http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz2j3BhL47c

I was encouraged to take in the audiovisual presentation of “All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace”, wherein Adam Curtis demonstrates what appears to be a lack of understanding regarding failure in the financial markets. Most foundational year ecologists can tell you that systems are self-correcting, that virtual bubbles get popped, that hubris gets torn down, that over-population gets underfed. Rabbits and foxes. Owls and mice. George Monbiot’s “War On Slugs” because of missing hedgehogs and thrushes. It all depends on the natural resources available to feed the participants in the game. The global economy can only accelerate growth so much before it implodes. There are Limits to Growth. Curtis could be said to be expressing his suspicions that the fake “Knowledge Economy”, the Asian “Shock Doctrine” and the Property Crash were an artefact of a secret evil cabal formed from the vaguely impressed followers of Ayn Rand – but the rest of us all know that’s silly. She was a lovely, sensitive, principled woman, although she could have done with a little more kindness in her life to inspire altruism in her worldview.

Adam’s next splurge is going to try to tear down the foundations of environmentalism itself, and I think somebody should take him to one side and challenge him about his stance – apparently trying to annoy the Greens and the social action movement collectively, all in one over-energetic Guardian “grudge” piece :-

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/may/29/adam-curtis-ecosystems-tansley-smuts

He can’t seem to bear the thought that people, as Ayn Rand advised, should act on their own free will, their enlightened libertarian self-interest, and form associations around causes that they believe in. I’ve taken part in enough democracy to know that UK Uncut is the closest thing to pure people power since Climate Camp pulled together. You cannot fight the imposition of social injustice with a massive, slow-moving bureaucratic organism – you need runners and movers and shakers to get out there and nudge like crazy.

People need to take responsibility for their actions, and we have to trust them to have thought long and hard about the ethics of their intentions and intended actions before they take part in public life in any way. Personally, my political action does not include the destruction of private or public property, nor the harming of other people, animals or other lifeforms. My non-violent direct action is as non-violent as it can be. I would certainly recommend this path to anyone, but I know some people find it hard to take this kind of advice on board. Adam Curtis has to be included in the set of people who act through violence, in my view, poking a big stick in the faces of the peace-loving philosophers of Nature.

This is what democracy looks like : a group of individuals – really individually unique individuals – not pigeonholed segments of an market audience – get talking about what’s wrong and fixing on one thing that they can all agree needs to be opposed – or built – then going out and doing something about it. The best organisations have an almost completely flat hierarchical structure, with small cells of between 5 and 13 people, with equal rights and remuneration, cooperatives, taking on their own tasks, and using interconnecting information people to keep the cells working together. This is a model of organisation drawn directly from Nature, and can be seen in everything from the self-teaching human brain with its delegated centres of executive control, to the way that birds fly in formation.

I don’t agree with everything from James Lovelock’s internal picture of the Gaia universe, but I will agree on this – the ways that people work together best are based on models drawn from the carefully studied ecosystems around us, and our own physical make-up. It’s natural, and it’s efficient. Each person has a task that’s unique to them, that is their personal interest and is the focus of their own individual attention. This is how we get democracy done. By behaving like a self-organising, self-correcting ecosystem. And this is how both Social Change and Climate Change can be addressed – by small, local groups doing action, education, training and political engagement at the grass roots level, or rather, the tree roots level, above which we can grow a strong new trunk to hold our New Low Carbon Nation together. Al Gore spoke of his gameplan as a series of one-to-one conversations. This is a model of political and social influence we can all follow.

Image Credit : Funk the Cuts

CLIMATE VIGIL PRAYERS

1. Christian Ecology Link, the Campaign against Climate Change, and other members of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition are holding an overnight vigil between Saturday 15th May 2010 and Sunday 16 May 2010, celebrating the Earth in the Arts, and reminding the newly-formed British Government to act decisively and urgently on Climate Change.

2. As part of the Climate Vigil, Christian Ecology Link, with the support of Operation Noah, are offering a meeting of Christian prayer, music and reflection at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 4JJ, on Saturday 15th May 2010 at 11pm (23:00), to which all are welcome.

3. Mark Dowd of Operation Noah, Channel 4 “God is Green” documentary presenter, will address those meeting at St-Martins-in-the-Fields Church, on the subject of the crisis in Climate Change, the damages the World is already experiencing, the failures in the international negotiations, and hopes for what the new British Government can bring.

4. A variety of musical presentations are planned for the meeting, and extra, short contributions from Classical musicians and choral singers will be welcomed to enhance the occasion.

5. While the church meeting is taking place, vigil supporters will be gathering with lit candles and torches in Trafalgar Square.

6. At midnight, there will be a candlelit procession to Old Palace Yard, outside the Houses of Parliament, opposite the Palace of Westminster, where the vigil will be welcomed by music, ancient, modern and global, and artistic displays and presentations, and where speeches will be made, by Climate Change scientists and activists.

