earthfirst – Page 93 – Earth First!

Parma: Three mobile phone masts set on fire in solidarity with imprisoned comrades (Italy)

We receive from anonymous mail and transmit:

In the night between 29th and 30th August we set three mobile phone masts on fire in the vicinity of Parma west exit on the A1 highway. The landscape where the masts stood include, in the space of a few hundred metres, a railway track with adjoining yards, power plants, a highway, intensive farming facilities, factories and luxury villas. Many of these infrastructures feed the mega monster of the technological and industrial machinery and the insatiable thirst for energy and mobility required by the western civilized lifestyle.

Each of these structures only inspires us to destroy them and the desire to put an end to this absurd world, as we are proud to be untameable social misfits! To all the indomitable warriors burning with the instinct of freedom!

This is for you, Marco, brother and comrade! May action spread for all our comrades in prison!

Solidarity with Elisa, Ale, Katia, Sergio, Paola, Stefano, Giulia and Peppe in prison for operation Ardire, to Gabriel Pombo Da Silva and the investigated in operation Mangiafuoco.

Buenos Aires: Banner drop at the Metro for the Swiss Embassy in solidarity with Marco Camenisch (Argentina)

On Wednesday 28th August, we hung a banner on the building of the Metro where the Swiss Embassy resides. While we were removed, we scattered flyers around the place.

On Wednesday 28th August, we hung a banner on the building of the Metro where the Swiss Embassy resides. While we were removed, we scattered flyers around the place. With this simple action, we express our solidarity with our anarchist comrade Marco Camenisch, a prisoner of Switzerland, currently on hunger strike. To him we send our love. To him and to all our comrades that meet behind the walls, but are never defeated, and never repent.

All our hate to the State and the prisons. They will never stop us because our solidarity is stronger than their repressive blows and organisations.

Revolutionary solidarity to all the indomitable prisoners all over the world.

Comradely greetings to all those who, day by day, struggle against this system of exploitation.

Death to the State!
Long Live Anarchy!

Individualist Anarchists

‘Long-Live Luciano Tortuga Cell – International Conspiracy for Revenge – FAI / FRI’ attack electrical substation with incendiary device in Manado (Indonesia)

From Membakar Senj[a]:

It’s always a reason to say that the lack of numbers is the main reason. But for us the only obstacle is fear. Theories, reasons and situations are the walls of the labyrinth which always became a reason for obstruction and restriction. As well as the accusations that the kidnapping of two members, of our comrades Billy and Eat, is a barrier to the ongoing actions for destruction.

On August 23, at a power plant in Kotamobagu, North Sulawesi, we put an incendiary device that failed to ignite. We were disappointed with ourselves and the ability of each individual who was involved in the attack. But on the other hand, we learned that no one should regret. Tonight August 31, we re-commit to do the same “crimes”. Leaving the device in order to burn an electrical substation in Tuminting, Manado.

The goal is clear. We are angry. Really angry!

This action is also as a response and as an answer to the unlimited solidarity from many rebellion comrades and companer@s.

To the uncontrolled and brave comrades in the darkness of Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, Greece, Argentina, and England as well as to other places that were never mentioned.

To Olga and all the comrades from Conspiracy of Cells of Fire and Tasos Theofilou who was recently arrested because he was an anarchist. Also we do not forget to mention Theofilos Mavropoulos, Gabriel Pombo da Silva, Rami Syrianos, and Marco Camenisch who are undergoing a hunger strike. All of you are rebels who inspired us despite the fact that you are seized behind bars.

To Luciano Tortuga and Mario Lopez, also never forget to mention Ivan Silva and Carla Verdugo in Chile. Henry Zegarrundo, Juan Aliste Vega, Freddy Fuentevilla Saa, Marcelo Villarroel Sepúlveda also are an inspiration. Do not forget to dissidents like Felicity Ryder, Nikos Maziotis and Pola Roupa also lastly to K. The fugitive member of the Long Live Luciano Tortuga Cell, Informal Anarchist Federation / International Revolutionary Front (FAI / FRI).

