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Tim Jones

Funny old week. You stoically campaign on an issue of life and death for a year, and just when you wonder if anyone really takes the injustice of climate change seriously, three campaign successes come along in the space of a few days.

On Wednesday night I was in Medway at a local meeting against Kingsnorth power station. It was only towards the end of the evening we realised we should have spent the evening down the pub when word came through that E.On have put Kingsnorth on hold. After two years of fantastic campaigning, it was amazing to learn the news while standing alongside the inspiring local campaigners who live within sight of the coal megalith. Campaigners 1, carbon polluters 0.

Our WDM friends in Scotland obviously felt a bit grumpy by our cheeriness south of the border. Yes Kingsnorth was the one application for a new coal power station in the UK. But Danish company Dong have been working hard on an application for a typhoon-strengthening, drought-causing coal burner at Hunterston in Ayshire. Not anymore. Today Dong withdrew their investment, probably pulling the plug on the whole project.

With coal power stations falling quicker than a premiership striker, you might have missed the news story on Heathrow. BAA are reportedly not...

World Development Movement Scotland greeted with delight the news that Danish energy giant Dong Energy has dropped plans to develop a new coal fired power station at Hunterston in Ayrshire, citing financial difficulties and a strategic change of direction towards lower carbon investments.

The remaining investor Peel Holdings appear to want to continue with the project but need a partner who knows something about coal and energy ... and most of those are backing off coal at a rate of knots!

WDM has been campaigning against coal for the last two years. Only last week we welcomed the news that energy giant EON had shelved plans to build a new coal plant at Kingsnorth. Coal is the most polluting way to generate electricity. Globally, it’s a huge contributor to climate change, the effects of which are being felt most acutely by the world’s poorest people.

It’s clearer now more than ever that dirty coal is a risky investment. Energy companies are finding it impossible to justify such climate-trashing developments. Banks that continue to invest heavily in coal – such as Scotland’s RBS – should also beware the writing on the wall, and switch...

Scottish campaigners greeted with delight the news that Danish energy giant Dong Energy has dropped plans to develop new coal fired power stations at Hunterston in Ayrshire, and also in Germany.

The case for new coal fired power stations in Scotland is crumbling after the developer pulled out, citing financial difficulties and a strategic change of direction towards lower carbon investments.

Following Dong’s announcement that it would prioritise investments in renewables, and last week’s news that Eon energy had postponed plans for a coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent, Liz Murray, Head of Scottish Campaigns at World Development Movement commented:

“It’s clearer than ever that dirty coal is a risky investment. Energy companies are finding it impossible to justify such climate-trashing developments. Banks that continue to invest heavily in coal – such as Scotland’s RBS – should also beware the writing on the wall, and switch their investments to support renewable energy instead.”

Friends of the Earth Scotland’s Chief Executive Duncan McLaren added:

“We are delighted that Dong has withdrawn. But dirty coal is more than a bad investment, it’s also bad policy. The Scottish Government must...

Late last night, EON confirmed that they had shelved plans for the controversial Kingsnorth coal plant in Kent. The news of the victory for the 'Stop Kingsnorth' campaigners was received by text at a coal event in Rochester hosted jointly by the World Development Movement and the local campaigning group, Kingsnorth Climate Action Medway, who have been working closely for nearly two years.

Kirsty Wright, climate campaigner at the World Development Movement said:"This is an huge victory for campaigners in Kent, across the UK and most of all for the world’s poorest people, whose lives would have been devastated by the proposed power station’s contribution to climate change. The new power station would have emitted more CO2than Tanzania, and could have caused 20,000 climate refugees and meant that 100, 000 more people losing their dry water season supply.

"It's not yet clear what the government's official reaction to this news will be, but UK's already massive climate debt to the developing world means that the UK must radically reduce its carbon emissions now. The UK government must rule out new coal in the UK straight away, ahead of crucial international talks at Copenhagen. We can’t rely on energy companies to do it because of concern about profits in the...

Late last night, EON confirmed that they had shelved plans for the controversial Kingsnorth coal plant in Kent. The news of the victory spread like wild fire, and the 'Stop Kingsnorth' campaigners received it via text at a coal debate in Rochester, hosted jointly by the World Development Movement and the local campaigning group, KingsnorthClimate Action Medway, who have been working closely for nearly two years.

