Campaigners from developing world demand ban on new UK coal power

Today, UK based anti poverty campaigners, the World Development Movement revealed that over 30 organisations from the developing world have written to Ed Miliband to demand that he bans new coal power, and scraps the controversial plan for a new coal power station at Kingsnorth in Kent.

Murray Benham, head of campaigns at the World Development Movement said:

“Those on the receiving end of the UK’s carbon emissions are appalled at the prospect of new coal power stations being built in the UK. Any international credibility the UK has for putting climate change targets into law will be shot to pieces by another decision in favour of a carbon emitting monster. The World Development Movement has calculated that a new power station at Kingsnorth would by itself create 30,000 climate refugees across the world. Campaigners from the developing world are clear that this is unjust, and Ed Miliband cannot allow it to happen.”

Ricardo Navarro, campaigner from El Salvador said:

“The UK building coal power stations is like eating a slap-up meal and handing the bill to the world’s poor.”

The letter to Ed Miliband, UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change has been signed by 34 influential organisations based in the global south, in countries such as Uganda, India, Lebanon, Brazil, South Africa, Indonesia, as well as by international NGOs, Focus on the Global South and the Third World Network.

An extract from the letter states:

"New coal power stations in the UK will exacerbate the impacts of climate change on impoverished communities in the global South and prevent the UK from developing sustainable ways of creating a low carbon economy which could be used elsewhere in the world. A decision to support new coal power stations will confirm the UK as a climate criminal in the international climate change negotiations."

Ends

For more information, please contact Kate Blagojevic on 020 7820 4900 / 07711 875 345

Notes to editors

Full Statement on new coal power stations in the UK

The changing of the world's climate, primarily caused by the rich world's consumption of fossil fuels, is already impacting negatively on many impoverished communities and indigenous peoples across the global South. Yet it is countries in the global North, with 18 per cent of the world's population, who are historically responsible for 70 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.

Through increased floods, droughts, sea-levels and disease, hundreds of millions of people face having their livelihoods destroyed the more global temperatures increase.

Urgent action is therefore needed by the global North to:

• invest in appropriate energy efficiency and safe, clean and community-led renewable energy
• radically reduce wasteful consumption
• promote financial transfers from North to South, based on the repayment of climate debts and subject to democratic control, in order to fund adaptation and mitigation in the global South.

We are therefore alarmed that the UK government is considering allowing new coal power stations to be built, such as at Kingsnorth in Kent. Coal power is the most climate polluting way to generate electricity. We are further concerned about any attempt to 'offset' the emissions of coal power stations through the Clean Development Mechanism, which has continuously had negative impacts on communities in the global South whilst failing to cut emissions.

New coal power stations in the UK will exacerbate the impacts of climate change on impoverished communities in the global South and prevent the UK from developing sustainable ways of creating a low carbon economy which could be used elsewhere in the world. A decision to support new coal power stations will confirm the UK as a climate criminal in the international climate change negotiations.

Communities in the global South face the worst impacts of climate change unless radical action is taken now to cut emissions. We call on you to ban the building of new coal power stations in the UK, including at Kingsnorth in Kent.

Signed:

Third World Network
Focus on the Global South
Oilwatch International
World Rainforest Movement
Climate Network Africa
The Agency for Co-operation & Research in Development (ACORD), Africa
The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ)
Arab Climate Alliance
Southern African Faith Communities' Environment Institute
Pacific Indigenous Peoples Environment Coalition
Fahamu
VOICE, Bangladesh
Fórum Brasileiro de ONGs e Movimentos Sociais (FBOMS – Brazilian Forum of NGO’s and Social Movements), Brazil
Friends of the Earth Brazil
The NGO Forum on Cambodia, Cambodia
CENSAT Agua Viva, Colombia
CESTA, El Salvador
Unidad Ecológica Salvadoreña (Salvadorean Ecological Unit), El Salvador
Water Initiatives Orissa, India
Global Climate Campaign, India
National Forum of Forest People and Forest workers, India
Paryavaran Mitra, India
Centre for Environmental Concerns, India
Corporate Accountability Desk of the Other Media, India
South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People, India
Serikat Petani Indonesia (Indonesian Peasant Union), Indonesia
Walhi, Indonesia
IndyACT, Lebanon
Philippine Climate Watch Alliance, Philippines
Center for Environmental Concerns, Philippines
Groundwork, South Africa
Yonge Nawe Environmental Action Group, Swaziland
Climate and Development Initiatives, Uganda
Uganda Coalition for Sustainable Development, Uganda

The World Development Movement is a member of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition – the UK’s largest group of people dedicated to action on climate change.

Kate Blagojevic
Press officer, World Development Movement
0207 820 4900/4913, 07711 875 345, Email: kate.blagojevic@wdm.org.uk