7. Throughout the night, Christian Ecology Link will be hosting a space for prayers, quiet music, meditation and reflection at the Lambeth Methodist Mission, 3 – 5 Lambeth Road, London, SE1 7DQ, where tea and coffee will be served.

8. There will be a full programme of arts and music activities during the night, at Old Palace Yard and St Jude’s Community Centre, St Georges Road, London SE1 6EZ, where the Brixton Tea Party will provide refreshments, and breakfast.

9. Classical musicians and singers wishing to take part in the church service, or perform at either of the overnight venues, should contact Ruth Jarman of Christian Ecology Link on 07970 907784 or at ruthj@phonecoop.coop.

10. Paul Bodenham of Christian Ecology Link said, “The Climate Vigil aims simply to keep the truth alive. Governments lost the plot at last year’s Copenhagen summit, and sceptics have been getting all the airtime recently with some feeble assertions. From the General Election campaign you’d think that the problem of dangerous Climate Change had gone away. But it hasn’t. It’s vital to remember the truth, that we’re still in trouble. We need prayer and prophecy, creativity and campaigning. On 15th May we will be coming together, Christian or not, because we need each other, and Government needs us too.”

NOTES from Christian Ecology Link

The Climate Vigil will be promoted with this call :-

“Light a candle for science, reason and truth; for action to deal with the climate emergency; for creation, climate justice and the world’s poorest; for the young and future generations; for positive solutions; climate jobs, green energy and a Zero Carbon Britain. Let the new Government know that you care.”

NOTES from Campaign against Climate Change

CLIMATE EMERGENCY

OVERNIGHT VIGIL

Light a candle for scientific realism and rationality against the populist tide of ignorance.

Remind the new government that dealing with the climate crisis needs to be their top priority.

The Campaign against Climate Change and Christian Ecology Link have organised an Art and Empowerment Event that will fill the hours between 11pm and 5am, overnight 15th to 16th May.

This unusual event combines protest, art, discussion and live music outside the Palace of Westminster, the seat of government, just after the General Election.

We have use of St Jude’s Community Centre, St Georges Road, London SE1 6EZ where Brixton Tea Party will provide refreshments.

We also have use of Lambeth Methodist Mission, 3 – 5 Lambeth Road, London, SE1 7DQ, which will be available for quiet reflection and meditation organised by Christian Ecology Link, and tea/coffee throughout the night.

There will an exhibition of work by the artist Marisa Rehana Mann and of subverted airline adverts by the activist group Plane Stupid at St Jude’s Community Centre.

The event will culminate in a new composition for brass ensemble calling for a Low Carbon Dawn.

Breakfast will then be provided for a small cost at St Jude’s by The Brixton Tea Party.

We ask anyone who is concerned about climate change to come along and call on the new Government to declare a Climate Emergency.

12:30 People will be welcomed to the vigil and our packed timetable of events will start.

THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD

Artist and activist Tim Padmore will create “The History of the Planet”, as a time-line from Lambeth Bridge roundabout to the Lambeth Methodist Mission. This event will be running throughout the night.

THE PLINTH – 1 MINUTE 45 SECONDS

Kofi Annan said that one person dies, on average, every 1 minute 45 seconds as a result of climate change. Participants and passers by will be asked to stand on a plinth for this time. They will be given a choice of placards to hold up and will be asked if they want their photograph taken. A drumbeat will mark each 1 minute 45 seconds. Piece by Tim Padmore. This event will be running throughout the night.

Reference for Kofi Annan’s words :-

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/29/1

POEMS FOR THE NEW PRIME MINISTER

People will be invited to write Haikus, a Japanese form of poetry, on the subject of “Nightmares and Dreams”, about climate change. These will be given to the new Prime Minister later in the week as an artistic petition calling for drastic action on climate change. This is another piece by Tim Padmore. This event will be running throughout the night.

MURAL MAKING

Climate Activist and community artist Jonathan Whittaker will be asking people to make a cloth mural on various themes around climate change throughout the night. The finished mural will be used to communicate the need to declare a Climate Emergency to the new government in a way that is yet to be decided. This event will be running throughout the night.

12:30 – 1am Speeches – We plan having half an hour of speeches from climate change specialists and activists from the UK.

1am – Join The Mutiny – We are proud to be working with MUTINY, an exciting group who design carnivalesque events providing live entertainment and meaningful debates. They will be running a lively debate on the issues of the day.

2am – Poetry Time

We have featured performances from:

Helen Moore, a professional eco-poet and 8th Bard of Bath. She says, “I have a passion for Nature and for spiritual ecology as a means for shaping a healthier and fairer world – my approach might be characterised ‘Art for Earth’s Sake’”. Helen has performed at the 2005 Schumacher Lectures and alongside the American ecologist and activist, Joanna Macy.

