"Burning Planet" march against Bush

As Bush arrived in London on Tuesday evening (November 18th) climate protesters were already on the streets! The "Burning Planet" March was a fantastic success. The march set out from Lincoln's Inn Fields about 7 pm, headed by our globe-in-a-greenhouse, closely followed by our giant (10 foot diameter) globe displaying the message "Stop Bush, Stop Climate Change", and somewhere behind the "Rhythms of Resistance" samba band, the 'Rinky Dink' bicycle sound system, and the 'Soapbox trike' system, too.

Already by then we'd had loads of media coverage, just as we got ready at Lincoln's Inn...with live interviews on ITN and CNN, and much more as the place buzzed with journos and cameramen all over the place. The colourful throng featured a 'Lady Flaming Planet' (Lucy Wills), assorted tiger-costumed figures, 'glowing globe'lanterns and streaming 'globe' balloons; it progressed past the ExxonMobil offices on Aldwych, down the Strand, through Trafalagar Square, up Pall Mall as the world's leading 'eco-terrorist' flew overhead in a chopper headed for Buckingham Palace, on to Piccadilly circus and finally through Mayfair, getting to the US embassy around 8.30 pm.

At the embassy we had a really great line up of speakers. First we had a tremendous speach from Michael Meacher - Environment Minister until this summer, now speaking his mind about the environmental policies of GWB (to read his speech click here )- and then more good stuff from Tony Juniper, Director of Friends of the Earth; Stephen Tindale, Director of Greenpeace, Darren Johnson of the Green Party (GLA member) and finally George Marshall one of the moving spirits of the 'Rising Tide' climate campaign group. Altogether it was an effective statement from the British environmental movement as a whole against the climate and environmental policies of George W Bush... and this was the way it came over in the media: in the Guardian, Independent and Times; on Channel 4 News (interview by Andrew Lockley), BBC 2's newsnight, and many other British, American and other foreign news channels.

Altogether a fantastic evening's event! Well done and thanks to everyone who helped make it happen!

Michael Meacher speaking at the rally at Grosvenor Square.

'Ms Flaming Planet' and The statue-of-Taking-Liberties'

Funky lanterns

The CCC banner, held by Mark Lynas, revered author of 'News from a Warming World' (or something like that) with John Vidal, revered Environment Correspondent for the Guardian, to his left.

That's Phil Thornhill with the megaphone, with Corinne Sinclair from the Howard Dean Supporters' Group, on his right.

Auriel Glanville (Coordinator, Merton FOE) as the Statue of Taking Liberties, Rhona Hodges from Shepstow FOE, and an (anti-)Esso-Tiger

Our giant (10 foot diameter) globe with its message : which appeared on ABC TV in the US, that night. (Despite its habit of keeling over backwards all the time.)

The famous Rinky Dink bicycle-powered sound machine.

Esso (otherwise 'ExxonMobil') fund the ultra-right Republican think tanks which effectively determine Bush's 'do-nothing' policy on climate.

This banner provided by (and held by) Ealing Friends of the Earth.

Fancy lantern-thingies from Friends of the Earth

Our Globe-in-a-Greenhouse yet again, with 2 (anti-)Esso tigers.

The 'Rhytms of Resistance' Samba Band.

A Green Party banner. Miranda Dunn is the blurry person holding it, on the left.

Tony Lourenco with his 'soapbox' trike.

Funky lanterns again: a picture like this appeared in The Times, next day.

Think up your own caption for this one!

Putin: Broken promises, cynical self-interest, and the world betrayed

At a climate conference in Moscow Putin not only failed to set a timetable for ratification of Kyoto (as expected) but indicated a distinctly negative attitude towards it. This is desperately serious because Russia is needed for the Kyoto Climate treaty to become operative. The treaty needs countries that together can account for 55% of global emissions, to ratify before it can become operative. Without the US only Russia can make up the full 55%....no other country in addition to Russia is now needed, but no other country than Russia can make upthe full 55%. So their non-ratification threatens to derail the whole Kyoto process, the world's only attempt so far to initiate a desperately needed limit on global emissions of climate-destabilising 'greenhouse gases' (mainly CO2).

As our Press release (approved by Aubrey Meyer of the Global Commons Institute!) read : "In breaking his promise to ratify Kyoto Putin has demonstrated that narrow, old-fashioned, national self-interest... or the interests of the gangster-oligarchs who now run Russia.... dominate his policy. But he will find out that unless he and the world discover a new sense of global environmental responsibility and proceed apace with the Kyoto process then any advantage he seems to gain by not ratifying Kyoto will be rapidly swept aside when the full terrifying impacts of uncontrolled and accellerating climate change become apparent. The idea that Russia will benefit from higher temperatures is not only supremely selfish and cynical given that other countries, would inevitably suffer from drought and famine, as a result of a rise in global temperature, but also laughably naive, to think we could stop the process of climate change just where we want to and not see it spiral destructively out of control. Like George W Bush, Putin has a mind too small to deal with the biggest challenge the world faces today: the catastrophic destabalisation of global climate"

We made sure there was some kind of reaction to Putin's fateful decsion - a depressing and desperately serious development - and put our message across at the Russian embassy. We had our Globe-in-a-Greenhouse as usual, that very loud megaphone to blare out the message, and a "Putin", now arm-in-arm with fellow 'small-mind', "Bush" and a 'Grim Reaper', who they have now, as it were, jointly invited to have a spree on planet earth....also a 'fire-lady' to ram home the 'global-over-warming' point.

