Camp for Climate Action

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Model at the entrance to Climate Camp 2007, reading "Exit the System"
Model at the entrance to Climate Camp 2007, reading "Exit the System"

The Camps for Climate Action are campaign gatherings (similar to peace camps) that take place to draw attention to, and to act as a base for direct action against major carbon emitters, and to develop ways to create a carbon-neutral society. Camps are run on broadly anarchist principles - free to attend, supported by donations and with input from everyone in the community for the day-to-day operation of the camp. In 2006 a camp took place near Drax power station and in 2007 near Heathrow Airport.
Preceding the 2007 camp, airport operator BAA sought "the mother of all injunctions" to ban an estimated 5 million people from attending, but succeeded in injunctions against just 3 men and the direct action group Plane Stupid, preventing them entry to the airport.[1][2]
The camp in August 2008 is due to begin with a one day event at Heathrow, followed by a march across London to Kingsnorth power station, in common with seven other camps globally that will be targeting coal.[3]

Contents

[edit] General

Camps seek to set an example of what a sustainable society might be like.[citation needed] Decision making is by consensus and much of the material used to created structures for the camp is reclaimed waste from building sites which would otherwise have been sent to a landfill.

[edit] Catering

Claiming that "livestock is a major threat to environment"[4][5] all food is vegan, mostly organic and locally sourced to minimise food miles, provided by communal neighbourhood kitchens, many associated with the Social Centres Network.

[edit] Communications

In 2007 a satellite up-link was installed, together with a media tent with ten lap-top computers,[6] this was also used to send media to the press as well as Indymedia UK.[7]

[edit] Energy

Electricity generated from solar panels
Electricity generated from solar panels

Power for lighting, radios, mobile phones, sound equipment and laptop computers was supplied by solar panels and a wind turbine. Biodiesel from recycled cooking oil was available for other vehicles. Cooking used conventional propane cylinders.[8].

[edit] Future events

Climate camp related events are being planned for 2008 in Australia[9], the UK[10], Germany[11] and the USA[12].

[edit] Planning

The camps are organised through the preceding year with a series of monthly meetings, previously held in Manchester, Nottingham, Oxford, Leeds, Bristol, London, and Talamnh (near Glasgow). Anyone is welcome to attend a planning meeting and to join one of the working groups. There were no 'leaders' and meetings used consensus decision making. Camps are run entirely by volunteers and are funded by private donations.

[edit] Sanitation

Compost toilets, comprehensive recycling, grey water systems and a pedal-powered laundries[13].

[edit] Structures

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Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

The site of the camp is divided into loosely bounded 'neighbourhoods' or 'barrios', most corresponding to geographic region (one exception being the queer barrio of the 2006 camp). Daily consensus based meetings are held in each neighbourhood, and delegates sent to a central meeting. It is considered to be in the nature of the camp that organisational structures are loose and reflexive, so as to be open to change if they are not seen to be effective or efficient.

[edit] Transport

There is a strong emphasis on the use of bicycles and public transport, including a Bicycology tour from London via Lancaster[14].

[edit] Workshops

During the camp a large number of workshops are normally held on the theme of sustainability and climate related issues[15].

[edit] Camps

[edit] Kingsnorth 2008

Kingsnorth power station, seen from across the River Medway Estuary, Medway, Kent.
Kingsnorth power station, seen from across the River Medway Estuary, Medway, Kent.

On the 3rd of March, it was announced that the camp in 2008 will be located in Kent, near EON's Kingsnorth power station, from the 4th to the 11th of August.

[edit] Plan of action

It is due to begin with a one day event at Heathrow, where the previous year's climate camp was held, before marching across London to Kingsnorth power station. The first day of action will be in conjunction with seven other camps globally that will be targeting coal across the globe in the summer.

Saturday 9th August has been named as the Day of 'Mass Protest and Direct Action', as radical environmentalists will confront EON's plans to build another coal fired power station, which would be the first in 30 years. The day is to highlight the impact on climate change with activists marching to Kingsnorth power station.

