Dear all
Thank you to those who kindly responded to my last email. Just to
suggest that we all use the list to invite others to join us when
flyering! It's always good to have company when flyering as it is
more fun. I went alone this time but others did, through seeing my
invite, invite me to their flyering.

But why not invite the whole North London list - even if your plan is
a bit last minute, you never know who might decide to come along. And
if you don't mind putting your mobile number in your email, people
can call you that way at the last minute. It's fine of course if
you'd prefer not to, some people may see the email and decide to join
you anyway.

This is just a last minute encouragement before I go off to Devon for
a short break - but not a complete break from flyering as I will be
in Totnes with some flyers too!

Do use the list as we now have 46 members and it would be great to
make it more active.

All the best

Kate

We'll be having a Steward Briefing on the evening of Monday

1st December. Details of the meeting will be emailed out shortly. If you

are unable to go to the Briefing you can still be a steward as we will

have briefings on the morning of the March. Everyone will be put into

stewarding teams and we can make sure people are in teams with their

friends and family if they like. There are lots of different roles on the

day that we need people for including manning the Campaign against Climate

Change stall, fundraising, stewards for the bike ride, for the main march,

for the rally at the end of the march and also help with the afterparty

(to be held at Synergy Centre in South London).

For more details of the March and Global Day of Action see

www.campaigncc.org and www.globalclimatecampaign.org

Please do get in touch if you have any questions

- also please send this call out to your friends and

networks - email address for signing up a any questions: stewards@...


We look forward to hearing from you!!

Campaign against Climate Change

Tel. 02078339311
Campaign Against Climate Change http:/www.campaigncc.org/

Come and hear Polly Higgins’ presentation, as given to the United Nations last week.

"Just as the humanitarian crisis of the Second World War gave birth to the swift implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 60 years ago in 1948, so are we now on the verge of a planetary crisis that needs to be addressed with equal urgency. Now is the time to call for a Universal Declaration of Planetary Rights."

Polly Higgins, Barrister and UK Associate of EnAct International will be re-presenting her speech on Tuesday 18th November at Conway Hall, details as below and flyer attached. Polly is also legal advisor to TREC-UK and will be discussing the recent developments for the building of Concentrating Solar Power plants in the Sahara Desert to provide Europe, Middle East and North Africa with clean electricity via a power supergrid.

Please RSVP to press@...
--------------

What: Three Big Climate Change Solutions

- DESERTEC: Clean Power from the Desert
- The Sahara Forest Project
- a call for a Universal Declaration of Planetary Rights

Who: Speakers:

• Michael Pawlyn (Exploration Architecture)
• Charlie Paton (Seawater Greenhouse)
• Polly Higgins (EnAct International and TREC-UK)
  

         
Event chaired by Katharine Hamnett with special panellists Neil Crumpton (Friends of the Earth) and Dr Gerry Wolff (TREC-UK)

Where: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1  (nearest tube: Holborn)
When: Tuesday 18th November, 6.30 - 8.30pm
RSVP: events@... <mailto:events@...>

This is a Free Event sponsored by Exploration Architecture, Seawater Greenhouse, EnAct International, TREC-UK, DisasterMAN and Wise Women

You can follow our call on the United Nations for a Universal Declaration of Planetary Rights at http://www.treeshaverightstoo.com <http://www.treeshaverightstoo.com/>

The debts of temporary prosperity are all due and payable in the 21st century.
Take the Decision to Use our Vision.

Diana Korchien
Director
www.flipsidevision.com

Hello North London CCC!
Please help flyer North Londoners and get them along to the Climate
March on 6 Demember. Details of march at: www.campaigncc.org

I will personally suggest one evening at the Angel tube on Monday 24
November. Is anyone else available? To start at 5.45. I need at least
one helper however!

Jeremy has suggested: What about 18th Nov at Angel, 25 Nov at Finsbury
Park and Dec 2 at Kings X?

Any takers on any of this? Please let us know.

Many thanks

Kate

Hi all,

Thanks to everyone who has joined the buzz of interest in this so far. As per my email of 16 October, I believe there is still time, and a way, to persuade the Government to stop the Council of Europe ratifying rising EU biofuel targets.

If you haven't already, please take 2 minutes to send the following email to your MP quickly - in most cases you can find his or her email address at http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/alcm.cfm - NB please go to their webpage for their email address, rather than using the standard emailing form.

I have shortened the suggested email and slightly updated it, from previous version.

