RISING TIDE

CLIMATE ACTION NEWS SHEET 44

9 November 2004

CONTENTS

1. ACTION - International Day of Action Against Ford, November 18
2. COMING EVENT - UK Anti-Road / Airport Action Gathering, Nottingham, November 19-21
3. COMING EVENT - Treesponsibility Gathering, November 12-14
4. COMING EVENT - Spin and Corporate Power, Strathclyde University, November 18-19
5. COMING EVENT - The Sky Has a Limit - Brussels, November 30 - December 2
6. NEWS - London Rising Tide G8 Climate Criminals Critical Mass
7. NEWS - Rising Tide European Social Forum Workshops
8. NEWS - Russia Ratifies Kyoto Protocol
9. FREAK WEATHER - The Return of El-Niño?
10. INFO - Beyond Oil: The Oil Curse and Solutions for an Oil Free Future
11. INFO - Cool Kids for a Cool Climate

1. ACTION - International Day of Action Against Ford, November 18

Jumpstart Ford in The States are calling for an international day of action against Ford...

"With only 5% of the world's population, the US consumes a quarter of the world's oil, more than any other country. Most of America's oil is used for transportation. And for five years, the automaker with the most inefficient cars and trucks has been Ford Motor Company. Ford's gas guzzling vehicles are driving America's oil addiction and destroying the world's climate. To break our oil addiction, Global Exchange and the Rainforest Action Network are asking communities to target Ford Motor Company to demand that the corporation increase the fuel efficiency of its vehicles to 50 miles per gallon by 2010 and to completely eliminate tailpipe emissions by 2020."

Although based in the USA, Ford is a multi-national with operations around the world. For more ideas of how you can creatively resist ford in your area, see jumpstartford.org/action

2. COMING EVENT - UK Anti-Road / Airport Action Gathering, Nottingham, November 19-21

More traffic growth? More roads? Airport Expansion? You must be CHOKING! It's time to take ACTION!

Labout are backsliding on the victories of the 1990's roads protests, and many road schemes, dropped in the 1990s, are back on the road builders' agenda. Meanwhile the Government is also proposing large-scale airport expansion... and all in the same breath as talking about tackling climate change.

This backslide CAN and WILL be stopped by PEOPLE POWER. We need to ORGANISE NOW!

Gathering at the Sumac Centre, 245 Gladstone Street, Nottingham, NG7

• come to discuss ideas for action and strategy
• get an idea of the threat and what is planned where
• network with other campaigners, build alliances

BOOKING ESSENTIAL, phone 0845 345 1998 email gathering@roadalert.org.uk or see www.roadalert.org.uk

3. COMING EVENT - Treesponsibility Gathering, November 12-14

"Climate Change of Another Kind Connectedness - Community - Love of the Land"

12-14 November, nr. Hebden Bridge, W.Yorkshire

Skill-sharing, awareness-raising, tree-planting and alternatives for a positive future. £20 / £10 day tickets, inc. food. children half price. For further information:

Telephone: 01422 843222 | email: billy@frugal.fsnet.co.uk | www.treesponsibility.com

4. COMING EVENT - Spin and Corporate Power, Strathclyde University, November 18-19

The Department of Geography and Sociology at Strathclyde University is hosting a two day research seminar on the topic of spin and corporate power. Leading experts from around the world will converge on Glasgow to discuss how spin works and how it might be countered.

More info:

http://www.strath.ac.uk/Departments/Geography/html/news%20items/Nov_confefence.htm

5. COMING EVENT - The Sky Has a Limit - Brussels, November 30 - December 2

Conference on Airports, Air Travel and Climate Change

Organised by Milieudefensie (FoE Netherlands) and AEF/GreenSkies, this conference will cover Greenhouse gas emission policies in European air travel, Expansion plans of airports in the EU, Ban on night flights and Noise...

"Our goal is an active network that will run a European campaign for fair prices for air travel and against further expansion of airports with participating groups in all parts of Europe."

More info: contact Evert Hassink +31 (0)20 550 73 91 | email airtravel@milieudefensie.nl | web www.greenskies.org

6. NEWS - London Rising Tide G8 Climate Criminals Critical Mass

"People need the G8 like a fish needs a bicycle"

As part of the many grassroots events that sprouted up all around the European Social Forum in London, London Rising Tide recently (dis)organised a very public exposure of some of the forces that are sending our planet tumbling into climate chaos, a critical mass bike tour themed "London in 2050" - when sea levels may be a tad higher than at present.