But with fully of shame in our face we mention our two brothers in struggle, members of Long Live Luciano Tortuga Cell, Informal Anarchist Federation / International Revolutionary Front; Billy Augustan and Reyhard Rumbayan (Eat). Also do not forget the brave one of Kulonprogo; Tukijo. For those we send our greetings with the lights of fire from the street. To them we are sending our love.

These actions are also as a manifestation of anger and disappointment.
Impatience for those rebels who after attacks returned to run and hide and spent long time to keep waiting, including us.

Comrades, it is time to strike back.
Do not wait. Time to light it up!

Long Live Anarchy!

USA: Six Arrested Blocking Road in front of Duke Energy HQ During DNC

Protesters sitting on a banner that reads “Duke is destroying our earth with taxpayer dollars” were arrested Thursday afternoon at the intersection of Tryon and Stonewall streets, near the Duke Energy building. Photo: Meghan Cooke

Six protesters were taken away in handcuffs earlier Thursday near the corporate headquarters for Duke Energy. They had locked arms and were sitting on top of a banner claiming that the energy company was harming the environment.

Two dozen officers surrounded them and eventually lifted up the protesters, who refused to move. They then put them into prisoner transport vans.

Just before her arrest, 26-year-old Christina Mounce of Casper, W. Virginia, criticized the utility company for burning coal and running nuclear power plants.

“We want President Obama to stop accepting their campaign money,” said Mounce, a marine biologist. “The president is setting a horrible example by being linked with them.”

The demonstrators at Stonewall and Tryon streets said they were demanding an audience with Jim Rogers, the CEO of Duke Energy.

The others arrested were Amelia Campbell, 22, of Boulder, Colo.; Audrey Campbell, 22, of Boulder, Colo.; Richard French, 39, of Farmington, N.M.; Matthew Goodsell, 56; and Michael Joseph Stewart, 25, of Lakewood, Colo. All were charged with impeding traffic.

Counting Thursday’s detentions, a total of 25 protesters were arrested or taken away in handcuffs during the three-day convention, which ended Thursday night.

Fracking on trial verdict

An environmental activist who climbed a drilling rig in a protest against fracking in December last year was today found guilty under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act at Preston Magistrates Court. She was ordered to pay a £250 fine and £750 costs.

Yesterday two other defendants were cleared of charges of aggravated trespass as part of the same court case. (1)

On 1 December 2011, protestors from Bristol Rising Tide occupied the test drilling rig, at Cuadrilla Resource’s Hesketh Bank site, Lancashire, shutting it down for 13 hours. (2) (3)

During the trial, it emerged that Cuadrilla had continued drilling for two months after their planning permission had expired.

In her final submission, the defence barrister, Farraht Arshad said of her client:
“As a concerned citizen no other avenues were open to her.”

She justified this statement by the evidence given in the trial by DECC (4) and Lancashire County Council. DECC, the licencing authority, uses the off-shore oil regulations to licence on-shore fracking operations and
stated that they are not interested in policing breaches of environmental law which is the job of the local planning authority and the Environment Agency.

The local council planning officer made it clear in his evidence that he only had limited resources and few powers to police developers. The general expectation from these regulators is that companies will regulate
themselves.

It was clearly established during trial that Cuadrilla Resources had flouted the period of their planning permission by two months, and had failed to comply with their own method statement related to the protection
of birdlife from the nearby Site of Special Scientific Interest. As a result they were potentially in breach of the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Neither DECC nor the local council appeared to be concerned about taking action to prevent this crime.

Despite these facts, Judge Ward rejected the defence’s argument that the activists were preventing a crime.

The convicted activist said:
“This verdict confirms my view that the regulatory authorities are hopelessly inadequate at their job and don’t have the protection of the environment as a priority. Companies like Cuadrilla are allowed to flout their obligations with impunity, while concerned citizens are criminalised.”

