(This is a bit late posting, having been written a week ago, but I promise the issues haven’t fallen off the table since!)

People & Planet activists picket LSE tar sands event

I’m wearing a suit. This is not something I do a lot, but as it turned it out, it was probably the main reason I had the chance to call Canada’s Natural Resources Minister, Joe Oliver to account, for he and his Government’s attempt to convince LSE students that Canadian tar sands are an ‘ethical’ and ‘responsible’ source of energy for the future.

The LSE – to their discredit – chose to host the Minister, after being approached by the Canadian Government as part of their declared lobbying push to undermine European climate legislation. The public university – who regularly host multiple speakers at their events – chose to let the Minister speak unopposed, on one of the most hotly-contested global environmental issues of our generation. People & Planet, as part of our Tar Sands-Free Universities campaign, see this as a major insult to the countless victims of the Alberta tar sands industry, given the Canadian Government’s track record of ignoring and discrediting the critical issues facing First Nations Canadians and the climate as a whole as a result of the industry.

So Oliver’s presence was inappropriate for a university to host as an ‘educational’ event to begin with. But from the point that we arrived (about 10 of us, from LSE People & Planet and the UK Tar Sands Network), we were greeted by a police presence at the front doors of the venue and a heavy security presence inside, which included body searches and refusal to allow any personal bags in the venue. Having been to a half-dozen LSE public lectures before, this was the first time I’d seen anything like this. Even when I saw the President of Ecuador speak at LSE last year, there had been no parallel precautions taken.

The Chair, Dr Richard Perkins, said that he was keen to have a debate after the lecture, given the contentious nature of the issue, but then prefaced questions with ‘this isn’t a chance to make a statement’…

The event started late, due to the extensive security checks, and was closed early, as too much of the crowd had become vocally critical of the misinformation coming from the Minister. Again, debate was not what the LSE appeared interested in hosting… If I hadn’t broken protocols and jumped up early on to present Oliver with an award for ‘Greenwash Propagandist of the Year’, relatively little criticism would have made it to the forefront.

And unsurprisingly, the Minister’s speech was nothing short of propaganda. Nearly every statement was untrue or misleading, and omitted even mentioning issues as significant as elevated cancer rates amongst First Nations communities, or First Nations legal challenges that tar sands expansion is hinging upon. Some highlights include:

• Oliver’s claim: ‘Canada is being unfairly discriminated against via the EU’s Fuel Quality Directive’
• The truth: Tar sands are one of several ‘unconventional fuels’ (including shale gas and liquid coal) that the European Commission has classified as high emissions fuels. The move is clearly an attempt to regulate fuel that is more harmful to the environment than crude oil. There is no basis to claim that Alberta tar sands have been ‘singled-out’.
• Oliver’s claim: ‘Tar sands aren’t as bad as other fuels the EU allows import of’
• The truth: Oliver compared Alberta tar sands to Russian, Mexican, Nigerian and Venezuelan high emissions fuels, saying that tar sands were much better than many of these. In truth, the best tar sands, are on par with or worse than, all but the very worst Venezuelan heavy crude and Nigerian flaring. The other countries fuels produce far lower emissions. Tar sands really are *that bad*!
• Oliver’s claim: ‘In situ tar sands extraction is much less destructive than mining’
• The truth: While in situ mining doesn’t use as much water, or scar the surface of the Earth in the way open caste mining does, the emissions associated with the process are on average 3x higher than that of mining tar sands, and 5x higher than drilling traditional crude. The Minister and the industry’s claim that the in situ process is more environmentally sound is at best a distortion of the facts, and at worst, an outright lie.

(Details of the above claims can be found here and here).

After the talk, a scheduled media phone-in with the Minister, was cancelled without explanation. We might be able to take a little bit of credit for that one. We also managed to get covered in newspapers and blogs across Canada, as well as in the Times of India (the largest English language newspaper in the world), hopefully throwing a bit of a wrench into the Canadian Government’s attempt to go abroad and paint the tar sands in a positive light.

