"United Nations-appointed scientists, the IPCC (or Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change) admits that climate chaos is accelerated by human behaviour. And that this chaos may have disastrous consequences."

This is an excuse to prevent development in the Third World, where if they had the equivalent utilities and facilities as us, it would increase so-called 'greenhouse gasses.' My estimate is, it is either a natural planetary cycle and the World (W)Bankers are exploiting it to keep oil profits sky-high. Or, it IS man-made, by sophisticated technology which is changing the climate artificially, with the already impoverished Nations, suffering the worst effects, as usual, requiring large loans for redevelopment, keeping them forever in debt, like Mozambique, which was on the brink of recovery after a civil war, before the disasterous floods. Cars, however are causing respiratory problems in 1 in 3 children.

It seems the so called experts have finally tumbled the fact that we of the human race are responsible for global warming.
Some of us being more equal than others, earning vast fortunes from the sale of oil and motor vehicles ect ect .
If our houses and lands get flooded or damaged due to freak weather or other disasters caused by the side effects of global warming surely we should be able to take legal action and claim damages against the people responsible for the weather sue Michael Fish ? or perhaps some trans national . I'd support it .

Luther Blissett , hates lawyers !!!

Lets get active on free/cheap public transport! We need to reduce the dependence on the blooody car.

Exactly, if you can sue Pop Tarts for burning your tongue, surely you can sue BP. for burning up the planet!

Check out Rising Tide Radio on 87.7FM during the tour, (unless you're in Edinburgh where it's 106.9 on Monday 14th May.) It'll be full of interviews (including Vandana Shiva on climate change and much more), reports from May Day Critical Mass and recent climate change demos, music, why the Kyoto protocol is worse than worthless, news of future actions and events and a load more interesting stuff.

Broadcasts in London will be as follows:
Friday 11th May: 7-11pm in West London, and
Saturday 12th May: 7-11pm, North East London.

See the website for more details of broadcasts around the country...

"This is an excuse to prevent development in the Third World" ???

What exactly is this idea of 'development' which you uncritically endorse? The idea that because wealthy nations have built empires on over-exploiting the earth's resources, using polluting technologies totally disrespectful for the planet's ecosystems, the poor nations have the right to follow them along this dead-end road?

If you want to follow our respectable leader George W.Bush in arguing that global warming is a fictional construct, i will leave you to it, but 'greener', cleaner and more respectful technologies are feasible, when they are not blocked before they are developed, by giant greedy corporations. Especially in the countries closer to tropical and sub-tropical zones, solar energy could totally replace the oil and coal-based infrastructure at half the cost and minimal damage to the surroundings.

Wise up and survive, I guess.

Either this or 'we' are doomed.

One of us

Sometimes I feel like going on a one man suicide mission against George Bush due to his enlightened attitude towards Global Warming. As it would probably be counter-productive I better sit back and be an armchair activist instead.

If this is all a plot by the World Bank to keep the third world down, why is it that the third world is coming up with useful, innovative ways to generate energy without using fossil fuels? Like this micro hydro plants I saw in North-West Vietnam last year:
 http://www.rumble.net/travel/photos/vietnam/nw/nwhydro1.jpg
 http://www.rumble.net/travel/photos/vietnam/nw/nwhydro2.jpg
 http://www.rumble.net/travel/photos/vietnam/nw/nwhydro3.jpg

These people can't afford to buy power using expensive fossil fuel generators so they worked out ways to do it themselves.

point being missed here is that the wb is cashing in massively on the 'green' agenda, reforming it's image a making 'greenery' non threatening to northern transnational interests. it's using our (tax) money to assist BP etc to extend their markets with for example solar power technology, often wiping out small scale solar installers in the third world at the same time.... and then if those southern countries are prevented from using the massive amounts of coal etc they have access to just because we whiteys used too much already, it looks a hell of a lot like environmental colonialism.
not an argument against green investment, but a call to notice that not everbody lives with enough electricity to get to the indymedia site, have a computer, keep fridges cold not just for beer but for aids and other drugs, filter and pump clean water into taps... basic stuff that makes me feel like I'm not living in a dead end but actually somewhere quite nice compared to the shitty conditions that I've experienced myself in India and is daily life for millions there and in Africa, south America etc...
I'd only say it's not a case of either/or. we can make development green _and_ just, if we can only understand that not everything green is by definition a good thing. if anyone wants to know more about this stuff, the Centre for Science and Environment in new Delhi have done an excellent report on Global Environmental Governance from a Southern perspective, their web address is www.cseindia.org.