Please only send to your own MP (unless writing to ministers, shadow ministers etc in that official capacity, if you indicate this at the top of a letter to them). Please feel free to personalise the email.

And please forward this to others!

Love and peace,

Jim



** make sure you insert:
- your MP's name at the top
- your name and address as indicated at the end, so it can be seen you are a constituent of the MP **



Suggested subject line: Please call urgently for review of economics of biofuels


Dear ..... MP,

Please will you call urgently on the UK Government to lead a review of the economics of biofuels, and considering the new evidence needing review, not to ratify EU biofuel targets now?

On 11-12 December, the Council of Europe is due to ratify EU legislation of its resolution in March 2007 to ensure mandatory 10% 'renewable' vehicle fuel penetration by 2020, most of which is expected to come from biofuels (part of the Renewable Energy Directive).

I am concerned that since March 2007, several studies have concluded that biofuel support policies are placing an inordinately high cost on our economies, for low/doubtful CO2 gains.  In particular:

-    An OECD report this July (http://tinyurl.com/69uzhq, view full report: http://tinyurl.com/3t9wdr) advised that OECD biofuel incentives were costing an exorbitant $ 960-1700 per tonne CO2-eq abated, even before the indirect land-use emissions are added (p98), and further, in 2007 biofuels used up 8% of world coarse grain production and 9% of world vegetable oil production, yet these sources only delivered appx. 1.2% of total world transport fuel energy!

-    A report by the JRC (EU Joint Research Centre) this March (http://tinyurl.com/688cog) advised:

that 'the costs of EU biofuels outweigh the benefits', in particular that achieving a 6.9% penetration of biofuels by 2020 was likely to cost the EU a net € 33 - 65 billion from 2007-2020 with 80% probability - even after potential benefits in CO2 savings and security of oil supply are counted;

that EU use of biofuels is currently likely to worsen CO2 emissions in the case of 'first generation' biofuels, even if we are choosy about where our biodiesel is sourced (p10);

that 'second generation' biofuels are likely to be considerably more expensive than 'first generation' biofuels even by 2020, and conflict with better ways to use biomass for CO2 abatement, so again potentially worsen CO2 emissions.

-    OECD food aid to the South has had to increase, both because more people have become hungry, and the unit cost of food to feed them has risen.

The above economic issues and findings were not covered by the Gallagher review of the indirect effects of biofuels. The Gallagher report briefly mentioned that higher food prices would worsen some national trade balances, but didn't say if this would amount to £ billions for the UK or EU, even what kind of £ quantity it would be.

So, please will you without delay:

(i) Ask what has been done to digest the above economic findings of the OECD and JRC, and the economics of increased food aid needed, and

(ii) Call for the UK to lead a review of the economics of the proposed EU 'biofuel'/vehicle targets, as well as the EU 2010 Biofuel Directive, with the authorship of respected economists, that compares with other abatement options, and, considering the new evidence needing review, not to ratify EU biofuel targets now?

Surely our economic troubles are bad enough as it is? The UK and EU governments should evaluate what the economic cost of the current EU biofuel target proposal actually is, using the latest food and oil price data, and not just risk blundering into causing further, unnecessary harm to the economy. The JRC report above concludes:

'The decision to specifically target GHG reductions in the transport sector reduces the benefits which could be achieved in other ways with the same EU resources'.

It pointed out that using biomass to replace coal, or make materials, abated emissions more cost-effectively. So, with money saved we could fund more true renewables, like solar, wind or wave energy, which often achieve 90% or more CO2 savings over a 30-year period, and require orders of magnitude less land to deliver energy than biofuels. Or promote fuel-efficiency measures that are even more cost-effective.

The OECD report above notes: 'Despite the rapid and substantial increase in crude oil prices… the cost disadvantage of biofuels has widened in the past two years as agricultural commodity prices soared and thereby feedstock costs increased'.


Increasing inequality and poverty?

The above analyses didn't evaluate the effect on inequality and poverty of higher food prices. These have turned many arable farmers into multi-millionaires, in turn benefiting some of their equipment and service suppliers, but this is at the expense of almost everyone else, in higher shopping bills (The Times, http://tinyurl.com/6ojraw). We can't afford to award every teacher, clinician or civil servant a multi-million pound bonus, so why do arable farmers deserve suddenly to be enriched like this, at most other peoples' expense? A government review of biofuel economics should also report on this.


Deforestation effects: more costly than the banking crisis?