Niall McDevitt was winner of The Verb’s Urban Poetry Contest 2005 (BBC Radio 3) and was John Peel’s pidgin translator on Home Truths. He is an expert on the work of William Blake. McDevitt has campaigned to secure the future of the Rimbaud/Verlaine House at 8 Royal College Street, and for the release of poet Saw Wai from Insein prison in Burma.

We also an open mic session for new and experienced poets.

3am – Ritual of Despair and Empowerment

Climate Activist and Artist John Hoggett has been researching the work of eco-psychologist Joanna Macy in the last few years. He has prepared a ritual that uses some simple ideas from Macy’s work to enable us to reflect on and discuss ideas around climate change that may hold us back from taking effective action. A bold but simple event that everyone can take part in.

4am – Climate Change – Pub Style Quiz

Jonathan Whittaker, Campaign Against Climate Change Steering Group member, will be leading a Climate Change Pub Style Quiz. Find some friends, form a team and see if you win the prize!

Alternatively – 4am Non-Violent Direct Action – an introduction

The campaign group Plane Stupid are running an introduction to Non Violent Direct Action. These political pranksters who have climbed on the roof of parliament, dropped banners at airports and invaded industry conferences – all in a delightfully peaceful and amusing manner, offer you a basic introduction to this kind of protesting.

4:45-5:15am – Low Carbon Dawn

Letty Stott of the Guildhall School of Music has created an inspirational Call to Action featuring an Alphorn calling along a chain of brass players to call for a Low Carbon Dawn. This fabulous sound, echoing off the Palace of Westminster will mark an end to our amazing and original festival of art and empowerment which we hope will leave you all inspired in the fight against Climate Change.

We will then process to breakfast at St Jude’s prepared by the Brixton Tea Party.

In between these fabulous and inspiring events will be a full programme of varied live music.

We still have room for more events and musicians. So if you want to perform or contribute please get in contact with the events coordinator John Hoggett : hoggett1@hotmail.com

10:00 – Do some research about the failings of the international strategy for Carbon Trading. Make a few telephone calls. Type a few electronic mails.

13:00 – Cook a fantastic vegan korma curry for lunch.

17:30 – Turn off the freezer, the refrigerator, the telephones and the computer kit in preparation for Earth Hour. The natural gas central heating has only been on for a couple of hours this week. Its default position is off. There is no longer a television here. The place is strangely, yet comfortingly, silent and still.

19:30 – Watch the film “In Transition 1.0″ with friends in a makeshift cinema with a DVD projector and a white sheet screen. Then watched a trailer for Aubrey Meyer’s “Promise” film. The Global Commons Institute is just down the road from here.

20:40 – Turn out the equipment, turn out the lights, and fire up the candles. Look ! There in the cloudless sky is the nearly full moon. How wonderful ! Started telling each other stories, of Spring, and seeds and plantings, of burgeoning plants, of makings and doings, of music, ice skating, children’s parties, family sagas, the accidental deaths of small creatures, travel tales, food tales. You know, in China, they eat donkey. And it’s delicious.

21:50 – Turn on the porch light.

22:50 – Turn on the refrigerator and the telephones and the computer kit. The freezer stays off. It’s nearly empty anyway. It’s no longer really in use by anybody. We’ll eat the leftovers tomorrow. Or compost them as appropriate.

23:10 – Suddenly remember that the clocks go forward tonight.

http://www.campaigncc.org/greenjobs
http://www.campaigncc.org/overnightvigil

I’m in the Climate Union. Are you ?

Yesterday evening, I sat in an amazing discussion.

There were representatives from some of the UK’s best social movements, including environmental campaigns, faith communities and trades unions.

Part of a series of coalition talks, yesterday’s goal was to make progress on forming a united front on Climate Change. There are some politics to do.

Because, well, you know, it’s not just about Global Warming. It’s about Climate Change. And that will affect us all.

Financial damages from Climate Change will continue to erode the failing Economy. The least able and plain unlucky in Society will lose their jobs and their livelihoods, as resources are concentrated on holding up the basic economic infrastructure.

As the Weather gets the wilder, People will lose their homes, through repossession, or to the waves, if they get flooded out once too often.

Public services such as the Health Service will be affected. Our food and water supplies will be affected. Our ability to pay for fuel and Energy will be affected as the Low Carbon Transition takes place…

Last evening, people spoke about the various plans they have for local politics in the run-up to the Local and General Elections. We talked about how to organise non-partisan hustings and other kinds of meetings to question the prospective candidates. We talked about countering the “Sceptic Backlash” against Science, playing out in the Media, sometimes with journalists being co-opted; how facts are being warped, and views distorted.

