Tim is now off to Poland to attend the United Nations climate change conference which is being held in the city of Poznan.
You can catch up with his posts at: http://poznanclimate.blogspot.com/
Tuesday 2 December 2008
Sunday 30 September 2007
Only started
The march is all over bar the shouting. We are in London, we have done more than 1,000 miles and we are ready to finish. The hecticness of the final few days means that this 80th blog will be my last of our 80 day protest.
I hope you have enjoyed what has been written. Climate change is not a complicated issue, but our society's dependence on fossil fuels means there has always been something to write about.
I'm sure the question the marchers will now be asked is: 'Was it worth it?'
We can never know all the effects of our campaigning actions. The world is too complex for that. But the threat of climate change is so great we can't not campaign.
However, this march will have been a failure if it has not inspired more people to campaign. The science is saying we are almost on the brink of runaway climate change. We have to act now. But we also have to continue campaigning year-after-year; no one protest, postcard or direct action can ever be enough.
Please join the World Development Movement so you can campaign with them on climate change and other issues of global justice, now and into the future:
www.wdm.org.uk/join
Join now - it's a better time than any other.
"We shall not give up the fight, we have only started."
I hope you have enjoyed what has been written. Climate change is not a complicated issue, but our society's dependence on fossil fuels means there has always been something to write about.
I'm sure the question the marchers will now be asked is: 'Was it worth it?'
We can never know all the effects of our campaigning actions. The world is too complex for that. But the threat of climate change is so great we can't not campaign.
However, this march will have been a failure if it has not inspired more people to campaign. The science is saying we are almost on the brink of runaway climate change. We have to act now. But we also have to continue campaigning year-after-year; no one protest, postcard or direct action can ever be enough.
Please join the World Development Movement so you can campaign with them on climate change and other issues of global justice, now and into the future:
www.wdm.org.uk/join
Join now - it's a better time than any other.
"We shall not give up the fight, we have only started."
Final awards
At the start of this march and blog I said I would report on certain things along the route. Below are the final awards categories mentioned at the start:
Best local beers:
A difficult choice between 'Saltaire Blonde' of the Shipley Brewery in Bradford, and 'Hoplite' of Hogsback Brewery in Salisbury. My head says Hoplite but my Yorkshire heart says Saltaire.
An honorable mention to the Wye Valley Brewery which provided us with many a fine pint through Herefordshire, Wales and Gloucestershire.
Highest number of 4x4s:
There has been a personal plee from one of my hosts for Farnham to get this award. Northallerton was also mentioned earlier in the blog. But honesty must report that the site of huge numbers of 4x4s travelling to and from Richmond park in London has to win both for the number and the complete pointlessness of massive vehicles in a crammed city.
Friendliest town:
We have received brilliant welcomes from local supporters everwhere we have gone, along with amazing food and shelter. The welcome from passers-by has differred though. Newcastle, Bradford and Wales are places the marchers would mention as the most welcoming. But I think a straw pole would reveal that Bradford just wins...
Messiest roadkill:
The hedgehogs, rabbits and pheasants all blend into one in the memory. The largest roadkill was a deer north of Northallerton. But the messiest was definitely a badger as we entered Wales. It was so well decapitated, Rachel mistook it for a dog. The smell stayed with us for hours.
Best local beers:
A difficult choice between 'Saltaire Blonde' of the Shipley Brewery in Bradford, and 'Hoplite' of Hogsback Brewery in Salisbury. My head says Hoplite but my Yorkshire heart says Saltaire.
An honorable mention to the Wye Valley Brewery which provided us with many a fine pint through Herefordshire, Wales and Gloucestershire.
Highest number of 4x4s:
There has been a personal plee from one of my hosts for Farnham to get this award. Northallerton was also mentioned earlier in the blog. But honesty must report that the site of huge numbers of 4x4s travelling to and from Richmond park in London has to win both for the number and the complete pointlessness of massive vehicles in a crammed city.
Friendliest town:
We have received brilliant welcomes from local supporters everwhere we have gone, along with amazing food and shelter. The welcome from passers-by has differred though. Newcastle, Bradford and Wales are places the marchers would mention as the most welcoming. But I think a straw pole would reveal that Bradford just wins...
Messiest roadkill:
The hedgehogs, rabbits and pheasants all blend into one in the memory. The largest roadkill was a deer north of Northallerton. But the messiest was definitely a badger as we entered Wales. It was so well decapitated, Rachel mistook it for a dog. The smell stayed with us for hours.
Home
With great relief and excitement we arrived in London over the weekend. Whilst we still have the final miles through central London to complete, I am now able to sleep in my own bed for the first time in two-and-a-half months. What joy.
Arriving in Battersea we were met by the usual fantastic Christian Aid supporters and their cakes. I'd also like to give a personal thank you to members of the South-West London World Development Movement group who came along to Battersea as well.
In fact, I'd like to tank all the local World Development Movement campaigning groups who have joined us on the march: Ayshire, Edinburgh and the Lothians, York, Leeds, Bradford, Manchester, Derby, Cardiff, Swansea, Bristol, Poole, Woking, Richmond and Kingston and South-West London.
