At 3pm British Summer Time on July 30th around 100 climate activists took an uncultivated field around a kilometer from Kingsnorth Power Plant in Kent. The 2008 Climate Camp has begun.
The exact location of this site was a closely guarded secret until it was taken, so as to avoid police obstruction. Now that the site has been taken everyone has been taken, everyone is invited so if you are in the UK…get down there! (travel guide) I`ll see you in a couple of days–me and many kilograms of audio visual recording equipment! I`m hoping to record as many of the over 200 workshops (full program) as i possibly can.
The Camp for Climate Action is in its third year in the UK and judging by past years it will be an exciting, educational and above all inspirational event.
Hannah Abbots puts it succinctly:
“We have a future to protect, and today, in setting up the climate camp, we’ve drawn a line in the sand at Kingsnorth. We will not allow companies like E.ON drag us over the edge of climate catastrophe.”
Since the first Camp for Climate Action in 2006 the radical climate movement has been developing well; in terms of skills, numbers and experience. The Climate Camp was born out a set of needs: need for space to build campaigns and discuss ideas, the need for education on climate problems and solutions, and the need to act against the root causes of climate change.
The Climate Camp is unusually in how it sets out to meet these aims, the idea of consensus decision making is perhaps the most important distinguishing factor. This idea of consensus partly stems from the strongly anti-authoritarian philosophy within the camp, and is with decision making at the appropriate level rather than from the top down. Whole camp issues are gone through in detail by working groups that are open to all comers, these produce proposals for discussion by the whole camp. Decisions effecting smaller groups are dealt with by those smaller groups. Working groups exist for dealing with ongoing whole camp issues and are generally in regular communication,all working groups get together at monthly national gatherings, which take place around the country and minutes to which are made available online. These national gatherings are hosted by regional groups which exist to organise the various neighbourhoods which–along with there own kitchens, toilets, marquees–make up the accommodation areas of the camp. This openness, freedom for local groups and range of working groups make the whole climate camp process both extremely inspirational and empowering as everyone can find a group that is working on an area of personal interest or in need there own skills.
In the first two years this way of functioning has has managed to create a movement with increasing momentum. The first camp, at Drax, the largest coal fired power plant in the UK, attracted some 600 people and led to a great deal of national press coverage as well as evening news items. In terms of radical politics this was effectively a re-launch of a dormant movement; not since the anti-roads protests of the 1990’s has such an influential radical political grouping been active. Bringing together diverse groups working on corporate globalisation, southern rights, trade justice and inequality under the banner of climate change activism has been a significant development—one which has inspired similar actions around the world and that continues to grow.
Above:Last year a group of US activists made a video in solidarity with us. This made us feel that we where part of something global, many more developments in this area are happening this year…to many for this space but to all of you out there working on climate change solidarity and good luck with your future plans!Continue reading ‘2008 Camp for Climate Action and Building a Movement’
Since the
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