climate change

The battle to win hearts and minds on the critical airport expansion issue continues apace. The latest group to take the field is in Manchester, where a flashmob is being organised to protest against the expansion of Heathrow, Manchester and all UK airports.

It's being called to coincide with the Labour Party Conference in Manchester and, in true flashmob fashion, will mysteriously manifest in Albert Square outside Manchester Town Hall on Tuesday 23rd September at 12.45pm sharp!

YANC launch their campaign on the steps of Leeds City Hall

Hot on the heels of the successful Kingsnorth trial outcome in Kent comes more good news for those of us committed to preventing new coal projects gaining a foothold across Britain. Yorkshire Against New Coal announced itself on the national stage at the end of last week with a launch event at Leeds Civic Hall.

Zak Goldsmith outside Maidstone Crown Court © Greenpeace/Jiri Rezak

As promised, here are the full written statements from the defence witnesses at the Kingsnorth trial:

• Professor Jim Hansen (pdf)
• Dr Geoff Meaden (pdf) plus a supplementary statement (pdf)
• Zak Goldsmith (pdf)
• Aqqaluk Lynge (pdf)
• Jennifer Morgan (pdf)

Obviously, these don't include verbal answers the witnesses gave while they were on the stand - check out the daily blogs from the trial for some of those.

James Hansen in conversation outside Maidstone Crown Court © Rezac/Greenpeace

I blogged bits of Hansen's spoken testimony on the day he gave it, but here's his written witness statement in full (pdf).

If you don't want to read through the whole thing, here are the summary facts (known, as Hansen writes, "by the UK government, by the utility EON, by the fossil fuel industry, and by the defendants at the time of their actions in 2007"):

Hats off to the Kingsnorth Six for having the courage to risk prison to hold the government's misguided energy policy to account. The fact that Gordon Brown and co are planning to ramp up Britain's consumption of coal (the most climate damaging fossil fuel) had gone largely unnoticed by our mainstream media until yesterday's successful trial result. Not any more!

See all trial updates or sign up to get them by email.

A relatively short blog today (I thought you deserved it after yesterday's dissertation).

The judge finished summing up before lunch and, at 12.50pm, the jury retired to consider the verdict. By the end of the day, after a fair bit of pacing and nail biting in the defendants' camp, the jury said they hadn't yet been able to reach a unanimous verdict. So the trial - and the slightly frayed nerves - continue into Wednesday.