UK climate camp ends with 24 hours of non-stop action
Despite the best efforts of the British Airports Authority to injunct it out of existence, the Camp for Climate Action was held in a field just a short hop from the perimeter fence of Europe's busiest airport, Heathrow. A week of workshops, seminars and entertainment about low-carbon living was capped off with 24-hours of direct action which kicked off at 12pm on Sunday.
Minor scuffles with police clad in riot gear and mounted on horseback didn't stop the various actions taking place, ranging from banners being hung from bridges over nearby motorways to marking out where the proposed third runway will cut through the nearby village of Sipson. But the focus for protesters was BAA's offices which were blockaded by happy campers who turned the overnight occupation into something of a party, despite the drizzle and unseasonal cold.
Monday morning saw a plethora of actions popping up across the country when BP, carbon offsetting companies and nuclear power stations were targeted by protesters. Because of the high profile injunction, media coverage has been phenomenal with some surprising support from the right-wing press and even appearances by campers on daytime chat shows! But whether the collusion of industry and government can be swayed remains to be seen.
Comments
In addition to promoting a mandatory carbon-tax on airfares (I assume this is the constructive purpose of this event), other actions that can "save the world" include filling out the quick and free registration at www.ecologyfund.com to immediately save 500ft^2 of rainforest. Daily buttons are available to click on. Emailing up to 20 people saves up to an additional 2000ft^2 of rainforest; 2500ft^2 is about $23 worth of uncosted environmental capital...well worth the time for most people.
www.everyclick.com is a search engine that donates two cents to a charity of one's choice for every search term entered. I lkie bolstering agriyields with IBRA as my charity, but "Rainforest Concern" is also listed. They buy up rainforests. Many green chrities listed there.
Posted by: Phillip Huggan | August 23, 2007 4:54 PM
The camp was held to campaign against airport expansion and an increase in aviation in general - extra taxes could be one tool to reign them in, but changing government policy would be be more effective in the long run.
But the problem with projects to 'buy up rainforests', admirable though the intentions are, is how this protection is enforced. An area protected by national law means the government provides the funds to govern it, but if the trust you've given money to goes under, who's going to look after it?
And the idea that no one 'owns' the rainforest is a Western notion that harks back to the days of empire - what about the 60 million indigenous people who live scattered throughout the world's forests? I think they might have something to say about ill-advised purchases of rainforest plots.
Posted by: Jamie | August 24, 2007 3:15 PM
i wish people would stop referring to BAA ltd as the "British Airport Authority". They're not any sort of authority, merely a privately owned company out to make profit for its shareholders at the expense of everyone else. I realise that this falls outside G.P.s main remit but, in the name of social justice, why is not more made of the fact that they will be displacing (with bailiffs and bulldosers)an entire community in the process. Rant over!
Posted by: radioman | September 14, 2007 10:00 AM
Ah yes, checking my British aviation history (or at least according to the BAA website), the publicly-owned British Airports Authority was privatised in 1986 when it became simply BAA. I wasn't meaning to imply it was still a public body, I was just under the misapprehension that the name was still an acronym. I'll be more accurate in future ;)
Other organisations such as HACAN and the No Third Runway Action Group are highlighting the social injustice angle, whereas we are coming more from a climate impact standpoint. However, the two intersect in a Venn diagram of activism loveliness.
Posted by: Jamie | September 14, 2007 10:39 AM