Reflections and actions during COP26 and going on
6th May 2023
Changing systems can be an easy way to make a positive change. Here an example that aims to remove the existing system of tax havens which disadvantages the poor at the expense of the rich – https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/apr/30/king-charles-urged-to-push-for-break-up-of-uks-network-of-satellite-tax-havens?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
5th May 2023
Government and the farming industry is part of a system that needs to change if we are to adapt to climate change and forestall a worsening of the current climate crisis. Nevertheless individuals can also be part of the process of change. We can buy less meat and dairy products and more – and more varied – plant based foods – ideally those that are locally grown and organic. We can support through donations and volunteering, habitat restoration and re-wilding schemes.
4th May 2023
The WWF reports that “The UK Government has a black hole in its plan to cut GHG emissions from farming and to absorb more carbon in forests and peatlands…
Analysis of new numbers released in a Freedom of Information request (FOI) from WWF against current government policy suggests that only around 40% of the cuts that the Net Zero Strategy says are needed by 2030 from farming and land are being delivered. Current policies for cutting emissions from land are far from on track, with peatland restoration rates and tree-planting falling well short of targets.
This means the UK Government and devolved nations need to double the ambition of their plans for reducing emissions from UK land and farming if they are going to be on track for hitting climate targets in 2030 and beyond.”
For more info – https://www.wwf.org.uk/press-release/foi-requests-reveals-black-hole-government-plans
3rd May 2023
Misinformation and disinformation about the climate crisis are compounded, I believe, when activists are not allowed in court cases to talk about the crisis to explain why they felt compelled to take disruptive action. People do not generally choose to sit in the middle of a busy road just for fun. Surely for justice to properly served, the courts need to understand why people took such action, and if it transpires that there was an overriding reason for the action, to alert the authorities accordingly.
Greta Thunberg famously countered that if your house is on fire, you would be justified in breaking the windows.
We are now in the situation where activists are facing increasingly long prison sentences because they are trying to draw attention to the overwhelming severity of the climate crisis and the pitifully inadequate response of the government.
On 21st April 2023, Morgan Trowland and Marcus were sent to prison for periods of 3 years and 2 years, 7 months respectively for climbing on a road bridge and hanging up a banner to demand an end to the British Government’s licensing of new oil and gas projects. These new projects are known to be inconsistent with international climate obligations, and unless opposed, will accelerate mass loss of life and displacement of people, in Britain and around the world.
Action network has a petition calling on the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change to intervene to dissuade the uk government from treating climate activists in this repressive manner.
2nd May 2023
The UK’s largest opencast coal mine is to close after an extension to keep it running was rejected.
The Ffos-y-Fran mine, near Merthyr Tydfil, must now stop after 16 years of excavation. The original planning consent had allowed mining to take place up until September 2022 and the campaign group Coal Action Network had already raised concerns that mining had continued. The mine owners had applied for an extension until 2024, arguing coal from the mine was needed by the steel industry. But planning officials advised that the proposed extension did not fit with Welsh government policies on tackling climate change, and the application was rejected.
For more info see the BBC website.
If local campaigners had not pursued this issue, would change have happened?
1st May 2023
The Woodland Trust reports “Approximately 40% of major new road schemes across England impact irreplaceable ancient woodland wildlife havens, together with ancient and veteran trees. Added to that, associated carbon emissions are eyewatering. The Government’s consultation on its transport infrastructure policy closes on 6 June. Join thousands who have already taken action to help enable a future where nature thrives and carbon stays in the ground”.
They have set up a petition calling for greater protection of our trees which you can sign – https://campaigns.woodlandtrust.org.uk/page/120772/action/1?utm_campaign=3277675_E23COM013_Newsletter_Dynamic&utm_medium=email&utm_source=E23COM016&utm_content=NNNPS&dm_i=2D76,1Y92J,6HXEUF,6VJXU,1
29th April 2023
There is much disinformation around suggesting that either the climate crisis is not real/ not serious, or that the government is doing all that is necessary to contain the crisis. However this is not the case.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is in the process of producing a report which will detail how far or not the nations of the world are achieving the necessary reduction in carbon emissions to prevent global temperatures rising above the 1.5C tipping point. Their latest interim report says there has been “significant yet inadequate collective progress”.
What this means is that “[O]n both the cutting emissions and adaptating fronts, it says not only that the current plans are insufficient. But there are even problems in translating this inadequate ambition into real action, the so-called implementation gap.”
What is the global stocktake of climate action and why does it matter?
28th April 2023
An article from the We Mean Business website points to the importance of switching from fossil to renewal energy to limit the rise in global temperatures. It is hoped that this will be the basis of the outcomes from the G7 meeting in Japan next month
“The Group of Seven nations’ energy ministers agreed this week to accelerate the phase out of all fossil fuels as an essential step in our efforts to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C.
To replace them with clean energy in the timescale required means immediately repurposing billions of dollars’ worth of fossil fuel subsidies that G7 nations still offer.
In 2021, G7 fossil fuel subsidies came to over $80 billion. Redirecting this capital towards scaling up renewables, increasing energy efficiency and supporting communities affected by this transition will put our climate goals within reach.”
27th April 2023
Reflecting further on The Big One and what it achieved, it showed the positive being that humans can be.
60,000 people gathered to show both their concern for the damage being done in the world and to share their belief that a better world is possible.
60,000 people filled the streets and there were no arrests, no reports of anger or abuse. Well trained and and caring stewards kept everyone self and well looked after.
60, 000 people met and showed respect for each other, welcoming the young and the old, the fit and the not so fit, people of all races and backgrounds, genders and faiths.
60, 000 cooperated, sharing the space and the experience with each other.
60,000 people were entertained and inspired and drew strength from each other’s commitment.
The Big One, for me, demonstrated that a better world is possible and that the counter-cultural characteristics that we read off in the Gospels, the Letters and the Book of Acts is out there for real – and not confined within the walls of the churches.
26th April 2023
Why do we need events like The Big One?
Gatherings of scale such as the Big One do 5 things:-
The Green Tau 