Bristol

Formed out of and inspired by the first Climate Camp in August 2006, Bristol Rising Tide has gone from strength to strength. We are motivated by the growing evidence that climate change is well underway and and that those in power are not going to do much more about it than rearrange the deckchairs on the Titanic.

We are an open, autonomous, grassroots direct action group: everyone is welcome except the police and their mates. We have adopted the
People's Global Action Hallmarks, a statement which affirms our rejection of all systems of domination - you name it - capitalism, patriarchy, racism, and any other -isms or -ologies that divide and oppress us. We don’t believe governments or businesses are going to solve our problems: We are going to have to do it ourselves, learning as we go.

Picture: Westside neighbourhood at Kingsnorth climate camp 2008. Credit:Jess Hurd

Our meetings

We get together to talk, plot, plan and make decisions every other Monday, 7.30pm at Kebele Social Centre. Check out Bristol Indymedia for the date of the next meeting and come on down.

Current Activity

Bristol Rising Tide support Vestas workers

Call-out to join the Co-Mutiny and workshop call out.

Direct Action stops Shell’s operations in Co.Mayo

Skillshare weekends

Challenging Corporate Greenwash

Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year Protest against Shell sponsorship of this prestigious photo competition.

Saturday 15th December : 12noon. Outside the City of Bristol Musuem, Queens road, activists from: Bristol Rising Tide ; Friends of The Earth; People and Planet and concerned individuals protested against the sponsorship of The wildlife Photographer of the year by Shell a serial environmental destroyer.

Events on the day

Shell is the world’s second largest oil company and continues to damage, destroy, and decimate wildlife and human habitat all over the world on an unprecedented scale. Yet they try to deceive the public into thinking they are a ‘green’ and responsible company. If Shell’s sponsorship of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award isn’t an insult and a direct attack on the movement for climate justice, we don’t know what is. It’s time to draw a line in the sand, right here in Bristol. Shell’s greenwash is not welcome in our city and especially in our public museum.

The exhibition is in Bristol City Musuem from 15th December - 13th January and we have been busy mobilising against this.

The BBC Wildlife Magazine who run the competition are based in Bristol so a few people paid a visit to their offices.

Polar Bear Disrupts National BBC Wildlife Magazine HQ.

Here is Josh Harts blog, who's involved with Bristol Rising Tide, on why he is opposing the Sponsorship of this event by Shell.
sHELLs Wild Lie.

Biofuels
Biofuel Watch week of action 26th Jan. to 3rd Feb.
Biofuels in Bristol

Banking

RBS-NatWest publicly promotes itself as "The Oil & Gas Bank". They provide the financial fuel that is accelerating climate change. Without these loans to oil and gas corporations the projects would not happen. It is estimate that in 2006, the bank provided over $10 billion to fossil fuels – more than five times that provided to renewable energy. RBS and the Financing of Climate Change

RBS provide oil corporations with loans to build new massively ecologically detrimental drilling rigs, pipelines and oil tankers. And as RBS's profits rise so does the carbon in the atmosphere.

We took part in the National Day of Action against the Royal Bank of Scotland on the 13th Dec.
Climate refugee polar bears locked up at RBS

Following this successful action four polar bears were in court wearing tee-shirts saying RBS: Guilty of Causing Climate Change. Polar Bears in Court

Aviation

We fundamentally oppose any expansion of air travel, and specifically the proposed expansion of Bristol International Airport. In December 06 we occupied the lobby of the key decision makers in order to deliver a giant letter, which highlighted all the reasons why expansion is a crazy idea and made clear our commitment to taking direct action to stop the expansion if it is given the go ahead.
Action report

The Oil Industry

Petrol stations are the public face of oil corporations. They are found all over our city. Disrupting their smooth operations and exposing the oily exploitative reality behind their slick greenwashed exteriors is a favourite pastime of ours. They can't be allowed to fool people into believing that they are part of a sustainable or socially just future. They are not genuinely working towards reducing oil dependency, they have played a crucial and deeply cynical role in holding up the climate change debate. We also encourage drivers to think about the links between climate change and their personal carbon usage

Camp for Climate Action

The Climate Camp. The Big One. August 14th-21st.

Bristol Rising Tide took part in making this year's camp. Over 1000 people came together to take action on the root causes of climate change, while taking part in an experiment in collective sustainable living. There was a strong and vibrant contingent of people from Bristol and the Southwest, who camped together and bonded over the week...
a href="http://risingtide.org.uk/node/220">Read the full article

For loads of coverage, stories, pictures and debate, check out the indymedia coverage.

Welsh Gas Pipeline

National Grid are currently building a high-pressure gas pipeline through the South of Wales. Bristol Rising Tide has been, and will continue to be, really active in resisting this new carbon intensive energy project while working in solidarity with local communities whose safety fears have been steamrollered over. We have been supporting the protest camps set up along the route of the pipeline and regularly taking part in actions to stop work and keep the issue high on the news agenda.(Read More)

Upcoming Events

See full details here on the Events Page

See full details here on the Past Events Page

BP Portrait Gallery Protest. May 5th and May 20th.

April 19th-21st Bath Climate Camp

25th - 31st March: Bike the Pipe
24th March: Carnival against the Pipe @ Trebanos,

Contact us

Tel.no: 07917 383517
E-mail: bristol@risingtide.org.uk
Postal Address: PO BOX 99, 82 Colston Street, Bristol BS1 5BB.