Voices from Balcombe

Several of our supporters and Board members were part of the Balcombe ‘Reclaim the Power’ anti-fracking protest. Ruth Jarman was full of enthusiasm: ‘The camp was lovely and a beautiful model of how we all should be living on this precious planet. It was solar powered, there were fantastic vegan communal meals and everyone just shared all the jobs and decision-making. There was a real acceptance of all types of people.’

A large march on the Sunday was followed by a day of action, both in Balcombe and around the country. Ruth was one of dozens of people arrested, along with Caroline Lucas MP, outside the gates of the Cuadrilla site in Balcombe. She comments: ‘We filled Crawley police station to overflowing! The fact that so many were prepared to be arrested, indicates just how passionate are our feelings. Further extraction of fossil fuels must be stopped.’ Ruth carried a banner saying “Known fossil fuels reserves can wreck five planets. Why frack for more!”

A successful and well-attended supporter day

Many thanks to the supporters who attended our AGM and supporters’ day in July. You can read the chair’s annual report here. We had an inspiring and thought-provoking day as we grappled with the challenges of our new campaign and looked at how to communicate climate change to church communities. We gained several new Ambassadors and launched the new resources that will aid in the task of raising awareness and catalysing action on climate change. If you are interested in joining the Ambassador team then please get in touch. A network is developing to share ideas and support each other in communicating about climate change and the work of Operation Noah.

Ann Pettifor brought an interesting angle to the issue of debt and finance in relation to climate change. She spoke about usury and interest rates being at the heart of the current problems we face, with market forces driving the dangerous destruction of the earth’s fragile ecosystems. An alternative economy based on low or zero interest and barter and exchange will help to solve the huge imbalances we face. Ann highlighted the Green New Deal that she co-authored to bring joined-up policy solutions to the multiple challenges of debt, credit crisis, inequality, climate change and rising oil prices.

David Atkinson spoke from a personal perspective as a member of the Church of England clergy about the new campaign on church disinvestment. He reminded us of our Christian convictions that ‘all we have, life and the means of life, comes to us as gift’ and today’s challenge is to seek a different, sustainable economy, based on the values of human flourishing and the well-being of all creation, not on the assumption of unlimited economic growth and over-consumption.

Zero Carbon Britain: Rethinking the future

The Centre for Alternative Technology launched their new report on 16th July on Zero Carbon Britain day. It presents an extensively researched and technically feasible scenario for rapidly reducing the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2030. It sees a Britain that has successfully risen to the challenges of tackling climate change to inspire a positive solution out of our problems. The report aims to stimulate economic and political debate around rapid decarbonisation, trigger further research, and help to build consensus and collaboration on the urgent action needed across all sectors of society. It dispels many myths and mis-understandings about what is possible for a zero carbon future using existing technology.

The research shows that we can meet our entire energy demand from renewables, without imports, through intelligent demand management. As well as investing in a variety of renewable energy technologies suited to the UK, the report goes further to look at agriculture and low-carbon diets as one of the key solutions to rapid decarbonisation. Changing what we eat by significantly reducing meat and dairy consumption means we emit fewer greenhouse gases and use less land to enable second generation energy crops to be grown on UK land.

The report sets out what is physically necessary and realistic in order to respond to current climate change science, and where internationally governments and policy are failing to do so. It gives a positive picture of successful adaptation to change, increased resilience, a strengthened economy, over a million new jobs and the promotion of health and wellbeing of individuals and society. This is well worth a read to help inspire a realistic way forward for our society.

Creation Time

This year’s Creation Time is 1st September to 4th October and is a period dedicated to prayer for the protection of creation and the promotion of sustainable lifestyles that reverse our contribution to climate change. You could use this time to focus on Operation Noah using our resources. Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) are focusing on Water Justice, to correspond with the United Nation’s International Year of Water Co-operation, and have resources to download.