Alt : background photo of a wildfire and a climate protest. Text in bold reads COP28 climate justice rally. Save the date. Saturday 2nd December. Above this at the top of the photo is a people and Planet Sheffield logo.
Click here to Saturday 2nd December - Save the Date COP28 Climate Justice Rally and march. More details to come soon.
Alt : background photo of a wildfire and a climate protest. Text in bold reads COP28 climate justice rally. Save the date. Saturday 2nd December. Above this at the top of the photo is a people and Planet Sheffield logo.
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We’re back! As people receive their a-level results we want to congratulate everyone and also remind you that grades (good and bad), do not define you. What truly defines you is how willing you are to stand up for what is right and what is just. So with that, we invite you to join us this year in the fight for climate, migrant and social justice.
Message for details of how to get involved Today we stood up to the greenwashing and lies with 50 students and staff gathering to call out our university and its lies!
You might have seen the large chimney that has recently popped up next to the Arts Tower. This is what the University euphemistically calls ‘The Transformer’. In reality it is a gas-fired power station, constructed right in the heart of our campus. This is new fossil fuel infrastructure which is completely at odds with the university’s promises of climate action and fossil fuel divestment. The university argues “The Transformer” is required by law to ensure energy security for the estate. This has a grain of truth to it, but in reality University management has built far more capacity than is required and plans to run the gas generators constantly, not hold them in reserve in cases of power blackouts. This is about money, not energy security. Yesterday a group of us collaborated and protested against the promotion of companies implicit in war efforts (including BAE/Boeing/Airbus) and some of the world top polluters (including BP and ExxonMobil) at the University of Sheffield’s career fair. After peaceful protesting calling for Divestment, Disarmament and Decolinisation... BP and ExxonMobil left their stalls!!!! What a success, and well done to everyone involved!!
We had such a great time on Saturday at the Global Frackdown Carnival, meeting and learning from all the incredible activists battling the fracking industry all over the country. If you have the time, please get involved with your local anti-fracking group and lend your support to their critically important cause. #WeSaidNo #FrackFreeUK
The combined cinematography and soundtrack of Demain (Tomorrow) were genuinely excellent, and were skilfully deployed by the filmmakers as part of the argument – or mission – of their project. Taking the viewer on a journey around the world, documenting projects, rooted in local communities, offering alternatives to the systems that have gotten us into the many messes we are currently trying to navigate: climate change, financial crises, poverty and inequality, health, and beyond. The mission was to visit and relay the many examples of the diversity of people taking it upon themselves to create their own alternative ways of organising their food, economies, education, energy and democracy to inspire viewers to do something themselves. Indeed, most people watching the film with us as part of Go Green Week 2017 were inspired because the film’s optimism-inducing audio-visuals, artistically accompanying the presentation of a string of supposedly exciting local projects collectively fed into a climactic sense of unfettered possibility. But despite the room of inspired smiling faces, the film left me angry and frustrated. Some of the solutions documented were not fundamentally objectionable themselves; these ranged from permaculture and guerrilla gardening, to local currencies and renewable energy. However, others were more problematic. The film’s endorsement of slave labour (prisoners working for free – sorry, for ‘skills’ – manufacturing solar panels) was especially jarring. Additionally, devoting the entire ‘education’ section to glorifying Finland’s state education system; fetishising small business; and pining for Athenian ‘democracy’ did not sit comfortably. Especially so as none of the solutions proposed were subject to any critical interrogation, with none of the inevitable contradictions exposed or discussed. But all of these examples were uncomfortably transplanted into the films simplistic narrative that lots of things are happening in local communities, more need to happen, and you can do it. Many have praised the film’s optimism and inspiration to its viewers, but it felt as though its commitment to that mission trumped any critical discussion of what a coherent, holistic alternative would look like. Indeed, the film lacked a rigorous politics or even an argument. My overarching frustration came from the disconnect between the globally growing plethora of local projects and the general worsening of our collective situation: runaway climate change, rising neo-fascism, strengthening borders, widening inequalities to name a few. If, as the film suggests, more local alternative projects (started by you, the viewer!) means an improving situation, why are things still getting worse? This gaping inconsistency was not addressed. It is important to recognise that, in places like Detroit where water is contaminated and it is almost impossible to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, guerrilla gardening is of huge significance to the sustenance of communities there. However, to valorise these ‘solutions’ as enough is to ignore that they do not address the root causes of the violences experienced by the people of Detroit. Local currencies do not and have not challenged the power of multinationals. Small businesses are not a vehicle to end capitalism. As fine as these things are, the film lacked a politics of how to connect them to a bigger struggle to transform the way our society, politics, and economics work. We won’t create a global alternative to capitalism by ignoring it, because it’s too powerful and dynamic. Without a cogent analysis of who has power; how, where, and why they wield it; and how we can take it from them, films like Tomorrow will only ever leave audiences with a fleeting feeling of inspiration, never channelled into productive struggle for a long-lasting world beyond capitalism of climate and social justice and collective liberation.
