Climate Chaos – Page 54

That’s the way to do it! Climate action camps across the Channel

CLIMATE ACTION CAMP 2012, BELGIUM, 3-8 AUG
If the climate was a bank...
... Then it would have been saved already (Hugo Chavez)

... Then I wouldn’t be getting a bonus (Jean-Luc Dehaene)

... Then the ratings agencies would have gone bust (Mario Draghi)

... Then it would need to look for a new name (Belfius!!!)

CLIMATE ACTION CAMP 2012, BELGIUM, 3-8 AUG

If the climate was a bank...

... Then it would have been saved already (Hugo Chavez) ... Then I wouldn’t be getting a bonus (Jean-Luc Dehaene) ... Then the ratings agencies would have gone bust (Mario Draghi) ... Then it would need to look for a new name (Belfius!!!) ... Then you’d read even more rubbish about it than you do today! .. Then it would be popular with businesses ... Then it wouldn’t change so quickly ... Then I would campaign just as much about it!!!

We’ve been organising climate action camps for three years. During a climate action camp activists come together to share experiences, live together peacefully and sustainably, and self-organise to make plans and carry out actions. They set up the most beautiful campsite in the Northern hemisphere and spend a week letting the air out of the tyres of the capitalist landrover... Climate action camp is a week full of action, exciting workshops, relaxation and vegan food. Every year lots of children come too. They have a great time in the kids barrio with activities to suit all ages.

The next climate camp will take place from 3rd to 8th August somewhere in Leuven

If you want to steal money, then steal a lot all at once. Then they will call you a dynamic entrepreneur or who knows, a banker... Banks can gamble with people’s savings, we know that already. But they also gamble with the climate, the planet and farmers in the south: Banks like BNP-Paribas, KBC or ING invest heavily in tar sands, the most environmentally destructive way to extract oil from the ground. A recent report revealed that these same banks are involved land-grabbing, the large scale acquisition of more and more agricultural land in the South by financial institutions. The World Bank invests climate funds in the biggest fossil fuel energy projects in the world. Lastly, banks speculate on carbon emission allowances. Banks aren’t only gambling our money away but are also playing with the planet. It’s time to take action. Now!

The exact location of the camp will be announced on the websites on the 2nd of August...

Join our Facebookevent: http://www.facebook.com/events/337275796321385/

Information & Contact:

http://www.climaxi.be http://www.climate-justice-action.be

Camp-phone? +32(0)478.07.98.58

info[at] climate-justice-action.be info[at] climaxi.be

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TWO CLIMATE ACTION CAMPS IN GERMANY - August

Just a shout out to see if you might be interesting in coming over to Germany for some climate action this summer?

There are 2 camps going on, one in the West from the 3-12th August: http://www.ausgeco2hlt.de/klimacamp/en/

and the other in the East from the 11-19th August http://www.lausitzcamp.info/international-information/english/

There's also in the West camp an ongoing Forest Occupation: http://hambachforest.blogsport.de/

Both camps are dealing with open cast mining and plans for new coal power plants. I'm more familiar with the East camp so a bit about that: The main days of action are on the 17th and 18th--coal plant blockade. We could def. use more people here! We're also still open for more workshops, especially practical ones and skill sharings, but also anything you're dealing with over there... It would be great to connect... see below for contact details.

Action: aktion@lausitzcamp.info Finances: finanzen@lausitzcamp.info Logistics: logistik@lausitzcamp.info Mobilsation: mobi@lausitzcamp.info Programme: programm@lausitzcamp.info

Anti-fracking Blockade in Moshannon State Forest

9th July 2012

Nearly 100 Earth First! activists, friends and allies forced a 70-foot-tall EQT hydrofracking drill rig to suspend operations for 12 hours yesterday in Pennsylvania’s Moshannon State Forest. This is the first time that protesters have shut down a hydrofrack drilling operation in the US. A tree sitter hung above the access road, with their anchor ropes blocking it. A second person was also in a tree to support the sitter while dozens of supporters guarded ten large debris piles that were across the road. Another group of 50 activists blockaded the entrance to the access road. The State Police, with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, dispersed the blockade around nine p.m. And removed the tree sitters with a ladder truck. Three arrests were made for disorderly conduct, but protesters were cited and released on-site.

There are a limited number of actual drill rigs in operation in the state which are ferried around from site to site on a tight schedule. By halting operations for a day on this site, the blockade has likely created a costly disruption for a handful of wells in the area which EQT apparently planned to drill in succession.

The activists reported that the police were reckless with the sitters’ safety, such as being quick to cut their anchor ropes. The supporting sitter’s safety and descent ropes were cut by the police as he climbed higher in the tree. The police in the ladder truck had no radios and communication to the ground was difficult over the noise of the diesel engine; at one point the ladder hit one of the sitter’s support lines. Police were seen taunting the sitter by waving around one of their anchor lines and making jokes at them while shaking the hammock.

The site is part of a high concentration of wells in Moshannon State Forest, one of the most heavily drilled state forests in Pennsylvania. Over half of the forest’s 190,000 acres have been leased for Marcellus drilling using hydraulic fracturing. Despite widespread public opposition, the former PA secretary of Conservation and Natural Resources predicts 12,000 Marcellus wells will be drilled in state forests in the coming decade¹. A recent poll showed that the majority of Pennsylvanians are opposed to fracking on public lands².

Local farmer Jenny Lisak, whose own property has been impacted by fracking, describes the devastation she has seen in the Moshannon, “Having grown up enjoying Moshannon State Forest in so many ways, I am absolutely appalled at the ongoing destruction. The once narrow and inviting oak-shaded lanes are now being replaced by dust and traffic choked roads for chemical laden trucks – there are no words to describe the injustice of taking public land, meant to provide a source of beauty and wilderness for all and turning it into an industrial zone.”

