From Westside Climate Action, February 5, 2009:
Climate Camp hits the City of London on April Fools Day
Stopping carbon markets : Because nature doesn”™t do bailouts
First the city traders speculated with our homes, jobs and money – with disastrous results. Now they are speculating with our climate and the very future of life on earth – and once again our governments are cheering them on.
By creating a brain-bending system of carbon pollution licenses, fossil fuel companies and trading firms have found a way to keep on churning out global warming gases and to reap huge windfall profits at the same time. Meanwhile, the UK government is justifying a third runway at Heathrow and a coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth by saying that these new “carbon trading” schemes will magically make all their emissions vanish. They are handing control of our climate over to the same people and systems that caused the financial collapse.
All the workable and fair alternatives aren”™t getting a look-in. We need to stop this foolishness. We”™ve camped against the Heathrow runway, we”™ve camped against the Kingsnorth coal power station. Now its time to camp against the over-arching problem: absolute faith in unfettered markets and endless economic growth.
On April 1st the G20 leaders arrive in London. At a time of climate crisis their response to the market meltdown is emergency loans to car manufacturers, increased spending to encourage consumption, and bailouts for the very people who got us into this mess – just the things that will make the climate crisis worse. Don”™t let them get away with it: join our camp in the Square Mile! Gather at noon, April 1st, at the European Climate Exchange, Hasilwood House, 62 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4AW. Bring a pop-up tent, sleeping bag, wind turbine, mobile cinema, action plans and ideas”¦let”™s imagine another world. Don”™t let the financial and fossil fools make the rules!
For updates, information or to get involved, visit: www.climatecamp.org.uk/g20 or subscribe to announcements at: //lists.riseup.net/www/subrequest/climatecamp
To get more involved, come to our planning meetings: February 14th in London. Arrive at the library house, 52 Knatchbull road, at 1 pm for a 1:30 start and bring food to share.