The action is also to highlight what is seen as an expansion to the fossil fuel economy, by corporations and government, and what activists claim is a demand of the opposite through scientific consensus. Furthermore, the camp will attempt to challenge the businesses which will profit from the agrofuel industry, which they see as false solutions to the problems of climate change.[16][17]

[edit] Heathrow 2007

Coordinates: 51°29′20″N, -0°26′43″W

Camp for Climate Action (Greater London)
Camp for Climate Action
Map showing the location of the Camp for Climate Action 2007

The 2007 camp ran from August 14 to August 21, 2007 next to the village of Sipson, which will be destroyed if the third runway is built, with the eviction of 1600 people.[18]

It was preceded by a community arts project run by activists for local residents. The 'Our Place' arts weekend[19] was held on 11 & 12 August at St Mary's Church Hall in Harmondsworth, one of the villages which would be severely affected by the building of a third runway.

[edit] Injunction

BAA's proposed injunction would have restricted the movements of 5 million people from 15 different organisations, including the RSPB, Greenpeace, the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, the Woodland Trust, Friends of the Earth, and the National Trust, among others.[1][20] As such the injunction would technically have included the Queen; patron of the RSBP and CPRE, Prince Charles; in his position as President of the National Trust, and even some of BAA's own staff.[21][22] The ruling was sought under the auspices of the 1997 Protection from Harassment Act, originally intended to help the victims of stalking,[21] but now frequently used against protesters. If granted, any of the 5 million could have been arrested for failing to give BAA 24 hours notice of their presence in the following locations:[1]

Those injuncted from entering Heathrow Airport during the camp included:[1]

[edit] Day of Action

Climate activists blockade British Airports Authority's headquarters for day of action.
Climate activists blockade British Airports Authority's headquarters for day of action.

On the 19th August the camp culminated in a day of direct action, incorporating between 1000-1400 people, depending on the source.[23] The main protest was a blockade of BAA HQ by around 200 people. Other targets included Sizewell B nuclear power station in Suffolk, the headquarters of BP in London, two carbon offset companies, Climate Care and the Carbon Neutral Company, British Airways world cargo centre, and Bridgepoint Capital, responsible for the Leeds-Bradford Airport expansion.[24] 58 people were arrested.[23]

[edit] Controversies

[edit] Policing

Policing for the camp was estimated to have cost £7 million by Scotland Yard, though this included £4.3m for costs such as salaries which would have been spent anyway.[24] The Evening Standard however put the costs at £70 million, though it is not known how this figure was reached.[20]

Police make preventive searches under Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act.
Police make preventive searches under Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act.

In 2007 the police made preventive searches under Section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994]]. The camp was heavily attended by a force of 1,800 police, who carried out searches, including some vehicles, under the Terrorism Act 2006 Section 44 and took photos of protesters entering and leaving the camp.[25]. On Sunday August 19 there were scuffles between protesters and police officers outside the offices of BAA at Heathrow, which were being targeted in a day of direct action by some of the protesters[26].

[edit] Journalistic access

In relation to the 2007 the National Union of Journalists issued a public statement expressing "deep concern" over the Camp's policy toward media access during its 2007 event.[27]. The camp media team replied to the NUJ criticism by stating: "The policy is a compromise that attempts to provide reasonable media access whilst respecting participants' right to privacy".[28]. On 9th August 2007 the media policy was changed removing any possibility of blacklisting some journalists or giving sympathetic journalists longer access [29].

[edit] Drax 2006

The camp was on a squatted site, situated close to several large power stations including Drax, a coal-fired power station which is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide in the UK [30].

Over one hundred and sixty workshops ran throughout the camp, sharing practical skills on living sustainably, on subjects such as the science of climate change, environmental justice and the effects of climate change on people in the global South, corporate 'climate criminals', direct action, children's workshops, and many more.

Music was turned off after 11pm to allow campaigners to sleep. But on the last Monday of the camp music was allowed much later.

