Gloucestershire airport is held to ransom
lights to ransom until the airport becomes more eco-friendly.
from the sign at the airport.
environmental damage that the planes will cause is an insult to those of us that
care."
Scrutiny Management committee agreed to recommend the airport’s green policy to
cabinet at a meeting on Thursday.
Darren Lewington, Kevin apologised for holding the environmentally-friendly lights
hostage, and stated his terms.
the green management plan are set in accordance with the latest science, which
demands that we immediately move to a zero-carbon economy, and when there is a
categorical agreement that if the airport breaches the limits, operations will
cease for the measurement period."
that both the Gloucester and Cheltenham committees have endorsed the policy, and
I hope their cabinets will follow suit.
and criminal damage, and those are the plain facts for Plane Stupid.
this stage to include the demands that Kevin has made.
opinion, a bit inappropriate."
them "irresponsible."
friendly, but this isn’t the best way to go about it.
than showing a contempt for democracy."
lights to ransom until the airport becomes more eco-friendly.
the Airport’s Green Management Plan. This document purports to set a ceiling on
CO2 emissions and pledges to re-valuate the target each year to “take account of new evidence“. However, there are no penalties if the airport exceeds its ceiling and the
existing targets have already failed to incorporate the conclusion from the Copenhagen
Climate Conference that we must immediately move to a zero carbon economy, so
there is not much chance of new evidence being incorporated in the future. Without
these, the Green Management plan is just another form of Greenwash.
sprang into action and took the airport’s solar powered lighting system hostage.
In a ransom note to the airport management and councillors, the protesters highlighted
the absurdity of an airport try to create a green image by using a little solar
panel. The protesters have pledged the return of the equipment once there is a
clear agreement to cease operations if the CO2 ceiling is breached and the conclusions
of the Copenhagen Climate Conference are included in the target setting.
replies:
the photovoltaic light for Glos Airport’s entrance sign (14/04/09). I
understand he has resorted to this action to highlight the failures of
the democratic process to cut CO2 emissions.
The misleadingly named "Green Management Plan" for the Airport has no
sanctions if targets of 95,000 plane movements per year are breached
nor does it have targets for reducing CO2. Mr Lister has noted he will
return the equipment if such measures are introduced and that targets
reflect the latest scientific evidence presented at the recent
Copenhagen Conference. Indeed that conference concluded, "Inaction is
inexcusable".
A Guardian poll this week reveals 9 out of 10 climate experts do not
consider current political efforts will keep warming below the crucial
2C. James Hansen, NASA climate scientist, says the democratic process
is not working and that “peaceful demonstration is not out of order,
because we’re running out of time.”
US Ex-Vice President Al Gore now calls for civil disobedience to
prevent the construction of new coal plants while David Cameron’s
advisor Zac Goldsmith appeared as a defence witness in the trial of
Greenpeace activists charged with causing £30,000 of criminal damage.
The jury concluded in that case that a degree of damage to property can
be justified when protesting to prevent a greater damage to property
from climate change.
Some of the comments in The Citizen have described Mr Lister’s actions
as stupid and idiotic, yet it is the inaction on climate change that is
not just foolish, but criminal. Non-violent direct action is a
legitimate form of political activity when traditional forms are
blocked – it was used against slavery, for women’s right to vote and
against apartheid. We face a similar clear moral stand today. It is a
sad reflection on our current political leadership that although the
science is clear, and the three main parties say they agree, none have
the guts to actually take the action needed.
Cllr. Philip Booth, Stroud District Green Party.