By Chris Saltmarsh When it comes to the future, we often swim in an ocean of frightening news and predictions trying to make us painfully aware of what humanity has done to the planet. Instead of awakening our collective consciousness and helping us mobilise, the most predominant narrative of our day-to-day conversations, the media and, to an extent, the arts, tends to leave us feeling guilty, hopeless, helpless, or, even worse, desensitize us all together. Against this bleak background, Demain (2015) emerges as a potent ball of light, drawing from stories of people around the world, from all walks of life, who have successfully tackled social, economic and environmental issues in their communities. After clearly explaining the scale and urgency of the interwoven challenges that we face globally, Demain (2015) documents the process behind these successful examples, completing the first pages of what I would call A Manual for Saving Life on Earth. The people behind these projects share not only their motives, but also techniques and principles, most often, in enough detail to empower the viewer to replicate the initiative in their own community. This is how I have learned what makes an effective permaculture garden and how, after getting the money needed for investment, of course, it benefits both the environment and the profits. While keeping the focus on the power of ordinary citizens, this documentary also includes examples of politicians and big businesses who have implemented renewable energy systems. Seeing how they not only encourage the green conscience of citizens but actually put their money where their mouth is, even to the extent of stating that “when nations fail apparently citizens have to take over” may come as a pleasant surprise to someone like me who has long lost trust in state institutions and CEOs. Another aspect that touched me was the soundtrack. Serene and positive, yet powerful and motivating, it matches the overall ambience of the film and aids in the smooth transition between the chapters and places that we’re invited to experience within these two hours. Out of its five themes (food, energy, economy, democracy and education) education stood out to me. As somebody with a BA in Psychology and a strong interest in early life stress and its effects, I applaud the example of alternative education system used in this film. I believe that it is especially powerful as it considers the importance of play, attachment and multifaceted support in early years, without which we would be ignoring the healthy development of the entire society. When talking about democracy, capitalism is quickly mentioned in the context of Iceland’s fight against corruption, though there are no suggestions for an alternative to capitalism upon acknowledging of the Icelandic citizens’ failed reform attempts. In regards to economy, I was excited to learn about alternative currencies currently in use and how communities self-organise and become less dependent on the state, though those living below the poverty line were ignored.
Despite these last two points, I highly encourage you to go and watch this film and see why humanity is not doomed to drown in resignation, disappointment and alienation, and let yourself inspired by what we can achieve when we care about people and the planet. By Raluca de Soleil By Ruby Lee Let’s start with a little background info… In South Wales near the town of Merthyr Tydfil, Miller Argent – a mining company – plan to create a second open-cast coal mine at Nant Llesg, right next to their existing one, Ffos-yy-fran. We needed to fight against the construction of this proposed new coal mine, but this was part of the greater fight against the dirty fossil fuel industry. And so, the “End Coal Now” action camp was set up by Reclaim the Power to support the amazing work already done by the United Valleys Action Group against Miller Argent. This was to be the first action of the 2016 Break Free movement: two weeks of actions across the world to end coal. So far, 5 million tonnes of coal have been extracted from Ffosy-fran, with the end total on course to be 11 million tonnes. But this is not enough for Miller Argent, who want to create another open-cast coal mine in Nant Llesg, right next door to Ffos-y-fran, with the aim to excavate 6 million additional tonnes. The company supplies coal to a coal-fired power station in South Wales called Aberthaw Power Station. Miller Argent are still pushing for the expansion even though Aberthaw are going to be reducing their consumption of coal as they are pushed to turn to biomass as part of the governments renewable energy obligation (even though we know biofuels don’t really count as true renewable energy!). So why are Miller Argent looking for more coal when they will have nowhere to sell most of it to? Its only concern is growth regardless of the devastation it will cause to the environment and landscape. We know that 80% of known fossil fuels needed to stay in the ground to keep global average temperature rises below the catastrophic 2oC increase. How can this be possible when we continue to extract and burn more of the dirtiest fossil fuels? The adventure begins… So on the 30th of March a contingent from People & Planet Sheffield set off to South Wales, with a few more P&Pers to meet us on the Monday. For most of us this was our first proper action camp, for others it was their first mass direct action! When we arrived we were greeted by the skeleton of what was soon to become home to almost 400 people for few days. But as we were all members of the crew, it was going to be a joint effort to set it up and make it magnificent. First we ate lunch provided for us by Veggies who catered for us the whole week; a vegan non-profit catering company from Nottingham that support many animals rights and environmental campaigns, and who’s food is INCREDIBLE (the best vegan cakes EVER too!). And then it was all hands on deck as everyone got to work putting up our wind turbine, making the compost toilets, gathering firewood and putting up marquees. Within a few hours, the empty field surrounded by slag heaps from the neighbouring mine, was up and running and buzzing with