[IMC-UK-Features] East Midlands - Stop Climate Chaos

Tue Apr 1 08:21:24 PDT 2008

PRESS RELEASE

Embargoed until 00:00 April 2nd 2008

East Midlands groups join forces to Stop Climate Chaos

On Saturday April 5th concerned citizens across the East Midlands will
act together to put pressure on Gordon Brown to support a stronger
Climate Change Bill.

Members of organisations such as Friends of the Earth, Christian Aid,
CAFOD, WDM and other Stop Climate Chaos groups will be organising fun
photo stunts across the region to highlight how the groundbreaking
Climate Change Bill needs to be made stronger.

The coalition of groups will be urging Prime Minister Gordon Brown and
their local Members of Parliament to stop ignoring aviation. The groups
want the Government's new Climate Change Law to cover all sources of
carbon dioxide emissions, including the UK's share of emissions from
international aviation and shipping [1]. Local MPs will have the
opportunity to vote on the law when it is debated in Parliament later
this month. 

Friends of the Earth have led the campaign for a strong Climate Change
law through The Big Ask. The law, which is set to be introduced this
summer, is groundbreaking but needs strengthening if the UK is to play
its part in tackling climate change. 

Callie Lister, East Midlands Campaigns Co-ordinator for Friends of the
Earth said:

"There is a real groundswell of support in our region for a Climate
Change Bill that is fit for purpose. Almost a third of East Midlands MPs
[2] have said that they support strengthening the Bill [4] and at least
13 groups [3] around the region will be holding local events to
highlight the importance of including emissions from international
shipping and aviation in the Bill. We hope local people all over the
region will join in with these local events for a chance to make a real
impact on the world's first Climate Change Law."

ENDS

Notes

 [1] Government figures published in January 2008 showed aviation
accounts for 6.4 per cent of UK carbon emissions.
www.defra.gov.uk/environment/statistics

[2] East Midlands MPs who have already signed Early Day Motion 736 [4] -
see below, include

Allen, Graham (Labour Party) 

Constituency: Nottingham North

Heppell, John (Labour Party) 

Constituency: Nottingham East

Holmes, Paul (Liberal Democrats) 

Constituency: Chesterfield

Keeble, Sally (Labour Party) 

Constituency: Northampton North

Laxton, Bob (Labour Party) 

Constituency: Derby North

Levitt, Tom (Labour Party) 

Constituency: High Peak

Mann, John (Labour Party) 

Constituency: Bassetlaw

Meale, Alan (Labour Party) 

Constituency: Mansfield

Reed, Andy (Labour Party) 

Constituency: Loughborough

Simpson, Alan (Labour Party) 

Constituency: Nottingham South

Skinner, Dennis (Labour Party) 

Constituency: Bolsover

Soulsby, Peter (Labour Party) 

Constituency: Leicester South

Taylor, David (Labour Party) 

Constituency: North West Leicestershire

 [3] East Midlands events - (for details of other groups in the East
Midlands taking part but not listed below please contact Stop Climate
Chaos - email to info at stopclimatechaos.org or telephone 020 7729 8732.)

Local Group

Contact Name

Contact Details

Leicester Friends of the Earth

Malcolm Hunter

Tel: 07773 289 316

Northampton Friends of the Earth

Alan Heath

Tel: 01536 392592

Nottingham Friends of the Earth 

Nigel Lee

Tel: 0115 978 8059

Derby Friends of the Earth

Dorothy Skrytek

Tel: 01332 727 237

Stamford Friends of the Earth

Jane Bateman 

Tel: 01780 751402

Rutland Friends of the Earth 

Gabrielle Maughan 

Tel: 01572 737752

West Notts Friends of the Earth

Mary Button

Tel: 01623 623212

High Peak Friends of the Earth

Richard Body 

Tel: 01663 746747

Christian Aid Loughborough

	campaigns at christian-aid.org - Tel:020 7523 2264

Christian Aid - Corby 

	campaigns at christian-aid.org - Tel:020 7523 2264

WDM - Leicester

John Moore

johnmoore11 at doctors.org.uk 

WDM - Nottingham/Broxtowe

Mary Steiner

mary.steiner at btopenworld.com 

WDM - Derby North

Ann Hart

ahart38 at waitrose.com 

[4] EDM 736: CLIMATE CHANGE BILL

21.01.2008 - Griffiths, Nigel 

That this House welcomes the introduction of the Climate Change Bill to
Parliament and the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP's)
recent Human Development Report which described the Bill as a bold and
innovative proposal to create a national carbon budget; notes however
that the UNDP also warned that the Bill needed improving as its targets
were not ambitious enough, and international aviation emissions were
excluded, meaning that even if the Bill were applied to every developed
country, global temperature would rise well beyond the two degrees
Celsius limit and perhaps as high as four or five degrees; congratulates
the Prime Minister on his speech on 19th November 2007, when he
acknowledged the evidence now suggests that as part of an international
agreement developed countries may have to reduce their emissions by up
to 80 per cent.; and urges the Government to support amendments to the
Bill during its passage through Parliament to address the UNDP concerns,
making it an unequivocally world-leading response to climate change.

Callie Lister
Regional Campaign Co-ordinator - East Midlands Region
Friends Of The Earth
East Midlands Office
2nd Floor
8 Thurland Street
Nottingham
NG1 3DR
Map locations
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=457448&Y=339957&A=Y&Z=1
<http://www.streetmap.co.uk/streetmap.dll?G2M?X=457448&Y=339957&A=Y&Z=1>

or
http://tinyurl.com/2nrsy <http://tinyurl.com/2nrsy> 
Tel: 0115 9506926
Fax: 0115 9506927
Mobile: 07831 648 171
************************************************************
Demand East Midlands Airport is now designated -
http://www.demand.uk.net/ <http://www.demand.uk.net/> 
************************************************************
For up to date information about campaigns and events in the East
Midlands
please visit our regional webpage
http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/local_groups_and_campaigns/emidland.htm
<http://www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/local_groups_and_campaigns/emidland.htm>

**********************************************
The Government's aviation policy will accelerate climate change, damage
the countryside and impose more noise and traffic on communities all
over
the UK. Tell Ministers they must Rethink, take action here:-
http://www.rethink.airportwatch.org.uk/
<http://www.rethink.airportwatch.org.uk/> 
***********************************************
Worried about climate change?
Think the Government isn't doing enough?
You're not alone. Write to your MP at:
http://www.thebigask.com <http://www.thebigask.com/> 
************************************************************
Living in Nottinghamshire? Want to know more about climate change?
Join CANN the Climate Action Network Nottinghamshire
Visit www.climatenotts.org.uk <http://www.climatenotts.org.uk/>  to find
out more
Thank you!

--
Support Friends of the Earth
https://www.foe.co.uk/?email_staff

Friends of the Earth Limited - Company No 1012357
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Registered Charity No 281681
Registered Office - 26 - 28 Underwood Street, London. N1 7JQ
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