[edit] Day of action

Protesters on their way to Drax
Protesters on their way to Drax

On August 31, 2006, up to 600 people attended a protest called Reclaim Power converging on Drax and attempting to shut it down. There was a 'kids march' to Drax Power Station, with a giant ostrich puppet, made by the The Mischief Makers. Two protesters climbed a lighting pylon at the edge of the Drax site and four others broke through the fence [31]. At least 3,000 police officers, from 12 forces from as far afield as Hampshire and London, were reported to have been drafted in for the duration of the protest. Thirty-eight protesters were arrested. The police reported that work at the power plant was not disrupted, though eye witnesses reported having locked-on to various machinery inside the power station, thus stopping work. No coal went into Drax that day, with the railway line in being blocked off[32].

Other protests arising from the camp included a protest against a nuclear power station in Hartlepool, Teesside. [33].

[edit] Media response

The Guardian reported that the Camp marked a turning point in grass-roots campaigning against the causes of climate change [34]. The network forged at the Camp continues to work on campaigns to highlight and tackle the causes of Climate Change, participating in actions drawing attention to (for example) road building [35] and the climate effects of cheap air travel [36]. Days of climate action on different themes have been called by this Network for Climate Action.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Joy for protesters as Heathrow is denied 'mother of all injunctions'. The Independent (2007-08-07). Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  2. ^ BAA wins Heathrow protesters ban. BBC News Online (2007-08-06). Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  3. ^ Climate Camp Press Release: Camp to target Kingsnorth
  4. ^ Livestock a major threat to environment. United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (2006-11-20).
  5. ^ Steph Brown. Fight climate change! Go vegan!.
  6. ^ Helen Pidd. A new weather front. The Guardian. Camp for climate action.
  7. ^ Climate Camp 2007 Newswire, Indymedia UK.
  8. ^ Rules, rotas and revolutionary song at climate action camp.
  9. ^ Welcome to Climate Camp Australia. Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
  10. ^ TOUR OF CLIMATE ACTION 2008. Indymedia (2007-012-10). Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
  11. ^ Call to organise a German climate camp 2008. Earth First!. Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
  12. ^ Convergences For Climate Action Summer 2008. Rising Tide North America. Retrieved on 2008-01-15.
  13. ^ Handout for climate camp workshops.
  14. ^ Bicycology website.
  15. ^ Workshops. Camp for Climate Action.
  16. ^ Climate Camp Press Release: Camp to target Kingsnorth
  17. ^ Climate Camp 2008 to target Kingsnorth power station, Indymedia UK March 4th 2008.
  18. ^ Village faces being wiped off map. BBC News Online (2006-02-21). Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  19. ^ Event report: Residents, artists unite to celebrate villages threatened by Heathrow. Our Arts.
  20. ^ a b Anarchists to flood in as new Heathrow T5 opens (2008-02-19). Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  21. ^ a b BAA wins ban against climate change activists (2007-08-06). Retrieved on 2008-03-04.
  22. ^ Aviation industry takes 5 million people to court (2007-07-26). Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  23. ^ a b Campaigners leave Heathrow camp (2008-08-20). Retrieved on 2008-03-05. Including map of proposed third runway
  24. ^ a b Heathrow protest police cost £7m (2007-09-06). Retrieved on 2008-03-05.
  25. ^ Jon Kelly (2007-08-13). "Eco-village with a stark warning".
  26. ^ (2007-08-19). "Minor scuffles in airport protest".
  27. ^ NUJ warns Climate Camp over restrictions on media. National Union of Journalists (2007-08-07).
  28. ^ Climate camp response to NUJ Criticisms. Indymedia.
  29. ^ Camp for climate action - Climate camp amended Press Policy, 2007.
  30. ^ Power station protesters arrested. BBC News (2006-09-01).
  31. ^ In the shadow of Drax, not so much a fight as a festival. The Guardian (2006-09-01).
  32. ^ (2006-09-01). "The Battle of Drax: 38 held as protest fails to close plant".
  33. ^ Energy protesters blockade nuclear power station. The Guardian (2006-08-30).
  34. ^ Green goes mainstream. The Guardian - September 1, 2006
  35. ^ No Widening M1 Network
  36. ^ Plane Stupid.

[edit] External links