Demonstrations in London and Manchester,Saturday 4th September
You can come to the London demonstration - or the one in Manchester- or, for just a fiver, join us in our special carriage on the train (see here) for a full fun day of aviation activism!
Timetable:
11.00 am Demonstration outside City Airport, London. (take the DLR at Bank to get to the ‘London City Airport’ stop on the Woolwich line)
12.30 pm “Train-not-plane” party board the big red (open top double decker) ‘End Domestic Flights’ bus which takes the message through the streets of London to Euston station.
1.40 pm "Train-not-plane" brigade boards the Manchester train at Euston.
3.49 pm “Train-not-plane” party arrives at Manchester Piccadilly station
4.30 pm Demonstration at Manchester Airport . More info info[at]stopmanchesterairport.org.uk
Evening - Party, party, party for aviation activists at Hasty Lane near Manchester airport - in a street threatened by airport expansion. Accommodation will be organised for those staying overnight.
Join us on the special "Train-not plane" carriageon the 1.40pm train! Take the big red bus from the City Airport demo to Euston station and then join our special “train-not-plane” carriage on the 1.40 train to Manchester. A fiver will get you to Manchester Airport taking our special carriage – first come first served for available seats. To book a ticket click here.
But remember, you need to get back from Manchester! The sooner you book the cheaper the return to London! You can return from Manchester Saturday night or party in Manchester and return Sunday morning. Return to Londonby train is £11.50 if booked well enough in advance, or around £5.50 on Megabus. The last trains back from Manchester to London on Saturday leave Manchester Piccadilly at 19.37 and 20.35.
Download a flier to publicise the demo from our leaflets page.
Put this date in your diary now! This will be the time to take the agenda forward on aviation, and insist that at this time of climate emergency we cannot afford to be using high-emission forms of transport where viable alternatives exist. And that aviation will need to bear the burden of emissions reductions along with other sectors.
"End Domestic Flights" is one of the 'Climate Emergency Demands' - see here.
We asked people their thoughts on banning domestic flights and made a video of their responses, you can watch it here.
SOAS, School of Oriental and African Studies, Thornhaugh St, off Russell Square
Public Meeting, Wednesday 11th August
7.00 pm at SOAS, Khalili Lecture Theatre
(School of Oriental and African Studies) Thornhaugh Street, off Russell Square. Map Here.
Speakers: John Stewart (chair of AirportWatch), Dan Glass (Plane Stupid), Anne-Marie Griffin (chair, Fight The Flights), Phil Thornhill (national co-ordinator, Campaign against Climate Change).
What is the future of aviation in an era of climate emergency?
Where does it fit in "Zero Carbon Britain"?
After the victory at Heathrow (and Gatwick and Stansted) what is the next step for aviation campaigners?
Should we make deeper emission cuts in other sectors in order to keep flying?
What does a truly sustainable transport network look like?
What would ending domestic flights mean for London City Airport?
Hear answers and give your own to these questions and more......
At the site of the proposed new palm-oil burning, agrofuel power station at Portland in Dorset.
Transport will be organised from London and possibly other places. If you are interested in joining the coach from London (to Portland for the day) please contact stopagrofuels@campaigncc.org or fill in the form below.
Provisional Timetable: 9.00 am: Bus leaves London for Portland
1.00 pm: Assemble for march
2.00 - 3.00 pm: Rally outside port gates (site of proposed plant)
3.00 pm: Workshops and entertainment in local hall
8.00 pm: Bus sets off back to London.
The Zero Carbon Britain Report – is this our blueprint for the future?
Public Meeting and Debate Thursday 22nd July organised by the Campaign against Climate Change.
Peter Harper and Stephen Murphy from the Zero Carbon Britain team presented a compelling case for the report, with Peter explaining the land use section in especial detail. They then answered answered a host of questions and comments from the floor in a lively discussion.