WDM supporters at this year's Mili-band protest

The official line from E.ON was that the delay is as a result of the recession. But we have been arguing all along that we just don't need new coal power stations in the UK. The recession excuse aside, meeting renewable energy and energy efficiency targets must mean that the 'the lights will go off' rhetoric from E.ON and the government has always been nothing more than a public relations exercise to sell coal power to the public.

We have been campaigning to Stop Kingsnorth because the new power station would have emitted more CO2 than Tanzania, and could have caused 20,000 people to become homeless and meant that 100, 000 more people lost their dry water season supply...

After months of fantastic coal campaigning as part of the Big If campaign, World Development Movement activists joined other organisations in a vigil outside the Department for Energy and Climate Change to mark the end of the government’s consultation on coal, which closed on 9 September.

Ed Miliband meets the coal vigilEd Miliband was enticed out of his office by the sound of classic anthems as diverse as the Beatles (Let coal be) and Pink Floyd (All in all it's just more CO2 in the air) that had been transformed into coal songs by the ‘disciples of justice’! The crowd stood beneath giant COAL KILLS letters, alongside pictures people had chosen of the things that would be at risk if Kingsnorth went ahead.

Ed Miliband confronted the crowd, who quizzed him on his coal policies. Ed was clearly impressed by the depth of people’s knowledge on the issue.

A huge thanks to all the hundred of supporters who made submissions to the coal consultation. We will keep you updated on upcoming announcements on the UK’s coal policy.

See the coal songs in the songbook below and watch a...

Welcome to the October issue of Think Global. This month's newsletter contains a round-up of coal related activities over the past month, plus information about our work focusing on climate debt (including details of the climate justice speaker tour in November) and the latest on MEP lobbying around trade. November also looks set to be a busy month stunt wise; we are encouraging our groups to hold both trade and climate justice and so the newsletter contains info for you to plan ahead. We have produced a survey for our individual activists (which can be completed online via Survey Monkey - you will find the link below). We would be very grateful if you could take a few minutes to complete this, it will be very useful to us in improving our communications with activists, and the way in which we develop the WTO network. Activist survey link http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=PC3oE3pAY11tmPWliCsOJQ_3d_3d

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Tim Jones

The Philippines is once again suffering from the impacts of a typhoon. Capital City Manila had the highest rainfall in its history on Saturday as Typhoon Ondoy swept across Luzon Island.

At least 140 people are reported to have died due to flooding so far, with tens of thousands losing their homes. Nathaniel Cruz from the Philippine weather agency said: “This could again be a manifestation of climate change. Due to climate change, we should expect more extreme weather events like extreme rainfall."

Last summer I visited Manila and a province on the eastern coast of Luzon called Albay. Tropical storms are part of life in the Philippines, but scientists have shown that storms and typhoons have already got stronger due to climate change. In Manila I saw the remnants of Typhoon Frank, which overturned a ferry killing 800 people.

Albay is often the worst affected region of the Philippines, lying directly in the path of typhoons coming from the east. When I visited last year, people were still trying to rebuild their homes and lives after Typhoon Reming devastated the region in 2006, killing over 1,000 people.

We are always told no single disaster can be said to be caused by climate change. But that’s not how the people I met in Albay look at...

My heart is fully behind what the World Development Movement are working towards. Please continue to be uncompromising in the fight for equality.

WDM supporter from Lancashire.

Support our appeal to clean up the banks

Donate to WDM now via Justgiving

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is currently 70% owned by the British public. As taxpayers we have the right to demand that our money isn’t used by RBS to invest in projects linked to human rights abuses and dirty energy projects around the world.

Just six months after their bail out, RBS has supported a staggering £10 billion in loans to coal, oil and gas companies which are linked to human rights abuse and climate change. We believe the government has acted unlawfully by going against its own guidelines on the use of public funds.

On October 20th 2009, the World Development Movement, People and Planet and Platform took the issue to court by launching a judicial review against the Treasury. But our case was denied and the Treasury has refused to intervene in RBS’ unethical investment practices.

