On July 26th 2008 a conference near Heathrow saw climate campers, local residents, scientists, and politicians declare their willingness to take direct action if the government say ‘yes’ to the third runway. With huge media coverage and despite some underhand police tactics, activists were successful in raising awareness of the dire consequences of this decision. A ‘climate caravan’ then travelled from Heathrow and across London, spreading messages of creative resistance to climate change, and arrived near Kingsnorth, the site of the proposed new-generation coal-fired power station where climate campers pitched-up for a week of low-impact living.
By working together, sharing skills, knowledge and inspiration, they effectively opposed the forces that drive climate change in the ceaseless pursuit of economic growth. The autonomously-organised camp included an ambitious programme of workshops and debate given by groups and individuals fighting climate chaos and proposing grassroots solutions. Direct action and protest throughout the week culminated in a mass action aiming to shut down Kingsnorth.
STOP PRESS
Wednesday, 7 October 2009: Climate activists celebrated victory against carbon intensive coal power, as energy company E.ON announced they were indefinitely delaying building the Kingsnorth power station in Kent. The Camp for Climate Action targeted the Kingsnorth site in August 2008 1 as coal is one of the most environmentally destructive ways of generating Electricity.
