RBS is holding its Annual General Meeting in Edinburgh on 28th April 2010.  But we are not invited, despite being the majority shareholder. We want RBS to listen to the public, so we are holding an RBS Public Shareholder Meeting at the Mercure Point Hotel, Bread St, Edinburgh at 6:00pm, on the same day, which anyone can attend.

The event will be chaired by Sunday Herald environment correspondent, Rob Edwards; we’ll have inspirational speakers representing indigenous communities around the world who are suffering the direct effects of RBS’s dirty investments, as well as representatives of the renewables industry that RBS currently underfunds:

Speakers:

• ERIEL TCHEKWIE DERANGER, First Nations tribe member from Canada
• SIMON CHAMBERS, Documentary-maker and campaigner
• RICHARD GAULD, Founder and MD of Orkney Sustainable Energy
• KEVIN SMITH, Climate & Finance Campaigner, PLATFORM

We want you – the public owners of RBS – to submit your own Motions for discussion.  Send us your suggestions for how RBS could become the Royal Bank of Sustainability and how you’d like to see your money invested for good.  We’ll vote on the motions at the meeting and send the winning ones to the UK Government and the Board of RBS. Read motions submitted so far here.

This event is organised by SEAD  Amnesty International Scotland, Friends of the Earth Scotland, People & Planet, Platform and the World Development Movement.

The event is free and open to everyone, but please register below if you want to come along.

If you want to get further involved on the day why not join the ‘public shareholders’ protest outside the RBS AGM (12 noon, Edinburgh International Conference Centre). Wear your smart suit; we are now shareholders after all! Find out more.

“We are seeing a terrifyingly high rate of cancer in Fort Chipewyan where I live. We are convinced that these cancers are linked to the Tar Sands development on our doorstep. It is shortening our lives. That’s why we no longer call it ‘dirty oil’ but ‘bloody oil’. The blood of Fort Chipewyan people is on these companies’ hands.” –  George Poitras, former chief of Mikisew Cree First Nation.

The higher oil prices in recent years have meant that it’s become a more attractive prospect for oil companies to expand their operations in the costly process of obtaining and processing the thick bitumen into a usable form. It’s estimated that the industry is looking for a capital investment of $120-$220 billion over the next 20 years to build the new pipelines, mines, refineries and upgraders that are necessary to sustain the boom.

This report looks at the role that UK banks are playing in providing the necessary capital, and how RBS, which is 84% owned by the UK public, has been the bank the most heavily involved in underwriting loans to companies engaging in tar sands extraction.

The report is written by Platform London in partnership with SEAD, Friends of the Earth Scotland, People & Planet, WDM, Bank Track, New Internationalist, Rainforest Action Network, Friends of the Earth Europe, Greenpeace, PiPLiNKS, Canadian Indigenous Tar Sands Campaign  and  Campagna per la riforma della Banca Mondiale.

Click here to download a copy of the full report. (PDF 2.1Mb)

At their first December meeting someone mentioned the phrase “Transition Town” and so, to find out what Transition Towns are all about, they went away and read the Transition Primer over the holidays. The Transition model of creating an energy descent plan, to reduce their communities’ dependence on fossil fuels, appealed to them. So in January they were all fired up to give it a go.

“We started showing movies once a month, first in private and then in the local hotel. We invited SEAD to give two excellent workshops, we also invited several local speakers and three people attended the Transition Training in Dundee in June. One person went to the Transition Conference in Cirencester in April and three people went to the Scottish gathering in July. All this networking has been instrumental in keeping the energy for the project going. All our events have been very well received, except possibly for one event which was all doom and gloom. Until now we’ve had between 10 and 50 people come to our different events and talks and we hold an email list of about 120 people now plus an allotment list of 70 people.”

“Tip: Always aim to have suggestions for solutions to enable people to keep their hopes up. Despair makes people lethargic whereas action is an antidote to despair.”

The Forres Transition Town group has derived a lot of strength from having a clear set of aims, allowing them to achieve a strong group and a clear plan of action in only one year.