Starting at the Royal ('Oil') Festival Hall, via Exxon Mobil (Esso)'s headquarters and the National Portrait Gallery (sponsored by BP), fish on bikes, snorkellers with drums, fishermen with banners, were all ready to pay a visit to some of the G8 / the world's worst climate criminals...

photos and more details: www.risingtide.org.uk/pages/news/london_esf3.htm

London Rising Tide: london@risingtide.org.uk | www.londonrisingtide.org.uk

7. News - Rising Tide European Social Forum Workshops

Rising Tide ran two workshops at the recent European Social Forum in London. The first, Dismantling the oil industry and living without oil, was a whistlestop tour through the curses of oil and how we in the can take action. Depletion Scotland provided info on 'Peak oil' , and Platform gave a presentation on the web of BP and Shell in the UK. Discussion followed about how we can use this information to take action in the UK and abroad. The second workshop was with Platform and Voices in the Wilderness on 'Oil Corporations in Iraq' and provided a fascinating insight into oil company interests and operations in Iraq; the links between BP, Shell and the UK government; and info from Ewa Jasiewicz on the Iraqi oil workers.

A more detailed description of the workshops is being written up, and will be available on the www.nonewoil.org soon.

8. NEWS - Russia Ratifies Kyoto Protocol

22 October 2004 - The lower house of the Russian parliament has voted to ratify the Kyoto Protocol - the stalled UN treaty that is supposed to be dealing with climate change. For the treaty to come into force, Russia's ratification was essential in order to bring the number of countries on board up to a level equivalent to 55% of the 1990 CO₂ emissions. Without the USA, only Russia could satisfy that requirement. As for actually dealing with climate change, on the other hand, the ratification of the treaty by Russia, and it's subsequent coming into force will do little to address the growing climate chaos crisis - the Kyoto Protocol requires only a 5.2% (on average) cut to CO₂ emissions based on 1990 levels, over the next 8 years. The scientific consensus from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is that we need to drastically cut emissions by 60% worldwide (which if done fairly would mean 90% cuts in the 'developed' countries).

For more analysis and criticism of the UN Climate Change negotiations, see:

www.risingtide.org.uk/pages/news/international_inaction.htm

9. FREAK WEATHER - The Return of El-Niño?

You ain't seen nothing yet: after Hurricane Ivan, prepare for the return of El Niño

Disastrous weather is set to continue for at least another six months, it was officially announced recently, as Hurricane Ivan headed for the Cayman Islands and Cuba after leaving at least eight people dead in Jamaica. The US government confirmed that a new El Niño is about to strike, bringing torrential rain and droughts around the world. The oceanic phenomena, like hurricanes, are growing more frequent. Research suggests that they are occurring nearly three times as often as 300 years ago, and scientists now believe that there is a link with global warming.

Full article: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/environment/story.jsp?story=560845

10. INFO - Beyond Oil: The Oil Curse and Solutions for an Oil Free Future

This new 32 page A5 booklet brings together background info on oil and conflict, repressive regimes, development, oil industry workers, and climate change. Together with info on the revolving doors and mutual support between the oil industry, government and the International Financial Institutions which fund new oil projects, it lays out the UK’s involvement in the oil curse, and the action we can take to challenge it.

To download or order, see www.nonewoil.org

11. INFO - Cool Kids for a Cool Climate

Sarah from the Cool Kids site (featured in the last news sheet) comments...

"Obviously tree planting is not a long term solution [to climate change] and we do say it quite often. Maybe we should say it more. But... tree planting is a good thing, if it is native species trees, because it provides good habitats for wildlife etc. Our reason for promoting tree planting is to give people a real idea of the size of the problem they are creating in their travel. There is not only something to visualise, but a chance for people to get hot and sweaty and notice that their family holiday to Florida would cost them 20 trees (4 people in family). If this doesn't start them thinking about their impact on the environment, perhaps the thought that the amount of land they would need to support the family forest for year after years of travel is rather large... perhaps this will make them reconsider their energy usage. If I can give people figures and concepts that they can relate to that is good, if they plant loads of trees - no harm done and some good."

www.coolkidsforacoolclimate.org - promoting awareness of climate change, and responsible tree planting in the UK :-)

www.sinkswatch.org - exposing the real tree planting problem: monoculture plantations for 'carbon credits' under the UN climate change treaty :-(

Please send anything you'd like put up on our website or included in this news sheet to Matthew Carroll:
The news sheet is a tight short format so if your info is too long we might put it up on the web page and just refer to it in the news sheet.

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.

For more information...
email:
Phone: +44 (0)1865 241097
Address: 16b Cherwell Street, Oxford, OX4 1BG, UK
Web site: www.risingtide.org.uk

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