Drilling in the area has a troubled history. In June 2010, a major blowout at another well in Clearfield County spewed 35,000 gallons of toxic drilling waste into the Little Laurel Run watershed and caused the evacuation of Moshannon State Forest³. Since 2008, only 24 of EQT’s 198 Marcellus wells in the state have been inspected and violations were found at every single inspection. When they have been cited, they’ve refused to change their practices. On May 9, 2012, in Duncan Township, Tioga County, EQT was cited for faulty construction on a flowback water impoundment; three weeks later the pit failed, contaminating a nearby spring⁴.

“This is part of an escalating direct action campaign against fracking in the Marcellus Shale region,” said Danielle Dietterick, an activist affiliated with Marcellus Earth First! from Benton, Pa. “People from all around the country have joined with Pennsylvania residents to put their bodies on the line to stop fracking.”

The action comes on the heels of a 12-day blockade to stop the displacement of the Riverdale Mobile Home Park, in Lycoming County, and the shutdown of a fracking wastewater injection well near Athens, Ohio. Groups across the country are planning more anti-extraction interventions like RAMPS in West Virginia and the Tar Sands Blockade in Texas, later this month. All these independent, grassroots-led actions show perhaps a coalescing national uprising against exploitative extraction.

Susan Riley, another supporter, cheered on the bold action, “The state government has sold off our public lands and, with Act 13, stripped us of our rights to local self-governance. The fracking industry has free reign in this state and no one’s gonna stop them unless we do.”

8th July 2012

Activists from Marcellus Earth First! have erected a slash pile blockade and two tree sits blocking an access road to an EQT hydro-fracking site in Moshannon State Forest in Clearfield County, PA., halting drilling operations set to begin this week. The blockaders were joined by 40 supporters and concerned citizens, who turned around a Halliburton truck. The blockade is trying to stop the further destruction of Pennsylvania’s state forests—more than half of which have already been leased for drilling—and call attention to the devastating effects of hydrofracking on the state’s communities. The sitters’ anchor lines are blocking the road by crossing each other and the road, and if an anchor line is cut a sitter will fall. This action has been coordinated as the post-Rendezvous action. Each Summer Earth First!ers and allies come together to skill share, take part in discussion workshops, and keep it wild in our last remaining wilderness places in the US. Following a week in the woods, we take part in an action in support of the local organizers hosting the camp out, also know as the Round River Rendezvous, or Rondy.

Today’s blockade is the latest in a series of escalating actions of resistance to the destructive impacts of hydrofracking in the Marcellus Shale. Last May, residents of Butler County occupied the office of State Representative Brian Ellis, demanding accountability for widespread contamination caused by horizontal drilling. In June, seven families, along with dozens of supporters, blocked the entrance to the Riverdale Mobile Home Community to prevent their imminent eviction at the hands of Aqua America PVR. Aqua sought to destroy their homes and construct a water withdrawal facility permitted to extract up to three million gallons of water from the Susquehanna River daily for use in fracking. Residents were able to maintain the blockade for 12 days. On June 17, 1,000 Ohioans stormed the statehouse in Columbus and passed a “people’s resolution” banning hydrofracking. Most recently, a 31-year-old landowner from Athens County, Ohio chained herself to concrete barrels and shut down operations at one of Ohio’s 170 injection wells, which contain about 95% of the toxic and radioactive fracking waste generated from Pennsylvania drilling.

Momentum in the anti-fracking battle will continue to build across the Marcellus and Utica shale regions throughout July. Next weekend, residents from Ohio and beyond will gather at an anti-fracking action camp in Youngstown and prepare to enforce the “people’s resolution” against fracking. The upcoming months show the beginnings of a national rebellion against extractive industry across the board. On July 28, anti-frackers from across the nation will gather in Washington D.C. for “Stop the Frack Attack,” the largest mobilization against fracking ever. In West Virginia, Appalachians and allies will stand together at the “Mountain Mobilization” and shut down an active strip mine the last week of July. In Montana,the “Coal Export Action”, a ten-day campaign of civil disobedience at the beginning of August will target coal shipments from strip mines in the Powder River Basin, overseas. And later in the month, Texas residents have called for the “Tar Sands Blockade” to block the recently approved southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline.

Where the government has failed to act to protect communities and the earth from the ravages of an out-of-control energy industry, the people are rising up to resist. No matter where you live, you have the opportunity to join the fight for our future. Find your place, stand your ground, and in the words of Mother Jones, “Boogie Chilluns.”

UPDATE, 11:53 am:
Police making vague threats at blockade about assault rifles going off and wandering through blockade with assault rifles. However, at the rally they said there’s a sick bear up the road that needs to be put down, and not to freak out if a gun shot is heard.

Police initiated another round of negotiation with the rally insisting folks move the debris that’s in the road because it’s a safety risk, making veiled threats about things escalating if that doesn’t happen. Police have informed people it’s illegal to block the road, but have not given any order to disperse, they said “if it doesn’t happen [dispersal] they don’t want things to escalate.” Otherwise, situation unchanged.

UPDATE 10:14 am:
State police on scene at supporting rally.

UPDATE 10:10 am:
Two tree-sitters blocking the well pad access road–their anchor lines are crossing the road and each other, and if an anchor line is cutter a sitter will fall. There’s also a slash pile in the road. No police on seen and apparently no security either.

UPDATE 9:30 am:
Marcellus Earth First! and supporters have set up a blockade at an EQT well pad in the Moshannon Pennsylvania State Forest. An additional group of 40 supporters are holding a rally down the road, and have blocked a Halliburton truck. The activists plan to stay as long as they can. Stay tuned for more updates as information becomes available.

BP F***ing the Future subverts

6.7.12

With the Olympics now only three weeks away, protests against Olympic sponsor BP are escalating. Today dozens of BP logos across London were sabotaged, including the UK’s most prestigious billboard site at Cromwell Road. Around the capital, protesters hit petrol stations, BP-sponsored cultural institutions and advertising hoardings, protesting against one of the world’s most environmentally destructive companies being a major sponsor of the London Olympics. Signs were splattered with oil and BP’s tagline ‘Fuelling the Future’ was subvertised with the URL ‘f-ingthefuture.org.uk’.

