With December's crucial Copenhagen climate change summit fast approaching, we talk to 350.org founder Bill McKibben about the politics of climate change in the US, the challenges of building a successful mass movement, and how we set about not only restricting the amount of new CO2 we're pumping into the atmosphere, but reducing the levels that are already there.

350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in our atmosphere - it's measured in "Parts Per Million". So below 350 ppm is where we need to be to avoid runaway climate change. Currently the figure is around 390 and rising.

350.org will coordinate an international day of action on October 24 at hundreds of iconic places around the world - from the Taj Mahal to the Great Barrier Reef - with the aim of sparking a global movement to unite the public, media, and our political leaders behind the 350 goal.

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Greenpeace meets Bill McKibben »

The Kingsnorth Six made history last year: accused of causing £30,000 of criminal damage to Kingsnorth power station, their defence of "lawful excuse"was accepted by the jury - because they were acting to safeguard property around the world "in immediate need of protection" from the impacts of climate change, caused in part by burning coal.

In this edition of our podcast we talk to award-winning film maker Nick Broomfield about his latest project. 'A Time Comes' is an 18 minute documentary about our very own Kingsnorth Six, who were arrested for shutting down a coal-fired power station but found 'not guilty' at the subsequent trial.

But first let's head down to the Airplot to meet veteran comedian and star of fabled 1970s tv series 'The Good Life', Richard Briers. Richard turned up at our plot of land on the site of the proposed new runway at Heathrow to help us dig for victory in the campaign by starting an allotment – Christian Hunt grabbed a spade and went along to meet him.

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The latest episode of our podcast is all about Heathrow and the plan to build a third runway. James visited the plot of land we've bought on the proposed site of the new runway, while Joss went to find out why organisations from the National Trust to the RSPB are also opposed to the idea. Meanwhile, Christian went to see what happened at the latest Climate Rush event down at Heathrow's Terminal 1.

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Join the plot to stop the third runway
The case against Heathrow
Climate Rush

See all Rainbow Warrior tour updates or get them by email.

I'd love to be a fly on the wall at E.on's HQ at the moment. When the head of the Women's Institute - along with heads of other groups representing four million people in the UK - boards the Rainbow Warrior, signs a declaration, climbs into a Greenpeace inflatable boat, drives up to Kingsnorth coal plant and hand delivers a declaration saying no to new coal to E.on staff, the company must, surely, be sweating it a bit:

Nick, in a survival suit. © Will Rose / Greenpeace

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I'm not sure where to start. In the past 24 hours, I've watched senior advisers to the shadow cabinet take a ride in one of our inflatable boats (wearing Greenpeace-branded dry suits); mopped, swept and wiped all manner of surfaces; talked to artists, designers and film producers about our work and the coal campaign; learned how to coil rope properly; donned a survival suit during safety training (see the picture of Nick, resplendent in similar garb, above); helped to take down a giant banner; eavesdropped on energy policy discussions with advisers at the heart of Labour's government; and cleaned a lot of toilets.

I think I'd better start with the Tories, who visited the Warrior this afternoon. They were here not to have the mickey taken out of them as they got into the inflatable boat ("when we get to parliament, you three unfurl that banner and the rest of you storm past the guards" etc) but to talk about energy policy with our chief scientist, energy campaigners and policy wonks - just as Labour advisers did this morning.

"Kick start clean energy" written on the side of the Rainbow Warrior in LEDs, with London buildings behind. © Will Rose / Greenpeace

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The Rainbow Warrior is a ship full of stories; everywhere on the ship there are photographs of the non-violent direct actions Greenpeace has taken over the years, artefacts from our campaigns, painted totems donated by Native Canadian people, pictures drawn by visitors to the boat, and portraits of crew members past and present. And every time you talk to someone who knows the ship and her history intimately, like the captain, you get the chance to hear more.

There's no way I'd have time to pass on all the stories I'm hearing but I am going to try and record a few of them for you, starting with Mike, the Captain (pictured), telling last night's guests the story of the Rainbow Warrior sailing into the Moruroa test zone. It's quite a story - have a listen to this mp3:

But our visitors last night didn't just hear stories from the past. They also got to hear - and see - a good deal about our present campaign: to give coal the boot and kickstart a clean energy revolution.

Following the recent fun with a timber cargo ship in Papua New Guinea, the Greenpeace team on the Esperanza has sent through some more material which throws the spotlight on what's happening in the country's forests. The video below explains how local communities are being short-changed by logging companies, with things like schools and medical centres promised by these companies simply not materialising: