Greenpeace Blog

Gather together for a day of global action on climate change

Posted by jamie — 4 December 2008 at 2:44pm - Comments

Campaign against Climate Change The run-up to Christmas is usually a hectic time for climate change aficionados, not because we're busy buying each other wind-up torches and mini-wind turbines to put under the tree, but there's just so much happening on the global scene. Not only is it the time for international climate talks (Bali last year, Poznan happening now, Copenhagen in 12 months), but the Global Day of Action has swung round once more.

If you can brave the cold, this Saturday 6 December is the one to mark in your diary and London will witness a march to Parliament Square where the likes of Nick Clegg, Caroline Lucas and George Monbiot will be speaking to the crowds. Assemble at 12 noon in Grosvenor Square, outside the US embassy, and there's also protest bike ride from Lincoln's Inn Fields at 10.30am. Further details are on the Campaign Against Climate Change website.

Of course, as it's a Global Day of Action, there are events happening right across the planet. Examine the Global Climate Campaign website to find what's happening in your country.

Article tagged as: climate change, global day of action, london

Turner report advises against new coal plants

Posted by jossc — 4 December 2008 at 12:15pm - Comments

Carbon dinosaur? Ferrybridge coal-fired power station in Yorkshire

The Turner Report - a nail in the coffin of coal-fired power?

Lord Turner's Committee on Climate Change, which reported to the government on Monday, has gone a long way towards ruling out new coal plants like Kingsnorth from playing a role in any future UK energy mix.

Article tagged as: CCS, climate change, co2 emissions, coal, eon, kingsnorth

Brazil sets targets to stop deforestation, but is it enough?

Posted by jamie — 4 December 2008 at 11:42am - Comments

Flying over forest fires in the Amazon © Greenpeace/Beltra

With the current climate talks now underway in Poznan, the Brazilian government has finally fulfilled a promise it made at the previous round of talks in Bali last year and set targets for reducing deforestation in the Amazon. It's great to see they finally have some targets to work towards (and it's been a long time coming) but as is often the way with these political initiatives, it all falls short of what's really needed.

Article tagged as: amazon, amazon fund, brazil, carlos minc, deforestation, forests, forests for climate, lula, poznan

Deep Green: Atomic renaissance interrupted

Posted by jamie — 3 December 2008 at 2:32pm - Comments

Deep Green - Rex Weyler

Here's the latest in the Deep Green column from Rex Weyler -author, journalist, ecologist and long-time Greenpeace trouble-maker. The opinions here are his own, and you can sign up to get the column by email every month.

The nuclear industry has hitched a ride on the climate change bandwagon, proclaiming that nuclear power will solve the world's global warming and energy problems in one sweeping "nuclear renaissance."

As you might expect, there's a catch. Nuclear energy faces escalating capital costs, a radioactive waste backlog, security and insurance gaps, nuclear weapons proliferation, and expensive reactor decommissioning that will magnify the waste problem.

Article tagged as: about, activism, climate change, nuclear power, nuclear waste, rex weyler

As Poznan continues, it's chimney climbing time

Posted by jamie — 2 December 2008 at 1:25pm - Comments

Greenpeace climbers make their way to the top of the Pątnów power coal fired power station chimney near Konin, western Poland.

Two climbers plan their ascent © Greenpeace/Rose

As the climate negotiations rumble on at Poznan in Poland, down the road at the coal power plant a group of Greenpeace climbers have scaled 150 metres up the chimney stack to hang 'Quit coal' banners, while another group has blocked the main entrance gate.

One of the climbers is Will, one of the Kingsnorth Six who were recently acquitted on charges arising from a similar action at (where else?) Kingsnorth power station in Kent - in fact, Will is providing the photos from the top of the chimney.

Article tagged as: climate change, coal, direct actions, poland, poznan

Help Stop Climate Chaos to recharge the media

Posted by jossc — 1 December 2008 at 1:31pm - Comments

Stop Climate Chaos logo Do you feel the media sometimes misses the point? Wish it was getting the urgency of climate change?

As you may know, Greenpeace is a member of Stop Climate Chaos (SCC), the umbrella group of organisations working together to limit the worst effects of climate change. If, like us, you think the media could use some 'recharging' on the climate debate, join in to create a big debate in the media this December. Get the letters pages, opinion columns and airwaves buzzing with your views on climate change and the UK's energy choices.

Get your voice heard. Inspire others. Help shape the public agenda.

Article tagged as: climate change, co2 emissions, cop 14, poznan, stop climate chaos

Actions not words needed at Poznan

Posted by jossc — 1 December 2008 at 11:54am - Comments

EU leaders - 20 years of broken promises...

On 11 December at Poznan in Poland, our governments will decide Europe's response to climate change for the next 12 years. Unless they agree to at least 30 per cent cuts in European greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, we'll have no chance of keeping global warming below 2°C and avoiding climate catastrophe.

So far there is still an utter lack of any kind of visionary leadership in these talks. There are still governments that repeatedly fail to grasp the urgency of the crisis. That's why we need to make ourselves heard, because the impacts of climate change are racing ahead of the scientific projections.

Article tagged as: aviation, climate change, co2 emissions, coal, deforestation, global warming, poznan

The true cost of coal and the men making you pay it

Posted by jossc — 28 November 2008 at 3:31pm - Comments

Greenpeace activists tell major global polluters in Poland to "Get Serious, Quit Coal".

If we're to avert catastrophic climate change the world must quit coal. But the industry and the powerful forces which rely on it won't go down without a fight. Yesterday, in Warsaw, Greenpeace provided them with two reminders of why we all need to quit coal.

Article tagged as: climate change, co2 emissions, coal, energy, fossil fuels, health impacts, pollution

It's official: BAA will say anything to get a 3rd runway approved at Heathrow

Posted by jossc — 26 November 2008 at 3:02pm - Comments

747 taking off from Heathrow

Boy are BAA keen on a third runway for Heathrow. Their enthusiasm knows no bounds, and there appear to be no lengths they won't go to to get their own way - purely for the good of the country, of course (even though they are Spanish owned) - no shabby profit motives involved.

So far in order to see their dream come true they have:

colluded with the government (through a joint body - the Heathrow Delivery Group) to steer their plans through the consultation process
supplied their own data for calculations of noise and pollution that inform the proposal, and prevented opposition groups gaining access it it to carry out their own analyses
written parts of the consultation themselves
drawn up a 'risk' list with the Department of Transport to counter opponents of the proposal (including the 2M campaign, the group comprising local councils representing 2 million people who'll be affected by the new runway)
taken out an injunction against Airportwatch, the umbrella organisation who's members include such radical groups as the National Trust, the RSPB, the Woodland Trust and the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, as well as ourselves.

Article tagged as: 3rd runway, BAA, co2 emissions, DoT, heathrow expansion

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