BP has continuously been slammed for its systematic disregard for the environment, human rights and worker safety, including its failure to clean up after the Gulf of Mexico disaster of 2010, its decision to enter the devastating Canadian tar sands, and its plans to drill for Arctic oil. This criticism has increased dramatically since BP was announced ‘Sustainability Partner’ of the London 2012 games, and today’s protests follow a series of recent actions targeting BP’s Olympic sponsorship:
* On the eve of BP’s AGM in April, protest group CAMSOL posed online as LOCOG and announced BP had been dropped as Sustainability Partner.
* In April, the UK Tar Sands Network nominated BP in the Greenwash Gold campaign as ‘worst Olympic sponsor’.
* Since April, the Reclaim Shakespeare Company has been invading Shakespearean performances across the country to protest against BP’s sponsorship of the Cultural Olympiad.
* Last week, acclaimed actor Mark Rylance spoke out against BP’s sponsorship of the Games, revealing he had questioned his own involvement in the Opening Ceremony.

One of those taking part in the action, Brendan Pierce, said, “BP is paying tens of millions of pounds to clean up its tarnished image, in what could well be the most expensive use of propaganda in history. But with even its own business projections preparing for a six degree temperature rise, BP knows it is damning us to a future of runaway climate change.”

Another activist, Deborah Dudley, said “Reports suggest that BP’s sponsorship of the Olympics has been highly effective at laundering its filthy image, so we’re revealing the dirt behind the glossy branding. I’m proud to be taking direct action as part of a worldwide movement for climate justice. I encourage others to get involved.”

A website, f-ingthefuture.org.uk, shows pictures of the action and outlines the problems with BP’s sponsorship of the Olympics.

For more information, interviews and high-resolution photos, email: f.ingthefuture@gmail.com

What the website says:

——————————————-

Why shouldn’t BP sponsor the Olympics?

BP’s green logo is plastered all over the Olympics. The company is ‘Official Fuel and Gas Provider’ and also sponsor of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival.

Worst of all BP is ‘Sustainability Partner’. That’s right, the organisers of the Olympics have decided to allow BP, one of the dirtiest companies on earth, the opportunity to rebrand itself as socially responsible and take an active role in proposing how society should approach climate change.

Do you remember images of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico from BP’s deep-sea Macondo well back in 2010, coating the ocean and its inhabitants? Have you heard of BP’s plans in the tar sands, the world’s second largest oil deposits after Saudi Arabia, that can only be extracted by using four times as much greenhouse gas and have been labelled the most destructive project on earth? Have you heard about BP’s deals to extract oil from the depths of the pristine Arctic, despite the potential risk of a catastrophic spill even harder to clean up than the Gulf?

Do you think BP has earned the right to be ‘Sustainability Partner’ to the London 2012 Olympics?

Does BP have the right to have any association whatsoever with the Games, whose founding statement speaks of ‘universal fundamental ethical principles’, whose 2011 Charter declares that the Games should be ‘promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity’, and require ‘mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play’?

Do you think oil and sport shouldn’t mix?

Do you sometimes have the feeling that wherever you turn these days, advertising has intruded a little further, uninvited, into your personal space?

BP is a corporation that feeds off injustice and the destruction of the natural world that we and countless other species rely on. That destruction comes most threateningly from the current brutal destabilisation of the world’s climate.

BP is deeply embedded in British society – our energy, our pensions, our investments, our culture… It pumps serious money and effort into keeping things this way. Marketing works. Shiny advertisements around the capital do change the way people perceive a company. By sponsoring activities like the Cultural Olympiad, the London 2012 Festival, the World Shakespeare Festival and the Games themselves, BP is able to continue its catastrophic, though increasingly profitable, operations. That’s why we had to act.

Remember, if you see any ‘improved’ BP advertisements, please take a photo and email them to f.ingthefuture@gmail.com – and don’t worry, we won’t assume that you have any responsibility for them!

Here are a few more things you can do:

Take action for climate justice! See Rising Tide UK and Climate Justice Collective for ways to get involved.
Learn more about BP’s enormous environmental and human rights atrocities. Start with tar sands.
Move your money away from banks and other institutions who will lend it to fossil fuel-based projects
Harness your creativity to a more caring, conscious future, possibly by contributing to Art Not Oil‘s ‘Cutural or Vultural 2012?’ gallery.
Be part of a movement for real, deep, positive and lasting social and ecological change: http://www.occupyuk.info, http://occupylsx.org
Cut your carbon! Cut out short-haul flights, minimize car use, minimize your meat consumption, insulate your house. There are plenty of things you can do…but whatever you do, try to challenge the overarching mindset and system that’s allowng this insanity to happen!

(NB. These links are not connected to us, we just like ‘em!)

Photos

Videos

Earth First! Summer Gathering Update – programme, directions, website and more

It’s only weeks until the Earth First! Summer Gathering begins.
Five days of workshops, info sharing and learning new skills, 1-5 August.

The Earth First Summer Gathering takes place each year to provide a space in which the radical ecology movement can share skills and plan for future campaigns and actions.

Discussions around the importance of community building in inner cities, the state of the anarchist movement and patriarchy in activism.

Skill shares including women's self-defence, researching corporations and navigation.

Campaign round ups from Frack Off! Smash Edo and Luddites 2000 amongst others.

If you have workshops you like to run or discussions you'd like to facilitate then email us at earthfirstsummergathering@riseup.net

Full programme.

Camping is on a sliding scale of £30 to £15, pay what is genuinely appropriate.

Food will be from Anarchist Teapot and meal tickets will be £5 a day.

Kids can have separate meals if they want for £3 a day.

