eco shenanigans

I don’t expect everybody in the climate movement to agree with what I have to say, nor do I want them to. Some of what I write and say about the climate movement in the Chesapeake bioregion is deliberately provocative in order to encourage people to think more critically about what we are doing in order to effect change , and about whose interests we are fighting for. A desire for justice isn’t enough: effective strategy is essential, and a multifaceted and inclusive movement is essential to effective strategy. Every social movement needs a few party poopers. I don’t expect or want the climate movement to be only composed of people who think like myself. A spectrum of diverse interests, backgrounds, and strategies is essential for a successful movement. I may disagree with the way that some large organizations approach issues that I care about, but so long as they don’t attempt to overpower other voices with their own in the event of a disagreement (criticism from friends is totally...

[image: Reuters] As another World Cup tournament nears its climax, I’m wondering already what the legacy of these games will be. I’m not talking about the legacy of a bunch of sweaty, oversexed men kicking a ball around. What I’m concerned about is the human rights legacy: the long term repercussions of hosting the Olympics on Brazil, the predicted “death count” (another term for murder ) of up to 4,000 workers in Qatar (1,200 so far) , and whether this time, this tournament, with all the images we’ve seen of protests and violence, soccer fans will do something to end the shock doctrine shitshow that has accompanied it for decades. I don’t write too often, but I’m putting this together because I feel that a history lesson is in order. All the focus on Sep Blatter’s corrupt leadership that I’ve seen in the media (including John Oliver’s oft-linked diatribe on HBO) makes it seem like if we get rid of the man, everything will be OK. But it’s more complicated than that: both th...

NB: If you haven't yet read Naomi Klein's article " Capitalism vs. the Climate ", I recommend that you do! Xstrata and Occupy LSX From an environmental perspective,  Xstrata , one of the world's largest mining corporations, was an excellent target for the OccupyLSX activists to target on November 30. The most obvious reason for this is the company's aggressive pursuit of expanding its coal operations. In Australia, Xstrata is planning to build the  largest opencast coal mine  in the southern hemisphere. Xstrata also has a very poor record in dealing with indigenous peoples who live on or near the lands that are being mined, and a number of local activists who oppose Xstrata's operations have been assassinated . You can find a good overview of most of the reports coming out about Xstrata from  the London Mining Network . So when Occupy LSX 'occupied' the Xstrata headquarters, my first thought was "Great! They're finally doing somethi...

A s a Marylander living in London who has been an active participant in the student and anti-cuts protest movements, I was thrilled to come across the news yesterday that “ US Uncut ” groups are sprouting up around the country. UK Uncut was born when a group of seasoned activists met in a pub in North London in October to discuss government cuts to public services and the emerging student protest movement. To them, it was clear that a crackdown on tax avoidance by corporations and wealthy individuals would negate the need for spending cuts and undermine the Coalition government’s argument that these cuts are “necessary”. The target in mind was Vodafone , the largest mobile phone company in Europe. A report on the British whistleblower site Private Eye had indicated that the HMRC (the British version of the IRS) had cut their tax bill from $9.7 billion to just under $2 billion, and that this decision had been guided by government officials. This information came out at the sam...

I know exactly what you’re thinking. Well I don’t know, but I can guess. “WTF? You’re expecting me, the highly intelligent reader, to buy into a bunch of bollocks linking climate change to the Coalition cuts and to the tuition fee rise? Haven’t we heard enough about climate change already? And anyway, what has it got to do with education?” It’s a great question. Thank you for asking these questions, fictionalized reader created for literary purposes. What I’m going to do in this blog post is discuss the links between the two movements and to evaluate the Climate Justice movement and its relevance to the biggest youth movement in Britain of my generation. The student occupation at UCL is, in many ways, a mini Climate Camp, with consensus-based decision making and several working groups to keep the site running (media, security, outreach, kitchens, process, etc.). As one girl put it, the only difference is that the students at UCL don't have to use compost toilets. And I ...

Just discovered this... I went off on a tangent and never finished it, but I suppose there are a few good points in there. This was originally written on 10 November 2010. By now, you've probably read and heard a lot about the student rally/protest/riot that happened on Wednesday. In the midst of all the stereotypes regurgitated by the media there has been a lot of quality writing on the subject. This blog entry is an attempt to compile some of the best examples I've seen so far with my own observations of the event and its significance. But first of all, why did I go in the first place? As a foreign student, I have to pay international fees and education cuts don't affect me directly. And I certainly wasn't the only foreigner to attend. I spent the day with a core group of seven people, including myself. We consisted of two Brits, two Italians, one German and two Americans. At times we were joined by a group of three or four more Germans. So why should foreign st...

I spent so much time writing this that I thought I ought to save it somewhere - so here it is! Further information: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/congestioncharging/15527.aspx I think it is a bad idea. It doesn't apply to the area I live in but I still have a valid opinion! 1. Many people who work in jobs with a low income have to take buses to work. The efficiency of these buses is dependent on the level of traffic on the roads they operate on. Removing the congestion charge for half of London will INCREASE the number of cars on the road. This will make the daily commute for poorer people more difficult. 2. More cars on the road also means a more difficult and hazardous journey for cyclists. 3. The only people who are going to benefit from this are the rich. Yummy mummies who spend all day at the spa and then drive their Hummers on the school run will be delighted. Meanwhile, mothers who are juggling full time careers with children at school and no childcare will suffer from a m...