The micro-hydro-power schemes are great, but what about the other forms of energy generation? Solar power is only feasible in places with consistent level of sunlight, but solar-catching satellites using microwave transmission to beam the energy down to earth have been technologically possible for the last 5 years. Combined with electric cars, would allow us to give everyone a western standard of living, without the associated side-effects of fossil fuels. The energy efficiency lobby in the states have been underfunded for years. Yet using Scandinavian style architectural engineering would allow the creation of more energy-efficient housing which would save their owner's money, whilst reducing the environmental impact. More fuel-efficient vehicles cost less to run, and have fewer environmental side-effects - compare the fuel consumption/efficiency rates of American vehicles to European vehicles. Cold fusion, while legislated against in the US, due to the hot-fusion nuclear lobby, has been successfully developed in Japan. There were plans for more energy efficient houses developed in the UK, which meant that heating and electricity bills would be reduced by around £500-£600 per year. Imagine what that would do to the value of your house, if your house would save you £12k-14k over the life of a 25-year mortgage.

These arguements may not mean much to someone who is not chained to a house or a piece of land, but they are the arguements the the green lobby have to face. If you can use economic arguements to show that you are making financial sense then your ideas will win out in the long run, because like it or not, money talks.

There is a whole raft of ideas attached to the green movement, relating to the sustainability of the Western lifestyles, which is fair enough when you consider how 80% of the worlds population live. But it has to be remembered that this whole lifestyle has only been made possible by the use of fossil fuels. When I was 10, I was told that there were enough fossil fuels to last 250-300 years. 10 years later i was told that there was enough to last 150-200 years, 10 years later I'm bing told that we have in the region of 75-90 years worth of fuel available.

The whole of the last 200 years have been an experiment made possible by fossil fuels. That does not mean that it is a sustainable way of life. We survived as tool-using nomadic tribes for around 10,000 years before agriculture was invented. That is still a sustainable lifestyle, but it is not one the I would like to live. We may only have the next 50-100 years to gain a technological ratchet lock that will help stop us regressing back to that state. The globalization debate seems to centre around who actually has the control of what is going on, but it is all a little short-sighted. When the oil runs out it will be irrelevant.

There are schemes afoot to face this problem. In South Africa, if a farmer were converts 10% of the farm to growing sunflowers, they can be used to generate enough fuel to be self-sufficient. In the UK there are pilot schemes to use willow to generate electricity.

I loved the Mayday celebrations that took place all over the globe, and they are important as they give people the necessary inspiration to continue with their work, but the ideas I mentioned are just some of the long-term plans that are being realized that will make everyday a Mayday.


Mr. Dragonfly.
Measure Twice.

During your visit to Reading in June your organisation may like to be aware of a very nasty situation and cover up by sHELL B.P.& H.M.P.who had what was perported to be an oil depot in Earley Reading. during 1996/7 I became very serriously ill along with my son Criss could not get any medical help in U.K. I finaly went to Germany and discovered I was riddled in radiation Ect We now after much investigations discover that in fact the site beyond our home was a secret nuclear facility that appears to still be buried under 37 houses (very frightening if you live next door)Our local Authority Wokingham District council Berkshire Health Authority The Royal Berkshire hospital the National Radiological protection bourd and john Redwood M.P.did nothing but instigate a cover up along with Michael Meacher.we now appear to have a mass of illness including children some already dead it would also appear that in 1986 this facility encountered an acident a very serriouse acident that substances where carried in the wind to the population,there are now urgent investigations going on in many london hospitals due to masses of unexplained cancers simmilar to Japan I remain very ill like so many others lied to stiched up but now fighting if you want moor horrendouse info please contact me.these monsters must now come clean and assist the local population the evidence that has been ammassed will leave it hard this time for them to denie this one,they are trying to stall it untill after the election I.E.requesting the press dont print the local press have followed this story for some time now they are aware of how serriouse it is they backed off or where threatened.Q how do you forget to remove a nuclear reactor you call your company sHELL.How do you forget to tell the local peaple you get a good partner called H.M.G.and get your backside covered.our M.E.P.Nirj Deva is asking many questions and requesting urgent help from the E.C.Commission including urgent medical help. for a simmilar story look at WWW.nuclearcrimes.com the Earley site was feeding this site,.Hope you can surport to get this story to the public who must be made aware urgently to seek medical attention.Regards Ray .

Do something positive. Stay in the chair. The idea that you must GO somewhere, anywhere, is a lie from the usual suspects. Especially, in the U of ES A , we are conditioned to get there in a chevy product. It is our god given (and Bush protected ) right as the only susviving superduperpower.
You Brits can take a trolly of tram. It is requested that wogs walk, so as to preserve fuel for above mentioned superduperpower. Can't have everybody practicing what we preach, can we now?
Seriously. Think how much better the world might be. We all stay home, turn out the lights and do what comes naturally. For a week or more. Then we talk terms.