“Our aims are to promote a sustainable and resilient local community along the principles of the Transition Town ethos. The Future can be even better than the past if we are in charge of the change that must happen to preserve our planet. Community cohesion and empowerment as well as community engagement is what drives us forward.”

With these clear aims, they’ve been able to take their project forward, get funding but still keep the wider community involved in deciding what happens in their locality.

“In late October we were awarded £184,119 from the Climate Challenge Fund for our community project of starting allotments, a farmers market and awareness raising over a two and a half year period. This is giving us the opportunity to prepare a Development or Business plan which we are doing through community consultations, interviews and several drop-in sessions. We are increasingly working together with other groups in our community and we take every opportunity to promote ourselves at community events. We are forming links with Moray Council and are now planning events together. We have full support from our Community Council, our Area Forum and Forres in Bloom.”

It hasn’t all been success, and as with all groups they have faced challenges, but by building links and drawing on their strengths they have found ways to overcome their setbacks.

“The main problem so far is time. To affect change is time consuming. We’ve been lucky to have several very dedicated people on our steering group and several people with experience of setting up companies before. Forres is a small town with an already good community spirit and a number of useful organisations in place, this has helped enormously. We have had a lot of support from SEAD, from the Climate Challenge Fund, from Transition Support Scotland and from our local newspaper.”

Forres’ top tips for communities starting out:

“Start small, grow organically, be sure to have fun and make sure you see your own skills no matter how small they might appear. Together we can shift mountains. Take advantage of existing official local partnerships, local Area Forums and Community Councils, etc. Build bridges and have fun.”

The Climate Challenge Fund was launched on 3 June 2008 by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment Richard Lochhead. The fund of £27.4 million over 3 years (2008-2011), is designed to enable communities to come forward with their own solutions to make a significant reduction in carbon emissions.

The fund was announced in the November 2007 Budget and sits alongside Scottish Government’s action on climate change to deliver an 80% reduction in Scottish emissions by 2050.

The Climate Challenge Fund is aimed at the community sector including community groups, schools, and not-for-profit organisations, and these groups may also be supported by NGOs, voluntary sector or local government partners.

Projects can involve a range of actions from helping communities to use less energy, walk and cycle more, to local sustainable food production. They can also have an environmental, social and economic dimension to the projects, that give people new skills, improve health, help them to work together or provide better community facilities, but carbon reduction must be at the heart of every proposal and the community at the centre of the decision making.

Climate Challenge Fund grants are primarily designed to help communities reduce their carbon emissions. That might mean planning and organising in the first instance, however will always mean taking direct action to reduce carbon emissions.

The projects funded will be expected to be ambitious in their work to reduce emissions, for example aiming for 30% reductions or more in carbon emissions over three years. However, priority will also be given to ideas that also help strengthen local economies, improve community cohesion, and other social objectives alongside making significant carbon emissions reductions.

The fund does not aim to target any specific or particular carbon reducing activities but the extent and sustainability of carbon reduction should be an important factor in which initiatives gain support.

The fund is supported by the ‘Climate Challenge Fund supporting alliance’ which is made up of a network of interested organisations that are able to provide a working network where communities and stakeholders can exchange good practice and learning. The alliance also aims to develop a shared sense of purpose amongst national stakeholder bodies in supporting the purpose and delivery of the Climate Challenge Fund, as well as to support Government’s work on evaluation of actions by Climate Challenge Fund communities in tackling climate change.

Perth and Kinross Carbon Reduction project

Comrie Development Trust to date has been awarded £299,650 over three years (2008-11) to launch a groundbreaking project to reduce the carbon footprint of the whole village, in partnership with Perth & Kinross Council and Scottish and Southern Energy Company. Part of this will be rolled out through Alyth and Letham in a street-by-street insulation and energy efficiency project. If successful, this model could have the potential to be adopted and rolled out across many communities in Scotland.

Wider village action will be complimented by the sustainable development of the community owned 90 acres of land at Cultybraggan Army Camp. The land gives the opportunity to create green buildings for local workspace and manufacturing, allotments for local food production and leisure and recreation opportunities.