We are appealing the decision to refuse the case permission, and will also be pressing for political action to clean...

 The World Development Movement was shocked and saddened to hear that Professor Anu Muhammad was one of a number of protestors injured by police during a recent peaceful demonstration in Bangladesh.

Anu Muhammad injured in peaceful protest

Professor Muhammed, who is Secretary of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, was protesting against the decision by the Bangladesh government to grant offshore oil and gas exploration deals in the Bay of Bengal for two international companies, ConocoPhillips and Tullow Oil plc.

Professor Muhammed has long been an opponent of the Phulbari open cast mine in Bangladesh, proposed by UK company Global Coal Management Resources, which would force more than 50,000 people off the land and threaten the water supplies of a further 100,000. Until a recent turnaround, the UK government publicly supported the proposed mine.

The World Development Movement worked closely with Professor Anu Muhammad on the Phulbari campaign and hosted his visit to the UK in December 2008, when he met with MPs, NGOs and the Bangladeshi community to raise...

 Historically, the World Bank has been roundly criticised by the World Development Movement and others because of its flawed policies which deepened poverty. Exactly the same critique is as pertinent as ever but relates to its policies on climate change.

In the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, the World Bank was notorious for damaging developing countries' economies by forcing them to adopt economic policies that made people poorer. The institutional problem of flawed analysis that gave the much-maligned institution its poor reputation can still be seen today when examining its policies designed to tackle climate change.

Rightly, the World Bank knows that climate change will devastate poor countries and is already increasing poverty and in its annual World Development Report released today, it called on nations to 'act differently on climate change'.

Also correctly, the World Bank says that the world's reliance on fossil fuels must be broken. But in its typically contradictory style, it is currently funding new dirty coal power stations to be built in the global south through...

Campaigners from RSPB, the World Development Movement, Christian Aid, Oxfam, WWF and Greenpeace will hold a 'coal kills' vigil today outside the Department for Energy and Climate Change on Whitehall.

At 16.30, the organisations' CEOs and campaigners will hold up images of glaciers, polar bears, birds, food and water supplies of the millions of people in the developing world who will lose their lives and livelihoods and a stark message of 'coal kills'. These will represent what the campaigners believe that Climate Minister, Ed Miliband will save if he makes the right decision - to rule out new coal.

The charities are coming together to remind Ed Miliband that he must go further on his policy proposals on coal and provide a cast-iron guarantee that no new dirty coal-fired power stations will be built in the UK unless all of the carbon emissions are captured from the start.

The CEOs will invite Ed Miliband to meet with the groups to hand him personally a statement detailing the thousands of powerful pledges and statements that each organisation has collected from supporters. These include letters from young RSPB members asking Miliband to do more, photos from Christian Aid supporters asking him to reconsider, and promises of thousands of Greenpeace and World...

Today saw the launch of the 10:10 campaign; for individuals and businesses in the UK to reduce their emissions by 10 per cent in 2010. This is matched by a demand for Ed Miliband to commit the UK government to a target of cutting emissions by as close to 10 per cent as possible in the same year.

It would be excellent if UK emissions did fall by 10 per cent next year. As East Africa once again suffers from drought, and latest predictions that climate change is already killing 300,000 people every year, such a cut would be an acknowledgment that dangerous climate change is already with us. We must cut emissions by as much as possible as soon as possible.

The chances of UK emissions falling by 10 per cent looked more likely as we heard that E.ON, along with EDF, Centrica and Scottish and Southern Energy, are joining the campaign. E.ON by itself emits around 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, generating 10 per cent of the UK’s electricity and over 15 per cent of the UK’s emissions from electricity. Presumably E.ON will be shutting down its Kingsnorth coal power station in 2010, five years ahead of schedule, which would meet the 10:10 target and double it to 20 per cent in 2010.

Alas no. E.ON is launching “a nationwide drive to help homeowners and...

This year’s Camp for Climate Action pitched up their tents on Blackheath in London yesterday. There are around 1,000 people there already, with more expected as the weekend gets closer. Along with the workshops and demonstrations of sustainable living, there will also be non-violent direct action during the week, and some climate campers have kicked this off already with an action-cum-street theatre outside the Climate Exchange on Bishopsgate.