Hydraulic fracturing is a method of extracting gas in shale rock. Huge amounts of water mixed with toxic chemicals are forced into the ground at high pressure, a large proportion of which are never recovered. In the
United States numerous spills of these fluids have contaminated irrigation water, affecting food supplies, and the health of surrounding communities. (5) (6) (7)

There are twelve licenses to frack for shale gas in the UK, five of which are held by Cuadrilla resources in Lancashire. (8)

*Notes*

1. To have committed the offence of aggravated trespass (section 68 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994) it needed to be shown that the defendants had:
* Taken disruptive action beyond just trespassing on private property. The prosecution failed on this first point.
* Disrupted a lawful activity, in this case the drilling operations of Cuadrilla.

2. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2011/dec/01/fracking-lancashire-hesketh-bank-cuadrilla

3. Photos of the action are available at: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/71113300@N08/

4. DECC – Department of Energy and Climate Change is the licencing authority for fracking operations and all fossil fuel exploitation in the UK.

5. ‘Cracks in the Façade: EPA Traced Pollution of Underground Water Supply to Hydraulic Fracturing’ (Aug 2011 – EWG)
http://static.ewg.org/reports/2011/fracking/cracks_in_the_facade.pdf

6. ‘Methane contamination of drinking water accompanying gas-well drilling and hydraulic fracturing’ (May 2011 – Duke)
http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/cgc/pnas2011.pdf

7. ‘Shale gas: a provisional assessment of climate change and environmental impacts’ (Jan 2011 – Tyndall Centre)
http://www.tyndall.ac.uk/sites/default/files/coop_shale_gas_report_final_200111.pdf

8. http://frack-off.org.uk/new-homepage/bad-guys/locations/

*For more information see:*

www.risingtide.org.uk
www.frack-off.org.uk
www.frackingontrial.org

Protesters chained to fence outside Inergy gas facility in New York

[UPDATE: 3 arrested for blockade.]

I am chained to a fence outside an Inergy facility near Watkins Glen, New York, and I am not alone.

We are protesting the gasification of New York. We don’t want fracking in this state (or any state), and we don’t like Inergy’s plans to build a gas storage hub in Seneca Lake salt caverns.

We believe that:

1. Inergy’s plans are reckless and dangerous. Salt Cavern storage facilities are more accident prone than any other type of gas storage facility.

2. Even if nothing goes wrong, there will be plenty wrong. The Inergy project will change the character of our rural area by increasing the levels of traffic, noise and pollution. Just the pollution alone will kill people, and gas development will surely harm our existing winery, agricultural and tourism industries.

3. Inergy can’t be trusted. Inergy has been caught in so many lies and is keeping so many secrets that it has no credibility whatsoever. It cannot be relied on as a guardian of public safety.

4. The Inergy project is clearly meant to facilitate the fracking of New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. We adamantly oppose fracking and consider it catastrophic folly. We want the Inergy project stopped because of its own lack of merit, and also as part of the larger effort to stop fracking.

5. We resent the fact that, even though we live here, we have been given no say in what happens to our area. We know, for example, that the DEC is keeping secrets for Inergy. And we know that the DEC sent proposed fracking regulations to the gas companies for review, before finalizing them and releasing them for public comment. No such opportunity was afforded to the industry’s opponents. We cannot remain silent while a demonstrably biased agency makes decisions behind closed doors that could forever change our way of life.

Australia. Climate Change activists step up opposition to coal in Hunter Valley protests from mine to port

A banner drop at a construction site for a new coal loader terminal at the Port of Newcastle in the New South Wales Hunter Valley ended when police instructed the 60 metre crane be lowered to the ground. The Protestors say they were not given warning of this action and alledged it imperiled their lives.

“We are dismayed with the actions of police here today.” said spokesperson Steve Phillips. “We conducted a peaceful protest, with trained and experience climbers, and safety as our priority. NSW Police responded with gross negligence and dereliction of duty, and placed two lives at risk. Our climbers were not even warned before the crane was lowered.”

