FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



Picket Press Contact: (+44) o7729785327
Email Address  science.safety.and.planet@gmail.com



Our Planet is Not your Experiment

Grassroots activists picket Royal Society Geoengineering Conference

Monday November 8th 2010 9:00 a.m. GMT

6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London, UK



Grassroots activists have come together to oppose dangerous Geoengineering experiments proposed by scientists and OECD governments. Proposals include creating an artificial volcano effect to black out the sky by blasting a massive amount of sulphate-based aerosols into the stratosphere (known as Solar Radiation Management); or changing the basic life chemistry of the oceans to increase plankton blooms. Impacts would be massive, and differ from one region to another.

Says picket participant Alex Ludd, “Some scientists are proposing to turn our entire planet & life support systems into an experiment. Hopefully some scientists are here to argue against this. A simple and socially just solution already exists. Let’s cut carbon emissions now”



Royal Society participation in the geoengineering lobby** is bringing the topic in from the science fiction margins into climate change policy discussions. Geoengineering is a diversion (of money especially) from urgent adaptation and mitigation needs.

Alex Ludd articulates a popular concern, “What we need is a thousand candles of brilliant research, not a new Manhatten project. The Royal Society has been very good at standing up for climate science, but it would be terrible for them to blow their reputation by catering to the fantasy of oil companies and climate change deniers that some kind of magic band-aid will make the problem go away. "



While the United Nations has banned experiments that endanger biodiversity and the life systems of the earth OECD nations are investing research money into geoengineering schemes.

Says Ludd, “The rich polluter nations have tried to ignore the rest of the world and replace a UN climate treaty with their own phony agreement. We need to let them know that we won't let them do this with our planet and our life support systems.”



For additional information on Geoengineering:
 http://www.etcgroup.org/en/node/5217
For expert press contacts that can respond to these issues

Local  http://www.econexus.info/about.html#con

Global  http://www.etcgroup.org/en/contact_us



**During recent biodiversity treaty negotiations this lobby unsuccessfully proposed a "voluntary code of practice" that was to be developed prior to meaningful UN involvement and while experiments were being initiated.

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