There will be a couple of kids spaces, and special workshops being ran for kids. If you’d like to run any kids workshops get in touch at earthfirstsummergathering@riseup.net.

If you want you dog to come along then you’re going to have to email us at earthfirstsummergathering@riseup.net

And of course there will be entertainment and a bar open in the evenings.

The camp is ½ mile from the Berrington village, and 1 mile from the larger village of Cross Houses.

We encourage non-cycling campers to use public transport if possible as Cross Houses is on a bus route.

BY TRAIN
The nearest train station is Shrewsbury. You can then get the bus to Cross Houses (see below). If coming from a long distance it can sometimes be cheaper to get a ticket to a large station such as Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Manchester or Crewe and then a separate ticket on to Shrewsbury. Check national rail for train times and prices. If coming from the London direction, it’s generally cheaper to buy a Super Offpeak Return, specifying “London Midland & Arriva only”.

BY BIKE
See here for directions and a map to the camp from Shrewsbury for cyclists and drivers.

BY BUS
When you arrive at Shrewsbury train station, ask someone to point you to the bus station. It’s only a few minutes walk from the train station. The bus service that runs from town to within a mile of Crabapple is the 436 towards Bridgnorth. It runs every hour from 7.40am to 5.40pm with a “late” one at 7.40pm. The journey to Cross Houses is approx 15 mins. You will need to press the stop button when you see the sign for Cross Houses. Some of the services on this route are low-floor accessible buses. Please note that the last bus leaves Shrewsbury at 7.40pm, Monday to Saturday and there are no Sunday bus services. For the bus timetable see here http://shropshire.gov.uk/bustimes/timetable.jsc?timetable=436mfi0412.
The camp itself is about 1 mile from the bus stop. From the bus stop at Cross Houses, walk back towards Shrewsbury past the petrol station (on your right) and take the first left turn signed “Berrington”. After about ½ mile, the road forks at the edge of the village. Take the right turn signposted “Betton Abbots” and we’re about ¼ mile up the road on the right.
If you intend to come by bus but need help getting to and from the bus stop, you can arrange a pick up with us: details will be available nearer the time.

BY TAXI
There is also a taxi rank just outside Shrewsbury train station. Accessible taxis can be got from here.- but it is MUCH cheaper to book a cab from a local company – Comet Cabs 01743 344444, or Vincent Cabs 01743 367777. Vincents also have a booking office just across the road from the station, which is handy if you don’t have a phone to book a cab in advance.

USEFUL LINKS
See here directions and a map to the camp from Shrewsbury for cyclists and drivers.
See a map of where the site is here
See the bus timetable
Directions from places other than Shrewsbury

Earth First! Summer Gathering Collective
earthfirstsummergathering@riseup.net

http://earthfirstgathering.weebly.com

Climate Siren activists scale Palace gates Rio+20

Four members of the group Climate Siren, which included Occupy London supporters, chained themselves to Buckingham Palace gates on Saturday 23 June to highlight the biggest threat to our planet, climate change. The activists were there for over 4 hours and the stunt attracted national and international media attention. Their banners included a quote from Prince Charles that the ‘doomsday clock of climate change was ticking ever faster towards midnight,’ and called for 10% annual emissions reductions.

The action was timed to coincide with the end of the Rio+20 Earth Summit on Sustainable Development, which as predicted failed to deliver any binding agreement to put humanity on a path of true sustainability and peace. Unfortunately, we cannot rely on our elected officials to save the planet and the Rio +20 agenda was dominated by corporate interests bent on preventing any deviation from business as usual which will threaten their profits. People power is our only hope for saving the planet and all its inhabitants.

http://climate-siren.com/

Frack Off: Activists Blockade Fracking Drill

Update: it has now ended – a successful 7 hour occupation on the gates and no arrests

18.6.2012

Update: it has now ended – a successful 7 hour occupation on the gates and no arrests

18.6.2012

Anti-fracking group, Frack Off, is blockading the site of Cuadrilla Resource’s drilling rig. Twenty people descended on the site at 5am and are blockading the entrance. The site is owned by PR Marriot who is Cuadrilla’s lead drilling contractors.

The action is stopping work on the drill which is being worked on in preparation for more fracking exploration in Lancashire. Frack Off is highlighting the threat posed by the tidal wave of extreme energy extraction methods that are being pushed by the government and a number of mostly US and Australian companies. The action is the beginning of a concerted campaign by people across the country to stop the introduction of these dangerous practices before it is too late.

Despite the mounting evidence from the United States that the exploitation of unconventional fossil fuels such as shale gas and coal bed methane (CBM) threatens to poison the environment, further destabilise the climate and is implicated in rising toll on human health including increasing cancer rates, corporations and governments are doing all they can to push through the introduction of these new energy extraction methods in the face of growing public opposition.

Last month the Energy and Climate Change Minister Gregory Barker announced in parliament that the "Government will continue to seek full economic recovery of UK hydrocarbon resources, both conventional and unconventional", a position which amounts to a declaration of war on the people and environment of the British Isles. Full economic recovery will involve coating the countryside with drilling sites and pipelines while poisoning the air and water and the emission of vast quantities or carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The main justification used for the need for this destructive course of action is that we face an energy crisis and need this gas to "keep the lights on". In reality unconventional fossil fuels are very expensive to extract and the amount that could be extracted is a small fraction of the gas from the North Sea that we have squandered over the last 40 years. The choice we face is between continuing to feed our addiction to increasing expensive and dangerous fossil fuels or putting a stop to the vicious economic system that requires them.

There is a gaping disconnect between the green rhetoric that is thrown around by governments and corporations alike and the dirty, dangerous and impoverished future that they are actually advocating in their quest for a quick buck. This prioritising of corporate greed over the interests of people and ecosystems while pretending to care about them, has no better poster child than the Rio+20 Earth Summit that starts on Wednesday.