Coal Export Terminal construction obstructed

Activists entered the NCIG coal terminal site in Newcastle before dawn to peacefully stop construction of new coal port facilities. Two experienced climbers scaled the 60 metre high construction crane to unfurl a banner reading "Stop the coal rush! For health, water & climate."

The two activists were both arrested and charged with 'enter enclosed land'. They have now been released and will appear in Newcastle local court on 9th October. Both activists have been reported as safe and well, and are happy with the protest today which stopped work on the coal port terminal site for two hours.

The protest was the fourth consecutive stop-work action against NSW coal projects this week. Activists targeted expansions of the three major elements of the coal chain – mines, railway, and port infrastructure – to highlight the massive expansion of coal mining and infrastructure taking place in NSW, and its impacts on public health and the environment.

“NSW is in the grip of a coal rush. Public health, waterways, ecosystems, and the global climate are under assault,” said Steve Phillips. “Local communities are resisting the coal rush at every step of the way, challenging new mines and port developments that place the profits of coal companies ahead of the public good.”

According to Rising Tide Newcastle who organised today's protest there are 34 coal mine proposals currently before the NSW Planning Department, most of which would produce coal for export through Newcastle. Newcastle is the largest coal export port in the world, and the port terminal expansion will add 66 million tonnes per year export capacity if allowed to go ahead. In 2004, port throughput was around 78 million tonnes, or 10 per cent of the world’s total trade in coal

“But both State and Federal Governments have taken the side of the coal companies. NSW Planning Minister Brad Hazzard and Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke continue to approve every coal project that arrives on their desks. Communities are crying out for help, but governments are ignoring them.”

"Enough is enough. We need to stop the coal rush. It's time for State and Federal governments to stop kowtowing to the mining companies, and get behind community demands for a clean, renewable future."

A spokesperson for Rising Tide Newcastle said the actions of police today which imperiled the lives of two activists will be reported to the NSW Ombudsman.

Coal Crusher occupied at Boggabri coal mine

On Monday two activists did a banner drop in central New South Wales, where activists scaled a coal-crushing plant at Boggabri Coal Mine on the Gunnedah basin.

According to a media release by the protestors the NSW Government has recently approved a fourfold expansion of the Boggabri Coal Mine. The two protestors dropped a banner saying: "Stop the Coal Rush: Protect Health, Water, Climate". After more than 8 hours atop the coal-crusher two protestors were arrested and taken to Narrabri Police Station. The men were protesting against the destruction of Leard State Forest, in the Gunnedah Basin, for three open-cut coal mines. A major expansion of the Boggabri coal mine was approved by the NSW Government in July despite community and environmental organisations alledging huge ecological impacts and overwhelming community opposition.

At the same time on Monday activists from Quit Coal dropped a huge banner over the the Victorian State Parliament entrance saying 'Coal is the single greatest threat to civilisation and all life on our planet' Prof. James Hansen, NASA. Why is Baillieu funding coal?"

Tripod stops construction on coal railtrack expansion

Between today's protest and the protest at Boggabri coal mine Rising Tide Newcastle also protested on Tuesday the upgrading of rail infrastructure and building a third track in the Hunter Valley to increase the load capacity for exporting more coal.

The Maitland to Minimbah Third Track project is being constructed by Hunter 8 Alliance, which is a consortium of engineering company GHD, construction company John Holland, and the Federally owned Australian Rail Track Corporation. The project aims to lift coal haulage capacity on the Hunter rail corridor to 200 million tonnes per annum. It includes construction of 23km of new rail track, and reconditioning of 9km of existing track. The Federal Government granted $114 million, through the ARTC, to the project.

Activists accessed a Hunter 8 Alliance site at Rutherford and erected a wooden tripod to block access to the site. Activist Ned Haughton scaled the 10 metre high structure, where he remained for the next five and a half hours. Haughton was arrested and charged with obstruction.

Steve Phillips, spokesperson for protest organisers Rising Tide, said: “This railway construction project is designed purely for the benefit of coal corporations, yet it is being paid for with taxpayers money. Why are taxpayers dollars being handed over to rich mining corporations, in order to prop up a polluting industry that is destroying human health and the environment?”

