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The Rising Tide UK Climate Action News Sheet with news, future events and ideas for taking action on Climate Change is a short (two pages max) email sent out only when there is something useful to say and never more than once a week. To sign up, click here... RISING TIDE CLIMATE ACTION NEWS SHEET 42a 23 August 2004 There's a lot been going on recently, and we haven't put the news sheet out for a while, so this is a bumper double-issue. It's two separate emails for easy digestion. CONTENTS
A note for newcomers - These news sheets are short (2 ish pages) and we won't "flood" you (ho ho) - we will issue them only when we have something to say and even then no more than one update per week (and maybe even less often). YOUR DETAILS WILL NEVER BE GIVEN TO ANYONE. 1. ACTION - Friends of the Earth Climate Challenge FoE have launched a 'Climate Challenge' campaign to get people to improve energy efficiency in their own lives and send a message that we need to take action NOW on climate change: "By taking part, not only will you be helping make a difference, our actions will signal to politicians and industry that we can't continue business as usual, destroying the only planet we have." www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/climate/press_for_change/climate_challenge 2. NEWS - Activists Blockade Colwick Oil Terminal, Nottingham 8th June, In solidarity with groups in the United States protesting the annual get-together of the G8 leaders, 30+ activists shut down an oil distribution depot in Nottingham. The G8 Summit was staged on Sea Island, 80 miles south of Savannah in the United States, a location specifically chosen to make it impossible for protestors to access. Groups in the United States put out a call for decentralised actions. After blockading the terminal entrance with a tripod, there were a few instances of threats of violence, by lorry drivers and others, inconvenienced by the blockade. But all turned out well, and the road block was voluntarily lifted at 12.30. "The leaders of the eight richest, industrial countries may hide on mountain-tops and remote islands, they may surround themselves by fences and police, but they cannot hide from the global movement against capitalism." Full Article: www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/06/293040.html 3. NEWS - Climate Change Activists Open Gallery Space to Show the Real Story Behind BP National Portrait Award Paintings, photographs and sculptures donated by artists from around the world are on display at an alternative art exhibition in central London. London Rising Tide (LRT) organised the exhibition in response to the Big Oil and Corporate Hijacking of 'the Arts' - specifically BP's sponsorship of the National Portrait Award. The exhibition, initially open for only a week, has been so successful that LRT activists have kept the gallery open now for over a month. LRT, a grassroots group taking direct action against the root causes of climate change, is joining forces with artists to express anger over the role of BP in intensifying global climate change and human rights abuses around the world. During the past two years, as part of it campaign against BP's hugely controversial Baku Ceyhan pipeline, LRT has disrupted BP AGMs, presentations by both BP's boss, Lord Browne, and its Chairman, brought Caspian carve-up conferences to a standstill and targeted BP-sponsored locations such as Tate Britain, Natural History Museum and the Royal Opera House. "As an artist I'm disgusted by BP's sponsorship of the arts" said Martin Doyle, "[this] gives the impression that the art world condones the company's despicable activities." Sarah Newby from LRT suggests: "It's time to meet the increased corporate hijack of the arts with defiant creativity, time to kick the corporations out of our galleries, museums and theatres!" For more information, contact London
Rising Tide: See also www.risingtide.org.uk and www.baku.org.uk 4. NEWS - Ecuadorean Amazon Activists occupy Foreign Trade Ministry 7th July, 30 leaders from different grassroots organizations affected by oil company CHEVRON TEXACO, occupied the installations of the Foreign Trade Ministry. For more than 30 years the inhabitants of the Amazonía have lived under the environmental devastation, irresponsible and evil activities carried out by Texaco during its operation in Ecuador. these organizations suited Texaco in a New York Court. Ten years later, following pressure from ChevronTexaco, the case has been returned to the court of a small oil town in the Ecuadorian Amazonia. ChevronTexaco successfully persuaded the courts to transfer all the environmental responsibility of Texaco to the state owner company Petroecuador, thereby escaping responsibility for its actions in Ecuador. Local campaigners in Ecuador believe that this is part of the pressure the United States is imposing on Ecuador to leverage the signing of a Free Trade Agreement between USA and Ecuador. 