Twenty years after world leaders met in Rio de Janeiro and promised to address the environmental and social problems afflicting the planet they will meet again, to promise, again, to do something about the now even worse problems we face. As with twenty years ago they have no intention of actually doing anything that would put a check on the system of corporate exploitation that is destroying the ecosystems we rely on. This is why ordinary people must take a stand to stop the destruction if anything is every going to change.

For more info have a look at:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/frack_off
Facebook: www.facebook.com/frackoffuk
Website: www.frack-off.org
Pictures: http://s.coop/pzid

Occupy Oil the Sequel and #RIPShell

“These people have more rights than us” was the response of the police to an irate driver. He was attempting to refuel at the Shell Garage in Old Street, London. Protesters had managed to blockade the station in the last action of a very successful day against Shell Oil.

Activists from Occupy Oil in solidarity with Anonymous UK closed the station for almost an hour. The protesters were carrying Anti Shell banners, placards and a coffin to represent the destructive nature of this 1% company.

On the 22nd of May activists from Occupy Oil held demonstrations in London and Las Vegas (See Video of action here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td8NNinikyc) against Dutch Shell Oil, who were holding their Annual General Meeting at The Hague and London via video link.

The morning began with six activists leaving St Paul's Cathedral with a coffin and banner to make a symbolic funeral procession through the streets of the City of London.

We were greeted with a small police presence; this scaled back policing response was possibly as a result of their behavior on the 12th of May, When peaceful demonstrators from Occupy May were assaulted and kettled outside of the Bank of England.
In a very dignified ceremony, the 6 activists and coffin took around 40 minutes to get to the location of the AGM, which was being held at the Barbican Centre

Little did we know at the time that we were being followed and photographed not by the police but by a private security firm. This latest intimidation fits in well with their behaviour elsewhere as pointed out by Marc Vallee at the recent #netpol2012 conference.

‏@marc_vallee At #netpol2012 today I mentioned that a private intelligence company had contacted me for information on direct action protest groups.
@marc_vallee The groups are: @climatecamp @RisingTide_UK @NoTarSands &@UKuncut << I will be providing the groups with the relevant evidence. #netpol2012

Despite the intimidation the whole day was very successful with garages closed and Shell's Annual General Meeting disrupted with zero arrests,
Our message is clear, "TO HELL WITH SHELL"
www.occupyoil.co.uk
@OccupyOil

Spectre of Shell Reapers hangs over AGM

22nd May 2012

At today's Shell AGM link at the Barbican the suits on the Shell board were given a 3 hour grilling, with questioners focusing attention on its environmental and human rights crimes around the world. Spread throughout the auditorium hooded London Rising Tide & friends' grim Shell reapers, stood silently awaiting direction from the board toward their next appointment with Shell induced death and environmental destruction. They stood motionless for almost an hour while Messrs Ollila and Vosser, Chairman & CEO, attempted to defend Shell's ravenous pursuit of profit above all else at the expense of : the pristine Arctic- where drilling and probably spilling will begin in the summer; the Canadian boreal forest-where Tar Sands "extraction" has increased by 100k barrels per day; the once beautiful fish spawning grounds of the Niger Delta- now clogged with a "Deepwater Horizon's" worth of oil every year; and listened intently to Vosser spouting that so-called "ethical company status" was "very close to my heart and we are driving sustainability".

We all know where its being driven. Remember climate change?

Climate change may not be a fashionable subject these days, but it’s already claiming 300,000 lives a year. Glaciers are disappearing, sea levels are rising and extreme weather is becoming more extreme. As temperatures rise, we’ll see more flooding, drought, disease, famine and war, creating hundreds of millions of refugees and destroying entire ecosystems and species. We can’t afford to forget about climate change – or the fact that companies like Shell are at the heart of the problem and a shift to Fossil Fuel Gas and land grabbing biofuels isn't helping!

Meanwhile outside, many more Shell Grim Reapers managed to gain entry into the lobby before being ejected by what one shareholder inside referred to as "over the top security". There they met with Occupy Shell Oil coffin bearers who had processed the corporate body of Shell from St.Pauls Cathedral to be laid to rest at the feet of a 6 degree Celsius global temperature rise this century. There among the shareholders, City cops and many private security and corporate spies, the Shell Reapers handed out leaflets to inform of impending Shell devastation.

A delegation from Indigenous peoples attended Shell’s main Annual General Meeting in The Hague, Netherlands, they detailed the massive human and ecological rights violations and economic devastation that Shell's operations have brought to local communities. The tar sands development in Alberta, Canada covers an area the size of England, with toxic lakes so huge they are visible from space, leaking poisons into the local water supply. The effects that tar sands are having on local First Nations communities are devastating. Not only are indigenous livelihoods and futures being destroyed, but communities on land where tar sands extraction has been imposed are experiencing disturbingly high rates of rare forms of cancer and auto-immune diseases.

Eriel Deranger, community member and spokesperson for the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation (ACFN), Alberta – an Indigenous community residing downstream from tar sands operations and who are currently suing Shell for violating past agreements, stated:

“Tar sands extraction projects on our traditional lands are being approved at a pace that is both irresponsible and irreparably destructive. People in the community of Fort Chipewyan
are genuinely afraid. Our food and water sources are contaminated, resulting in a fear of eating traditional foods and eroding the continuation of our cultural and subsistence lifestyles. Yet Shell plans to aggressively expand its activities, doubling production. The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is calling on Shell to meet its past agreements and halt expansion until our broader concerns about the cumulative impacts of tar sands operations are addressed.”