Climate change is the real weapon of mass destruction

We carried a giant 10 metre long, "chinese-dragon" style, "missile", carrying the message "Climate Change is the Real Weapon of Mass Destruction" to the Labour Party Conference on the day of its opening. We also took our 'globe-in-a-greenhouse', placards with the message etc... from Meyrick Park down to the Conference centre. Getting the "missile" ready in time at the gathering point in Meyrick park was quite a struggle, but Phil and John Ackers had been working on it from early in the morning, and then Barry Botley and a team from Shepway FOE added some finishing touches to make the thing carriable.... thanks also to Enid and New Forest FOE and Roger Eede from the local Green party.

A weapon of mass destruction on Bournemouth beach

The missile progressed under police escort through Bournemouth centre to its 'target' at the Conference centre where Phil used a very effective megaphone to barrack the Labour Party and Tony Blair for spending more time looking for non-existent WMD in Iraq than they were doing anything (eg in particular exerting pressure on G W Bush) about the 'REAL' WMD, the real mega-threat to the future security of the planet, Climate Change. After this John Ackers had the bright idea of transferring the missile down to the beach where its presence was particularly striking and did attract at least one film-cameraman. Meanwhile Judith from Camden FOE, and Auriel from Merton FOE, and others, were busy handing out leaflets, something that was continued over the next few days by Phil (who stayed down in Bournemouth till Tuesday evening).

The leaflet included the full text of the Guardian article by Sir John Houghton (ex-chief of the Metereological office) which was the main inspiration for this action (in it he called Climate Change a 'WMD': to read his article click here).The strong simple message that the destabilisation of global climate threatens a global tragedy of almost unimaginable proportions and that much, much, more needs to be done about it, is one that must have resonance to any party that aspires to any kind of morality, conscience or sense of global responsibility...and is a message that needs delivering to people close to power, over and over again!

Feeling the heat? You ain't seen nothing yet!

This is not just a chance hot spell...this is part of something bigger...and its going to get much, much hotter: thats what the Climate scientists are saying...
"Charlie the Climate-Change Camel" and a host of other oriental/desert characters were putting over the message that Climate Change is here for real , on Saturday, 9th August, around midday in central London. The Camel - and companions - roamed around Leicester Square, Charing Cross Road etc.., giving out leaflets and generally spreading the word (and, yes, inside the camel one was able to fully appreciate the high temperatures!!!!.....)

Kyoto "March to end the world"

2003's Kyoto March was a "March to the End of the World". The message was clear: its global apocalypse from the USA!

	Here are our 'Grim Reapers' !
	At Exxon HQ, Leatherhead, 7.00 am : the determined band at the start of their 20 mile march. The guy in white with the hood is a "Horseman of the Apocalypse' (OK he has'nt got a horse, but that would be cheating, would'nt it....)
	And here's Darth Vader ! ....although the real Darth Vader generally goes disguised as a certain 'Mr. Lee Raymond', CEO of ExxonMobil (known as "the Darth Vader of Climate Change").
	An 'angel' at the Esso HQ : heres Sophie our youngest campaigner. She did the whole march...but by Mum-power. Thats Mum, 'Ruth Jarman', with a 'Christian Ecology' banner.
	Epsom 8.00 am and its the 'Esso-man from Hell'!
	And the 'Esso-man from Hell' has got a friend!
	Our apocalyptic band on the march: Richard on the trike that carried our luggage...and the head of a recently sacrificed victim (OK, wishful thinking...)
	A bunch of us at the half-way resting point, Wimbledon, where we were met by the 'angelic' Auriel Glanville, from the local 'Friends of the Earth' group.
	At the Esso Station, Colliers Wood : with 'Bush-and-Crossbones' flags (or is that the "Jolly Bodger"?)
	On the march. Thats Julia and Sharon on the right. Fast-forward this for 20 miles!
	At Clapham Common, time for a brief rest. By now the numbers are swelling!
	At the Imperial War Museum Park: lots more people have gathered here, where the big march though Central London will begin.
	That's the Evil Esso-man and a "Whore of Babylon" (Lucy Wills)
	All behind the 'StopEsso' banner and the march is about to move off. Thats Will St Leger - from Irish StopEsso - on the right hand end (as we loook at it) of the banner. He was one of our speakers later on.
	The march comes over Westminster Bridge, banners flying.
	Still on Westminster Bridge.
	Another banner and in front are (L to R) Debby Burchill (Greenwich FOE) and Steph and Jim Lodge (Southwark FOE)
	Trumpet of doom; and a man wearing 'solar panels' to remind everyone there is a way of avoiding 'The End of the World' if only those in power (and especially the world's most powerful man, George Bush) would chose to pursue it!
	This is what we think about Esso/ExxonMobil!
	Green Party In evidence! Thats Miranda Dunn (Senior Campaigns-person-in-chief!)with the wooly hat and Tim Turner facing camera.
	It's those artistic placards again!
	The Samba Band!
	The end of the march: some of the marchers who came all the way relaxing at last at "The End of the World Party" in Grosvenor Square. (This is Rhys Howell and friends from East Anglia Uni).
	Jean Lambert, Green Party MEP (on right), our first speaker. Thats our 'party host' in the velvet suit and Andrew Simpson with the megaphone.
	Roger Higman, senior Climate Person at Friends of the Earth, speaking.
	It's "Bush the Grim Reaper" ! He's obviously exultant over something: maybe its the money he made from Insider Trading at Harken Energy.
	Bush-the-Grim-Reaper (Richard Solly)and a "Whore of Babylon" (Lucy Wills) dancing (and throwing dollar notes around) to the tune of "Money, Money, Money"....it's all about the money he and his mates make from oil, at the expense of the rest of the world. That's not actually Batman looming over them.....it's Franklin Delano Roosevelt (in those days the President was allowed to have a brain)!
	The Samba band keeps the party going into the dark hours.... Hurrah for the "Rhythms of Resistance "!

While Canberra burns, John Howard stokes the Giant Bush Fire of the Future