Normally Manchester (the clue is in the name) Climate Monthly steers clear of London-based protests. Why this exception then? Blame it on nostalgia; In January 2006 (almost a decade ago!!) there was the first organising meeting for “Camp for Climate Action”, here in Manchester (at MERCi). The site and ‘target’ of that first camp was Drax Power Station. Drax – predictably enough – is in far better shape than the climate movement. So it goes…
This EARTH DAY pull the plug on the UK’s Dirtiest Power Station! #AXEDRAX!
Join Biofuelwatch, London Mining Network, Fuel Poverty Action and more in London, 11.00-13.00, onWednesday 22 April at the Drax AGM, the Grocer’s Hall, Princes St, EC2R 8AD, for a lively protest to expose and oppose burning biomass and coal.
At 13.00 we will decamp to DECC with as many banners as we can and deliver an international NGO letter demanding DECC stop subsidising burning trees and coal in the name of renewable energy and carbon saving.
#AXEDRAX will unite Coal and Biomass campaigners with others who believe that UK energy policy is stupid and unjust.
For forests, communities and the climate, it’s time to #AXEDRAX!
Tell us you’re coming at biofuelwatch@ymail.com
Spread the word: https://www.facebook.com/events/318444765019328/
See www.axedrax.org.uk
Join the London Biomassive https://www.facebook.com/LondonBiomassive to plan and do.
Here’s a blog I did for Fuel Poverty Action.
‘RENEWABLES’ SUBSIDISE THE BURNING OF MORE COAL!
Drax has recently become the biggest burner of wood (biomass) to generate electricity in the world.
It claims this is for environmental reasons. But without biomass Drax would have had to close because of failure to meet EU sulphur pollution regulations (according to Vince Cable). Government renewable energy subsidies will extend the coal burning life of this dinosaur till 2027. This is neither renewable nor low carbon!
From 2016 Drax Power Station stands to get £660m year to burn imported trees, driving deforestation, biodiversity loss, toxic local pollution and increased climate emissions. DECCs own Biomass Carbon Calculator shows that some of their feedstock is up to 3 times worse than coal when all the emissions associated with logging are taken into account. So this meets neither climate nor conservation, nor pollution, nor energy security goals.
It does however meet our EU Renewable Energy Targets of 15% of primary energy from renewables by 2020 which are completely, idiotically, decoupled from carbon saving or energy efficiency targets! It also helps ‘keep the lights on’ – that old-think phrase that presupposes that current demand must be met rather than reduced. But it is a colossal waste of money and energy.
WE DIDN’T NEED DRAX
When Drax was built campaigners calculated that the capital investment could insulate East Anglia, saving the amount of energy Drax would produce every year. Yet Drax was built to waste energy for 40 years. History is about to repeat itself.
WE DON’T NEED DRAX
According to International Energy Agency figures if we spent Drax’s £660m a year subsidy on energy saving instead we could remove the need for Drax in 5 years! People would be warmer, healthier and better off; the country would need less energy making it more energy secure and easier to supply with domestic renewables; fossil fuels and forests would remain unburnt, the latter helping mop up other emissions. You’d have thought this would be a clear vote winner but politicians consistently fail to act on energy saving and demand reduction.
STOP SUBSIDISING NONSENSE.
Biofuelwatch argues that Environmentally Harmful Subsidies should cease and renewable energy should be redefined to exclude those that do more harm than good such as bio-energy and waste for energy. The government has done some of the science but is dragging its feet on implementing it as policy. But it recently removed some of the so called ‘grandfathering’ which guarantees subsidies till a certain date even if it turns out to be doing more harm than good. And the science is more and more showing that to be the case.
#AXEDRAX
Drax Power Station has led the way for the industry, lobbying, greenwashing, converting and building the necessary infrastructure and clearcutting hugely biodiverse native forests in the southern US and Canada. Drax exemplifies much that is wrong with UK energy policy and renewable energy subsidies.
So we are joining with coal and energy campaigners to tell DECC to
#AXEDRAX now and use the money saved to rethink the way that we do energy, moving beyond burning.
Join us on
Wednesday 22 April, 11.00-13.00 at the Drax AGM, Grocer’s Hall, Princes St, EC2R 8AD, and then at DECC to expose and oppose all the players in this dangerous false solution! This EARTH DAY pull the plug on the UK’s Dirtiest Power Station.
#AXEDRAX.ORG.UK
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Was print format from 2012 to 13. Now web only. All things climate and resilience in (Greater) Manchester.
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