We talked around the subject of creating an identity for the coalition, about whether we could find a common set of values, or a shared series of activities, or even just a flag to rally around. But we all agreed that we need to get on with what we are already doing and build the unity as we go along.

We are the people, and this is our Climate.

We have to suffer change, and we have to make changes.

Let’s take up our democratic responsibility, our obligations to our fellow citizens.

Some “Green Society” events taking place in 2010 :-

FROM NOW TO THE ELECTION : Ask The Climate Question :-

http://www.christianaid.org.uk/ActNow/election2010/acq-resources.aspx

http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/details.asp?id=tcm:9-246385
http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/details.asp?id=tcm:9-246717
http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/blogs/conwy/archive/2010/02/24/come-and-join-us.aspx

http://www.tearfund.org/Campaigning/Election+2010/Election_ACQ.htm

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/applications/blogs/pressoffice/?p=11748
http://whitebandaction.org/en/readings/united-kingdom/10-03-10/general-election-ask-climate-question
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/get_involved/campaign/climate_change/

http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/groups/islington/blog/ask-climate-question

http://www.wwf.org.uk/what_we_do/campaigning/general_election_climate_campaign/

http://www.cafod.org.uk/election

http://acqscotland.org.uk/

FROM NOW UNTIL ELECTION : Profile MPs :-

http://envirowiki.org.uk/wiki/Category:MP_Profiling

01 – 15 APRIL 2010 : BP Fortnight of Shame :-
http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/actions/bp-fortnight-of-shame-2010
http://tarsandsinfocus.wordpress.com/

15 MAY 2010 : Climate Vigil :-
http://www.campaigncc.org/overnightvigil

Related activities :-

Human shields against anti-Climate airport expansion :-
http://www.transitionheathrow.com/

http://www.airplot.org.uk/

The Grist magazine is recommending people take actions of civil disobedience on 24th October 2009, in support of “350 Day” :-

http://www.350.org

I’ve got a revolutionary idea : why not resist the Evil Energy Empire every day ?

Coal is bad for you. Uranium is bad for you. Carbon Dioxide emissions are bad for you. Pumping Carbon Dioxide underground to “sequester” it is very probably bad for your wallet.

So what are you going to do to stand out and put up some resistance to the ruination of your habitat ?

Violence is unacceptable. The destruction of property is counter-productive.

These days, if you want to break in anywhere, they’ll set the dogs on you :-

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Power-Station-Demo-Climate-Change-Activists-Bitten-By-Police-Dogs-At-Ratcliffe-on-Soar/Article/200910315408239

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1221046/Ten-arrested-hours-power-station-protests-start.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/6365728/Climate-change-protesters-bitten-by-police-dogs.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/police-dogs-bit-power-station-protesters-1805230.html

http://www.mirror.co.uk/video/news/2009/10/18/climate-protesters-bitten-by-police-dogs-115875-21756873/

Photo Credit : sitefeed

So, what do you think would be appropriate Community Service orders for the 29 men and women who held up the coal train to Drax “the Destroyer” power station in June 2008 ?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/04/drax-protesters-sentence

Should they be sentenced to build a straw bale, lime and mud community centre in Liverpool ? Should they be required to host Permaculture seminars in inner London ? Should they be asked to take part in leafletting and campaigning for the 10:10 campaign ?

After all, the biggest service that the Climate Camp protesters could offer to the community would be to build the movement for the Low Carbon Transition.

And that needs community building for Transition Town groups, Low Carbon education services, media campaigns, skills training for such things as solar power installation, bicycle repair workshops and hosting democratic meetings.

I think the Drax Coal Train protesters should be given Community Service in Climate Change communications, Food Growing, Community Kitchens, Low Carbon Lifestyle education, Insulation Services, Energy Reduction and Human-powered Transport projects.

They have already shown us that they serve the community, by highlighting the terrible contribution to Climate Change from Coal burning. Let them continue to serve us by doing what they do best : resisting Fossil Fuels.

Talking About a Revolution : Tracy Chapman

When are the intellectual and political ranks going to stop trying to apply universal guilt ? The real question to ask is not, “how are we going to get average emissions down ?” You can’t treat all the people in the United Kingdom as one blurred lump. Around 20% of consumers are conscious. Another 20% to 30% are going to be hit directly by any measure designed to put an environmental tax on Carbon, and will have no choice about responding.

Climate Change worldwide is affecting the poorest first and hardest – an expression used by everyone from Nicholas Stern through to Christian Aid. But it’s a stratification of impact that isn’t just global. The poorest in the industrialised countries are suffering hardship too : people who cannot get their homes renovated after floods, people who have to apply for Fuel Poverty assistance.

The key issue must be to ask how we are going to get down the Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the biggest Energy users, somehow properly implementing the “Polluter Pays” principle and not allowing the big polluters to pass the charges on as “supply chain” emissions.

