Climate Camp beginning today at Kingsnorth

Climate Camp 2008 targets coal-fuelled power station plans

Sunday, 03, Aug 2008 12:00

Environmentalists will challenge the government's plans to build new coal-fired power stations in Britain near the Kingsnorth site in Kent from today.

Climate Camp 2008 hopes "thousands" of protestors will pitch their tents close to Kingsnorth, which the government hopes will be one of the first coal-powered plant built in Britain for 30 years.

Activists will explore the possibilities offered by sustainable solutions, heating their shows with solar power and using windmills to run computer suites.

The camp will climax with a day of "direct action" against the development of new coal-powered fire stations on Saturday August 9th.

Its organisers say the plant will emit up to eight million tonnes of CO2 every year and that six other similar power stations are also planned by the government.

"Scientists are usually a fairly reserved bunch but even they are starting to sound frantic about what’s happening with the climate," they say on the Climate Camp website.

"That’s not surprising given that, if we carry on treating the planet like a cheap boil in the bag dinner, we risk causing catastrophic climate change. That’s probably a bad idea."

A report published this week by the Institute for Public Policy Research thinktank concluded that plans to build the new coal-fuelled power stations places the EU's emissions reductions target in jeopardy.

Climate Camp says coal is one of the worst-polluting energy sources, arguing it is "about as clean as an anthrax sandwich", and denies government claims failure to use coal will produce an 'energy gap' in Britain.

Last year's Climate Camp focused on Heathrow and the movement's opposition to further expansion of Britain's transport infrastructure.