Climate campers outside the Climate Exchange on Bishopsgate. Credit: Amy Scaife

One of the key reasons for bringing the Climate Camp to London this year is to challenge the role of the City in creating the climate crisis. The fact that our society is geared towards endless economic growth has resulted in a headlong rush towards global warming. WDM has long argued that redistribution to tackle inequality is the key to ending poverty, rather than unsustainable growth which threatens the planet and fails to ‘lift up the poor’.

Moreover, the obsession with the free market, which has dominated official global politics for the last 30 years, means that politicians are looking to a ‘market mechanism’, carbon...

Welcome to the September issue of Think Global; after our August break this month's newsletter is packed with the latest on our climate justice and trade campaigns. We also have information on a plethora of campaign events happening over the next few months; from meeting Yes Man Mike Bonnano at "Another world is possible" in Edinburgh on Saturday 19 September, to initial ideas about WDM's 40th anniversary next year.

There is also a round-up of all the Big If activities groups have been doing over the summer, an interesting article on campaigning against coal tar in Canada, and a book review of "Food Rebellions! Crisis and the hunger for justice." Plus lots more of course.

The World Development Movement is part of the Climate Justice Now! network, which is a southern-led coalition of around 150 organisations and movements campaigning for a globally just and effective solution to the climate crisis.

CJN demo in Poznan. Credit: Ben Powless

Climate Justice Now! principles

Communities in the global south as well as low-income communities in the industrialised north have borne the toxic burden of this fossil fuel extraction, transportation and production. Now these communities are facing the worst impacts of climate change - from food shortages to the inundation of whole island nations.

Inside the global climate negotiations, rich industrialised countries have put unjustifiable pressure on southern governments to commit to emissions reductions. At the same time, they have refused to live up to their own legal and moral obligations to radically cut emissions and support developing countries' efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to climate impacts.

Climate Justice Now! will work to expose the false solutions to the climate crisis promoted by these...

Thank you for taking action and joining the Big If.

WDM will keep you updated on the latest developments and actions you can take. Please keep doing everything you can until Ed Miliband rules out dirty coal completely.

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The World Development Movement welcomes progress made on renewable targets but fears that the reliance on carbon trading to reduce emissions is a 'dangerous get-out-of-jail-free card'.

Deborah Doane, director of the World Development Movement said:
"The commitment to generate 30 per cent of electricity from renewable sources and to reduce emissions in the UK power sector is welcome. But the politics is still lagging behind the science as this target doesn't come close enough to what is needed to prevent dangerous climate change.

"Worryingly the government has said it can use carbon offsetting to meet targets if we fail to cut emissions. This is a dangerous get-out-of-jail-free card which could be disastrous for the climate and for the world's poorest people. The government has to be completely committed to reducing our emissions here in the UK, not pass the buck onto developing countries.

"Ed Miliband's own department has previously acknowledged that we don't need new coal power stations to keep the lights on. So it's contradictory to see his continued claims that we need to build new coal power stations."

ENDS

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

Notes to editors
The...

Ed Miliband is today unveiling the Energy White Paper and UK carbon budgets. The World Development Movement is concerned that the UK’s climate change strategy will be heavily reliant on carbon trading and unproven techno-fixes to reduce carbon emissions.

Deborah Doane, director of the World Development Movement said:

"What we hope is that Ed Miliband will commit to substantial investment in the renewable energy sector. This will help to create new jobs, reduce our carbon emissions and develop technologies which can be used to tackle climate change across the world. What we fear is that Ed Miliband will have fallen prey to the heavy lobbying from the energy companies who prefer the status quo.

"We are very concerned at reports that the carbon budgets will be very heavily reliant on carbon trading, which is a dodgy, creative accounting technique that reduces our emissions in name only. Carbon trading places the burden on poor countries to reduce their carbon emissions so that we can continue to pollute. This is double counting on an audacious scale and is an incredible injustice.

"Ed Miliband is holding onto the hope that carbon capture technology fitted onto new coal power stations will decarbonise the electricity sector at some...

