Monthly Archives: July 2023

Shadowy think tanks are a risk to the UK’s democratic integrity

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/07/shadowy-think-tanks-are-a-risk-to-the-uks-democratic-integrity/

Tom Brake is the Director of Unlock Democracy which campaigns for real democracy in the UK, protected by a written constitution.

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The connection between Truss and the IEA goes back a long way: according to Tim Montgomerie, the founder of Conservative Home, the IEA had “incubated” Truss – and her key ally, former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng – when they were junior MPs. With their assumption of high office, Britain was to become a “laboratory” for the IEA’s ideas, he said.

Although Truss’ relationship with the IEA is remarkable for its extreme proximity, politicians being close to particular institutions is nothing new. Politicians often find themselves drawn to particular interests and ideas, and so will gravitate toward institutions that reinforce or augment their thinking.

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There is no requirement, either, for think tanks to be transparent about the sources of their funding. In fact, for some, it is impossible to find out who their big donors are. A comparative assessment of the transparency ratings of various think tanks can be viewed here: Unlock Democracy has the highest rating of openness; the IEA, meanwhile, has the lowest rating.

Without being able to follow the money, we cannot hope to understand the interests (commercial or national) that may underpin donations to think tanks, or determine whether those giving money are based in the UK. While it is expected that any foreign funds are most likely to come from rich donors or corporations rather than foreign governments, these donors may still have very close links with a foreign government and seek to shape UK policy in line with the interests of those Governments. Without the data, we just don’t know.

If a think tank advocates for a more relaxed attitude to climate change, the public, the media and Ministers are likely to scrutinise their proposals more carefully if they can see that an oil company is one of its major donors. The same can be said for a think tank that opposes measures to cut smoking when a tobacco manufacturer contributes a significant sum to its budget. Without full transparency of funding – something which the Government has already committed to ensure for the tobacco industry but has not yet delivered – this scrutiny cannot be guaranteed.

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/07/shadowy-think-tanks-are-a-risk-to-the-uks-democratic-integrity/

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Extinction Rebellion Co-Founder Goes on Trial for Breaking Window

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Gail Bradbrook damaging a very expensive window. Image: Extinction Rebellion UK
Gail Bradbrook damaging a very expensive window. Image: Extinction Rebellion UK

Original article by Matthew Green republished from DeSmog

Gail Bradbrook could face a custodial sentence if convicted.

Gail Bradbrook, a co-founder of Extinction Rebellion, went on trial in west London on Monday for breaking a window at the Department of Transport in October, 2019.

Bradbrook has previously pleaded not guilty to a charge of criminal damage for using a hammer and woodworking tool to crack the building’s glass frontage, which the prosecution valued at £27,500.

Bradbrook could face a prison sentence if convicted. Judges can also impose community service and fines.

Extinction Rebellion emerged in 2018, aiming to use civil disobedience to force governments to take rapid action to prevent climate breakdown and ecosystem collapse.

The group has since mobilised protests in the UK and around the world, including in April this year, when it linked up with other environmental and social justice organisations to mobilise tens of thousands of people in central London.

The trial at Isleworth Crown Court is due to conclude on Friday.

Original article by Matthew Green republished from DeSmog

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Campaigners demand stronger tax on private jets as luxury travel in UK soars

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Image of a dirty jet passenger aircraft

https://leftfootforward.org/2023/07/campaigners-demand-stronger-tax-on-private-jets-as-luxury-travel-in-uk-soars/

While government refuses to reveal details of Prime Minister’s private jet use at taxpayer expense

Campaigners have announced that private jets ‘are even worse than we thought’ after new research presents their high carbon footprint and low rate of taxation in the UK as post-pandemic luxury travel grows.

One in ten flights from UK airports are now from private jets, research by the climate action campaign group Possible found. Pre-pandemic, 7.5% of flights were private, which peaked at 20% during the pandemic and now sits at 10%.

Emissions from private jets are 30 times higher than normal flights, yet activists have stressed that the taxation is not proportionate. Half of private jet passengers pay the same rate of tax as passengers on standard flights, whilst one in five private jets pay no tax at all.

Possible are calling for a ban on private jets by 2030, with a proper tax system in place until then. The group’s report ‘jetting away with it’ found that, the more polluting an individual’s flight is, the lower the effective rate of tax per tonne of emissions.

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https://leftfootforward.org/2023/07/campaigners-demand-stronger-tax-on-private-jets-as-luxury-travel-in-uk-soars/

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Leaked UK government plan to protect against climate heat ‘very weak’

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/17/new-uk-government-plan-to-protect-against-climate-heat-very-weak

[Guardian] Exclusive: Document ‘falls far short’ of what is needed to safeguard lives and livelihoods from heat, drought and storms, say experts

The government’s plan to cope with the climate crisis has been condemned as “very weak” by experts, who say not enough is being done to protect lives and livelihoods.