The lead economist in a major EU-commissioned study 'The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity' (TEEB) has told BBC News (10/10/08): 'whereas Wall Street by various estimates has to date lost, within the financial sector, $1-$1.5 trillion [out of $2.8 trillion worldwide - Bank of England], at today's rate we are losing natural capital [from deforestation] at least between $2-$5 trillion every year.'

Amazon deforestation in Brazil has increased by 228% (i.e. the rate has more than tripled) since a year ago, largely driven by rising food prices, reversing past improvements (The Guardian, 30/9/08). The IMF (8/4/08) noted 'Almost half the increase in consumption of major food crops in 2007 was related to biofuels'.


Can long-term hunger be 'sustainable'?

The March 2007 Council of Europe resolution noted that the 'binding character' of the 10% biofuel target was appropriate 'subject to production being sustainable'. Since then, according to the FAO (18/9/08), food prices rose 52% to 2008 from 2007, whereas the number of hungry had already risen by 75 million to 2007 from 2003-05. This 'silent tsunami', as described by a World Food Programme spokesperson, is jeopardising Millennium Development Goals.

This year, small farmer harvests in the global South have been reduced by price hikes in mineral fertilizers, caused in part by demand from biofuel expansion (The Guardian, 12/8/08). This use is depleting the world's mineral phosphorus reserves faster, meaning an even harder future food shock for the world (The Times, 26/6/08).

Recent food price rises also have led to food unrest in many countries including Egypt, Pakistan, India and Yemen, thereby accentuating new geo-political threats, for very small oil savings (see OECD figures above).


Yours sincerely,




[...insert name...]
[...insert address...]

Britain is about to pass the world's first law requiring a national government to make specified CO2 cuts (see below). This will help campaigners abroad to pressure their governments to take similar measures, and could thus go a long way to help bring about an effective international agreement. Please contact your MP before Tuesday and tell them how important it is that international aviation and shipping should be included in the calculation of Britain's emissions. Otherwise the new law will have a much weaker international influence. Nigel Griffiths MP has tabled 2 amendments on this point which we hope MPs will support.  

Most MPs' email address is   surnameinitial@...

Please forward this email to others.

Thank you.

      Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2008 18:42:55 +0100
      From: Friends of the Earth //info@...>//info@...>//>//info@...>//>//>//>
      Reply-To: Friends of the Earth //info@...>//info@...>//>//info@...>//>//>//>
      Subject: Campaign Champions - report stage special
      To: tim@...

	Campaign Champions
23 October 2008
Join now!

 

Please phone your MP We now know that MPs will vote on the Climate Change Bill on Tuesday 28 October. That's this coming Tuesday! The good news is that the Government has suggested an amendment that will raise the overall emissions reduction target from 60% to 80%. But it still opposes the inclusion of international aviation and shipping emissions. Please call your MP and ask them to vote for a stronger Bill. See the letter below for guidance. You can also refer to the action guide we sent earlier this month. Please phone your MP (PDF - 119K)  Best wishes, Tom Wright Climate Team, Friends of the Earth PS - Do you have problems opening PDFs? If so, please let us know so we can either email you a different version, or post you a copy.

Contact us

Thank you for your support

This email was sent to tim@... by info@...
Click here to unsubscribe

Tom Hitchman and I have organised a bike tour of six eco houses on
Sunday 21st, Freewheel and Open House day. We are joining Freewheel
later in the day (when it is slightly less manic).

I know the route does cut back into Shoreditch and so apologies if you
live in South Hackney.

As i am sure most of you are aware, we have to completely transform the
old flats and houses that most of us live in, in the next 20 years.  The
houses on this tour have already had that treatment.

We will be meeting at the cafe on Highbury Fields N5 at 9:45am.

All the detail is here:
http://www.icag.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=208

Please call/email if you need any more info.

John
Islington Cyclists Action Group

--
John Ackers
020 76907263 day/evening
07940 887952 on odd occasions

Pleasexa0;email your MEPs urging them to vote against the EU's targetxa0;that 10% of road fuels should be comprised of biofuels by 2010. This would make climate change worse by encoraging deforestation. In addition, conversion of the plant matter used into fuel is much more energy-intensive than originally believed. Biofuel production is also contributing to malnutritionxa0;by making food scarcer.xa0;You can email your MEPs at the link below.