Ron Plain, from Aamjiwnaang First Nation, Ontario – which has been called ‘the most polluted place in North America’ by the National Geographic Society, and the ‘the most contaminated airshed in Canada’ by the World Health Organization due to its proximity to ‘Chemical Valley’ where Shell’s and other tar sands operators’ refineries are causing serious health and reproductive impacts – said:

“Aamjiwnaang is the first community in the world to experience birth ratios of 2 girls to 1 boy due to endocrine disruption from the pollution. This is the first step towards extinction. Shell have admitted that their current facility, which is located at the fenceline of Aamjiwnaang, ‘could not meet today’s environmental regulations or standards.’ But Shell’s proposal for a new facility within Aamjiwnaang territory was recently denied by Canada for a whole host of environmental, social and other reasons. The corporate response to that set-back was to build onto the antiquated facility the equipment needed to process more tar sands bitumen.”

Robert Thompson, Chairman of REDOIL and an Inupiat from Kaktovik, a village on the edge of the Arctic Ocean in Alaska, where Shell plans to drill offshore in Arctic waters this summer, said:

“Shell plans to drill in the Arctic this summer without the proven technology or infrastructure to deal with inevitable spills. They have not demonstrated the ability to clean up spills within or from under the ice or during storms. Our culture depends on a clean ocean, and we have subsisted in this region for 12,000 years. We oppose Shell’s plans that have the potential to destroy the culture of our people and will further push the planet into irreversible climate change.”

Ben Powless, a Mohawk from Six Nations in Ontario, representing the Indigenous Environmental Network, said:

“Not only have Shell reveled in being a climate criminal, they have also been exposed as fighting the European Union’s proposed Fuel Quality Directive, in collusion with the Canadian government. Their continued environmental destruction and violation of Indigenous rights across Canada, Alaska and Nigeria show that Shell needs to change their operations or face increasing protest and opposition across the world. Our organization is supporting an Indigenous-led campaign against Shell’s extreme energy projects to bring together frontline impacted communities.”

To find out more about the Canadian Indigenous Tar Sands Campaign, see:http://ienearth.org/tarsands.html

So, what else can we do about Shell in London?

Apart from street corner Petrol Garage blockades we can wage war on corporate branding. Join us to help kick Shell-out Sponsorship = buying us off .

Shell's sponsorship acts as a greenwashed blindfold to prevent us seeing the ravages of frontier oil extraction boundaries being pushed. When we challenge this, we strike a blow at Shell’s brand, chip away at its power and move towards the day when Big Oil – like Big Tobacco – is no longer seen as socially acceptable. As we once kicked the tobacco companies out of our cultural institutions we must now do the same to the oil industry.

Short film now at http://london.indymedia.org/videos/12287

London Rising Tide, c/o 62 Fieldgate Street, London E1 1ES;

tel: 07708 794665

www.londonrisingtide.org.uk
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/people/Rising-Tide-UK/515246801

http://www.twitter.com/RisingTide_UK

Wicked Work Weekend in Mayo

Stopping Shell, moving camp & dragging pallets!

Friday 4th May Day of Solidarity successfully stopped all Shell haulage for the day. Once folks were satisfied that Shell wasn't going to try and do any haulage, they went to the Rossport Solidarity Camp to start taking down structures and move the camp.

Stopping Shell, moving camp & dragging pallets!

Over the weekend all but the kitchen structure was taken down, hundreds of pallets were moved to the new field, and the kitchen marquee was put up in the new field. The summer camp is located two fields away from the winter field, next to the Aughoose church. There is one large communal sleeping space, but most people will be sleeping in tents for the summer. If you are visiting the camp bring a tent if you have one, but don't let it stop you coming if you don't!

There were about 20 people on camp for the weekend, and aside from a bit of wind on friday we lucked out with the weather. The tunes were pumpin', and people really stepped up to get the work done! On Saturday we had a visit from a group of students who, with the help of a local farmer and his tractor, moved hundreds of pallets to the new field. Nighttime was relaxing with campfires and music, and everyone seemed in high spirits. Many hands, light work! The bank holiday Monday some pixies went down to Shell's forestry compound and undid a bit of Shell's work.

Now the camp is building up for the annual June gathering, 1-4th of June. See more details here: http://shelltosea.com/content/rossport-solidarity-camp-gathering-1-4-june

The week following the gathering will be a Week of Action against Shell, so come up for workshops and discussions at the weekend and if you can stick around to help with the actions afterwards. There are lots of roles involved in making an action as safe and effective as possible, for example taking photos, legal observer, support, as well as being in an arrestable role. You can read more here: http://www.rossportsolidaritycamp.org/?page_id=282

Hinkley Investor Centrica: Action Alert

Centrica are having their AGM this week on Fri 11th May we want to tell Centrica loud & clear No to new nuclear. To this end we have a bit of armchair activism that everyone can join in with no matter what your time/energy/money commitments are.

Here’s how to stop the Centrica swindle:

Step one: Boycott Centrica/British Gas…

If you get any products from centrica or buy your energy from British Gas then switch suppliers now – make sure and either phone them on 0800 107 0184 or drop them a line at customercomplaints@britishgas.co.uk or Management Team, British Gas, PO Box 4804, Worthing, BN11 9QU to let them know why you’re dropping them.

If you need guidance or advise on how to switch or who to switch to then visit our already exisiting boycott edf website for details on how/what to do. http://boycottedf.org.uk/maketheswitch

Step Two: Spam Centrica…

Drop them an e-mail to pressure them to withdraw from nuclear new build we have compiled an extensive database of e-mail addresses which we have published below The e-mails are published in 10 blocks of 25, this means that in just 10 e-mails you can tell the whole of Centrica from the 1% down what you think of them without your mails bouncing back or your account being suspended!