For example, while Drax power station chooses to continue to burn Coal, the Emissions are made the responsibility of those buying the Drax electricity – and they’ll feel any Climate Change tax immediately in their domestic energy bills.

Somehow, Drax needs to be made to care about its bottom line if it continues to burn Coal.

The current Department of Energy and Climate Change solution is the Carbon Reduction Commitment, or CRC :-

http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/business/crc/scope.htm : Carbon Reduction Commitment: Am I affected?”

http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/uk/business/crc/about.htm : What is the Carbon Reduction Commitment ?”

This measure should take in Local Authorities, Supermarkets, Power Stations not covered by the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme and large companies in their large office blocks. And naturally enough inflation of private and public goods and services will thereby increase to compensate for the Energy Efficiency improvements.

The CRC reiterates the commonly-held policy view that : “emissions trading schemes such as CRC provide a financial incentive to reduce emissions by placing a price on carbon emissions.” And yet, as long as CRC players can shunt the expense of Carbon Emissions onto their clients and consumers, there will be no incentive to “de-Carbonise” their business practices.

It begs the question : what would have the greatest impact in reality ? A law to insulate or a law to price Carbon ? A regulation to enforce Energy Efficiency or a trading scheme for failure to comply ?
Do pricing mechanisms actually work ? Do they create the desired effect ? And can a traded value keep its price high enough to effect change ?

And when you’ve finished looking at large corporate and social organisations, what about the exceptional Energy habits of the rich citizens, particularly their home heating mantra and their private transport religion ?

How do we extract the outliers from the mass of the population and target them ? By television advertisements urging them to Act on CO2 ? I think not. They will channel hop or skip the messaging via technology.

No amount of peer evaluation is going to help. The more comfortably-off like to live more comfortably, and can afford to do so. End of.

I think that the concern to try to rope in the high Energy users with everybody else is not helping. The “are you doing your bit ?” messaging, the collective “everyone can save Energy” sweet talk, is trying to hit too wide an audience, and failing to net any.

What do the poor and poorly-resourced of Britain think ? Have they followed the debate ? What are they going to be forced to endure as conditions change ?

Those who already suffer “precarity” will just be pushed further to the edge. We need social workers in each forum and workplace to talk about this, so that it doesn’t come as a surprise when Carbon pricing, or Carbon rationing hits :-

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23736980-details/John+Prescott+slams+’nimby’+councils/article.do

“John Prescott slams ‘nimby’ councils : 26.08.09 : Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott today launched a savage attack on wind turbines ‘nimbys’ – people who say “not in my backyard.” He criticised people who opposed wind turbines being set up near their homes and planning committees who uphold their objections. Mr Prescott announced the inaugural Age Of Stupid awards – named after a hard-hitting environmental film which criticises those who fail to act on climate change – were ‘won’ by planners in Bedford and the Isle of Wight…Mr Prescott said it was very important that a low carbon economy was developed around the world and said some form of carbon rationing would be necessary at some point. He warned: “Securing a deal at Copenhagen will be 10 times more difficult than Kyoto. “Social justice and the reduction of poverty must be at the very heart of any agreement. It also means equalising greenhouse emissions per head in each country. “The climate change we are experiencing across the world has been caused by the richer developed countries. They must now recognise the central principle that the polluter pays.”…”

New Earth Deal Blog
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/aug/08/copenhagen-kyoto-climate-change-talks

Ordinary, low-income families need to be made aware of the possibilities of a “Great British Refurb” insulating homes, affecting everybody, not just those needing Social Security benefits.

Union people need to organise in more workplaces to help prevent bad choices when companies find their budgets stretched by Carbon legislation and regulation – and feel they need to decide between labour wages and Energy/Efficiency bills.

As far as unemployment and poverty goes, you might not have seen anything yet.

Have you ever wondered about the synergistic connections between Tracy Chapman singing a song about social revolution at the Live Aid famine relief concert in 1985 ? There is now strong evidence that African drought began to get worse in the latter part of the 20th Century due to Climate Change. Global Warming makes more people poor, and more poverty in industrialised countries risks social unrest.

Climate Change needs to be answered with Social Change, but Ed Miliband and his colleagues asking the Great British public for campaigning support, to give the Government a “mandate” to act strongly on Climate Change is barking up the wrong kind of tree.

Ed Miliband is never going to get his mass public support in the way he wants it – every Climate Change policy imaginable is potentially a vote-loser. He is heading for democratic disengagement by ignoring the needs of the poor and using the notions of standard Economic theory. The poor cannot adapt easily to higher Energy prices, the obvious end result of many of the measures so far proposed.

The poor are not responsible for Greenhouse Gas Emissions, the Big Energy companies are. Don’t tell the poor to adapt – regulate for the Big Energy suppliers to switch fuels and invest in green.

