As an international organisation, we campaign on several fronts - from researching and promoting solutions to climate change (like decentralised energy), to exposing the companies and governments that are blocking action, to lobbying to change national and international policy, to bearing witness to the impacts of this unnecessary destruction.
Promoting good energy
The energy sector accounts for nearly half of the UK's total carbon emissions. The centralised energy system we have now is archaic and criminally wasteful; by “decentralising” our energy supply - generating electricity locally and capturing the “waste” heat - we can more than double the efficiency of our power stations.
We've visited, worked with and documented working examples of decentralised energy around the world. In the UK, we work to influence policy, fighting for the overhaul of the regulatory framework we need. At a grassroots level, we work with councils, communities, engineers, architects, economists and other experts to identify exactly how decentralised energy could work in specific cities, and how much it would cost. We’ve taken our findings to MPs through public consultations, surgery visits, fringe events, film showings and direct actions. The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats now firmly support decentralised energy.
Energy efficient light bulbs
If every UK retailer made the switch from incandescent light bulbs to energy efficient ones, the UK could cut its carbon emissions by over five million tonnes – that’s more carbon than the world’s 26 lowest emitting countries pump our combined. So that’s what we to achieve. We’re asking all supermarkets to voluntarily remove inefficient, incandescent bulbs from their shelves by the end of 2007. Compact fluorescent bulbs use five times less energy, last 12 times longer and could save UK consumers £1.2 billion – not bad for a little gas-filled tube...
Aviation
Aviation’s the fastest growing source of emissions in the UK. If it keeps growing the way it is now, we’re on the path to climate destruction. But still the aviation industry wants more – more flights, more airports, more runways, more money – whatever the cost to the planet. And the government keeps bowing to the industry’s demands. We’re working to prevent the expansion of Heathrow and other UK airports by exposing the aviation industry's reckless response to climate change – especially when it comes to short-haul flights that could easily be done by train.
Road transport
Vehicles in the UK are pumping out more greenhouse gases than ever before. We're working to get meaningful policies in place to cut these emissions. After our lobbying, Gordon Brown increased road taxes for gas-guzzlers, but that isn't enough. Car manufacturers aren’t making the improvements in efficiency they promised, and are blocking government attempts to stop climate change. So we're fighting for legally binding efficiency targets through exposing the worst of the car manufacturers and promoting cleaner, more efficient alternatives.
No to coal
New Labour has effectively subsidised coal, making the most polluting source of energy cheaper to burn than the less polluting natural gas. As a result, the use of coal in power stations has risen under New Labour, and CO2 emissions in the UK are still on the up. As well as promoting cleaner alternatives like decentralised energy, we work to end the use of coal in the UK, through investigations, direct actions and promoting the alternatives.
No to nuclear
Then there's nuclear power. Even leaving aside the problems of cost, waste and accident, nuclear power can't stop climate change or ensure energy security. We're fighting the government’s new nuclear policy through legal action, by exposing new evidence of the nuclear industry’s contemporary failures and by highlighting the real problems that new nuclear build will create. We also taking direct action to stop the nuclear industry’s plan to build new nuclear power stations in the UK and abroad.
Documenting impacts
As an international organisation that often works closely with development organisations, we're perfectly placed to get out there and witness the impacts climate change is having on our planet and its inhabitants, and to document them. Recent expeditions have included trips in the North Pole, Antarctica, China, South America and Africa. And, of course, we document what we find to add to the growing body of knowledge of what climate change really means for our planet, as well as to prompt more meaningful action to tackle the problem.
None of this is possible without your support. Find out how you can help to keep promoting the solutions to climate change - and keep fighting the causes.