While LSE may still be a few steps from calling itself a ‘Tar Sands-Free University’ (though our activists there will be pushing to make it one!), we an important question for the university, in light of its choice to host the Minister:

Given the factual inaccuracy of a range of the Minister’s comments and the highly-political agenda he was promoting, how can the LSE justify using student and public money to help a foreign government promote a single perspective, unopposed?

Speakers like Oliver are relatively rare, in terms of the ways that universities support the most destructive project on Earth. They may be banking with tar sands financiers like RBS/NatWest; they might be doing research into tar sands technologies for BP or Shell; their staff’ pensions might be invested in any of these companies… So don’t hesitate to get in touch if you want to get involved in making your university or college ‘Tar Sands-Free’!

Philippa de Boissiere was one of 8 students who took part in People & Planet’s tar sands solidarity exchange this summer:

“Our trip to Alberta, Canada marked the start for us of an ongoing commitment to take on the most destructive oil project on Earth. Our visit was in response to an invitation from the former Beaver Lake Cree Nation (BLCN) Chief, Al Lameman, whose community is being directly threatened by the expansion of tar sands.
There was a lot to take in from our experience of this dirty oil extraction industry. We were treated to a full PR assault from Suncor representatives, harassed by industry workers whilst surveying the destruction of the boreal forest and left choking by the fumes emitted from toxic waste ponds.
More importantly however, we developed links of solidarity with indigenous people from Beaver Lake. Over campfires, meals and some dancing at their annual Pow-Wow we learnt of a wise and loving culture. We were able to send a powerful message on behalf of the People & Planet network that the Beaver Lake Cree Nation do not stand alone in taking on the most powerful oil companies on the planet.

Post by Rik Ganly, one of 8 students recently returned from a People & Planet youth exchange visit to Tar Sands ground zero in Alberta, Canada.

Rik and others outside the DfT in London this morning (photo by Anthony Upton)

It’s been a beautiful day in London, and what finer way to spend it than nipping down to the Department for Transport (DfT)?  It may not be the most popular destination in the capital but we were on a mission: to force Lib Dem minister Norman Baker to change his mind about the EU Fuel Quality Directive. To read the press you’d think the Lib Dems have very little real power, but Mr Baker’s remit as Under-Secretary for Transport puts him squarely on the battle-lines between environmentalists opposing tar sands and oil companies. The minister has displayed a disappointing lack of willingness to fight for the environment so far; but all the indications are for a U-turn and we had a petition of 50,000 signatures to hand over, with the message: public pressure is mounting.

Allow me to explain. The European Union is currently finalising the Fuel Quality Directive which sets out to reduce Europe’s transport fuel emissions by 6% by 2020. If it recognises the higher emissions resulting from tar sands fuels it would effectively ban their import into Europe. So far so good, but an army of Canadian and oil lobbyists are currently in Brussels and EU capitals trying to make sure that doesn’t happen, as they know where Europe goes on minimum environmental standards the rest of the world generally and eventually follows. This would be a disaster for oil companies, who want to exploit Tar Sands regardless of the environmental cost. The only language these people understand is the language of cold hard cash, so it’s been a massive aim for environmentalists to hit them where it hurts and damage the commercial viability of these dangerous projects by closing this important market. Unfortunately Britain (why is it always Britain?!) appears to have joined Canada and the oil industry in opposing a ban.

Which is why about a dozen of us are parked on the pavement outside the DfT on a Wednesday afternoon, holding up a big banner while security guards squint to make out the writing. Early on, the admirably astute government security people lock the door we’re standing in front of, obviously wary of some kind of attempt to storm the building. We’ll leave such stuff for another day; our booted and suited group includes representatives from Friends of the Earth, WWF, Avaaz and the Co-operative, and of course People & Planet. Colin from the Co-op hands over a massive petition to Baker’s private secretary, in the hope this will help him make his mind up to do the right thing. Friends of the Earth are planning on turning up the heat over the next week or so, so keep your eyes peeled for a call to action from them. And in the meantime go on Twitter, write to your MP, and take whatever action you can to change our government’s mind: Britain creates enough environmental damage as it is, without needing assistance from the dirtiest industry in the world. Canada: thanks, but no thanks.