5. NEWS - Critical Mass in Moscow, St. Petersburg Moscow's first large Critical Mass bike ride took place recently, organized and supported by "Carfree Russia" movement, "Muscovites for the Tram" committee and other ecogroups and activists drawing attention to the need for more sustainable forms of transport and our dependence on climate-change-fueling oil. About 150 people gathered around one of Moscow's central squares filling the streets of the Russian capital for 15 km. Afterwards, free vegan food was provided by "Food Not Bombs". Inspired by the huge success of Moscow's Critical Mass, St. Petersburg conducted its own bike event with the help of local activists. Against expectations, city officials, pedestrians and even car owners were positive about it. 6. NEWS - US Climate Change Bill www.undoit.org in the states are campaigning to get support for the Climate Stewardship Act, a "bipartisan reaction to the dangers of global warming and the Bush administration's policy of indifference toward them." As well as opposing George Bush's goverment's complete lack of action on climate change, and trying to push alternatives through the US political system, the site has an informative short film about climate change, and 20 simple steps you can take to reduce your emissions. 7. FREAK WEATHER - Drought in Afghanistan During Normally Wettest Part of the Year Drinking and irrigation water shortages are being reported in many parts of Afghanistan. Poor precipitation during March and April, typically the wettest part of the year, and above-average temperatures are partially to blame for the shortages. Streams and wells across the south may dry up earlier than last year, hindering access to drinking water. Hydro-power plants linked to dams at Daronta, Naghlu, and Sarobi are also expected to be affected. Approximately 70% of Afghanistan's population relies on agriculture for at least part of their livelihood, making them vulnerable to these drought conditions. 8. FREAK WEATHER - Floods and Mudslides in Taiwan after a meter of rain falls in three days 6th July, Rescuers battled against Taiwan's worst floods in 25 years, which killed at least 19 people and stranded 10,000 villagers without fresh water and electricity. 200 engineers and workers at five hydroelectric plants were stranded by raging floodwaters and mudslides, Taiwan's National Disaster Relief Centre said. Tropical storm Mindulle pounded Taiwan with rains that sparked disastrous flooding after hitting the Philippines, where it killed at least 32 people and left 11 others missing. In Taiwan, 19 people have been killed and nine others are missing and feared dead. In central Nantou County, more than 10,000 residents were trapped in nine villages in a mountainous region after roads and bridges were washed away. Many sought shelter at churches or public schools after their homes were destroyed by mudslides, officials said. Several mountain areas recorded more than 1,100mm of rain in three days. 9. COMING EVENT - International Seminar on Renewable Energies 22nd - 28th August, Asturias, Spain "We want to bring together people working on positive alternatives to the oil and nuclear industries with people who are active in denouncing them and campaigning against destructive companies and projects, to fostering more cross-polinisation between the "practical" and the "political", in order to strengthen the efforts done from all sides for positive social change. We will develop practical tools to increase the communication and coordination between these areas of work." Organised by ESCANDA and the International
Network For Sustainable Energy 10. INFORMATION - Peak Oil and Decline Citizens Committee on Oil Peak And Decline (COPAD) is an interesting site with information and debate about the peak in oil extraction, beyond which oil is expected to become a more an increasingly scarce resource. There is also a statement on Peak Oil you can sign. It's not quite clear what they're doing with it, but it's certainly interesting reading: www.copad.org 11. INFORMATION - Climate Change in the Great Lakes The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) have recently expanded their colourful, interactive web feature: "Great Lakes Communities and Ecosystems at Risk." Written by leading university and government scientists within the region, the comprehensive report combines advanced models of the Earth's climate system, with 100 years of historical climate data to generate the most reliable projections of future climate for the diverse habitats of the Great Lakes. Features include:
Sound Science Initiative (SSI) is an effective email-based vehicle for scientists to respond to and influence fast-breaking media and policy developments on environmental issues of global significance, with a special focus on climate change and loss of biological diversity (including a new program on invasive species). To add your voice to the over 3000 scientists in SSI, visit: www.ucsusa.org Please send anything you'd like
put up on our website or included in this news sheet to Matthew
Carroll: To view previous editions of the Rising Tide News Sheet, or if you have problems reading this html format on email, visit the News Sheet Archive at http://www.risingtide.org.uk/pages/news/newssheet/ This News Sheet was brought to you
by Rising Tide, a grassroots network of groups and individuals committed
to taking action and building a movement against climate change. PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO A FRIEND AND
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