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Plane Stupid turns Southampton Airport into climate refugee camp

Plane Stupid | 17.02.2009 13:37 | Climate Chaos | South Coast

17th January: A group of activists from local anti-aviation group Plane Stupid Southampton have just chained themselves to the entrance of Southampton airport and erected tents at the main entrance in a bid turn the regional airport into a climate refugee camp. In addition to setting up camp today, activists have formally submitted a planning application with Eastleigh Borough Council to turn the airport into refugee housing.



The planned expansion of Southampton airport, along with 34 other regional airports in the UK, will do enough damage to the climate to force an estimated 1.3 million people in impoverished parts of the world to flee raising sea levels, flooding, drought and famine.

Increased flying is one of the main culprits of climate change. While the government has committed the UK to reducing CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050, the expanding aviation industry alone would destroy any hope of hitting this target. BAA hopes to increase passenger traffic for Southampton Airport form 1.5 million passengers a year to 3 million by 2015.

In order to get flying under control, the government needs to halt all airport expansion, and encourage people to take the train. Train journeys are ten times less damaging to the climate, and Southampton has excellent rail links to the rest of the UK, making flying unnecessary.

“People in the UK fly more per capita than anyone else, so the UK aviation industry has the greatest responsibility for the consequences of climate change. It makes perfect sense for Southampton to take on the burden of housing some of the world's climate refugees”, said Pete Barker of Plane Stupid. “It's crazy to imagine that we can tackle the serious threat posed by runaway climate change whilst still allowing airports to expand.”

Plane Stupid
- e-mail: info@planestupid.com
- Homepage: http://www.planestupid.com

Comments

Hide the following 9 comments

incomprehensible

17.02.2009 18:27

“People in the UK fly more per capita than anyone else, so the UK aviation industry has the greatest responsibility for the consequences of climate change."

Are you sure of the facts of this statement? When i lived in australia, people flew everywhere because it is so big and there isn't much inbetween. In england, people might be away for summer buts thats it. I feel like i am being lied to.

"It makes perfect sense for Southampton to take on the burden of housing some of the world's climate refugees”

If you think it makes "perfect sense" to fly lots of people from all around the world to Southampton to stay in a refugee camp then you cannot be taken seriously by anyone.

harko


nice action but...

17.02.2009 22:01

(harko - what they mean is that we should take responsibility for the refugees that we create)

Nice action, but some may think that you are using peoples fear (stoked up by the state and the media) of refugees "flooding" the country - i realise that wasn't the angle you were going for but it is slightly ambiguous in your messaging.

no borderer


So MI5 have infiltrated Plane Stupid.

18.02.2009 01:10

Selling you on the idea that you need to carry out little regional actions doesn't half make it easier to persecute you in small local groups.

Sovereign


Re: MI5 have infiltrated PS

18.02.2009 10:07

...or it could be that regional airports are expanding and people living near them think that's pretty screwed up and want to take action.

Plane spotter


reply to noborderer

18.02.2009 19:13

>> (harko - what they mean is that we should take responsibility for the refugees that we create)
>> Nice action, but some may think that you are using peoples fear (stoked up by the state and the media) of refugees "flooding" the country

You say they didn't mean refugees are coming to Southampton (just take responsibility).
But then immediately contradict youself by saying that they shouldn't stoke people's fear of refugees flooding the country.

Its very clear what they mean. They are saying the Southampton airport should take people from around the world who are affected by climate change. Sorry - but there is no room for confusion by what they mean. Just because it sounds ridiculous doesn't mean they didn't write it.

1) quote: ...chained themselves to the entrance of Southampton airport and erected tents at the main entrance in a bid turn the regional airport into a climate refugee camp. In addition to setting up camp today...
2) quote: It makes perfect sense for Southampton to take on the burden of housing some of the world's climate refugees.
3) There is a picture showing them holding a banner above a tent saying "climate refuge camp"

harko


press publish addresses of those arrested

19.02.2009 00:15

On thing that bugs me: the BBC report has printed the full names and addresses of the people arrested:
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/7896406.stm

If activists publish names and addresses of people accused of crimes against the environment (not even convicted) they would be swept off to jail without their feet touching the ground.

The mainstream press rarely print addresses of people accused of much more serious crimes, so it is obviously politically motivated, with harassment in mind.

Why these double standards? I think the BBC's policy of doing this gives campaigners the moral carte blanche to start invading the privacy of corporate criminals.

anon


Mainstream press publicising irrelevant ID details

19.02.2009 01:23

For a start, I couldn't care less about the BBC publishing the Plane Stupid activists details. From my own experience the real aim of many of these high-flying hypocrites is to get their name 'googled', and none of them are embarrassed by their actions so big deal. They are not infiltrators they are public-school Greens. Without being asked I've had my own details published by 'well meaning activists' for similar stuff.

The reporting of a recent rape though made me think more deeply on this issue, an Australian 24 year old was subjected to a 7 hour multiple rape in Edinburgh according to the police. To the cops credit they caught the shits who did it (allegedly). It was big news up here, justifiably. But why did they mention the victim was 24 and Australian? I know two female 24 year old Australians in that area of Edinburgh, people I have discussed rape with openly. I can see some justification for the police mentioning the victims age range, as that perhaps gives some warning of possible people who should be especially wary, but why mention she was Australian? She presumably wasn't attacked because of her nationality but because of her sex. Although I know two people who fit the victims identified profile, they aren't too common in that part of Edinburgh. I don't feel I can just phone up people who are basically just nice, intelligent strangers and ask 'You didn't happen to be raped recently did you?'.

A foreign girl who was staying at my house was sexually attacked years ago while I was at work. I insisted that she report it to the police and it was soon in all the local tabloids, with enough identifiable information that everyone at my job knew it was the girl who was staying with me. I was treated differently at work after that, cautiously, even though I had been at work when the attack took place, and eventually I had to leave that job because my workmates treated me so suspiciously. Me and the girl were lovers anyway, but the identifying press coverage, well it wasn't asked for, it was destructive and it was leaked by the police for no good reason.

I would still go to the police in a similar case simply because they are most likely to catch the perpetrator, but if I knew who was responsible then I wouldn't. The police really are hand in hand with gutter journalists.

Danny


To harko

19.02.2009 12:22

It was a publicity stunt the words shouldn’t be taken literally. Saying/doing something strange often gets attention when the media would otherwise ignore the action or people would not be interested, etc.

ARC


climate refugees flown in ???

20.03.2009 23:26

sorry a bit late adding to this thread, but there will be enough people made homeless by rising sea levels in the UK alone to fill the airport land quite nicely.
Kent Country Council has already said that communities will have to relocate as flood defences become too expensive to maintain.

The point being made is that BAA have a responsiblity, lets hold them accountable.

Pete B


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