[NukeNet] Scotland: As thousands march to halt climate change . car industry admits it can't meet green pledges

[The Roy Process]

Sunday Heraldhttp://www.sundayherald.com/58936
      Sunday Herald - 05 November 2006 
      As thousands march to halt climate change . car industry admits it can't meet green pledges
      By Torcuil Crichton in London     


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      The two polar bears had only taken a few steps into the crowd when they were greeted by one of Trafalgar Square's resident drunks. Rapidly adjusting to the concept of climate change, the tramp shook the bears warmly by the paw, as if meeting an Arctic mammal in central London was a perfectly normal occurrence, which, if we don't put the brakes on global warming, it soon might be. 
      The Greenpeace activists in the bear outfits, the tramp and 22,000 other optimistic people rallied yesterday calling for a halt to climate change. Cynics argue King Canute tried it first. 

      Nature itself sought to diminish their efforts, parading an unnaturally hot November day. The plane trees on either side of the square showed no autumnal tinge; nor was there a breeze to shed their leaves. 

      Climate change, its causes and effects, were all around. The bleaching vapour trails of passenger jets marked the blue sky above London. Whenever one of the carbon-burning behemoths lined up for Heathrow it was booed by a crowd that, all as one, felt it had the power to halt aircraft pollution and save the planet. 

      That was the point, of course: to show it is possible to take action on climate change, collectively and individually. The "I Count" rally took place on the eve of global climate talks in Nairobi this week and in the wake of the Stern review, which warns that global warming could shrink the world economy by 20%. 

      Trafalgar Square has seen bigger demonstrations. A cyclists' protest wheeled in early, via Downing Street. Others took less conventional transport. Matt Springs canoed down the Thames from Oxford to the rally. He set off on Thursday and walked the last bit. 

      Jan Muller, who surfs the sea off Hastings, turned up in his wet suit with his daughters, Nastassya and Matamoana, whose name means "to gaze out over the oceans" in Tongan. 

      "Their mother is from Tonga and rising sea levels is a real issue for low-lying islands," said Muller, who sees a global problem with local solutions. "We can do little things, change to a green energy supplier, switch off the car while outside the shops," he said. "We don't need to go crazy, just do what we can." 

      Rose Barnett had difficulty persuading her Milton Keynes neighbour that it was worth coming along. "He said it was all codswallop, with China and India carrying on polluting," said the retired Open University employee. "But I say you have to start somewhere," she said. 

      Lots of revolutions begin with small numbers of people doing things differently. Yesterday it was members of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Women's Institute, churches and third world charities marching behind the banner of change. 

      "In developing countries climate change already has a massive effect on poor people, on water supplies and crops," said Andy Atkins of Tearfund, explaining why the Christian charity was involved. "Also, we need our UK supporters to reduce our own carbon emissions and persuade the government to take action." 

      A power failure cut some speeches short, but that's the kind of thing we'll get used to in an energy-starved world. The PA system came back on for that old double act, an actress and a bishop. 

      Miranda Richardson and the words "turn off" do not usually run together, but she urged the crowd to do just that. Turn off lights, turn off the car. "We can't leave this to everyone else. Every day we can all make a difference," she said. 

      It was a theme taken up by the bishop of Liverpool. "Seas are filled by mighty rivers and small drops of rain," he said quoting a proverb from China, where they open a new coal-fired power station every 10 days. 

      "We cannot lecture China when we do not have our own house in order," said the right reverend James Stuart Jones. "We are all guilty of personal hypocrisy on this issue." 

      For KT Tunstall, the Scottish troubadour, it was a more straight forward matter. "I didn't think twice about doing this," said Tunstall before going onstage. "I grew up in a beautiful part of the country, the East Neuk of Fife. I love the sea and the outdoors and I want my kids to be able to do that, and their kids. We're caught in a spot where that might not happen so it's important to raise awareness. A rally in London is always special, it's empowering and it does make a difference, it makes govern ment realise that people are aware." 

      Landseer's bronze lions, impassive on their plinths below Nelson's Column, have seen it all before but I swear one of them arched an eyebrow when Tunstall rocked out her impressive version of the Jackson Five's hit I Want You Back. She sang: "Oh baby give me one more chance, to show that I love you." 

      Which, I suppose, is what everyone in Trafalgar Square yesterday was asking of our planet. 



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      Copyright © 2006 smg sunday newspapers ltd. no.176088 
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