“There is a coal rush under way in NSW, and public health, waterways, ecosystems, and the global climate are under assault. Massive coal mine projects, coal haulage projects, and coal port projects are in the pipeline. If all these projects go ahead, the consequences will be devastating.” concluded Steve Phillips. “We call on State and Federal Governments to abandon their infatuation with mining companies, and their addiction to fossil fuels. It's time to take a stand and stop this coal rush before it's too late.”

Sources:

Media releases, details, and photos from Rising Tide Australia

Fracking on trial: lawfulness of Cuadrilla’s fracking operation remains in doubt

Yesterday, three people from Bristol Rising Tide were on trial for a second day at Preston Magistrates Court following their action (1) which shut down Cuadrilla Resources' hydraulic fracturing (2) site beside the Ribble Estuary in Lancashire in December 2011.

Two of the defendants went free when it became clear that the charges against them had been poorly framed. They had been charged with aggravated trespass.

A defendant from Bristol Rising Tide commented:
“It’s great to go free but the threat that fracking poses to communities and the environment has not gone away. It is very likely that Cuadrilla will be fracking at sites in Lancashire in the near future. Do we trust a company that is prepared to flout its planning permission to handle a very dangerous technology like fracking?”

To have committed the offence of aggravated trespass it needed to be shown that the defendants had:

· Taken disruptive action beyond just trespassing on private property. The prosecution failed on this first point.

· Disrupted a lawful activity, in this case the drilling operations of Cuadrilla.

On Tuesday in court, the Head of Planning from Lancashire County Council, Alyn Perigo, confirmed that Cuadrilla were operating outside the period of their planning permission. Cuadrilla had in fact continued to drill two months beyond their agreed time limit. Mr Perigo also confirmed that by drilling in winter they had failed to meet a key condition to safeguard bird life from the adjacent Ribble Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest. The defence argued that this may have resulted in a breach of the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

Yesterday the prosecution had hoped to call Pat Waring, (3) an Ecologist employed by Cuadrilla Resources, to attempt to demonstrate that Cuadrilla had not been operating unlawfully at the time of the protest. In the event Mr Waring was not prepared to appear for the prosecution. This left the prosecution with the challenge of trying to demonstrate ‘lawfulness’ without an expert witness. In the event this was left undetermined as the prosecution had already failed on the first point.

The case against a third defendant will conclude this morning. She faces a different charge under section 69 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, which is failing to leave land as soon as practicable when directed to do so by the senior officer at the scene.

Notes

1. On December 1st 2011, activists from Bristol Rising Tide occupied a drilling rig operated by Cuadrilla Resources at Hesketh Bank beside the Ribble Estuary. The action stopped drilling for 13 hours before the occupiers came down of their own accord. Photos of the action are available at https://secure.flickr.com/photos/71113300@N08/

2. Hydraulic fracturing is a method of extracting gas in shale rock. Huge amounts of water mixed with toxic chemicals are forced into the ground at high pressure, a large proportion of which are never recovered. In the United States numerous spills of these fluids have contaminated irrigation water, affecting food supplies, and the health of surrounding communities. There are twelve licenses to frack for shale gas in the UK, five of which are held by Cuadrilla resources in Lancashire.

3. Early in 2011, Pat Waring of Ecology Services UK Ltd, was employed by Cuadrilla to produce the document: Method Statement – Birds, setting out how Cuadrilla could minimise disturbance to the overwintering and nesting birds that frequent Hesketh Bank beside the Ribble Estuary SSSI. The production of this document, and compliance with its contents, is a requirement of Condition 22 of Cuadrilla’s Planning Permission for the exploratory drilling operation.

For more information see:

www.risingtide.org.uk
www.frack-off.org.uk
www.frackingontrial.org

Fracking on trial – again!

The safety of fracking will be challenged at Preston Magistrates Court today, as 3 people go on trial following a protest at Cuadrilla’s Hesketh Bank site, Lancashire, in December last year. (1) The trial is expected to last until Thursday.

