[risingtide] CLIMATE ACTION NEWS SHEET 79, MAY 2008

Tue May 6 15:00:56 CEST 2008

CLIMATE ACTION NEWS SHEET 79, MAY 2008
Compiled and sent out by Rising Tide UK: info at risingtide.org.uk
To receive this News Sheet monthly, email news-subscribe at risingtide.org.uk
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CONTENTS:

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UPCOMING ACTIONS AND EVENTS:
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1) CLIMATE CAMP NATIONAL GATHERING - LONDON, 10-11.5.08
2) SAVING ICELAND IN WALES AND SCOTLAND - 7th & 9th MAY ‘08
3) TURNING UP THE HEAT - LONDON, CARDIFF, MANCHESTER & ONLINE, 8/10/13.5.08
4) BIG BLETHER 6 - GLASGOW, 9-11.5.08
5) CLIMATE CAMP SPEAKERS' TRAINING - MANCHESTER, 17.5.08
6) MAKE A NOISE! - LONDON, 31.5.08
7) CLIMATE ACTION WITH A BITE! - NATIONAL, 3.6.08

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RECENT HAPPENINGS:
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1) 'MAYDAY! MAYDAY! INVASION OF THE CLIMATE SNATCHERS' - INTERNATIONAL,
1.5.08
2) M1 PUBLIC NUISANCE CASE DISMISSED - SHEFFIELD, 1.5.08
3) BANK OF AMERICA, DIRTY COAL PROTEST – CHARLOTTE (USA), 23.4.08
4) GREENWASH GUERILLAS PIE FRIEDMAN - NEW YORK, 21.4.08
5) ECO-RELATED ARSON IN GREECE - 21.4.08
6) KOORAGANG COMMUNITY WALK-IN - AUSTRALIA, 19.4.08
7) BELGIAN AGRO-GIANT BLOCKADE - 17.4.08
8) TARA UPDATES - IRELAND, APRIL 08
9) BIOFOOLS DAY - NATIONWIDE, 15.4.08
10) PLANE STUPID TAKE TO THE ROOF - EDINBURGH, 14.4.08
11) BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL! - TASMANIA, 14.4.08
12) COLLEGE GROVE UPDATES - AUSTRALIA, APRIL ‘08
13) CHEVRON TOXICO GOLDMAN AWARD - SAN FRANCISCO, 13.4.08
14) SUBVERTISING - NEW GROUP, APRIL ‘08
15) CARBON DETOX - NEW BOOK, APRIL ‘08
16) BRING CLIMATE CRIMINALS TO JUSTICE - WEBSITE, APRIL ‘08
17) PROTEST WATCH - WEBSITE, APRIL ‘08
18) AIRPORTWATCH BULLETIN - APRIL ‘08
19) THE BATH BOMB - APRIL ‘08
20) LONDON CRITICAL MASS, 14TH ANNIVERSARY - APRIL 08

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UPCOMING ACTIONS AND EVENTS:
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1) CLIMATE CAMP NATIONAL GATHERING - LONDON, 10-11.5.08
Greenpeace HQ, Canonbury Villas, London, N1 2PN. 10am-6pm.
This summer the Camp for Climate Action will pitch its tents outside
Kingsnorth coal-fired power station in Kent for a week of education,
sustainable living and direct action. Everyone is invited to the camp,
which is now part of an international movement, with eight climate camps
on four continents planned for this summer. Together, we will show that
the blind pursuit of economic growth at any cost is simply insane, and is
to blame for the CO2 emissions and ecosystem destruction that are causing
catastrophic climate change. Come to the gathering and get involved!
www.climatecamp.org.uk

2) SAVING ICELAND IN WALES AND SCOTLAND - 7th & 9th MAY 08
Aluminium smelting, even when powered by geothermal energy, emits so much
greenhouse gas emissions that Iceland now produces 18 tons of CO2
equivalent per capita, compared to the European average of 11.
May 7th at 8pm - Saving Iceland will give a presentation of these issues
at The Treehouse, Baker St. Aberystwyth, and will describe the
international direct action campaign and plans for this summer's camp in
July. (There will be a number of vehicles going from the UK to the camp.)
Come and see some of the most stunning places of beauty on earth, and help
protect them with direct action!
May 9th - Vegan banquet with live music, bar and raffle! The Banquet
starts at 7pm at Old St Pauls Hall, Edinburgh. £5 (unwaged / low income)
and £7 (waged). All profit will go to funding the Scottish Saving Iceland
Collective.
Email; savingicelandscotland at riseup.net to reserve your tickets!
More info; http://www.savingiceland.org.

3) TURNING UP THE HEAT - LONDON, CARDIFF, MANCHESTER and ONLINE, 8/10/13.5.08
Can big business save the planet? A series of interactive debates on
climate change and corporate power. Attend the live events or watch
online!
Thursday 8 May - Can the free market stop climate change? 7:30-9:30pm at
Amnesty International Human Rights Action Centre 17-25 New Inn Yard London
EC2A 3EA.
10.5.08 – ‘Will biofuels help combat climate change?’ 2:30-4:30pm Cardiff
University, Main Building, Shandon Theatre, Park Place CF10 3AT.
13.5.08 – ‘Does climate change mean we should restrict aviation &
tourism?’ 7:30-9:30pm, Manchester Convention Centre, Cockcroft Theatre,
Sackville Street M1 3BB.
To book your free place and to register to watch online please go to
http://www.wdm.org.uk/heat or call 020 7820 4900 for more information.

4) BIG BLETHER 6 - GLASGOW, 9-11.5.08
Talamh Life Centre, Near Glasgow.
BB is a meeting place for activists to bring and share ideas, information
and enthusiasm and to create action out of inspiration. Everyone is
welcome to participate and contribute - big or small. There will be
workshops on Saturday and Sunday, including everything from climate change
issues, creative campaigning and transition towns to nuclear resistance,
yoga and woodland crafts. BB is a non-profit organisation and entrance
will be by donation. www.bigblether.org.uk

5) CLIMATE CAMP SPEAKERS' TRAINING - MANCHESTER, 17.5.08
If you would like to talk to people about the Climate Camp and help
inspire hundreds of people to come this year, then this training is for
you. The networking team in conjunction with COIN (http://coinet.org.uk/)
and TRAPESE (http://trapese.clearerchannel.org/) have designed a short
presentation/ workshop that anyone can give to groups interested in coming
to the camp.
10:30 till 5:30pm.
Contact; speakers at climatecamp.org.uk to book your place.

6) MAKE A NOISE! - LONDON, 31.5.08
An agenda for colossal airport expansion and colossal climate change
demands a colossal response. You're invited to a carnival on Saturday 31st
May, which will make its way from Hatton Cross Tube Station (Piccadilly
Line, 12pm) to Sipson, the village that will be wiped out if Heathrow
expansion goes ahead. At the end, you'll have the chance to help form a
great big NO! spelt out by human bodies. Organisers hope to set a new
world record for the biggest and loudest NO! in the world.
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/climate/make-a-noise-20080408

7) CLIMATE ACTION WITH A BITE! - NATIONAL, 3.6.08
The food we eat contributes up to a third of the emissions poisoning the
planet. It's time for a detox! Climate action starts on your dinner plate,
at the supermarket, on your allotment and in your back yard, at the food
distribution centres, down on the farm, in your high street, at the
airport and the lorry park. Whatever your tastes, there's something for
everyone on this action menu! Local food markets, free food stalls,
workshops and film showings, street theatre, info stalls, protests and
direct action, cooking demonstrations, allotment shows. Get creative and
get involved!
This Day of Action on Climate Change has been called by the Network for
Climate Action in co-operation with the Rising Tide Network and the Camp
for Climate Action. It has been planned to coincide with The UN Conference
on World Food Security and Climate Change, which runs from 3rd to 5th
June.
Please email; foodNO at SPAMdaysofclimateaction.org.uk for further info.

