resistance samba band and the Green Kite Midnight ceilidh band, plus MP3s piped through the Bicycology sound system, we rocked the forecourt, left peacefully and there were no arrests. But why? This was the London direct action component of an International Day of Action on the Canadian Tar Sands – the single most dirty, toxic and dangerous climate crime atrocity on Earth; and the centrepiece of the 'BP Fortnight of Shame', culminating in a vote at the BP shareholder's AGM in London on Thursday 15 April 2010 to keep BP out of the planet-trashing Canadian Tar Sands (protest details below).

Protesters who claim BP's planned exploitation of Canadian Tar Sands is the most destructive project on the planet, with huge pollution, destruction of ancient forests and harm to indigenous communities, closed a BP garage at Shepherds Bush Green for the day by holding a 'Party at the Pumps. London, UK. 10/04/2010 Photographs copyright (C) 2010, Peter Marshall, all rights reserved.

The Commons Party proudly presents 'Pump Your Ride', a community bike ride promoting alternative methods of transport in local community.

While people go to the tip and dutifully reduce, reuse and recycle their waste to reduce the pressure on landfill-and the environment ....

....the nuclear industry is busy trashing the environment and filling landfill up with radioactive waste.

The West Midlands Climate Action Fossil Fools weekend at the Huntington Lane camp saw people arriving at the camp throughout the four days to help with the ongoing construction of the camp. There was also a banner drop and an attack on the camp before the weekend gathering had even started

Climategate' Investigation Clears UK Scientists Of Most Serious Claims
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/31/climategate-investigation_n_519644.html
"The House of Commons' Science and Technology Committee said that they'd seen no evidence to support charges that the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit or its director, Phil Jones, had tampered with data or perverted the peer review to exaggerate the threat of global warming – two of the most serious criticisms levied against the climatologist and his colleagues."

A lot of people fought long & hard against the 200 mile LNG pipeline from Milford Haven to Gloucester. Now that is laid in the ground it is hard to see what is worth fighting for.

Dateline: Heathrow Airport, London, UK, 06:15-12:15, Sat 20 Mar 10 – In the first major UK industrial dispute of 2010, the British Airways bosses, led by Willie "The Slasher" Walsh, take on the might of Unite the Union, and specifically the cabin crew's section called BASSA: the British Airlines Stewards and Stewardesses Association. The actions of Walsh & Co. may display nothing but contempt for the folk they regard as nothing more than trolly dollies, but the high spirits of the women, men and children on the pickets and at the Strike Support Rally showed they can give as good as they get, verbally and visually.

West Midlands Climate Action presents … The Huntington Lane Fossil Fools weekend convergence

A large number of trees have been felled at the proposed open cast coal mining site at Huntington Lane near Telford in Shropshire. A small camp has now been established on the Surface Mine Site (SMS)  http://bit.ly/94Ogz0 and people are urgently needed. As part of Fossil Fools day West Midlands Climate Action are putting on a weekend gathering from the 1st-4th April  http://bit.ly/cvrV2X

We're not all hard-line clued-up radicals, and even if we are we haven't always been. If you haven't got a clue what peak oil is, then try my hopefully accurate take on it to get you in the mood to find out more
Once again, Indymedia possibly not the best place for it, but there you go...