For further information on the Climate Challenge Fund, please visit: www.infoscotland.com/climatechallengefund

Getting Started

As the two members of the Alyth community were illustrating the banner with rain and sunshine, to take on the Make Poverty History march, they discussed how it would be best to get people to change their lifestyles to reduce their carbon footprints. They decided that individuals often feel it is not worthwhile if no one else is bothering, and that a community project would have much more impact. People would feel that their efforts were less futile and governments would take more notice of communities’ efforts than those of individuals. Alyth is a very, very community minded town so it seemed like the perfect place.

The first event was an Energy Saving Fair in one of the town halls. Since then there has been a showing of An Inconvenient Truth and an infra-red survey of home efficiency with an exhibition in the hall, sponsored by Scottish Hydro. The most successful events have had something to attract children, and thus their parents.

Future Plans

They now have a whole host of new projects planned. One is a street by street home efficiency survey. Another is a transport and hot office survey. They are hoping to reduce and rationalise commuting from Alyth partly by encouraging employers to hire space in a hot office in Alyth. The third idea is to put on a play! The play has been written by a member of the committee. It is a musical romantic comedy set in a house in Alyth where the occupant is struggling against his own inertia about reducing energy use in his life.

Alyth’s top tips for communities starting out

Be visible and active, don’t preach, be light hearted, offer free stuff and entertain the children!

An update from Poznan

The lack of progress to emerge from last month’s 14th UN Climate Change Conference in Poznan has been widely criticised by environmental groups, with developed nations enduring the heaviest criticism. Oxfam has argued that the leaders of developed countries “were meant to have submitted proposals on emissions reductions, finance and technology; they have failed to do so. They have tried to delay, shift the blame…on their climate change obligations.” This disappointing result at Poznan has led many groups and individuals to pledge to redouble their campaigning efforts in the lead up to the next round of talks at Copenhagen in November.

The talks in Poland were an important mid point in a three year process to renegotiate the Kyoto Protocol: the international agreement that commits developed nations to long term reductions in their carbon emissions. If no new agreement is made by the end of the next UN Climate Change Conference, then the world will be left with no binding international agreement committed to reducing carbon emissions and tackling climate change when the Kyoto protocol runs out in 2012. Christian Aid has argued that this means the Copenhagen talks are “probably the last chance the world has to keep global temperature rises below 2°C.” The need for action is clear.

With such high stakes, the Poznan conference brought little comfort. There still isn’t any agreement on what long-term climate goals the international community should strive for: whether to agree on a maximum acceptable temperature rise, or a maximum acceptable increase in the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere. The EU agreed to derive 20% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, but this still falls short of the 25-40% cuts in CO2 that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says is necessary by 2020 to avoid irreversible climate change.

One aspect of the talks in Poznan that has been heralded as positive by environmental groups is the establishment of climate change mitigation funds, to help developing countries defend themselves against the worst effects of climate change. Yet so far most of the money dedicated to these funds has been redirected from existing aid packages. One major aspect of environmental campaigning in the run-up to Copenhagen will making sure the developed world commit to a mitigation package that has a meaningful effect on the developing world.

The road to Copenhagen

In light of the urgent need for international action on climate change, and the stuttering progress of Poznan talks, many campaigning groups are beginning the process of mobilising for large scale grassroots action in the run-up and during the Copenhagen summit.

Christian Aid have already begun mobilising under the banner of their ‘Countdown to Copenhagen’ campaign. They want as many people as possible to take their Copenhagen pledge, promising to: Campaign for a fair and just deal in Copenhagen, lobby the richest to repay their carbon debt and reduce their personal carbon footprint. You can sign the Copenhagen pledge online.

The Stop Climate Chaos coalition are focusing on the UK government, asking them to show leadership to keep global warming under 2 degrees C. They’re also demanding that the government makes renewable energy the no. 1 energy choice, says no to unabated coal and like Christian Aid, they demand that the government pay up for climate justice by putting sufficient money into climate mitigation funds to help the world’s poor. They’ll have a mass petition in the run-up to the talks and a mass physical mobilisation during the Copenhagen talks themselves. You can keep up to date on these developments on their website at: http://www.stopclimatechaos.org

Other groups have rejected the idea that lobbying world leaders for a strong treaty at Copenhagen will have any effect, arguing that inter-governmental summits are unlikely to produce strong or egalitarian ways to solve climate change. The Danish organisation KlimaX has rejected the possibility of lobbying, arguing that the “underlying cause of the climate crisis is the markets constant need for growth and consumption” and seeing the world’s governments as part of this problem. They have called for groups to join them in taking direct action to make their voices heard. You can read the KlimaX call to action here: http://klimax2009.org/?p=33

Its clear that a whole variety of groups, and organisations have realised that 2009 is a critical year for the future of our planet, and that there’ll be plenty to get involved in over the coming year.