Their office numbers are included too why not give them a call and tell them what you think of their dabbling in dirty nukes?

brian.gamlin@centrica.com, darren.miles@centrica.com, mark.turner@centrica.com, olga.wilson@centrica.com, simon.henderson@centrica.com, alejandro.urizar@centrica.com, jonathan.press@centrica.com, peter.pratt@centrica.com, david.bickerton@centrica.com, rod.carr@centrica.com, kirk.downey@centrica.com, bill.laughlin@centrica.com, simon.gray@centrica.com, usmanigbal@centrica.com,, alan.mclaughlin@centrica.com, sophie.cole@centrica.com, jessica.parker@centrica.com, alistair.montgomery@centrica.com, jan.sangedal@centrica.com, careers@centrica.com, cancelinstallation@centrica.com, thornton@centrica.com, jon.york@Centrica.com, cardiffc& mfinance@centrica.com, ir@centrica.com,

don.lane@centrica.com, amie.harding1@centrica.com, natalie.potts@centrica.com, fred.hardinges@centrica.com, nina.ringoen@centrica.com, coordinator@centrica.com, renewables@centrica.com, kit.hawkins@centrica.com, centrica@equiniti.com, stavanger@centrica.com, media@centrica.com, matthew.berry@centrica.com, views@centrica.com, responsibility@centrica.com, centrica.graduates@aonhewitt.com, diversity.team@centrica.com, audrey.luksicek@centrica.com, p2p@centrica.com, dario.ghazi@Centrica.com, rodgers@centrica.com, paul.smart@centrica.com, kevin.ferrol@centrica.com, steven.petrie@centrica.com, martin.bruce@centrica.com, jim.jamieson@centrica.com,

carina.travis@centrica.com, michael.breyaen@centrica.com, trevor.boyce@centrica.com, fiona.navesey@centrica.com, ricky.hill@centrica.com, iain.bartholomew@centrica.com, david.byrne@centrica.com, danny.willder@centrica.com, ali.hussain@centrica.com, linda.somerville1@centrica.com, andy.kingscott@centrica.com, aberdeen@centrica.com, customerrelations@centrica.com, david.holland@centrica.com, eri@centrica.com, brianawhitlock@centrica.com, philip.davies@centrica.com, alan.mclaughlin@centrica.com, energy360@centrica.com, gavin.ward@centrica.com, gill.rodgers@centrica.com, proudfoot@centrica.com, colin.addy2@centrica.com, hywel.james@centrica.com, alan.neild-crabb@centrica.com

chris.ronketti@centrica.com, john.kimber@centrica.com, sue.cropper@centrica.com, richard.hemus2@centrica.com, anna.wantling@centrica.com, steve.gapik@centrica.com, discount.scheme@centrica.com, angela.needle@centrica.com, alaister.mortlock@centrica.com, ivan.olszak@centrica.com, jill.shedden@centrica.com, nick.luff@centrica.com, christopher.bird@centrica.com, ray.sheldon@centrica.com, sns0056york@centrica.com, finbarr.coghlan@centrica.com, peter.fairhurst@centrica.com, jon.cooper@centrica.com, matt.thornton@centrica.com, rebecca.mcclymont@centrica.com, richard.cargen@centrica.com, david.jardine@centrica.com, cathy.aldwinckle@centrica.com, ian.mondrow@na.centrica.com, pjeff@na.centrica.com,

robert.frank@na.centrica.com, smith.day@na.centrica.com, jessica.mahaffey@na.centrica.com, chuck.moore@na.centrica.com, rita.morales@na.centrica.com, ben.lenton@na.centrica.com, joseph.byars@na.centrica.com, ray.debock@na.centrica.com, michael.heselton@na.centrica.com, anahita.minooee@na.centrica.com, gary.newcombe@na.centrica.com, alyce.hibben@na.centrica.com, priscilla.tinsley@na.centrica.com, jodi.marshall@na.centrica.com, kristine.innes@na.centrica.com, niall.armstrong@na.centrica.com, michel.do@na.centrica.com, jeff.parsons@na.centrica.com, pjeff@na.centrica.com, glenn.macintyre@na.centrica.com, cynthia.cordova@na.centrica.com, adrian.pye@na.centrica.com, jay.hellums@na.centrica.com, james.steffes@na.centrica.com, patty.walton@na.centrica.com,

juan.pardon@na.centrica.com, dennis.benevides@na.centrica.com, brenda.christie@na.centrica.com, april.woodward@na.centrica.com, david.zager@na.centrica.com, felita.gammage@na.centrica.com, Victor.Ward@na.centrica.com, lyie.oiiver@na.centrica.com, dave.purnell@na.centrica.com, runsi.sen@na.centrica.com, caroline.kerr@na.centrica.com, aaron.dobson@na.centrica.com, steve.entwistle@na.centrica.com, jillian.conroy@na.centrica.com, heather.brown@na.centrica.com, dave.vandenbosch@na.centrica.com, recruitingnorth@na.centrica.com, eric.stephens@,na.centrica.com, brenda.pinke@na.centrica.com, brandon.vanunen@na.centrica.com, canada.business@na.centrica.com, mike.visser@na.centrica.com, vincent.law@na.centrica.com, yannis.tzamouranis@na.centrica.com, centricadataprotection@centrica.com,

david.booty@na.centrica.com, erin.cuddihey@na.centrica.com, ben.lenton@na.centrica.com, liam.johnston@na.centrica.com, helen.taylor@centrica.co.uk, contract.renewals@centrica.co.uk, eservice@centrica.co.uk, simon.clark@centrica.co.uk, htam.correspondence@centrica.co.uk, sam.laidlaw@centrica.co.uk, media@centrica.co.uk, barry.neville@centrica.co.uk, david.johnson@centrica.co.uk, jane.poxon@centrica.co.uk, david.rizzo@centrica.co.uk, russell.coates@centrica.co.uk, davidm.harman@centrica.co.uk, veronica.hinchliffe@centrica.co.uk, emily.harman@centrica.co.uk, rob.cullender@centrica.co.uk, gavin.ferguson@centrica.co.uk, catherine.mcnally@centrica.co.uk, david.flower@centrica.co.uk, tony.thornton@centrica.co.uk, la.ha@centrica.co.uk,