New stats showing Kingsnorth's impact on water, food, refugees, drought and death

A new Kingsnorth coal plant could be responsible for 100,000 more people in the developing world losing their water supply in dry seasons reveals the World Development Movement today.

The anti-poverty campaigners have released a catalogue of shocking new statistics that show the devastating human impact that carbon emissions from a new Kingsnorth plant alone could have on people in the developing world because of its contribution to climate change. The World Development Movement reveals:

  • 100,000 more people losing their dry season water supply
  • Up to 300 more people dying every year due to malnutrition
  • Up to 60,000 more people suffering from drought in Africa
  • 50,000 more people going hungry due to drought and lower crop yields
  • Up to 40,000 more people exposed to malaria
  • 20,000 people being forced our of their homes and becoming climate refugees
  • Around 30,000 more people losing their homes every year due to coastal flooding

Deborah Doane, director of the World Development Movement said:

These figures reveal, for the first time, the devastating human impact of building a new Kingsnorth coal power...

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.

The government has been roundly criticised from various quarters for the use of public cash to bail out and prop up RBS. Scandals over Sir Fred's pension and now the ten million pound salary and bonus package for the new RBS boss have been grabbing headlines and stoking public outrage. And rightly so. Now the World Development Movement, along with PLATFORM and People and Planet, have dealt a further blow to the government's hands off approach to how it manages the billions of pounds of taxpayers' money poured into the self-styled 'oil and gas' bank. We launched a legal action today to challenge the Treasury's disastrous decision to finance RBS but ignore the government's own environment and human rights criteria to check that taxpayers' money is not spent in a harmful way.

Before launching the judicial review of this decision, Platform wrote to the Treasury to ask why they decided to ignore the fact that public money was being spent to fund a bank that is known for financing high carbon projects, several of which have also been linked to serious human rights concerns. The answer came back that 'environmental and human rights records of individual banks were of no relevance'. The excuse was that taking these considerations into account wouldn't be in the public interest...

The World Development Movement, PLATFORM and People & Planet have today launched legal action against the Treasury for allowing public money, poured into the Royal Bank of Scotland to be invested in energy companies, and projects linked to climate change and human rights violations.

Since RBS was bailed out in October 2008, it has contributed to loans worth an estimated £10 billion in coal, oil and gas companies. Coal is the biggest source of carbon emissions globally, which contributes to dangerous climate change. The campaigners believe that by investing in RBS, the Treasury is in direct conflict with the government's legislation and policies to reduce carbon emissions and prevent dangerous climate change.

Julian Oram, from the World Development Movement said:

"The government has spent billions on a bank with a track record of financing energy companies' dirty and destructive projects. We're launching this action because the Treasury has displayed a blatant disregard to the government’s own commitments to tackling climate change, and its rules for spending public money. The taxpayers’ interests would be vastly better served by RBS investing in a low carbon future than in undemocratic regimes and environmentally devastating projects...

The World Development Movement strongly criticises the government's 'Road to Copenhagen' as 'riddled with pot holes.'

Tim Jones, climate policy officer at the World Development Movement said:

"Unfortunately, the 'Road to Copenhagen' is riddled with pot holes and Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband are posturing as the international saviours of the planet. The reality is that the climate science that the document is based on is out-of-date; the plans for a new Kingsnorth power station will smash our carbon reduction targets; and claiming that the global carbon market will deliver both reductions of our emissions, as well as financial assistance to developing countries to reduce their emissions is simply double counting on an Enronesque scale.

"If the government genuinely wishes to achieve a global climate deal that will help to prevent dangerous climate change, they must lead and not posture. The first thing that Gordon Brown and Ed Miliband should do if they are serious about preventing catastrophic climate change is to abandon plans for new dirty coal power stations in the UK.

"The global carbon market is not the solution. It means that the government can claim that we are reducing our carbon emissions whilst burning fossil fuels as normal....

Green New Deal

In response to the overlapping economic, climate change and energy crises, the World Development Movement is calling for a Green New Deal for the world’s poor. A Green New Deal means investment in low-carbon projects, renewable energy and green jobs. It also aims to bring about greater economic equality by restructuring the financial system to support a green transition.