On 1 December 2011, protestors from Bristol Rising Tide occupied the test drilling rig, shutting it down for 13 hours. (2) (3)

Hydraulic fracturing is a method of extracting gas in shale rock. Huge amounts of water mixed with toxic chemicals are forced into the ground at high pressure, a large proportion of which are never recovered. This fluid also leaches arsenic out of rocks, creating a dangerous cocktail that’s difficult to dispose of. In the United States numerous spills of these fluids have contaminated irrigation water, affecting food supplies, and the health of surrounding communities. (4) (5) (6)

Rachel Greenwood from Bristol Rising Tide said: "Once fracking takes place contamination of land and water, and the devastation of local ecosystems, is inevitable. You cannot do it safely, and regulation of fracking is totally ineffective. Cuadrilla were able to continue drilling after their planning permission had expired. If fracking is allowed to go ahead in Lancashire it could happen throughout the UK."

There are twelve licenses to frack for shale gas in the UK, five of which are held by Cuadrilla resources in Lancashire. (7)

Cuadrilla’s activities are opposed both by local groups (8) (9) and climate campaigners. On 10th July 2012, three people were found guilty of aggravated trespass following an occupation of the Cuadrilla Resources test drilling site at Banks. (10) On 18 June, 20 people blockaded Cuadrilla Resource’s drilling rig at PR Marriot’s compound in Chesterfield, locking themselves to the gates to prevent the rig from being moved to Cuadrilla’s site in Lancashire. (11)

UK Methane recently announced their intention to apply for planning permission to drill a Coal Bed Methane borehole in Keynsham, Bristol. (12)

Coal Bed Methane involves drilling into coal seams to extract gas in a similar manner to fracking. A wide variety of techniques are used depending on the nature of the coal seam. If the seam is permeable enough, pumping water out of the seam will be enough to start gas flowing from the well, but if not, some sort of stimulation will be needed. Often this is hydraulic fracturing.

Because the coal seams tend to be relatively close to the surface, and because such large quantities of water are pumped out of the coal seam (water that has been marinading in coal for thousands of years), problems with water contamination and leaking methane tend to occur regardless of whether fracking is performed. (13)

There is currently planning permission for around 60 Coal Bed Methane wells in Britain. (14)

Notes for editors

1. Two of the defendants are charged with aggravated trespass (section 68 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994). The other is charged with an offence under section 69 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, which is failing to leave land as soon as practicable when directed to do so by the senior officer at the scene.

2. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2011/dec/01/fracking-lancashire-hesketh-bank-cuadrilla

3. Photos of the action are available at: https://secure.flickr.com/photos/71113300@N08/

4. 'Cracks in the Façade: EPA Traced Pollution of Underground Water Supply to Hydraulic Fracturing' (Aug 2011 – EWG)
http://static.ewg.org/reports/2011/fracking/cracks_in_the_facade.pdf

5. 'Methane contamination of drinking water accompanying gas-well drilling and hydraulic fracturing' (May 2011 – Duke)
http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/cgc/pnas2011.pdf

6.'Shale gas: a provisional assessment of climate change and environmental impacts' (Jan 2011 – Tyndall Centre)
http://www.tyndall.ac.uk/sites/default/files/coop_shale_gas_report_final_200111.pdf

7. http://frack-off.org.uk/new-homepage/bad-guys/locations/

8. Residents Action on Fylde Fracking: http://stopfyldefracking.org.uk/

9. Ribble Estuary Against Fracking: http://reafg.blogspot.co.uk/

10. The defence was supported by a number of witnesses, including academics from the UK and US and members of the local community, who testified regarding the consequences of shale gas extraction, in terms of climate change, water contamination, earthquakes and severe health effects. For more information see: http://frackingontrial.org/

11. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/the-northerner/2012/jun/18/fracking-protest-chesterfield-cuadrilla-hesketh-bank

12. UK Methane have contacted Transition Keynsham to announce that they will apply for planning permission to drill a Coal Bed Methane borehole in Keynsham: http://www.frackfreesomerset.org

13. http://frack-off.org.uk/coal-bed-methane-the-evil-twin-of-shale-gas/

14. http://frack-off.org.uk/bad-guys/locations/

For more information see:
www.risingtide.org.uk
www.frackfreesomerset.org
www.frack-off.org.uk
www.frackingontrial.org

Climate Sirens drop banner on Tower Bridge

Today Climate Siren activists scaled Tower Bridge to drop a massive banner above the Paralympic symbol which read "Climate Change our Next Challenge".

