co2 emissions

Peaceful protesters from the our Climate Rescue Station were attacked by mine workers today as they entered the vast Jóźwin IIB open pit mine near Konin in Poland. As they prepared to paint a huge "Stop" sign next to a giant excavator, the activists were assaulted and prevented from carrying out their peaceful protest. A journalist accompanying them was also beaten.

At the end of 2006 Greenpeace joined other environmental and campaigning groups to push for government action on climate change - under the name of the I Count campaign. At the time, the reality of global warming was only just being accepted by mainstream politicians, but through Stop Climate Chaos' I Count campaign thousands of us lobbied our MPs and helped to persuade many of them that the situation was serious and that genuine action was needed. Last month the positive results of all that effort were seen when a much beefed-up Climate Bill was passed by Parliament.

All of us who took part in I Count can be proud of our contribution to three major victories in the climate change debate, which have now been incorporated into the Bill.

The good folk at the Public Interest Research Centre (PIRC) recently made an inspired contribution to the anti-coal crusade that's springing up around the country - they've just launched an online map of all the places that the coal industry is planning to dig and build new opencast mines and new power stations. It's interactive, zoomable, and full of information about the sizes of the mines and power stations being planned. Worryingly, there are more than a few.

"Yes Mr Brown, we're afraid it really is that serious..."

Much as Gordon Brown would like to pretend otherwise, getting the go-ahead for Heathrow's third runway is still far from a done deal. With the Tories and Lib Dems having already rejected the proposal, the PM is now facing a growing rebellion from within his own party. Labour MPs, privately egged-on by cabinet ministers, have tabled a motion opposing Heathrow expansion in a last ditch attempt to persuade Mr Brown to change his mind - reminding him that not only will the third runway make it almost impossible for the government to hit its climate change targets, but that it is deeply unpopular with voters.

45 Labour MPs have already signed up to an Early Day Motion expressing their opposition. If this figure continues to rise, as it easily could with two weeks still to go before the motion closes, then the PM will find it increasingly difficult to defy opinion within his own party.

Energy and climate change secretary Ed Miliband has agreed to include emissions from aviation and shipping in the new Climate Change Bill, which is due to become law next month. Having already taken the important step of upping Britain's commitment to curb its carbon footprint from 60 per cent to 80 per cent by 2050 during his first week in office, he's now accepted an ammendment to the bill proposed by rebel Labour MPs to include the carbon footprint of the aviation and shipping industries.

As the Rainbow Warrior arrives here to embark on the UK leg of of her worldwide "Quit Coal" tour, activists from another of our ships, Arctic Sunrise, have been busy putting coal in the hot seat in Italy.

"Small variations in global temperatures have vast consequences. The last Ice Age was only six degrees colder than today. A global rise of just 0.8 degrees has melted the Arctic."
Johann Hari: Don't kill the planet in the name of saving the economy »

Five of them scaled a 150 metre crane at a new coal-fired power plant in Civitavecchia, near Rome, to drop a banner highlighting the fact that Italian government policy effectively opposes the Kyoto Protocol. Meanwhile another five activists painted "No Carbon" and "Quit Coal" in giant letters on the power plant's dock from an inflatable boat.

Cars are responsible for 12 per cent of all CO2 emissions across the EU

Once again our government's green credentials have been put to the test and found wanting. Presented by the EU Parliament with a perfect opportunity to force Europe's motor industries to reign-in their gas guzzling, climate damaging ways, they opted instead to give in to the demands of the car lobby.

TANC - making headlines in the Shropshire Star

Telford Against New coal (TANC) yesterday launched their campaign to stop an opencast coal mine at the foot of the Wrekin Hills from getting planning permission. Besides the obvious climate change implications, the proposed 230 acre site would encroach into the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and ruin some of the largest and most valuable areas of ancient woodland in the county.