Thank you very much

Tim

http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/biodiversity/press_for_change/biofuels/index.html

Hi Dave

I expect members of the SH network may be interested to hear about the discussion on Transition Towns at the Southbank Centre on Saturday (see below). I tried to book a seat online, but the website wouldn't let me. I was then able to book one by phone from the Southbank box office on 0871 663 2500

I wonder how diffferent it will be from your discussion on the national picture on Sunday.

best wishes

Tim Root

Muswell Hil & Hornsey FoE

Southbank Centre Square

Transition Towns

Lift Festival 2008

Saturday 5 July 2008, 3.30pm

Presented by members of Londonā€™s Transition Towns The Transition Town movement has grown rapidly across the UK and internationally in its first two years. At the heart of this remarkable social experiment is the proposition that a future with less oil will be preferable to the present. The movement is an energetic driver in building collective creativity and preparing local communities for a life beyond cheap oil and gas.

Here Lucy Neal and Duncan Law bring together key individuals from Londonā€™s Transition Town initiatives to explore the challenges they have faced in local contexts as they prepare and adapt.

SATURDAY 31ST MAY
HEATHROW DEMO
MEET AT NOON
HATTON CROSS TUBE STATION, Piccadilly Line, 58 min ride from London approx
( or, 10.30am at London Bridge, main station near WH Smiths/coffee shops, e-mail me if you want to meet to travel together, my mobile for the day, Romayne, 07985 053 907)
STEWARDS NEEDED
Meet at Hatton Cross at 9am for breakfast and stewards meeting ( Greenpeace organising )
We have placards and leaflets to distribute!
RSVP
Romayne Phoenix, Campaigns Co-ordinator
PLEASE PASS THIS ON
_______________________________________________
London mailing list, subscriber: john.ackers@...
London@...
http://lists.greenparty.org.uk/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/london

Would you like to come toĀ a major Friends of the Earth meeting with Hilary Benn
(Secretary of State for
Environment) on Tuesday 22 April 2008 at 7.30pm at

Friends Meeting House, Euston RoadĀ (opposite Euston station).

Peter Ainsworth (Conservative shadow), Steve Webb (Lib Dem shadow) and Tony
Juniper, director
of Friends of the Earth, will also be speaking. This is a vital opportunity to
show the government how much support we haveĀ for making the Climate Change Bill
a reallyĀ effective way of reducing climate change.We want to make sure
Hilary Benn commits to our remaining demands. These areĀ 

a) to follow the scientific consensus by committing the government to cut
Britain's carbon dioxideĀ emissions by 80% by 2050,
Ā 
b) including international aviation and shipping, which the government currently
plans should be left out of the calculation of Britain's emissions, Ā and
Ā 
c) having annual targets for emissions reductions, not 5 yearly as the
government wants.

Please come along. I suggest you arrive a bit early as the hall may be
full.Ā Please forward this
to others who might want to come.

Thank you

Please write to your MP urging them to sign Early Day Motion 736. This will put more pressure on the government to strengthe the Climate Change Bill, in line with the scientific consensus. If Britian's Climate Change Bill is radical, this will help campaigners abroad to put pressure on their governments to follow Britain's example. Please see the email from Friends of the Earth below.

Most MPs' email address isxa0;xa0; surnameinitial@...

Please forward this email to everyone you know. Thank you.

----- Forwarded message from info@... -----
Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:06:51 +0000
From: Campaign Champions at Friends of the Earth
Reply-To: Campaign Champions at Friends of the Earth
Subject: Campaign Champions Ā– Please ask your MP to sign EDM 736
To: tim@...

Ask your MP to sign EDM 736

You will be pleased to hear we have a relatively simple request this month. We would like you to write a letter to your MP to ask them to sign a parliamentary motion in support of a strong Climate Change Bill.

Here is the action guide with the key points to make:
Please write a personal letter to your MP about EDM 736(PDF - 35K)

Champions Survey
Thank you to everyone who completed the survey at the end of last year. We are now looking at all your suggestions to help us develop the Champions network.

Goodbye from me
After 7 years at Friends of the Earth the time has come for me to move on.xa0; You will of course still receive mailings from my replacement - but I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to you all.xa0;

I have been involved with the Champions network since it began, andxa0; I have been constantly inspired by all of you who take action - and the dedication you have shown to lobbying for a strong Climate Change Bill.xa0; Thank you all so much.

Best wishes
Alex
Climate Campaigner, Friends of the Earth

PS - Do you have problems opening pdfs? Do reply and let us know, so we can either email you a Word version, or post you a copy.