This approach links radical reform of the global financial system with a massive green investment programme to enable poor countries to pursue low-carbon, socially equitable development pathways. It is about redirecting credit away from the speculative casino economy and towards the real productive economy, particularly public infrastructure in the developing world. It involves a package of measures to channel both public and private financial flows into poor countries to develop green energy, transport and construction sectors, and to build a ‘carbon army’ of new jobs in the green economy that could lift millions out of poverty.

The Green New Deal is about a massive environmental transformation of the economy to tackle the triple crunch of the financial crisis, climate change and insecure energy supplies. Specifically, it is about:

  • More and...

Thousands of people who care about climate change and global poverty, including celebs, bird watchers, cake lovers, grannies and young people from across the UK will form a 'Mili-band' – a human chain around Kingsnorth coal power station - on the 4 July to say no to dirty new coal power stations.

The Women's Institute, Christian Aid, RSPB, the youth organisation – the Woodcraft Folk, Oxfam and the World Development Movement are jointly organising the fun-filled, family and future-friendly event to highlight the human cost of dirty coal and the effect that climate change will have on millions of people in poor countries. After forming the human chain, the celebrity speakers, musicians and games at the Sturdee Social and Sports Centre will provide fun for all the family. 

The name of the event is inspired by Ed Miliband, the minister for climate change, who will make the decision about whether to give the Kingsnorth plant the green light.

Kirsty Wright, from the World Development Movement said:

"This day is about having fun but is also about sending an important message to Ed Miliband. He needs to rule out new coal power in the UK unless all the climate-wrecking carbon emissions are captured from the start. He's made good progress...

The World Development Movement is delighted to announce the appointment of Deborah Doane as its new director, who started 1 June at the UK’s leading grassroots, anti-poverty campaigning organisation. The World Development Movement looks forward to an exciting new era led by Deborah's dynamism and a wealth of experience from over 15 years working on social and environmental issues.

Deborah Doane, said:

"The root causes of the current global economic and the climate crises are the issues that the World Development Movement works on. And by working at the cutting edge, we now have the greatest opportunity to tackle the root causes of global poverty and injustice – and realise a better future for the lives of poor people around the world.

“The World Development Movement has been one of the most effective organisations, working at the forefront of anti-poverty campaigning for nearly forty years, in partnership with campaigners from around the world. I’m delighted to be able to take the organisation forward and build on the excellent work of my predecessor, Benedict Southworth, who is moving on after nearly 5 years as director to become the primary carer of his children, undertake a Masters degree and consultancy work."

Deborah was...

The headlines over the last few weeks have been dominated by revelations over the expenses claimed by MPs.

So to coincide with the publication of our 2008 annual review WDM have calculated what we could spend those expense claims on:

£18,000 for bookcases – would fund a campaigner’s salary for a years worth of work on our anti-poverty, fair trade or climate change campaigns.

£2,000 for ‘moat cleaning services’ – would fund a report similar to the one that we used to persuade the Norwegian government to stop pushing controversial water privatisation in poor countries.

£1,851 for a rug – would be enough for props, placards, banners and costumes that would help us get our campaigns noticed and make headline news (like we did in 2005 with Make Poverty History and again in 2009 at the G20)

£1,645 spent on a ‘duck island’ – would fund all our web hosting costs for a year, including email actions like the one that helped stop a devastating coal mine from being built in Bangladesh.

£730 for a massage chair - would fund for a visiting speaker like Mary Lou to come and talk to local groups and activists.

£105.75 for an engineer - to attend to...

The campaigning community are mourning the loss of Murray Benham who was WDM’s Head of Campaigns and Networks until April 2009, and passed away suddenly and tragically last week from a massive stroke. 

Murray was a classic campaigner: outspoken, fearless, brave, and bright. He was in the great and proud tradition of working class men whose inherent sense of injustice leads them to dedicate their lives to the collective not the individual. He believed strongly that socialism was the best model to bring about equality, and was more than happy to bend your ear about this for hours over a pint. On top of being an enormously passionate advocate for social justice, Murray had also worked extensively in Media & Communications in his working life. 

