MARCH TO SAVE THE PLANET

The international day of action against climate change is shaping up nicely. Make sure you're there.

Once again, the Campaign Against Climate Change is organising the biggest protest against climate change and the inaction of governments across the world to address this issue. Gathering this year at Millbank on the banks of the Thames and marching past Parliament and Downing Street en route to the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square, the march will coincide with the international talks happening in Bali.

Globalise Resistance has been a part of the Campaign Against Climate Change since the beginning and have played an integral role in making sure the left and green movements make a concerted effort to mobilise around this issue. We reject the idea of some that climate change is not a class issue. A look at the results of Hurricane Katrin and the recent fires in California show who isgoing to bear the brunt of the effects of climate change and who is going to be able to escape and survive.

We also rail against the tendency of governments and corporations, and (unfortunately) many green and environmental groups that climate change is a matter for the individual - that turning off the standby on TV or refusing plastic bags can actually save the planet.

We're not against such measures, but to change personal behaviour and then pretend everything is gonna be alright as a result could be one of the more fatal mistakes you could make.

What's really needed is government and corporate change. Think of the following questions:

Why can you get a flight from Manchester to Edinburgh cheaper than a train?
Why do Tescos and the other supermarkets sell non-energy efficient lightbulbs?
Why is the best selling butter in the UK imported from New Zealand?
Is it acceptable that the 10 biggest corporations in the world emit more than 539 million tonnes of CO2 each year?
Why doesn't the goverment provide the resources to insulate every home in the UK free of charge?

We think that having these questions in mind instead of prioritising "is my TV on standby?" will give us a better fighting chance of beating climate change than the mainstream media would have us believe.

The Campaign against Climate Change held a huge meeting in the Friends Meeting House in early November to promote the protest and get people mobilising - George Monbiot addressed more than 600 people there. We hope this is indicative of a huge turn out on the 8 Dec. See you on the streets.

Saturday 8 December 12 noon
Assemble Millbank (nearest tube Westminster)
march to US Embassy for a Rally (Grosvenor Square)
Speakers include George Monbiot, Caroline Lucas (Green Party), Michael Meacher (Labour), Chris Hune (Liberal Democrats), Rania Khan (Respect), and speakers from Climate Camp, Christian Aid and the Biofuels campaign.

LiNKS:

http://www.campaigncc.org/

Campaign against Climate Change main site. details about the demo and plenty more besides.

http://www.globalclimatecampaign.org/

December 8 is a Global Day of protest - check the news from around the world.

http://climatedenial.org/

George Marshall's excellent blog examining the psychology of Climate Change Denial