Today Climate Siren activists scaled Tower Bridge to drop a massive banner above the Paralympic symbol which read "Climate Change our Next Challenge". Their blog contains 'an open letter to the world' (see below) where they ask us all to focus on the "changing climate and the threat it poses to our civilisation’s very existence on this beautiful planet" After the drop Tower bridge was evacuated for "safety reasons" the activist arrested and taken to Bishopsgate where their supporters followed.

Dear People of the World,

The 2012 Olympics were a huge inspiration as to how we can come together to overcome challenges and achieve success – at many levels; as participants, as spectators, as competitors, even as a host nation. No doubt the Paralympics will equal or surpass this.

But these Games can be an inspiration for us to confront the biggest challenge our species has ever faced – perhaps will ever face: The changing climate and the threat it poses to our civilisation’s very existence on this beautiful planet.

Climate change is happening now. Don’t be fooled by those whose vested interests ensure that they would have you think otherwise. Or by colder winters. Climate change unfolds unevenly over time and is not uniform across all areas of the globe. Think of the stock market:

“Any competent financial advisor will tell you that the road to secure retirement is paved with market drops. Any competent climate scientist will tell you that our road to a hotter planet will be paved with cold snaps, even record-breakers.” – Prof. Laurence Smith

Even those formerly sceptical come round to the irrefutable evidence eventually, as Prof. Muller has recently shown. We may not understand the physical science of the Earth well enough to accurately predict how the climate will change over long periods, particularly at the regional level, but then we don’t understand meteorology well enough to determine whether it will be raining or not in Chicago next 15th April. Doesn’t mean that it will not be raining in Chicago come 15/04/13!

But our models are getting better. Twenty years ago, scientists had to ‘write-in’ complex, irregular climate variability events such as El Niño/La Niña cycles. Nowadays, they arise spontaneously within our models: a clear indicator that we are getting more and more accurate in our predictions.

Even without the models, the field of paleoclimatology gives us irrefutable and chilling evidence of how rapidly and enormously the global climate can and has changed. Ice cores tell us that around 11,500 years ago, surface temperature in Greenland increased by 8.3°C in a single decade. In the Pliocene, when sea levels were 25 metres higher than they are now, the C02 content of the atmosphere was just 100 parts per million (ppm) more than they are now. Our annual rate of increase is currently about 2.07ppm and rising.

We are already committed to a 0.6°C rise on 1990 levels, simply from the long-term warming effects of what we’ve already put in the atmosphere. Even the IPCC (notorious for underestimating global climate change to achieve scientific consensus) in its most optimistic SRES scenario – known as ‘B1’ – sees us approaching close to a 2°C rise in global temperature by 2100. In this model, northerly latitudes, including the Arctic, would see rises anywhere between 3.5 – 6°C by century’s end. That might not sound like so much until you realise that the temperature difference between a giant ice sheet covering Edinburgh, Berlin, Moscow and New York was only 5°C lower than now, during the last Ice Age.

The biggest challenge is not in physically doing what is necessary – we have the technology and skills to transition to a sustainable society without a huge amount of difficulty. The challenge is in overcoming the doubts and confusion sown by those with vested interests in preventing change. To overcome our fears and take that first step into new territory. It is the challenge of confronting the forces of demography, globalisation and climate change and asking serious questions about the way we organise our economies, societies and local communities, the way we use our Earth’s natural resources, how we distribute them and how we preserve them for future generations.

In truth, our biggest challenge is a moral challenge.

And we face it now.

clisir