Climate Camp 2009

Jun 21, 2009 by louise delmege    No Comments    Posted under: Span That World

Summer of action against climate chaos

Just a week ago, I was out hiking with friends in the Brecon Beacons, a fabulous jewel of a day. We walked along the magnificent ridge that takes you to the highest peak in South Wales – Pen y Fan. From there I could pick out the town of Merthyr Tydfil, some 10 miles away in the South Wales Valleys. It is not hard to miss these days because a new mountain peak is growing above the town; a peak of spoil a few hundred feet high on top of a hill that dominates Merthyr. The peak is growing day by day as thousands of tons of earth and rock are ripped from the hillside to uncover the coal beneath. This is a corporate smash and grab raid to extract this fossil fuel no matter the impact on the town or on the planet. This scene has already been played out or will be replayed in other Welsh, English and Scottish communities as other opencast coal mines are opened up, all with the tacit approval of the UK Government. This is the same government that has made a commitment to cut carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 while bringing forward a new generation of coal fired power stations and promoting the expansion of the UK’s airport – the hypocrisy is breathtaking. This week also saw the publication of the new set of climate change scenarios for the UK. The media pundits and the politicians still talk about uncertainty but none now say climate change is not already happening. The uncertainty is whether the future changes to the world’s climate will be bad, terrible or truly catastrophic. The real uncertainty is whether we are capable of curbing the corporate greed, capable of exposing the hypocrisy of governments and capable of taking control of our own lives to stop climate chaos. It is in our hands and the time for action is now.

So back to the South Wales Valleys, to the town of Merthyr Tydfil, which this summer will be the venue for the first Climate Camp Cymru. It is one of three camps for climate action that are being organised in the UK this August and other camps are being organised worldwide from Ireland to Ecuador. I have taken part in the UK Climate Camps at Heathrow and Kingsnorth and they have been places where I have made many friends, shared laughter and tears, learned a lot, and had some very exciting/challenging experiences. They have combined practical demonstrations of sustainable living, a non-hierarchical form of organising (not so unfamiliar to most Woodies), with spaces to exchange skills, knowledge and experiences. The last element of the past camps and this summer’s camps is direct action. Whether mass actions organised from the camps or autonomous actions taken by groups to coincide with the camps, the aim is to show that we are willing and capable of disrupting the processes and confronting the interests that are causing climate chaos. The central ethos is one of Do-it-Yourself, everyone taking part is responsible for organising, cooking, clearing up, looking after each other and taking action (not so unlike a Woodcraft Camp).

If you want to get involved and take action this summer go to these websites for further information:

Climate Camp Scotland, 3^rd to 10^th August: http://climatecampscotland.org.uk/

Climate Camp Cymru, 13^th to 16^th August: http://climatecampcymru.org/

Climate Camp England, 27^th Aug to 2^nd Sept: http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/node/551

For general info on all actions over the summer go to: http://www.climatecamp.org.uk/