Greenpeace volunteers install solar panels on Prescott's roof

Eight Greenpeace volunteers today expressed disappointment at being found guilty by Hull Magistrates Court of charges relating to a protest on April 26th this year during which they installed solar panels on the roof of Deputy PM John Prescott's Hull residence (1).

Laura Yates, one of the volunteers said, "We are disappointed to have been found guilty, but we remain proud of highlighting Mr Prescott's failure to act on climate change."

"This protest aimed to show Mr Prescott and his department how easy it is to drastically reduce the global warming gases pumped out by houses. Mr Prescott admits climate change is 'the most serious environmental threat that the world is facing' and says everybody must 'do their bit' - why doesn't he do his?"

According to the World Health Organisation, climate change is already killing 150,000 people every year. UK housing currently accounts for over a quarter of total UK CO2 emissions. Today even homes built to new UK building regulation standards use around 65% more energy than a new home built in Sweden.

In court the volunteers testified that they were motivated to act to prevent dangerous climate change and that they had no intention of causing alarm or distress to anyone. They were not aware that anyone was in the house until several hours after the protest began.

Laura Yates said, "The protest was calm and peaceful at all times. Greenpeace is completely committed to non-violence and over our 34 year history we have never deviated from this principle. This protest was no different. We never had any intention of alarming anyone and simply wanted to make an effective protest about the most important issue facing the world but if anybody did feel alarmed by our activities we regret that."

Testimony in court given by the armed officers tasked with protecting the Prescott house made it clear that they considered the protest peaceful and orderly and that it posed no threat. One of the officers testified that he had communicated with Mrs Prescott 10 minutes after the action had begun and told her that the protestors were from Greenpeace.

During the protest the volunteers fitted four solar panels to John Prescott's roof and hung a banner across his house, reading "Oi, 2 Jags! Hit Targets not Voters". They also left low energy light bulbs and loft insulation outside the Prescott's front door. The panels and associated equipment, worth over £4000, were left as a gift for Mr Prescott.

For more information, stills and video call Greenpeace press office on 020 7865 8255 or at court on 07801 212993. A media briefing on how the government has failed to take action to meet its energy efficiency targets is available from the press office.

Notes

The volunteers were found guilty of contravening section five of the public order act and failure to obey a police direction to leave the premises. All defendants have been sentenced to 80 hours of community service.

The defendants are Andy Taylor, 36, from Gloucestershire, Cat Dorey, 36, from Highbury, London, Martin Cotterill, 38, from Cumbria, Sarah North, 36, from London, Sammy Daniel, 33, from London, Steve Scott, 34, from Derbyshire, Laura Yates, 28, from London, and Vicky Thomas, 27.

Greenpeace volunteers install solar panels on Prescott's roof

Eight Greenpeace volunteers appeared in court today to strongly reject the accusation that they 'terrorised' Pauline Prescott when installing solar panels on the roof of the Deputy PM's Hull house in April this year.

The defendants deny that they 'used threatening or abusive behaviour' and testified that they were undertaking a calm, peaceful protest to highlight how Prescott's department's failure to improve the energy efficiency of UK homes is fuelling catastrophic climate change.

Defendants testified that they had no intention of causing alarm or distress to Mrs Prescott, who they were not aware was in the house until several hours into the protest. The house is one of three that the Prescott's own.

Laura Yates, one of the volunteers who helped to install the solar panels, testified this morning, "I thought it was very unlikely that anyone would be in. I thought John Prescott was on the election trail and that his wife would be with him."

The court heard yesterday that the volunteers were challenged by armed policemen who were protecting the property, at the start of the protest. However the police quickly realised that this was a peaceful and orderly Greenpeace protest and posed no threat, so they holstered their guns and allowed the protest to go ahead.

Eight volunteers then went ahead and installed four solar panels on the roof of the Prescott's house. They also left low energy lightbulbs and loft insulation outside the Prescott's front door. The panels and associated equipment, worth over £4000, were left as a gift to Mr Prescott.

Ms Yates also testified that during Greenpeace's 30 year history of taking peaceful direct action the group has never deviated from its non-violent principles. She said, "Greenpeace's core value is non-violence. We never use violence and nor would we associate with anyone who espouses violence. We often wear special costumes to identify ourselves and always communicate with police, security guards or anyone present to explain we're peaceful."

Ms Yates also confirmed that the volunteers had planned for a fellow volunteer at the beginning of the protest to inform any occupants of the house by letter or intercom that this was a peaceful Greenpeace protest.

Yesterday in a highly emotive presentation Mrs Prescott testified that she felt 'terrorised' by the protest, even once she knew it was Greenpeace volunteers on her roof. She also stated that she did not call the police at any time, and that they had not told her this was a Greenpeace protest, so she was fearful for her life, believing terrorists may be on her roof.

However in court yesterday the evidence of other witnesses contradicted Mrs Prescott. PC York, one of the two armed police officers at the house, stated that Mrs Prescott had called him on his mobile phone within 10 minutes of the volunteers arriving at the house, and he clearly told her it was a Greenpeace protest.