Topics covered (besides land use changes) included the intelligent use of energy, renewable energy generation, the infrastructure that we will need to develop, and positive effects on the economy. A comprehensive and radical approach could - given the necessary injection of collective will from the public - result in an actual increase in the quality of life as well as being an effective way to prevent catastrophic climate change.
The second Zero Carbon Britain report was released in June this year and offers a radical blueprint for rapid de-carbonisation of the economy and the achievement of, essentially, a zero emissions society by 2030. This looks like just what we need to address the Climate Emergency, with real practical solutions and a realistic vision of how we can make deep and rapid emissions cuts in the UK. The presenters were keen to state that the report should serve as a framework to spark debates, proposals, and vision for the public to launch from.
AUDIO PODCASTS: We recorded the main presentation and Q&A sessions and have uploaded them as MP3s, they're perfect for listening to on the train. Main presentation (47mins, 43MB MP3). Q&A session (55mins, 19MB MP3)
We will be presenting a radical programme of climate action for the UK – join us in challenging the new government to take the kind of action we really need to address the Climate Emergency.
Decarbonisation of the economy – as fast as it can be done. A million climate jobs for a green energy revolution and a zero carbon economy.
Fighting the expansion of the high-emissions aviation industry.
A low emission transport system – affordable and efficient public transport, a 55 mph speed limit, scrap the roads program.
Stop the UK’s contribution to deforestation, end agrofuel use.
Other topics include what is the latest science really saying, climate justice and the UK’s climate debt to the developing world, avoiding false solutions… and more.
The Copenhagen debacle made it clear that we will not see any kind of effective response to the Climate Emergency coming out of the international negotiations before there is a radical shift in climate politics and policy at the national level. What we are seeing in the UK, however, is a painfully slow, faltering and piecemeal approach from a government that clearly does not regard the imminent threat of catastrophic climate change as its first priority. What we need is a coherent plan of radical action on a scale sufficient to match the threat.
Come and join us in making that plan and challenging the government to get real on climate change!
Lighting the candles for the Climate Emergency message outside St Martin-in-the-Fields
The all-night Climate Emergency Vigil startedon the night of Saturday May 15th, just over a week after the election, with a Candlelit Procession down Whitehall from St Martin-in-the-Fields church, Trafalgar Square.
A crowd had assembled from 11.00 pm outside the church where "Climate SOS" was spelled out in candles, and numerous more candles were lit and placed in jars while flags and placards were distributed. Meanwhile inside the church itself a service organised by Christian Ecology was being held - there was a great turnout for it with nearly 100 attending, to listen to the Rev. Chris Brice, Social Justice advisor for London diocese and Mark Dowd from 'Operation Noah'.
At 12.00 midnight the candle-bearing masses streamed off past the great pillared facade of St Martin's behind the campaign's 7 foot square globe-in-a-greenhouse, the CCC banner and another banner held by a long row of vigil-goers spelling out "Climate Emergency". With candle-lights bobbing and flags waving the Procession made its way down Whitehall, past Downing Street with newly re-occupied No. 10 to finish at 'Old Palace Yard' just opposite the Houses of Parliament. Here the crowd assembled around the statue of George V to be rewarded by a surprise appearance and inspiring speech from John McDonnell MP (whose constituency includes the village that had been threatened by the proposed 3rd Heathrow runway).
More speeches followed from Alex Farrow from the UKYCC, Suzanne Dhaliwal and Melina Laboucan-Massimo from the Tar Sands campaign, Becky Luff from The Spartans, Phil Thornhill as campaign coordinator, Mark Dowd from Operation Noah, Peter Deane from Biofuelwatch, Suzanne Jeffery on 'a million climate jobs' , Chris from the Democracy Village and Duncan Law on behalf of Transition Towns - all admirably brief (!) and interpersed with musical interludes courtesy of Peter Deane, Chris Bluemel, Tony Black et al...
AUDIO PODCASTS:
Jack Kelly
Steve Merrick