energy.efficiency2@centrica.co.uk, ir@centrica.co.uk, theenergyefficiencyteam@centrica.co.uk, craig.lawson@centrica.co.uk, simon.goldring@centrica.co.uk, jeremy.lockett@centrica.co.uk, victoria.andenaes@centrica.co.uk, iain.taylor@centrica.co.uk, barrie.x.caird@centrica.co.uk, community@centrica.co.uk, tim.boycott-brown@centrica.co.uk, anthony.chmarny@centrica.co.uk, ghazala.zia@centrica.co.uk, wayne.brotherwood@centrica.co.uk, alan.mclaughlin@centrica.co.uk, kevin.wollard@centrica.co.uk, tony.johnson@centrica.co.uk, harry.metcalfe@centrica.co.uk, mark.agnew@centrica.co.uk, andy.chern@centrica.co.uk, fiona.navesey@centrica.co.uk, mark.clare@centrica.co.uk, britishgas.prepaymentcustomerrelations@centrica.co.uk, andrew.latham@centrica.co.uk, simon.harrison@centrica.co.uk,

david.viney@centrica.co.uk, laura.jeffs@centrica.co.uk, j.johnson@centrica.co.uk, hqcustomerrelations@centrica.co.uk, david.crowther@centrica.co.uk, aan@centrica.co.uk, linda.sullivan@centrica.co.uk, meterreadentry@centrica.co.uk, francis.rottenburg@centrica.co.uk, matt.graveston@centrica.co.uk, stephen.dickson@centrica.co.uk, andy.malicki@centrica.co.uk, deborah.lamb@centrica.co.uk, ann.dale@centrica.co.uk, pressoffice.britishgas@centrica.co.uk, chris.foster@centrica.co.uk, steven.briggs@centrica.co.uk, david.thomas@centrica.co.uk, rhvs.iones@centrica.co.uk, eldon.pethybridge@centrica.co.uk, clive.woodland@centrica.co.uk, win.wearmouth@centrica.co.uk, shann.plascott@centrica.co.uk, jon.kimber@centrica.co.uk, jean.doran@centrica.co.uk,

OFFICES

Centrica plc
Millstream
Maidenhead Road
Windsor
Berkshire
SL4 5GD

Main switchboard
Tel: +44 (0)1753 494000
Fax: +44 (0)1753 494001

Centrica Storage Limited
Venture House
42-54 London Road
Staines
Middlesex TW18 4HF

Centrica Storage Limited – registered office and corporate headquarters
Tel: +44 (0) 1784 415 300
Fax: +44 (0) 1784 415 318

Centrica Storage Sales and Marketing
Telephone: +44 (0) 1784 415 304

Centrica Storage Commercial Operations Desk (24 hours)
Telephone: +44 (0) 1784 415 304

Centrica Media Relations (on behalf of Centrica Storage Limited)
Telephone: +44 (0) 845 072 4649

Alan McLaughlin, Centrica Media Relations
Telephone: +44 (0) 1753 494 086 or 07789 570598

Centrica Investor Relations (on behalf of Centrica Storage Limited)
Telephone: +44 (0) 1753 494 900

Step Three: Protest!!!

Attend Centrica’s AGM this coming Friday May 11th. Their AGM starts at 2pm but environmental and social justice campaigners will be there from 12:30 onwards. The address is Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London SW1.

Why say no to Centrica?

After being advised last year to pull out of nuclear Centrica are now demanding more money from the cash-strapped British public via corporate owned UK plc. The advice came from citigroup and utilities analyst Lakis Athanasiou who said that Centrica ‘shouldn’t touch nuclear with a barge pole’.

Nearly one year on and against the backdrop of the nuclear catastrophe in Japan spiraling further out of control, Centrica is now threatening to ‘pull out’ if their demands aren’t met. They claim to have doubts over the governments energy policy, Centrica said “the company’s position on nuclear new build has not changed and it was still working towards taking a final investment decision on Hinkley Point by the end of the year. It added “There are a number of areas where we still need absolute clarity, such as cost, market framework and planning approval and permits”

Subsidies already promised by government to the nuclear industry already include –

electricity reform act, fixed price on carbon per tonne and fixed price on electricity produced from nuclear taxpayer funded liability in the event of an accident (yes folks these guys can nuke you fukushima style then make you pay for the clean up) fixed price of contribution of the utlilty for the cost of future attempts to manage/clear up the waste (yeah right like that’s gonna happen!)

Part of the electricity reform acts package of proposals are the contracts for difference that will be announced in the Queens speech this month.

Contracts for difference or CFD’s as they are known are nothing more than a way of ensuring that centrica makes private profit whilst socialising the losses, or should we say enriches the 1% at a cost to the 99%

In this context these proposals are like the banks asking for a bailout in advance of them doing the dodgy deals that made them fail. CFDs are ‘trading on the margins’ or to put it another way turning shit into sugar and are therefore highly risky.

One of the ways CFD’s will likely benefit Centrica is by allowing them to put up a tiny ‘deposit’ on the construction of new nuclear plants whilst we the taxpayer loan them the rest, of course they get to keep their profits which ever way you slice the pie, they can even make money out of the project failing with CFDs. It is clear to see that being able to profit out of falling markets in this way is a cleverly disguised way of socialising the costs of bad investment choices giving investors a win-win situation at an extreme cost to civil society & the environment.

We believe that centrica’s pressure on the UK government to take more taxpayers money to pay for a project that they themselves believe will fail in order that their shareholders can profit out of us twice (once when they build the plant then again when they bill us for energy) is immoral and unethical.

The electricity market reform act already promised to these greedy utilities is a public subsidy by the back door. Nuclear power plants never have been and never will be profitable endeavours which is why in 2006 when the government tried to create the nuclear renaissance they knew it wouldn’t go down well with the public. Now after a six year campaign of lobbying and expensive PR campaigns to get the public to swallow nuclear as a ‘necessary evil’ they want to dump responsibility for financing back on the already skint public.

South West Against Nulear (SWAN)