Having joined WDM in 2005 on a short term contract, he quickly found his ideals were well matched to our work and ended up staying for 4 years. During this time he oversaw the adaptation of our campaigns due to changes in media, social organising, and world leaders He also diversified the way WDM communicates with our supporters and the wider public by introducing the idea of cutting back on ‘development / policy’ speak, and using 10 words to describe something rather than our usual...

The World Development Movement welcomed Ed Miliband’s announcement that there is no place for unabated coal in our energy future at a time of climate crisis. However, the campaign group warned that the proposal leaves a giant loop hole that could still lead to disastrous levels of emissions before 2025. The proposed new plant at Kingsnorth in Kent could alone emit as much as the whole of Ghana each year.

“I’m delighted that the Minister has finally recognised there is no place for unabated coal at this time of climate crisis.” said Benedict Southworth, WDM’s Director.

But the Government is committing billions of pounds of taxpayers money on a technology [CCS] that remains untested on a large scale and may never be economically viable. It is also yet to be proven that climate damaging carbon dioxide emissions can be stored safely underground.”

“It is critical that the UK government provides a guarantee that if the gamble fails we won’t be left with massively polluting plants.”

Power companies must now recognise that new coal fired power stations cannot go ahead without being full CCS from the start, otherwise there will be no guarantee they will be cost effective by 2025.

ENDS

To organise an interview or for more information, please contact...

Alistair Darling's budget reveals the government's 'contradictory' green credentials, according to the World Development Movement.

Julian Oram, head of policy at the World Development Movement said: "The government is allocating £525 million for offshore wind but is providing tax cuts to big business to extract 2 billion barrels of' oil and gas. Tackling climate change requires keeping fossil fuels in the ground, not extracting every drop we can. This reveals the contradictory nature of the government's green credentials.

"Darling has announced money for two to four demonstration projects in coal power carbon capture and storage. Relying on this technology is a big gamble. By the time we know if it works, millions of pounds will have been squandered and it may be too late to prevent dangerous climate change.

"These demonstration projects cannot be tagged-on to dirty coal power stations where most of the emissions will continue to warm the world for generations to come. And carbon capture and storage will be pointless if it is used to extract more oil from the North Sea."

"A credible green budget required the Chancellor to commit at least two per cent of national GDP to invest in renewable energy generation, infrastructure, warm homes,...

This briefing includes the World Development Movement's critique and recommendations to the G20 leaders on the following areas: trade v protectionism; refuelling the IMF; resurrecting the WTO Doha development round; the climate crisis and the Green New Deal.

This is not just a banking crisis.

The banks collapsed and were bailed out. The global economic system as a whole has broken down, and must be radically revised to ensure that it puts people and the planet first.

A consequence of the capitalist casino system of international finance and consumption is the climate crisis. The economic and climate crises are intrinsically linked and should have been addressed as such by the G20 leaders.

This meeting defined the future of the global economy more than any other in the last sixty years; and as such had profound implications for the world’s poor and efforts to tackle climate change. We want an economic system that is up to the challenges of the 21st century.

Dr Julian Oram, head of policy at the World Development Movement, said:

"The G20 must not prescribe more of the same toxic medicine that led to the current...

In response to today’s ‘low carbon summit’ launched by Gordon Brown, Benedict Southworth, director of the World Development Movement said:

“It’s welcome that Gordon Brown is saying that he plans to tackle the economic and climate crisis together through a green new deal, but he must be very careful not to co-opt green language, while continuing to deliver black, high carbon projects. He cannot say our industrial landscape will be ‘transformed’ by building new coal power stations and relying on carbon capture technology that doesn’t exist to green them. We need action today, not green gestures for tomorrow.

“The real danger is that today’s summit will simply dress up ‘business as usual’ with promises of future green ideals, when Brown should be showing real international leadership through a radical and real move to a low carbon economy through a radical and real green new deal, for example by massive investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency to create thousands of new green collar jobs and providing secure places for people to invest their savings and pensions.”

ENDS

For more information, please call:

Kate Blagojevic
Press officer, World Development Movement
0207 820 4900/4913, 07711 875 345, Email:...

The World Development Movement slammed a UK government plan to put almost £400 million of 'green' aid designed to assist developing countries low carbon development into a World Bank fund that will subsidise new dirty coal power plants.