Instead of saying “British households waste…” recognise that the Big Energy suppliers are doing the waste, either directly or in the products they sell to the British households.

Ask the right question : why are the systems of delivery of Energy and goods so waste-producing ?
Instead of pointing the finger at those you intend to tax, saying “Save Energy by turning the thermostat down”, what about saying “we will provide insulation, biogas and biomass if you vote for us !”

It cannot be the responsibility of individuals, families or householders or landlords to set up biomass burning systems, biogas delivery or insulation and airtightness and localised Renewable Energy.

It needs a green workforce on every street, paid and fed and skilled. Working people, working for their fellow citizens. Not providing profits for Big Energy companies.

Not financed by charity, or voluntary work, or specialised fundraising, no. Instead an honest collective or trades cooperatives.

It is time for the working people of Great Britain to rise up and take what’s theirs and make this country a green and pleasant land.

Not for the benefit of banks, shareholders and pension funds, who love the thought of Carbon Trading, but a community tax for community labour – local green tax for local green enterprise.

None of this international “Carbon Bank” stuff. Local Authorities should take back the power to organise financing and labour at the very local, efficient level. The “Carbon Army” rides tonight.

Pipped to the news post by other events of global import, social action on Climate Change got completely wiped off the map today.

The necessary Media footage of violence featuring the Police, intended to diffuse tension built up by the BBC and others over the week, was nicely provided by football hooligans, saving anyone having to trump up some charge about the Climate Campers.

You go to all that work for months and months to win round the public and shame the policing authorities into a corner over their violent tactics against political protest. And then a Dead Kennedy.

Oh dearie, dearie me. Talk about upstaged ! And what similar “life narrative” of the deceased Senator on every single TV channel. How curious.

Anyway, it looks like the Climate Camp is nicely settled in tonight on Blackheath with some great views of the Financial District in Canary Wharf. Hi-di-hi campers ! Put on a brew for me !

What will the camping crowd get up to in the following few days ? And what else will steal their headlines ? We shall see…

Social measures must surely include public investment in de-Carbonising each home. At costs 100 times less than the announced new Nuclear Power programme, and an order of magnitude cheaper than the Carbon Capture and Storage demonstration projects, I think this shows excellent value for money as well as ethical rectitude.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/5394198/Middle-Britain-not-as-wealthy-as-perceived-report-suggests.html

“Middle Britain is not as wealthy as initially perceived as a new survey highlights the true salaries and lifestyles of workers on average incomes. By Myra Butterworth, Personal Finance Correspondent
Published: 27 May 2009 : The report warned that those on middle incomes have lost out sharply compared with better-off professionals and now fear losing their jobs and homes. Median earners had seen their income go up less than average over the last 30 years, increasing by 60 per cent since 1979 compared with rises of 78 per cent for the better off, according to the report by the TUC. Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary, said: “For all the talk of middle Britain, those on real middle incomes got left behind under the Conservatives, were left out of Labour’s boom that has now busted into recession, and are now fearing for their jobs and homes as unemployment bites.”

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2009/jun2009/inco-j04.shtml

“Britain: Income inequality at record high : By Barry Mason : 4 June 2009 : Last month the government quietly published the latest measure of income inequality, the Gini coefficient, for the UK. The figure tells a story of growing exploitation and mounting poverty in Britain…The contrast between rich and poor is even starker when the mean or arithmetical average is considered. The mean earnings figure for 2007-08 was £487 a week. It is calculated that 65 percent of the population earn less than this sum.”

Those who talk in averages call the United Kingdom a developed nation, a rich nation, a country with high levels of wealth and personal resources.

But this is just not the reality for the majority of its citizens.

Energy is relatively cheap, and it’s a good thing too, as people find it hard to move from their usual pattern of energy consumption.

When people hear about Carbon pricing, they are concerned, as their lives would be so much harder if Energy becomes more expensive.

And the majority of people, those at and below the median levels of income and Energy expenditure, they are not the heaviest consumers of anything, and they are already using less than the average (mean) :-

http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file50672.pdf

When the Government urges voluntary behaviour change, communicating that each one of us should “Act on CO2″, this is a dense and unworkable message.

People have got other things in their lives to worry about besides Energy, and they have no idea how to cut their Energy consumption cheaply.

People are famously over-optimistic about Do It Yourself home maintenance, even rolling out loft insulation.

And a good 30% of the UK population don’t own the home they live in, and so do not necessarily have permission to change the building fabric.

On top of all that, it’s hard to recruit affordable installation engineers who you can have confidence in, to help you reduce your Energy consumption.

It’s no wonder that people do not respond in their millions.

It seems likely that the international Climate Change negotiations at Copenhagen in December will settle on a treaty with a heavy Carbon Trading component, making a negatively-valued commodity out of Carbon Dioxide emissions.