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RECENT HAPPENINGS:
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1) 'MAYDAY! MAYDAY! INVASION OF THE CLIMATE SNATCHERS' - INTERNATIONAL,
1.5.08
This day of action targeted false capitalist solutions to climate chaos.
There were actions in Europe and Canada:
Leamington Rising Tide visited the E.on headquarters in Coventry to expose
the truth behind its greenwash and show that carbon capture is a false
solution to the problem of climate change. People arrived at 8am to hand
fliers to the workers, while one protester occupied the roof of the
building. The day was a great success with a festive vibe and no arrests.
Norwich Rising Tide got together with Earth First for a Critical Mass to
Sizewell nuclear power station to highlight that nuclear is not a solution
to climate change. In London, The Coal Cleaning Company launched their
enterprise with E.on; according to the chatty cleaners, "There’s no mess
too big! We make coal Fossil Fuel Fresh!" In York people from groups
across the city and both Universities took part in a banner protest
outside Royal Bank of Scotland's central branch in the city. Leaflets were
handed out summarising RBS's climate crimes. Meanwhile, members of the
Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation Front joined forces to carry
out an action against unnecessary urban development in the south-west.  A
JCB and other vehicles were damaged on a road construction site.
Greenwash flyers were handed out at the Green Living Show in Toronto
Canada, while in Paris "Biofuel=Danger" was chalked on the side of the
French Agricultural Research institute.
http://www.daysofclimateaction.org.uk/
http://risingtide.org.uk/node/276

2) M1 PUBLIC NUISANCE CASE DISMISSED - SHEFFIELD, 1.5.08
Seven climate camp activists opposed to the widening of the M1 had the
case against them dismissed from Sheffield Crown Court. The Judge
resoundingly rejected the prosecution's argument that the hanging of
banners over the motorway could constitute a public nuisance.
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/20611

3) BANK OF AMERICA, DIRTY COAL PROTEST – CHARLOTTE (USA), 23.4.08
Activists with Asheville Rising Tide, Rainforest Action Network, and
Croatan Earth First! hit the streets of Charlotte to protest at Bank of
America’s annual shareholders meeting. Bank of America has seen an
escalating level of protest in the past year for its funding of the coal
industry.
http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/wordpress/2008/04/23/asheville-rising-tide-confronts-bank-of-america-shareholders/

4) GREENWASH GUERILLAS PIE FRIEDMAN - NEW YORK, 21.4.08
Thomas Friedman, the author and NY Times columnist, was invited to Brown
University to give a keynote speech on Earth Day, before a packed
auditorium. His talk about how corporate environmentalism can restore
America to its "natural place in the global order" was interrupted with a
surprise visit from the Greenwash Guerrillas. After splattering him with
two green cream pies they threw leaflets to the crowd explaining their
action.
http://greenwashguerrillas.wordpress.com/
http://www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/wordpress/2008/04/22/greenwash-guerrillas-pie-thomas-friedman-on-earth-day/

5) ECO-RELATED ARSON IN GREECE - 21.4.08
Eco-related arson against the ministry of development offices in Athens
was carried out in protest against the plans to build new power plants
using coal. "When capitalism is self-declared environment friendly, it is
only to measure and manage the symptoms of the crisis it produced itself."
http://directactiongr.blogspot.com/

6) KOORAGANG COMMUNITY WALK-IN - AUSTRALIA, 19.4.08
A crowd of around 50 protesters walked onto the construction site for a
new coal terminal on Kooragang Island in Newcastle. They stopped work at
the site in protest against the expansion of the coal industry and its
contribution to climate change. Georgina Woods, spokesperson for Rising
Tide Newcastle said, "Historically, ordinary people have achieved
extraordinary things by taking direct action to prevent immoral or
unsupportable actions...Many of us here today have never done anything
like this before, but we are doing it now, because we may not get another
chance." 16 of the protesters were arrested and charged with trespass.
More community direct action against coal exports will take place in July
this year.
http://www.risingtide.org.au/communitywalkin

7) BELGIAN AGRO-GIANT BLOCKADE - 17.4.08
In Belguim thirty activists blocked the gates of the Cargill factory in
Ghent.
This action was taken to highlight the agro-giant's involvement in
everything from biofuels to soy monoculture, GMO to pesticides...The
action began at around 6h30 in the morning and lasted until after 5 p.m.
During all that time, not one truck with soy could enter or leave the
firm.
http://www.aseed.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=552&Itemid=211

8) TARA UPDATES - IRELAND, APRIL 08
On Thursday 17th April there was a peaceful eviction of the Rath Lugh
Camp. Four Protectors who were on site were told by Gardai that they had
to gather up their belongings and leave. This was not done in an
aggressive manner and was complied with by the Protectors.
http://www.tarapixie.net/
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/20557
Tara trip report - A group from Brighton went over to Ireland recently to
support the Irish protesters attempts to halt the work on the M3 Motorway.
http://earthfirst.org.uk/actionreports/node/20502

9) BIOFOOLS DAY - NATIONWIDE, 15.4.08