June 22 2013
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Latest climate change news
- World's poorest will feel brunt of climate change, warns World Bank
- If you want to change the world, you have to get your hands dirty | Nafeez Ahmed
- The weather may be grim, but let's learn to enjoy it | Richard Mabey
- Is the future of clean energy a pond of algae in every backyard? | Lou del Bello
- Germany leans on EU states to weaken car emissions law
12th October 2011
The countdown to this year's COP has begun:
- Stand up for Climate Justice with us on Saturday December 3rd (and overnight 2nd-3rd).
- Before that there's the chance to discuss the issues at our Climate Justice Conference on Saturday 12th November.
- We have the latest from the anti-fracking campaign including a report from Camp Frack and the days following, and the government's current stance on shale gas. There's also a demo tomorrow morning!
- The biofuels campaign comes back to the fore with a public meeting and upcoming demo in London.
- For London supporters there is a social evening and meeting to look forward to.
- Keeping with the climate justice and biofuels theme we have two online petitions for you to sign, wherever you live.
- And finally we have our usual roundup of the most important national and international news stories of the past few weeks.
Countdown to Durban – Stand up for Climate Justice!
March in London, halfway through the international climate negotiations in Durban
This year the floods in Pakistan have returned displacing 5 million and killing hundreds. Last year's floods were the worst in living memory with 20 million affected and 2,000 killed. Last year also saw record breaking temperatures in Russia with wildfires and crop failures while this year we have seen the latest in a series of exceptional droughts in East Africa causing famine in Somalia.
The frequency and severity of weather related disasters is on the increase and scientists tell us this is due to human-induced climate change caused overwhelmingly by the high emissions and high consuming lifestyles of richer countries like our own. Its the poorest and most vulnerable around the world - many of them in Africa where this year's climate talks are being held - who have done the least to cause the problem but who are suffering the most. And all this is set to get worse. Yet climate change and the conversion to a low carbon economy are routinely dismissed as minor concerns.
Join us and stand up for climate justice on Saturday 3rd December midway through the Durban Climate Talks. Put the date in your diary now. Watch out for more details at www.campaigncc.org/standupforclimatejustice
If you are up for spending the night (2nd -3rd December) out at a symbolic "climate refugee" camp e-mail climatejustice@campaigncc.org
Download a flier for the 3rd December (pdf) here.
Download a Climate Justice information flier (pdf) here.
Saturday 12 November – Climate Justice conference
12.00pm-5:00pm, SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) or IOE (the Institute of Education) nearby - check website etc. for updates.
Speakers to include Rehad Desai - film-maker and campaigner from South Africa who will speak on the South African mobilisation for COP 17 (amongst other things)and Murad Qureshi (GLA member, Labour, UK Bangladeshi community).
Provisional timetable:
12.00pm - 1.00pm Opening plenary
1.00pm - 2.00 pm 'Regional' workshops (climate impacts in South Asia, Eastern Africa etc.)
2.00pm - 3.00pm Break and fringe workshops
3.00pm - 4.00pm Thematic workshops (biofuels, food prices & food sovereignity, climate finance etc.)
4.00pm - 5.00pm Closing plenary.
With Biofuelwatch, Bolivia Solidarity Campaign, Action Aid, CCC Trade Union Group... and more.
More details will be announced on our website, plus keep an eye on future e-mails for more information. If you are interested in organising a workshop contact info@campaigncc.org
If you want to help with any of these events we’d also love to hear from you. Please e-mail info@campaigncc.org or call the office on 020 7833 9311.