The £400 million represents almost half of the UK’s Environmental Transformation Fund – Gordon Brown’s flagship £800 million fund to assist developing countries to deal with the impacts of climate change and develop low carbon economies.

Benedict Southworth, director of the World Development Movement said:

"This UK government money is supposedly specifically designed to help developing countries make the transition to low carbon economies. It's an absolute disgrace that it will actually be used for building new coal power stations. This money will actually contribute significantly to climate change, rather than do anything to prevent it. This is embarrassing for the UK government; but is incredibly worrying news for the world's poorest people who will be hit hardest by climate change. They expect the UK to play a leading role in the fight against climate change both at home and through its funding.

"Every pound of this 'green' aid that will be spent on funding coal power through the World Bank is money...

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...

A huge new platform of unions, development agencies, faith and environmental groups plans to tell world leaders attending the G20 summit in April that only just, fair and sustainable policies can lead the world out of recession.

The alliance, which includes the TUC, Oxfam, ActionAid, Friends of the Earth and CAFOD, is calling on people to join a major demonstration for jobs, justice and climate in London on Saturday 28 March, five days before the summit.

Under the banner "Put People First – March for Jobs, Justice and Climate", the groups will demand decent jobs and public services for all, an end to global poverty and inequality, and a green economy.

The march will assemble on the Embankment en route to Hyde Park for a rally to be addressed by speakers and celebrities from the UK and around the world.

The organisations backing "Put People First" say: "Recession must not be an excuse for putting off action for global justice or to stop climate chaos. The only sustainable way to rebuild the global economy is to create a fair distribution of wealth that provides decent jobs and public services for all, ends global inequality and builds a low carbon future."

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:
"People are angry at the...

New government figures released today revealing that UK carbon emissions are significantly down are ‘spin, aided by creative accounting’ say the World Development Movement.

The government has announced that UK carbon emissions have fallen by 13 per cent since 1990. But this figure has been manipulated to include carbon credits, and discounts emissions from aviation. A proper analysis of the figures by the World Development Movement reveals that UK carbon emissions have fallen by just 5 per cent since 1990.

Benedict Southworth, director of the World Development Movement said:

“Today’s figures have been manipulated to include supposed reductions that have taken place outside the UK, not by the UK. If the UK government is genuinely committed to tackling climate change, this kind of Enron-esque accountancy cannot continue. The government must stop cooking the books and cut carbon emissions in the UK, as well as encouraging cuts around the world, if they are not to be known as the biggest ‘greenwashers’ of all.”

A fall in emissions since 2006 due to less coal being burnt in power stations only cancels out earlier increases. To meet the UK’s climate...

This morning, (10 Jan) the average person in Britain will have already produced more carbon in 2009 than a person from the poorest countries emits in a whole year warns the World Development Movement [1].

Benedict Southworth, director of the World Development Movement said:

"It is shocking that by today the average Briton will have already produced more carbon this year than someone in a poor country will in the whole of 2009. The world’s poorest people contribute little to climate change but will suffer most from its consequences."

Today also marks, the minister in charge of energy and climate change, Ed Miliband's 100th day in post. The World Development Movement challenged him to use his first 100 days to take the lead on transforming the way the UK produces its energy and responds to the threat of global warming. We outlined a five point program asking the Minister to:[2]

  • Refuse E.ON’s application for a new coal power station at Kingsnorth in Kent.
  • Increase the carbon reduction target in the climate bill to 80 per cent, including emissions from aviation
  • Ensure that the carbon emissions reductions happen in the UK, rather than relying on carbon trading
  • Set...

Carbon Evictions presents evidence that our reliance on dirty and outmoded forms of economic growth, including ever expanding air traffic and coal-fired power plants, is posing the threat of worldwide evictions. It is the world’s poor who are most vulnerable to displacement from climate-related disasters. In this report, WDM argues that action now to create a low-carbon economy in the UK could prevent millions of future ‘climate refugees’. Carbon Evictions also calls for a new international agreement within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, to set out the obligations of rich countries towards climate refugees; including enabling those who are forced to migrate due to climatic disasters to resettle in their territories.

 

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