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No new coal: take action

30,000 people could be forced from their homes as climate refugees if the plans for a new coal fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent get the go ahead.

The world’s poorest people will be worst affected, even though they leave smallest carbon footprint.

On current trends, an estimated 10 million people will be forced to leave their homes permanently by 2050 because of the UK’s contribution to climate change
The effects that climate change will have on the world include more and worse cyclones; flooding; drought; and sea level rises that will force people to leave their homes

Urgent measures by the UK government could still prevent tens of millions of people from losing their homes. These people have done little to contribute to climate change, but they will suffer the worst consequences. This is a scandal and must be stopped, starting with saying no to new coal and Kingsnorth.

Send an email to Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, asking him to put a stop to new coal.
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Subject:	If you re-write the subject in your own words, you will help make the action even more effective.
Your message: (your signature will be added automatically). If you re-write the message in your own words, you will help make the action even more effective.	Dear Minister, As someone who is concerned about the impacts of climate change on the world’s poorest people, I am writing to you as Minister of Energy and Climate Change to ask you to ensure the UK does justice to the strong targets it set itself. I want you to start by saying no to new coal at Kingsnorth. I was very pleased to hear that Britain had set a strong target of 80 per cent emissions cut by 2050 with the Climate Change Act. However, in order to meet this target, it is vital that we transform the way the UK produces its energy and responds to the threat of global warming. I am urging you to put a stop to E.ON’s plans for a new coal fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent, which would create enough emissions to create 30,000 climate refugees. Refusing consent for a new unabated coal power station at Kingsnorth would send an important signal to the world about your department’s ambitions to set Britain on a low-carbon energy path and opt instead for a low carbon future. Coal is responsible for over 80 per cent of the UK’s historical emissions and is the dirtiest way of producing energy. The prime minister himself has called for a transformation to a low carbon economy, which won’t be possible with a new generation of coal fired power stations. I’m asking you to ensure that the UK shows leadership by changing the way we produce our energy to take our changing climate into account. We must act urgently if we are going to prevent runaway global warming. This is most critical for the world’s poorest people, who will be hit hardest by climate change. The solutions must reduce Britain’s dependency on fossil fuels and involve a scaling-up of investment in renewable technologies, both at home and abroad. By stopping Kingsnorth, you will be taking the most important first step.
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