SWAT bulletin 28th November 2012

As was to be expected with the government’s new Energy Bill there is a lot of confusion – both in the way the media is portraying the figures to the public as well as, for green campaigners, what the bill will do in tangible terms for a comprehensive move to renewable energy sources.
One thing which is clear is that the target of decarbonising the economy by 2030 has been swept to one side. The emphasis is on the need to supply our own energy within the UK, but rather than renewable energy, the bill seems to indicate the solution is to be found in gas. This is of course deeply worrying, as Shale Gas and Synthetic Coal Gas are obtained through hugely environmentally damaging processes which have big carbon footprints attached to boot!
It is vital to remember the Climate Act targets in all of this, the targets are one way of ensuring that some action to prevent climate change will happen. With misinformation being bandied about people are being turned off the notion of a carbon neutral economy. Never give up!

2. Celebration of Emily Davison and Climate Rush meeting tonight

Today at 6:30pm there is a launch meeting for the memorial of suffragette Emily Davison, in Firebox Cafe, WC1H 8BZ. Speakers will include Dr Helen Pankhurst -granddaughter of Sylvia Pankhurst and international development and women’s rights campaigner, Christine Blower – General Secretary National Union of Teachers, Katherine Connelly, campaign co-ordinator Peter Barratt – great-grandson of Leicester suffragette Alice Hawkins. So it will be amazing event! After being thoroughly inspired, we will be having our meeting channelling the bravery of our heroines to devise bold and beautiful action!

3. “Get Fracktious”, London, 1st December 2012

This Saturday the great folks at Campaign against Climate Change are hosting “Get Fracktious” as part of the National Climate March this year. The event will be focused on extreme forms of energy – Shale gas and Tar Sands – with the building a “fracking rig” outside parliament and Grosvenor Square “Keystone Pipeline” between the Canadian High Commission and the US embassy. They will be boldly demanding that President Obama ends his silence on climate change.

4. Big Rig Revolt, everywhere, 1st December

Frack Off! and Frack Off London are calling out in solidarity with “Get Fracktious” a nationwide resistance to extreme energy. Encouraging local groups that are resisting extreme energy in their regions to build their own “rig” in prominent places to highlight the issue; so far there will be “rigs” in Bath, Brighton, Lancashire, Swansea, St Annes, and Huddersfield.

5. Inconvenient Truth 2 out now!

The documentary film maker Jack Guest’s film the Inconvenient Truth 2 is now being shown on TV and in independent film screenings. The documentary is a sequel to United States Vice President Al Gore’s 2006 documentary of the same name; the film includes the solutions to the climate crisis that we face. Brilliantly inspiring, it clearly shows that the situation we are in has a huge potential to be an opportunity – as the solutions already exist and with them are massive job opportunities as well as chances to enrich our lives rather than restrict them.

6. Climate Rush charity pot lids at Lush stores

Just in case you missed it – a little bit of Climate Rush history has happened – you can now hold a small piece of sweet smelling Climate Rush in your hand! A wonderful morsel of memorabilia that we can keep forever; in the office we have been eyeing them up for Xmas gifts for friends and family. Get to the shops now to make sure get your mitts on one (or more!) before they disappear on December 17th.

If you want to get involved (and why wouldn’t you?) come along to a friendly meeting, email us to find out when and where, join our SWAT Bulletin by emailing [email protected] or sign up to our newsletter. As always you can contact us, we will always be looking for dreamers, bakers, action plotters, artists, bloggers and tweeters. We look forward to hearing from you!

Thank You!