The New Economics Foundation (NEF) published their “Green New Deal” report last July and have done some influential lobbying. Instead of a credit crunch, they speak of a “triple crunch” of economics, environment and energy, and suggest ways to stabilise then reform the situation. The report speaks a lot of sense. It wants better regulation of the financial system and taxes, and massive long-term investment in renewable energy and energy conservation.

What is assumed here? Firstly, that it’s the excesses of the system, rather than the basic logic of capitalism, which caused the crisis – something up for debate within our movement. Secondly, that healing the biosphere can drive our economies. This idea is useful when it produces change, but destructive if used to avoid the fact that our whole social structure needs to change, not just what the rich invest in.

So what questions should we as campaigners be asking as Green New Deals become policy?

Are these policy changes isolated or holistic?

We certainly need a revolution in heat and power as the report suggests. To make the revolutionary changes we need, much more investment is required however, sustained over decades, and it must replace not compliment coal and gas.

Are they seeing the big picture?

This crisis might be new to us, but globalisation has always been an economic, social and environmental catastrophe for most of the world’s people. Neal Ascherson describes Scotland’s industrialisation as a hurricane, which tore up whole societies and ecosystems. In the storm’s eye, or perhaps behind the levees, a lot of money was made. Outside the levees, from Sudan to Niddrie, the scale of the problem has always been apparent. Now with every kind of resource collapsing under the strain of exploitation, the hurricane is coming ashore. In other words, change will be massive whether we plan for it or not. So we need bigger plans than this.

Do changes go deep enough?

The Green New Deals from Washington to Seoul are something of a change from the economics of the boom times, when whatever the problem, the solution was the market. Now Government intervention is back. However, a few big investments by themselves don’t constitute creative new thinking. They are still about how business-as-usual might weather the storms, disregarding the scientific consensus that it cannot.

It’s still up to us!

This year has seen radical rhetoric; we must ensure it is accompanied by radical changes. Investment in green energy, along with Scotland’s Climate Challenge Fund, are important steps in the right direction. Now is the crucial time for communities and workers to use green funding to get creative, with much more radical changes of our own.

To read the New Economics Foundation’s Green New Deal report, go to: http://www.neweconomics.org/gen/greennewdealneededforuk210708.aspx

Film: AGE of STUPID to be released in March 2009

The Age of Stupid is the new movie from Director Franny Armstrong (McLibel) and producer John Battsek (One Day In September). Pete Postlethwaite stars as a man living alone in the devastated future world of 2055, looking at old footage from 2008 and asking: why didn’t we stop climate change when we had the chance? It will be released in UK cinemas on 20 March 2009, and subsequently in other global locations.

Find out more here: http://www.ageofstupid.net

Wake Up, Freak Out – Then Get a Grip

This 12 minute animation clip explains and demystifies how the earth’s positive feedback systems work, leading to a much faster rate of climate change than we previously expected – and points to an even more urgent need for action. Note: its not one to watch as a pick-me-up if you’re feeling down about climate change!

You can watch the film at: http://www.wakeupfreakout.org

Win £20,000 with the Future Friendly Awards

Do you know any unsung heroes who’ve taken positive action to live more sustainably, and persuaded others to change the way they live too? If any groups or individuals spring to mind, then you could nominate them for the Future Friendly Awards, giving them the chance to win £20,000 to spend on consultancy and development of their sustainability projects. The deadline for nominations is Friday 23 January 2009.