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It has been an incredibly busy couple of months in our campaign against fracking. Following the success of Camp Frack (covered here on North West Tonight and Granada) Cuadrilla Resources claimed to have found 'vast' shale gas deposits on the Lancashire coast and announced plans to drill 400 wells. This was accompanied by a protest outside the meeting with the now familiar message "Frack Off". Phil Thornhill, National Coordinator of the Campaign against Climate Change was featured in media coverage of the event on the BBC website, Channel 4 News, North West Evening News and BBC North West Today. Letters revealed fracking will be minimally regulated in the UK, and the energy and climate change minister, Charles Hendry, seems unconcerned about the climate change issues. However, Chris Huhne stated “We will not consent to so much gas plant so as to endanger our carbon dioxide goals” STOP PRESS: There will be a demonstration tomorrow morning at 8:30am outside the Department of Energy and Climate Change, see here for more details. |
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Biofuels campaign – report back from the meeting and upcoming demo
Last Tuesday Biofuelwatch in association with CCC organised a public meeting entitled “The real cost of subsidies for biofuel and biomass electricity” . The venue was filled to capacity as for three hours the hall heard from speakers including Elias Mtinda (Food Rights Coordinator for ActionAid Tanzania), Kenneth Richer (Friends of the Earth), Emilia Hanna (Biofuelwatch), Sarah Clayton (AirportWatch) talk about the insanity of subsidising biomass and biofuel instead of real renewables like wind and solar. You can see videos of Kenneth’s speech here and Sarah’s speech here. Presentations from the event can be downloaded here. Saturday October 22nd - Protest against biofuels fuelling climate meltdown 12noon outside DECC – Department of Energy & Climate Change, 3 Whitehall Place, SW1A 2AW The protest coincides with a DECC public consultation on Renewable Obligation Certificates – ROCs, which are subsidies for ‘renewable electricity’. Yet instead of rewarding only true renewable energy, such as sustainable wind and solar power, a large and growing share of ROCs goes to biomass (wood) and biofuel power stations. Those are paid for by all of us, through a surcharge on our fuel bills. At a time when health, education, social welfare and environmental programmes are being cut drastically, the government is planning to reward biomass and biofuel power stations with £3 billion a year! See more information at www.campaigncc.org/biofuelsdemo2011 See below for an action you can take backing scientists’ claims against the EU’s statement that biofuels are sustainable. |
CCC London social evening – Wednesday 26th October
Come and have a drink with us and discuss climate change, politics, or anything else. Everyone welcome.
CCC London meeting – Monday 7th November
Everyone welcome to discuss upcoming events and how you can help.
- Both venues are to be confirmed, keep an eye on our events calendar for confirmation nearer the time, subscribe to our “All events” e-mail list or follow us on Twitter for all the latest CCC updates and breaking news articles.
Online campaign actions
The Time for Climate Justice Campaign is calling for world leaders to commit to strong international action on climate change that works for the world’s poor. Send them your photos and we’ll make sure decision makers see them: www.climatejusticeonline.org/take-action/photo-petition/
On October 7th, 2011, 168 scientists warned about biofuels in a joint letter addressed to the EU. Energy derived from field crops is by no means environmentally friendly, despite the European Union’s claims. Support the scientists’ call to protest by signing their petition: https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/mailalert/776/biofuel-please-support-the-scientists-call-to-protest
Climate change in the news – UK
George Osborne refuses to lead on climate change, pledging that the UK will cut carbon no faster than the rest of the EU.
Transport secretary Philip Hammond plans to raise the speed limit to 80mph.
Eric Pickles announced a £250 million fund to encourage councils to return to weekly rubbish collections, potentially reducing recycling.
The Daily Mail is still inventing wildly inflated figures about the cost of green energy measures, despite already being censored by the Press Complaints Commission. Carbon Brief reports.
Climate change in the news – International
Climate shifts lead to famine, famine leads to misery, and misery leads to wars, according to a statistical analysis of preindustrial Europe.
A new report, released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OCED), begins to quantify how much rich nations—and taxpayers—are supporting fossil-fuel production and consumption
The EU is set to ban tar sands from transport fuel in its new fuel quality directive, but the proposal still needs to be voted in by member states and the European Parliament. Britain in particular is opposing the ban after heavy lobbying from Canada.
Weeks after the peaceful protests in Washington where 1,252 people faced arrest, over 100 were arrested in Ottowa in a similar protest against the Keystone XL pipeline, planned to transport tar sands oil from Canada to Mexico.
Airlines from the US and other countries are attempting to stop the EU making them pay for carbon emissions, bringing them into the emissions trading scheme.
Scientists report that the hottest decade on record would have been even hotter if not for deep oceans absorbing heat – potentially causing accelerated warming in the coming decade.
More than 30 million people were displaced last year by environmental and weather-related disasters across Asia.
Top Floor, 5 Caledonian Road, London, N1 9DX, UK | Phone: +44(0)20 7833 9311 | info@campaigncc.org