PN: Can we halt runaway climate change without overthrowing capitalism?
EJ: It’s interesting that you talk about overthrowing capitalism because I think there’s a commonly used expression—overthrowing or dismantling or smashing—and I think that can sometimes be a little bit inaccurate about the nature of capitalism, which is a social relationship, an economic relationship that we are all participating in and reproducing on a daily basis. So I liked John Holloway’s description of how…
PN: In your view, can we halt runaway climate change without overthrowing capitalism? If not, why not? Or, if we can, why do you think that is possible?
MA: In theory, yes – capitalism has a built in drive to accumulate – and a structural incapacity to count effects on the environment into market valuations. So left to its own, with regulation, etc., it is not just incredibly harmful and destructive of human potentials, productive of poverty, and so on – but it also so violates the…
A careful new report from CND demonstrates that replacing the Trident nuclear weapons submarine system will actually cost more jobs than it generates, and that cancelling the project gives Britain a golden opportunity to use its industrial skills for a green economy.
Recent weeks have seen a furious struggle within the military establishment, as the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has struggled to plan for the 10%-20% cuts being demanded. Because the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition…
The Climate Nine activists associated with Plane Stupid who closed down Aberdeen airport back in March 2009 have received their sentences. They were found guilty of a breach of the peace at Aberdeen sheriff court, where they had faced up to five years in prison, but instead received fines of up to £700.
Expert witnesses testified that urgent and direct action is necessary to stop runaway climate change and that the aviation industry, as one of the fastest growing sources of CO2…
On 12 September, 40 climate activists occupied a new site in Happendon Wood, South Lanarkshire, Scotland to set up the Happendon Wood Action Camp (THWAC), to help defend the wood from destruction by Scottish Coal.
The Scottish Resources Group (SRG), which owns Scottish Coal, have applied for planning permission for a mixed-use development on this land (which is in an area of Great Landscape Value) in the Douglas Valley, but they intend to mine the area first.
It is…
On 12 August, environmental protesters stopped the giant oil company Shell from drilling a borehole in the sea near Rosslare in south-east Ireland. A bagpiper and drummer led local people and Shell to Sea campers in a low-tide march to one of the drilling rigs where they danced around the drill casing, then huddled round in a group hug, effectively shutting down the drill until late in the afternoon when security guards forcibly removed the remaining huggers.
Meanwhile Shell to Sea…
At dawn on 31 August, four Greenpeace protesters in speed boats evaded a flotilla of armed Danish navy and police boats in Baffin Bay, and climbed an oil rig owned by Cairn Energy, to demand that the company end its dangerous drilling in the Arctic. After 40 hours' occupation, shutting down the rig, harsh weather forced the activists to descend from the hanging tents they had erected under the platform. They were then arrested.
See www.greenpeace.…
On 14 August, South Wales Police prevented a national disaster by the skin of their teeth. Against all odds, a force of just a few hundred officers, supported only by riot vans, helicopters, horses and dogs, broke up a camp of some 25 hardened environmentalists, many (one) sporting dreadlocks.
A spokesman for South Wales Police, chief constable “Nick-Nick” Crafty, said: “It is unbelievable what these enviro-MENTALISTS were up to. They had driven tent-pegs into the ground on the site…
The Global Climate Campaign is the collective name given to all the organisations, groups and individuals around the world who come together for the Global Day of Action on climate, this year set for 4 December.
The day of action has occurred every year since 2005 at the time of the annual United Nations Talks on climate change (the COP or “Conference of Parties” to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). The “World People's Conference on Climate Change and the…
“Give me the directions. There’s loads of people here”, the kilted figure said into his mobile phone, turning to us to make an announcement: “They’ve taken the site and need as many people there as quickly as possible. I’ll take you.” At 10pm it was still 14 hours before activists were scheduled to take the site for the 2010 Climate Camp, but after a gruelling 12-hour journey on the Megabus we had finally made it to Edinburgh’s Forest Café.
Unfortunately, our guide had overestimated…
Responding to a call by the Latin American network “Global Minga” for an annual day of action in defence of mother earth on 12 October, reclaiming the day that used to be imposed as “Columbus Day”, the international network Climate Justice Action is proposing a day of direct action for climate justice on 12 October 2010. The call is for “system change, not climate change!”
“Give me the directions. There’s loads of people here”, the kilted figure said into his mobile phone, turning to us to make an announcement: “They’ve taken the site and need as many people there as quickly as possible. I’ll take you.” At 10pm it was still 14 hours before activists were scheduled to take the site for the 2010 Climate Camp, but after a gruelling 12-hour journey on the Megabus we had finally made it to Edinburgh’s Forest Café.
Unfortunately, our guide had…
This report is written as a letter to Pat O’Donnell and Niall Harnett who are in jail in Ireland for opposing Shell’s Corrib gas pipeline.
Dear Pat and Niall
We’re just back from the Merthyr to Mayo Solidarity Bike Ride, which connected the struggles of the people of Wales and Ireland opposing the misuse of our natural resources by multi-national corporations and complicit governments.
My partner and I joined the ride in Galway. Some of the other riders did…
On 7 June, Kent police issued an unqualified apology to long-time activist Dave Morris and to twins aged 11 after test case litigation challenging police on unlawful searches during the Kingsnorth Climate Camp in July 2008.
Evidence was given that the twins had been reduced to tears after being stopped and searched while attending their first political event.
With their apology, Kent police also gave a commitment to disseminate the lessons learned to every police force in the…