For more information visit: http://www.futurefriendly.co.uk/awards

The Highland LEADER Fund

This EU fund is dedicated to revitalising highland communities. Constituted community groups, social enterprises and micro-businesses are eligible for the fund, and themes they are interested in include renewables and learning opportunities. They are especially interested in funding projects that target specific groups including young people, the under employed and migrant workers.

For more information on the fund, visit http://www.highlandleader.com/funding

Transition Scotland Support

Transition Scotland Support exists to support and develop a national network for communities who want to use the Transition model to tackle climate change and peak oil. If you want to find out more, contact Transitionscotland.org, or click here to go on the mailing list.

On Monday the 15th of December communities that will be most affected by the national planning framework developments were outside the Scottish parliament calling for a halt to the NPF process until they have been consulted properly.

An evaluation of the consultation taken from a community perspective published by Clare Symonds states that the consultation process has not been carried out properly and has not achieved the standards required by the Government. It asks that the consultation process be reviewed and carried out again because it does not comply with the participation statement, which it is required to do according to the 2006 Planning Act.

Symonds, the author of the report said “The consultation process was not aimed at people whose lives will be affected by the developments but at business and people who know about the planning system. Most people have never heard of the NPF, yet it is the most important and influential planning document in Scotland. It is the duty of the Government to make people aware of its existence and give them a chance to have their views heard”.

Tam Brady who lives in Clydebank and will be affected by one of the 12 proposed national developments; “the expansion of Glasgow airport will have a massive effect on my life with the noise and air pollution it creates. I am not an expert in the planning system. We have taken part in all sorts of meetings and discussions, but we never heard about this document and how important it was”.

NPF2 threatens Scottish Action on Climate Change

The NPF 2 contains proposed national developments, which includes expansion of the high emission, carbon heavy industries. The development of which will put the targets set by the Climate Change Bill in great jeopardy and will have a very negative impact on our efforts in our communities to tackle climate change.

If you have not been consulted on the NPF 2 then please take action now.
For more information contact Clare Symonds at claresymonds@yahoo.com
Download the report [262KB PDF]

The Scottish event kicked off at the Amphitheatre on Clyde Street, on a sunny winter’s day, with samba beats and performance from the Glasgow Rebel Clown Army. The demonstrators then marched through Glasgow city centre, carrying banners and placards saying ‘It’s Time to Walk the Climate Talk’, ‘Stop Airport Expansion’, ‘Deliver a strong Scottish Climate Bill’ and chanting the slogan ‘Plan it for the Planet, Just Solutions Now’.

The march ended at Glasgow Caledonian University with music from ‘Protest in Harmony’ and speeches delivered by a range of campaigners, academics and trade unionists including: Billy Boyd, founder of Earth First! Scotland, Prof. Sue Roaf, internationally acclaimed eco-architect and Richard Leonard, GMB Scotland Political Officer.

After the rally, workshops gave demonstrators the opportunity to gain new campaigning skills. World Development Movement and Plane Stupid shared skills for political lobbying, whilst SEAD and Transition Towns offered the space for discussing ideas and getting support for community action to tackle climate change.

The event was organised by the Scottish Climate Change Campaign (SCCC), a group of activists that came together in response to the call for the Global Day of Action. SCCC will continue planning activities aiming to build a strong movement to tackle climate change across Scotland, in the run-up to the next round of international negotiations in Copenhagen, November 2009. These important talks are expected to reach a new global climate deal to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.

During the December 6th day of action, protesters from around the world were demanding that world leaders and their UN representatives take urgent action to prevent the catastrophic destabilisation of the global climate. The Global Climate Campaign urged for the entire world to ‘move as rapidly as possible to a stronger emissions reductions treaty which is both equitable and effective in minimising dangerous climate change.’

In Scotland, protesters were also calling on the Scottish Parliament to adopt a strong Climate Bill that would put the country at the forefront of the drive to bring down emissions and ensure climate justice for those in developing countries who are the most threatened by climate change.

To be kept up to date with SCCC activities and/or added to the discussion e-group, please email contact.sccc@googlemail.com or write to them at:

Scottish Climate Change Campaign
c/o Peace and Justice Centre
St John’s Church
Princes Street
Edinburgh EH2 4BJ

You can see some footage of the march on Youtube