It is inevitable that this will result in higher Energy prices, and for the poor in every nation, including the developed nations, this will be an unwelcome burden.

Added to that, the annually reducing Carbon Cap that is the other half of the “Cap and Trade” concept that gives us Carbon Trading, will in effect cause Energy Rationing. The nation as a whole will only be permitted to cause a capped amount of Carbon Emissions, and this will automatically restrict the use of Energy.

So, for the underprivileged there will be a “double whammy” : more expensive Energy, and rationing of Energy. For those households who cannot organise themselves and their homes to use less Energy, owing to financial and practical problems, this will only add to their deprivation.

At the conference “The politics of climate change : from economic crisis to business revolution” on Friday 5th June 2009, I heard several speakers outline some of the Social Justice problems with Climate Change policy.

John Hills, Professor of Social Policy at the London School of Economics, made the astute observation that “taxes are regressive”, that is that they unfairly penalise the less well-off. “If you reduce income tax and promote a Carbon tax, that’s also regressive”, as people’s Energy use is not directly proportional to their income.

“There is an argument for “targetted compensation”", he said, “but even if you put every single p [penny] into compensation you still have low income losers, 1) because those instruments are not perfect – means-tested benefits do not have 100% take-up and 2) there is a huge spread of consumption in low-income households, for example [some have high] transport costs [to get to work].”

John Hills pointed out that “15% of the poorest were losers in the “progressive” tax regime change that cut the 10p tax band.”

“Maybe there’s not much we can do ? There is a limit to what we can add to means-testing. As for offsets [offsetting the extra Carbon costs with tax or benefits returned], you can’t spend the same money four times over. You can’t spend Carbon tax revenues on energy efficiency, low income transfers, household adapatation and mitigation measures.”

In other words, if a Carbon Tax is applied, there is a choice about how to spend the Revenue, but it cannot be used to invest in Renewable Energy infrastructure and domestic Energy Efficiency, and at the same time be used to compensate the poor for their extra Energy costs.

For John Hills, this implies that (a) the politics are more difficult. There’s less money left over to make the measures more palatable for the “median voter”. “Even the best compensation package has holes in it.”

For John Hills, a “reflation package would have wanted a “Decent Homes (2)” scheme. These redistributions shouldn’t be an afterthought. [We] need to build in social policy design at the start.”

He concluded with a notable quotable : “Carbon cost capture and recycling is as problematic as Carbon Capture and Storage.”

Rebecca Willis of the Sustainable Development Commission took aim at what she called the “substitution and efficiency paradigm”, and explained that it will not be possible to assume that substituting alternative Energy sources and making everything hyper efficient will be enough. She took issue with people that made out that they were going to continue to fly and drive as they have before.

“Climate Change is political”, she said, “there is a seismic political shift [happening]…All three main parties have agreed to set environmental limits. That’s an incredible start…[that] all parties agreed [that] an 80% cut in emissions by 2050 is in the UK’s best interests…[but that's come at a] cost of propagating a dangerous myth that you can do all this without [any significant impact].”

She referred back to the speech that Stelios Haji-Ioannou (chief of EasyJet) had made in the main meeting, where he claimed that travel is a good thing; and she mentioned Oliver Letwin’s (Conservative Party strategist) personal statement in another conference (or interview) defending his right to drive : “I like to go places”. She said that people were being offered the idea that Low Carbon alternatives could be made for everything. She said that it seemed it was thought that unless everyone buys into this myth of “substitution and efficiency”, that it will be too difficult for political movement.

She mentioned a report that her colleague Tim Jackson had prepared with the title “Prosperity without Growth ?”, where the question mark was deliberate. They had wanted to call the report something more challenging, but they had been advised that if they had the UK Government Finance Department, the Treasury, would not have opened it.

She explained that there is a problem discussing growth. In Tim Jackson’s work, he took reasonable figures for growth in population (9 billion) and the Economy (2% growth year on year), and calculated that we would need to go from 770 grammes of Carbon emitted per unit of productivity/output now to around 6 grammes in 2050.

She said that for all the speakers of the day so far, they were effectively claiming that 6 times as much output could be possible from the same dollar of oil. She pointed out that the amount of Renewable Energy that would be needed to do this would be immense. She cited the work of Professor David Mackay of Cambridge and his book “Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air”, and his calculations on the Renewable Energy required to maintain current consumption.

Rebecca Willis said that owing to the content of the recent publications by the Sustainable Development Commission, they were now seen as “dangerous radicals” by the UK Government, even though all their work is evidence-based and entirely reliable. She said that “we won’t meet the targets with this paradigm of substitution and efficiency”.

She said that “Carbon will get more and more expensive – we simply can’t provide enough Carbon-free Energy as people want. We are talking about profound social and economic change.” She said that it was useful to see it in terms of social justice, and she spoke about the pragmatic, cheap solutions. “Everything you do to sort out the existing system is socially and economically more viable.”