You can find your local WDM campaigning group at:
www.wdm.org.uk/groups/contacts/
Arriving in Battersea we were met by the usual fantastic Christian Aid supporters and their cakes. I'd also like to give a personal thank you to members of the South-West London World Development Movement group who came along to Battersea as well.
In fact, I'd like to tank all the local World Development Movement campaigning groups who have joined us on the march: Ayshire, Edinburgh and the Lothians, York, Leeds, Bradford, Manchester, Derby, Cardiff, Swansea, Bristol, Poole, Woking, Richmond and Kingston and South-West London.
You can find your local WDM campaigning group at:
www.wdm.org.uk/groups/contacts/
Friday 28 September 2007
Open our eyes
As we marched into Working on Friday, a signpost by the road indicated that there have been 188 road deaths in Surrey in the last three years. 188. In Surrey alone.
Road deaths are another indication of why a world less dependent on the motor car will be better for reasons other than tackling climate change.
But a statistic about the deaths of real people also makes us question what is considered news in this country. Every life is valuable whether it is part of a statistic which says at least 150,000 people die from the effects of climate change each year; 60 people a year die on Surrey's roads; or one person dies in a horrific incident.
But our media can promote one unusual death ahead of many which are seen as usual. In the UK, deaths on UK roads, or death from climate or economic inequality around the world, are seen as normal and not worthy of the news. We have to see beyond what the media regard as news to have our eyes opened on what is really happening.
Distance covered so far: 995 miles
Road deaths are another indication of why a world less dependent on the motor car will be better for reasons other than tackling climate change.
But a statistic about the deaths of real people also makes us question what is considered news in this country. Every life is valuable whether it is part of a statistic which says at least 150,000 people die from the effects of climate change each year; 60 people a year die on Surrey's roads; or one person dies in a horrific incident.
But our media can promote one unusual death ahead of many which are seen as usual. In the UK, deaths on UK roads, or death from climate or economic inequality around the world, are seen as normal and not worthy of the news. We have to see beyond what the media regard as news to have our eyes opened on what is really happening.
Distance covered so far: 995 miles
Thursday 27 September 2007
Do they all support us number 21
In Farnham on Thursday night I got to speak alongside Jeremy Hunt, local Conservative MP and member of the Shadow Cabinet.
First of all we challenged Jeremy on the need for more than an 80 per cent reduction in emissions by 2050, rather than the government's target of 60 per cent.
Jeremy responded that the most important thing is for annual targets on the government to ensure emissions are reduced every year. He is of course right that there has to be annual accountability to ensure we are on track to meet long-term targets. A 60 per cent reduction means less than a 3 per cent cut every year, whilst more than 80 per cent means cuts of 4-5 per cent every year.
So I challenged Jeremy to commit to annual cuts of 5 per cent every year, something he was unwilling to do, saying the Conservative party has yet to agree its policy. He had phoned Peter Ainsworth, the Conservative Environment spokesperson, before our meeting who said that "the science is compelling" on the need for 80 per cent cuts by 2050 / 5 per cent cuts every year.
Jeremy Hunt was similarly unwilling to commit himself on the need to include aviation within the climate bill until the Conservative party do.
Jeremy's final words were ones I would agree with:
"This town could be so much nicer if we could return it to being friendly for people on foot. I hope people will look back on this period and ask 'how could they live like this?'".
To some extent the local people of Farnham already recognised that a low carbon world can be a better world. Local primary schools have a walking bus where kids walk to school as a group accompanied by two parents taking their turn. It obviously reduces carbon emissions, builds community and tackles obesity. So many little changes needed to make our world a better place.
Distance covered so far: 979 miles
First of all we challenged Jeremy on the need for more than an 80 per cent reduction in emissions by 2050, rather than the government's target of 60 per cent.
Jeremy responded that the most important thing is for annual targets on the government to ensure emissions are reduced every year. He is of course right that there has to be annual accountability to ensure we are on track to meet long-term targets. A 60 per cent reduction means less than a 3 per cent cut every year, whilst more than 80 per cent means cuts of 4-5 per cent every year.
So I challenged Jeremy to commit to annual cuts of 5 per cent every year, something he was unwilling to do, saying the Conservative party has yet to agree its policy. He had phoned Peter Ainsworth, the Conservative Environment spokesperson, before our meeting who said that "the science is compelling" on the need for 80 per cent cuts by 2050 / 5 per cent cuts every year.
Jeremy Hunt was similarly unwilling to commit himself on the need to include aviation within the climate bill until the Conservative party do.
Jeremy's final words were ones I would agree with:
"This town could be so much nicer if we could return it to being friendly for people on foot. I hope people will look back on this period and ask 'how could they live like this?'".
To some extent the local people of Farnham already recognised that a low carbon world can be a better world. Local primary schools have a walking bus where kids walk to school as a group accompanied by two parents taking their turn. It obviously reduces carbon emissions, builds community and tackles obesity. So many little changes needed to make our world a better place.
Distance covered so far: 979 miles
Local ale
I enjoyed a local beer of a different sort in Farnham on Thursday night. The ale itself was from Kent, so a long way from Surrey. But I was taken there by my host Rob, and was made to feel fully part of a local group of drinkers at the pub. Thanks to all - local is about a lot more than where something is produced.
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