Apologies for the short and garbled post - we’ve been travelling for over 24 hours all told without sleep. More photos, videos and blog posts from students coming soon.

Oil refineries on route north of Edmonton

We’re here!  12 intrepid travellers set off from London yesterday morning at 3.30am and arrived in the tiny town of Lac La Biche, Alberta after a mammoth (and yes, carbon-intensive) journey.  Within an hour of landing in Edmonton (the capital of Canada’s proud oil province) we’d already passed a dozen refineries and heavy industry plants on our 3 hour trip northwards to visit the Beaver Lake Cree Nation who are welcoming us to their community for the next two weeks.

The road to Beaver Lake Cree reservation

First impressions?  It’s all so big!  The trucks, the refineries, the wide open spaces.  Driving out of Edmonton all you see for miles and miles are stripmalls, burnt forests and giant industrial plants spewing out plumes of dirty smoke.

Oil is undoubtedly king here in Alberta. The immigration officers at border control took several of the students aside to get reassurances that we weren’t here to protest over the oilsands - hmm!  An hour later, we were making an impromptu stop at a Shell oil refinery to get a closer look at the gas flares and weren’t all that surprised when it took less than 5 minutes for security to show up and throw us and our cameras off-site.   We can expect more of the same in the next week as we venture out to visit Suncor and several in-situ tar sands extraction sites with our guides. Just a taster of the intimidation and widespread public support for tar sands that indigenous communities face when they stand up to the oil companies making a profit at their expense here.

More on that after our first meeting with the community tomorrow. For now though, we’re crashing out in a motel before heading out to Beaver Lake tomorrow to set up camp and meet the elders and youth at their annual Pow Wow.  So far so… overwhelming!

Untitled from Taking on Tarmageddon on Vimeo.

The Tarmageddon documentary crew following our youth exchange project should have produced a short video of our first day. You can also follow our progress on Facebook and Twitter.

You really couldn’t make it up. March 21st – 27th has been designated as a “Week of Action” on climate change in the UK. The eco-warriors behind this rebellious project? Why, it’s those well-known champions of environmental justice: Tesco, EDF Energy, Kellogg’s, and the Royal Bank of Scotland. I honestly don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

The Oil & Gas Bank sponsoring Climate Week?

Tesco, whose entire business model is based on the mass transportation of goods halfway across the globe, and on driving a race-to-the-bottom in environmental and labour standards in farming worldwide. Kellogg’s, who cheerfully champion energy-intensive and chemical-soaked industrial agriculture over small-scale, sustainable farming. EDF, who operate two of the five biggest coal fired power stations in the UK. RBS – RBS! – who are the UK’s leading investor in fossil fuel projects, and one of the world’s biggest financial backers of the disastrous Canadian Tar Sands project. These are the people telling us we need to spend a week “doing our bit” for the climate – essentially, encouraging us all to rally round and help clean up the mess they’re busy making. Sadly, some environmental and social justice groups (though thankfully not too many) seem to have fallen for this spin.

It’s as though the worst gang of bullies at school have announced in assembly that they’re setting up an anti-bullying campaign. They’re hoping to enjoy lots of praise from the teachers all morning, then go out at breaktime and carrying on pushing the rest of us off the swings and nicking our lunch money. Are we really going to let them get away with it?

This whole affair is particularly well-timed for RBS, who have been facing increasing criticism over their support for climate-wrecking Tar Sands extraction. By pouring a few buckets of cash into Climate Week, they’ve gained more than just a nice bit of eco-sponsorship to help distract us from their dirty funding record – they’ve got Climate Week founder Kevin Steele defending them publicly in the media. This is a real PR coup for the bank – the cherry-picked facts and figures Steele is spouting come straight from RBS headquarters, but appear to be an “independent” assessment of the company’s climate record. It’s not surprising that People & Planet – the environmental campaign network that Steele used to work for – have called for a week of anti-RBS action instead.