“In transport : [we must ask] is the car the solution to all our problems ? Home energy use : look to the Isle of Eigg [in Scotland] and their micro grid. There is a 5 kilowatt limit on each household. They collectively agreed to cap electricity consumption. You couldn’t begin to have that debate on the “mainland”. Maybe we should start talking about how much Carbon we can live with.”

Rebecca Willis bemoaned the way that the main speakers of the morning had used such negative language when talking about cutting Energy consumption. Stelios Haji-Ioannou had said that we’re not going to go and live in caves. And she recalled that Oliver Letwin had whinged about being on his own in his library, cold and hungry. Rebecca asked “Can we start looking at all the positive range in between “substitution and efficiency” and “cavemen” ?”

http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/pages/rebecca-willis-vice-chair-whitehall.html

http://www.rebeccawillis.co.uk/biography.html

Frances Graham from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) substituted for Andy Atkins. She said we should be aware that she had boosted the voice of women by 100% at the conference !

“This morning there was a remarkable lack of discussion on a new politics”, she said, “[yet] politics has got us into this mess. There has been no discussion on the Global North and the Global South and the distribution of “pain and gain”. [We need] some kind of consensus about how we get there and who bears the burden.”

She unpacked the current employment situation and explained there were ongoing massive job losses in such areas as construction and in industry. “Our immediate concern is near-term”, she explained – the labour-intensive nature of proposals for investing in Green Energy and Energy Efficiency. She talked of the need for a Just Transition – “it matters who wins, who loses and how we get there.”

Frances Graham said “We need a revitalisation of democracy”. She was “surprised” by the main speakers “talking of us as consumers – not as citizens. Terry Leahy [the Chief Executive Officer for Tesco] didn’t talk about the workforce as having a voice. Climate Change can’t be done to workers or to people, but with us.”

She talked about social policy trends – where “people have been made more responsible for our own pensions, our own care [in old age], our own adult children living at home, and paying for all of this through home ownership.”

She explained that the Trades Union Congress is “looking for a big green economic stimulus”, and indicated that the collaboration of trades unions and workers was already contributing. “We’ve done lots of mitigation and adaptation in work places. Union representatives are working on environmental programmes in work places.”

She recalled the 1976 Lucas Aerospace plan – to diversify from mostly military products. They were facing big job cuts and they came up with an alternative plan. Everybody was involved in the plan. “They came up with ideas such as solar and fuel cells – new forms of windmill – small power packs – fuel efficient engines – they came up with what they wanted to produce. They wanted meaningful work making socially useful goods. It was totally lost. I hope we don’t repeat this mistake. I hope we can unleash fair and democratic change.”

SPACE 1

2pm : Trading our way into Trouble – How carbon trading hasn’t worked so far, why it’s not going to work and the problems it’s causing in the Global South (CarbonTradeWatch).

3pm : Plenary (all together session) – “Their solutions / our solutions” – with starting contributions on “their solutions” and an open discussion on “our solutions”.

4pm : Technofixes – a critical guide to climate change technologies.

5pm : Climate Science – the latest from the IPCC conference in Copenhagen.

6pm : Sustainable activism in the face of the ecocrisis (Network of engaged Buddhists).

7pm : Mutual support in the face of police repressions (Activism Trauma Support).

8pm til late : (all spaces) Ceilidh, Films, musice and poetry.

SPACE 2

2pm : Fossil Fuel Economy – How the banks drive climate change (Platform).

3pm : Plenary (as above).

4pm : Environment in Pan-Afrikan Resistance to Market Proxy Wars in Struggle fo Global Justice (YENARAASASE).

5pm : Carbon Trading and Copenhagen – Business solutions at UN climate talks in Dec 09.

6pm : Debt and Climate Change – What the debt crisis in the global South means for climate justice Jubliee Debt Campaign).

7pm : Simple and effective self defence (small group please for safety reasons).

8pm : entertainments (as above).

SPACE 3

2pm : A history of direct action in the UK and beyond – an interactive and inspirational workshop.

3pm : Plenary (as above).

4pm : Transition – How we can make a rapid and just transition to a zero carbon economy…and why we have less than one hundred months to do it (New Economics Foundation).

5pm : Copenhagen Climate talks – what are they and what are we doing about them ?

6pm : Poetry versus climate change – how to use poetry as an activist tool.

7pm : Samba Band – Workshop on playing Samba !

8pm : entertainments (as above).

Other workshops that might happen if there’s space :-
- Workers’ Climate Action
- Rossport Solidarity Camp
- Feminist Fightback
- Biofuels
- Songs and creativity
and more…

All times are subject to change. Please ask someone wearing a green workshops sash for more information.