Responding to the document, which was leaked to the Guardian, one highlighted its failure to adequately protect people in the UK from extreme heat. The heatwave in 2022, when temperatures surpassed 40C for the first time, led to the early deaths of more than 3,000 people, wildfires, buckled rail lines and farmers struggling with drought. Southern Europe is in the grip of a searing heatwave.

Another expert said there was a “yawning gap” in measures to restore nature, which is a vital part of adapting to climate change.

The National Adaptation Programme is expected to be published on Tuesday by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which is required by law to produce a plan every five years. In March, the government’s official advisers, the Climate Change Committee, said its publication would be a “make-or-break moment”.

Ministers have been criticised for years over the failure to make adequate plans for the impacts of global heating. The CCC said in March that the UK was “strikingly unprepared” and that there had been a “lost decade” in action on adaptation. It said heatwaves, droughts, floods and storms would intensify in the coming years until carbon emissions reached net zero.

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/17/new-uk-government-plan-to-protect-against-climate-heat-very-weak

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Student paints University of Exeter during graduation ceremony

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Just Stop Oil activist Eddie Whittingham protests at University of Exeter graduation ceremony.
Just Stop Oil activist Eddie Whittingham arrested following protest at University of Exeter graduation ceremony.

A Just Stop Oil activist has disrupted his graduation ceremony at the University of Exeter as a call for students to take action against the UK Government’s plans to licence new oil and gas projects.

At 1:15pm, Eddie Whittingham, 25, was tackled by security as he sprayed a university courtyard orange with a paint-loaded fire extinguisher, while his graduating cohort looked on. Shortly beforehand he had received his BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. He was arrested at the scene.

Eddie is known for high-profile Just Stop Oil actions, including the interruption of the World Snooker Championship in April 2023, where he climbed a snooker table at The Crucible Theatre and released orange-coloured powder.

Speaking before his action today, he said:

“My name’s Eddie, I’m 25 years old and I’m about to disrupt my own graduation ceremony. Exactly 3 months ago, I disrupted the snooker world championship. I’m taking these actions because our government has failed young people like me.”

“They have failed to cut greenhouse gas emissions in line with science. They have failed to prepare us for the inevitable disruption that they have caused. They’re driving our society towards collapse by continuing to allow new oil, gas and coal. This is a violation of the advice of the International Energy Agency, the United Nations and thousands and thousands of climate scientists all around the world, who have been warning us for years: new fossil fuels means death.”

“As a result, 1 billion people may be displaced from their homes by 2030. That’s 7 years away. We face a future of mass-starvation and unimaginable suffering, including here in the UK. And all of this is happening so a small handful of extremely rich people can carry on getting even richer.”

“Universities, rather than preparing young people for this inevitable disruption, are instead upholding a status quo that is going to kill millions, if not billions of people. That’s why I’m calling on students everywhere to join us in resistance against this criminal government.”

“What use is a university degree if you can’t feed yourself? What use is an “education” if society is collapsing around you? Each one of us has a choice: die quietly or get into resistance. It’s now or never.”

Also arrested was Kostja Junglas, 27, a PhD student at Oxford University. They were tackled by University of Exeter security for attempting to hold up a banner to the crowd of graduates.

In 2022, the University of Exeter began a new partnership with Shell Oil, building on decades of collaboration between the university and the company. The stated aim of the project is ‘Carbon Sequestration’, a speculative technology that would allow Shell to continue producing fossil fuels whilst reducing their carbon emissions. However, experts that don’t stand to gain from Shell profits have declared carbon sequestration unviable: “Many international bodies and national government are relying on carbon capture in the fossil fuel sector to get to net zero, and it simply won’t work,” according to Bruce Robertson, the author of an Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis report on the topic. Students are campaigning for the university to cut ties with Shell under the name ‘Shell Out’.

The first week of July 2023 is believed to have been the hottest in the history of humanity, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. The highest temperature in recorded history has been set repeatedly in the last few weeks, and this pattern is expected to continue. “We are in uncharted territory and we can expect more records to fall as El Niño develops further and these impacts will extend into 2024,” said Christopher Hewitt, World Meteorological Organisation director of climate services, adding “This is worrying news.”  The impacts of this climate crisis are already devastating, and will only multiply in the short term.

Since the Just Stop Oil campaign launched on 14th February 2022, there have been 2,200 arrests and 138 people have spent time in prison, many without trial. Just Stop Oil supporters Morgan Trowland and Marcus Decker are serving three year prison sentences for resisting new oil, gas and coal.

Just Stop Oil is calling on everyone to get off the sidelines and join in civil resistance against new oil, gas and coal.

juststopoil.org/students juststopoil.org

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