Climate Week is, sadly, a perfect example of why big business isn’t going to solve climate change for us. As explained in my new book, The No-Nonsense Guide to Climate Change, public corporations are required by law to maximise shareholder profits at all costs. Unless tougher regulations, changes in the economic system, or public protest forces them to do otherwise, they will always choose a bit of green window-dressing over the real change we need – a rapid transition to cleaner (but less profitable) ways of generating energy and growing food.

While researching the book I found that this transition is not only possible, but highly desirable. If we do this properly, then a zero-carbon world should mean better-quality homes, good public transport, healthier food, and a calmer pace of living, where we work fewer hours and have more leisure time. It should mean access to sustainable energy for the people of the Global South, and a reclamation of the lands and livelihoods of small-scale farmers and Indigenous peoples worldwide. There is enough renewable energy potential to give the whole world a good standard of living – but only if it’s shared out fairly. The wealthy Northern countries (and Southern elites) will need to use significantly less energy to allow the rest of the world to catch up. This can theoretically be done while still preserving all the important things in our lives, but getting there is obviously going to be pretty challenging.

But get there we must – and soon. The first section of the No-Nonsense Guide sets out the current state of the science; I’ve tried to explain in friendly, jargon-free terms how all the different bits of evidence stack up to create an urgent case for action. These chapters also explain why some common misconceptions about climate science aren’t true, and take a peek into the murky world of the people spreading climate change misinformation.

The next bit of the book lays out where we need to get to (we need to pretty much stop using fossil fuels by 2030) and asks the question: why haven’t we managed it yet? The science is clear, the majority of the public agree that change is necessary, the technology we need already exists, and many of the solutions should improve our lives and make the world a significantly fairer place.

It turns out that the real barriers to change are not a lack of “awareness” but – surprise surprise – the politicians and corporations who are set to lose out in the short-term if we shift away from fossil fuels. Carbon-intensive industries pour millions of dollars into politicians’ campaign funds, and promise them short-term economic boosts to placate the public; in return, governments subsidise dirty industries with billions of dollars, making their fossil-fuelled products and services seem artificially cheap. This all happens within an economic system based on the impossible dream of endless growth on a finite planet; a system that is stripping out the planet’s resources and trashing the climate in order to generate short-term wealth that overwhelmingly benefits the minority at the top.

We can overcome these barriers and shift to a safer, fairer way of doing things – but only if everyone who cares about this stuff starts working together to challenge the power of corporations and promote genuine alternatives. Initiatives like Climate Week do the very opposite of this – they help polluting businesses deflect blame away from their dirty activities and onto the public instead. “Hey kids, if we can just get everyone to recycle a bit more then RBS can keep profiting from its Tar Sands investments!”

So to any local action groups, schools, and workplaces thinking of taking part in Climate Week I say: go for it, celebrate your achievements, organise some great events and spread the climate message. But don’t do it under RBS and Tesco’s dirty Climate Week banner – make your own publicity that gives the credit to you and your community instead. And if you’ve not yet got anything lined up, why not join People & Planet in organising some anti-greenwash actions at your local bank or supermarket? The only way to beat the climate bullies is to show them that we’re not afraid, and that we can see through their bluster. Like all bullies, underneath it all they’re just scared – they know that once we stand together we can take them on and win.

This guest blog is provided by climate activist, author and former P&Per Danny Chivers and first appeared here. Danny has just released his new book ‘The No-Nonsense Guide to Climate Change’ which you can get hold of here

Here’s a report by Jess Worth on Monday’s Tar Sands action - and some photos, by Orin Langelle and Daygot Leeyos.

About 200 of us gathered outside the Canadian Embassy in Copenhagen to protest at the way Canada is blocking progress on binding, ambitious climate emissions reductions - because it’s committed to expanding the most destructive project on earth: the Tar Sands. (more…)

This is a blog post I wrote for the climate camp website [now adapted] after an affinity group I was involved in carried out a direct action targetting the treasury on Monday 31st August. (more…)