life as more and more people began to arrive and get involved. That evening was our first meeting of many to follow. There were one or two a day, all following the structure of consensus decision making. From then on the weekend was filled with workshops and performances from groups including Biofuels Watch, The Coal Action Network, Grow Heathrow and Plane Stupid just to name a few. Solidarity Sunday involved coach loads of members of the camp going to the little community hall in the village of Fochriw to meet the locals. This meant we could listen to their experiences of the mine, learn about the history of the area and where they see the future to lead with the possibility of a transition to more green jobs. In how the coach had to make two journeys, and another minibus travelling down later to join, just displays how important and enthusiastic people were in working in solidarity with the local community. Solidarity Sunday didn’t stop there, as later in the evening at camp we were joined by speakers from across the globe to tell us about their own struggles with the fossil fuel industry. Monday consisted of mainly working with our affinity groups to ensure that we were ready to carry out our ‘secret missions’ for the next day. We all also had the necessary direct action training and legal briefing as a precautionary measure so that we were prepared for anything that could happen! TUESDAY: DAY OF ACTION. 7:30am, we’re off! The 3 blocs split off heading in different directions to enter the coal mine. Dressed head to toe in red boiler suits, being led by a big puppet red dragon, our narrative was clear: the burning of coal as a fossil fuel is a red line for the climate that should not be crossed the planet is to remain liveable and just. We enter the coal mine chanting and singing. Security monitor us but did not attempt to stop us. The activists in arm tubes lying in the track of where the diggers access the mine are met with great praise for being so valiant and having been there since before dawn. Then the first two of the groups meet. We hang banners from the dumper trucks, we climb on top of them, we play games and we dance. Then when the third bloc is in location, we move further in to the dark pitt of the black coal mine to meet them and bring it to life; full of colour, music, singing and power. Now at the bottom of the mine, the celebration is in full swing. The coal mine that is usually in operation from 6am till 10pm has been halted of all work due to our presence. We showed the patrolling security that we had claimed this space and that we were stronger than them. How did we show them this? Obviously by playing volley ball with the giant inflatable cubes over a banner that was hung between two giant diggers and playing football and other games while dancing around to music (including the occasional bit of Dolly Parton). Over 300 people were having fun, ecstatic that we had successfully closed down the mine. Even when it started to rain, it didn’t dampen our moods as we all tucked underneath a digger and had a little rave. Squashed and making sure we didn’t bang our heads, we had a “rave under the machine”. Then came the real visual moment when we made our message clear and all 300+ of us formed a huge red line across the coal mine with our bodies and banners. The incredible drone footage shows the colossal scale of the mine but also the mass strength of us as people standing out against the black scar in the earth and standing up, united against the fossil fuel industry. From then half the people headed back to camp while the other half stayed around. The police decided to send in around 50 officers, yet luckily no one was arrested. Negotiations were made and everyone left peacefully at around 7 o’clock. The day had been a success: the mine stopped operation for a whole day. There was no way they could start work again now! On returning to the site everyone was greeted with a crowd of people congratulating them and LOTS of hugs were given. So… what else was there to do but to celebrate our victory with a hilarious debrief fuelled by a shared electric energy from everyone on camp (and a bit of alcohol from the bar). The party continued with everyone dancing and jumping around to the sound of anarchic ska-punk band Bolshy! What did this week teach me? Living for 5 days in a community where everyone is treated equally, built on the foundations of love and respect, displayed to me that an alternative way to live was possible. It is possible to live in a way that doesn’t encourage individualism through the destructive construct of capitalism. Camps like this, along with the amazing people within them, are a great example of what is possible. It’s also a vibrant hub for education and learning: people want to share their knowledge and feelings and it’s so inclusive! The workshops are interactive but even when you just met some random person over the bonfire at night, you learn so much from their experiences and hear so many inspirational stories. Importantly, this week demonstrated how an individual or a small group of people can be the spark to ignite something huge! UVAG was set up by a few people who wanted to unite South Wales against Miller Argent and their mines and look where it is now! Hundreds of people have joined their fight and if it wasn’t for those few initial people, none of this would have been possible. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE AT UVAG. This mass direct action is an example of how the power is within the hands of the people; we have the power to intimidate and stop these greedy corporations that exploit us, frontline communities, the global south, and the planet. We cannot rely upon our governments to serve us in a way that respects the environment, as we have already seen from their feeble attempt to uphold their promises from the Paris agreements. If they aren’t willing to lead us to a more sustainable future, then WE will lead the way and make THEM follow US. We need to join together to fight for our people and our planet. UNTIL WE WIN! In November 2015 the University of Sheffield committed to divesting from fossil fuel companies after 2 years of valiant campaigning by Sheffield People & Planet. Though we celebrated our university joining the global movement to strip the fossil fuel industry of its social license to profit from the climate crisis, this move is not enough – it must only be the beginning. We decided as a group, by consensus, that Sheffield's Fossil Free campaign should move on to tackle the University's research links with fossil fuel companies. Though we still don't have a full picture of how much money, and from whom, the University receives from the industry to fund research, we know that Shell are donors and the Department of Animal and Plant Sciences are recipients. We think that ending fossil funded research is an extension of the logic of divestment. Fossil Fuel companies continue to be able to perpetuate and profit from climate change because they are afforded a social license to do so. This means that as a society, we are content with the industry acting as they wish. That social license is consolidated by reputable public institutions, like our University, when they maintain links with the industry whether that's through financial investments or researching on their behalf. We are part of a global movement to challenge the power and influence of the fossil fuel industry, and the University of Sheffield can play an important part in the assault on the industry's legitimacy by severing all ties with it. Just as it removed its financial investments from fossil fuel companies, it must refuse to conduct research on their behalf. Climate change is a continuation of the historic violences of capitalism and colonialism. It is indicative of the abusive relationship between the Global North and South. As the Global North profits and 'develops', the Global South (and historically colonised indigenous peoples) are left on the front lines of climate change, feeling its most severe effects first and worst. Front line communities and indigenous activists around the world are calling for us to keep fossil fuels in the ground. Climate chaos is already being wreaked and people are already living insecure and precarious lives, but this is the only way we can avoid even more catastrophic climate change. By accepting funding from the very industry that drives climate change, the University of Sheffield is actively contributing to the production of knowledge that will support the industry in their attempts to prolong their ability to profit from fossil fuel extraction for as long as possible. Whether that is by researching 'efficient' methods of extraction, or greenwashing research into 'sustainable energy' that simply seeks to strengthen that increasingly tarnished reputations of fossil fuel barons, fossil-funded research is co2lonialist and cannot be part of a move towards climate justice. The production of co2lonialist, extractivist knowledge is a false solution and it must be opposed. So the demand of the new campaign is simple. The University of Sheffield must immediately stop accepting any new funding for research from any of the top 200 fossil fuel companies, and must not renew any existing funding after it expires. Researching on behalf of fossil fuel industries, contributing to the production of co2lonial knowledge is a red line which cannot be crossed in the fight against climate catastrophe. Fossil Free in Sheffield is back, and we're not going away. UNTIL WE WIN! Please sign our petition to get the University of Sheffield to cut all ties with the fossil fuel industry, including research for funding - https://campaigns.gofossilfree.org/petitions/fossil-free-research?source=facebook-share-button&time=1461949495 By Chris Saltmarsh VICTORY !! We did it !! The University of Sheffield has committed to go fossil free !!
On Monday 30th November, the University of Sheffield officially announced that they will divest their £39 million endowment funds from fossil fuels within the next academic year http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/nr/statement-climate-change-fossil-free-investment-keith-burnett-student-union-1.529775 and http://forgetoday.com/press/university-to-divest-from-fossil-fuels/ This announcement occurred at a key time, just before the COP21 Climate Talks in Paris. Through divestment, 19 Universities in the UK sent a clear message to those inside the conference that the power and influence of the fossil fuel industry is unwelcome in the negociations. A fossil free world can - and must - become a reality. The University of Sheffield going fossil free is an absolutely incredible achievement: the commitment, passion, and resourcefulness of the People & Planet Sheffield group over the past two years and a half - and the amazing support you have all shown – have enabled us all to make a difference in the global movement to tackle climate change. And we even made it to BBC News http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-34967316 Thank you to all of you who supported our campaign just over a month ago hitting the uni with your tweets, phone calls and emails. Thank you to the University Executive Board and Finance managers for having responded to our concerns about the University’s investments. Thank you to the 2423 students and staff who took action in Sheffield. And thank you to the 91% of people who voted for divestment in our public Divestment Debate in October. We have made change happen. People power works. And these smiles are not going to come off our faces for a good while now [add the Forge photo] People & Planet Sheffield’s campaigns are not stopping here. Divestment can only be the beginning of the fight for climate justice. Last week, we joined many other People & Planet groups across the UK and headed to Paris, to make sure our voices were heard by those negociating climate targets and our future in the COP21 conference. The new COP21 climate deals (again) fail to address climate change issues effectively or justly. But the powerful and inspiring actions of all the diverse groups which gathered in Paris showed that the grassroots fight for climate justice is real, and is only going to continue growing in strength and passion – we are taking this into our hands! |
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