PC Cameron-Johnson, the other armed officer, testified that the protest was 'as peaceful as it can be.' And police inspector Jones confirmed under cross-examination that she saw no violence or disorder.

There was also contradiction about whether Mrs Prescott either saw or heard the protesters - a key point in whether the public order charges levelled against them should stand. In initial police statements Mrs Prescott said that Della Georgeson (her husband's secretary who was staying at the house) had seen protesters climbing past her window, but not that she (Mrs Prescott) had seen anyone. In court however she stated that she too had seen someone climbing up past the window of Della Georgeson's room. However when Della Georgeson gave evidence, she said she'd only peeked through the curtains, not opened them, to see protesters at the foot of the ladder and that following this Mrs Prescott popped her head around the door and hurried Miss Gerogeson out of the room, while curtains remained closed.

A Greenpeace spokesperson said: "With climate change already killing 150,000 people every year, the government must act to tackle the energy inefficiency of UK housing which currently accounts for over a quarter of UK CO2 emissions."

John Prescott admits climate change is 'the single biggest issue facing the planet' but his department has totally failed to address the problem. Today even homes built to new UK building standards use around 65% more energy than a new home built in Sweden. The protest aimed to highlight these failures and show Mr Prescott how easy it is to drastically reduce the global warming caused by our homes.

The case is expected to end tomorrow.

For more information contact Greenpeace on 0207 865 8255

Publication date: 1 November 2005

Summary
The average UK home emits more CO₂ than a car in a year. John Prescott's department is overseeing a massive new house building programme over the coming years which presents a prime opportunity to reverse this trend. Greenpeace believes that homes that could be standing for a hundred years to come should be built to the highest possible environmental standards and not be left as a polluting legacy to future generations. If the government is serious about tackling climate change, it needs to adopt tough new standards to make sure the nation's new homes are part of the solution, not adding to the problem.

Greenpeace volunteers install solar panels on Prescott's roof

Deputy PM needs to 'get his house in order' on energy efficiency

Greenpeace volunteers have fitted solar panels to John Prescott's roof and hung a huge banner across his house that says, "OI 2 JAGS! HIT TARGETS, NOT VOTERS".

The campaigners say the Deputy PM is putting Britain's climate change targets at risk by failing to make UK homes more energy efficient. According to the UN, climate change kills 150,000 people every year, while Tony Blair has described the threat as the gravest we face.

The protesters left low energy lightbulbs and loft insulation outside the front door of Mr Prescott's house in Hull early this morning before taking to his roof to install the clean energy system. The solar panels are ready for use as soon as the Deputy PM plugs them in.

Mr Prescott - who says everybody must 'do their bit' to fight climate change - is in charge of housing policy in the UK. Our homes account for over a quarter of the UK's CO2 emissions. The government is aiming for a 20 percent improvement in household energy efficiency, but unless ministers take drastic action they will fail to meet the target.

Greenpeace campaigner Laura Yates helped fit 60 square feet of solar panelling to the medieval-style battlements on Mr Prescott's roof.

"The Deputy PM's got a reputation for straight-talking," she said from the roof, "but since the election kicked off we've heard barely a squeak about climate change from big hitters like him. As long as the average existing British house is responsible for six tonnes of CO2 every year he's not dealing with the climate crisis. He's in danger of hitting more voters than climate targets. Whoever wins on May 5th needs to get serious about energy efficiency."

Mr Prescott's office has stated that he wants to create 'sustainable communities' requiring 'a step change in the way our housing and communities are planned, designed and built.' But so far he has failed.

• The only mandatory rules governing construction of new houses are the Building Regulations, but a third of new houses fail even to meet these requirements.
  
  
• The regulations are under review this year, meaning whoever wins the election has an ideal opportunity to make 100% climate-friendly building developments the norm - an initiative the Deputy PM has so far failed to commit to.
  
  
• More than one million new homes will be built in the South East by 2016 alone. By making them 100% climate-friendly, government could remove a threat to the climate that would last for decades, if not centuries. But Mr Prescott hasn't even guaranteed that the new Thames Gateway development of 120,000 homes will meet the highest standards of energy efficiency.
  
  

The action comes the day after Greenpeace released the results of its climate change election league table. The parties were ranked according to their responses to ten specific demands for domestic action. The Liberal Democrats scored 61 percent, Labour 38 percent, Conservatives 37 percent.

Laura Yates added: "Mr Prescott thinks climate change is a huge threat and lectures the world about the need to tackle it, but when it comes to meeting Britain's climate targets he hasn't got his house in order. The average British home is responsible for more greenhouse gas than the average car. John Prescott needs to make sure all new homes are 100% climate-friendly and help existing houses become much more energy efficient."

Download the Greenpeace briefing UK Housing Fuelling Climate Change as a pdf.

For more information call Greenpeace on 07801 212967 / 0207 865 8255. Video and stills available.

Notes

Greenpeace wants government to:

• Set tough environmental standards for all new buildings Regulations should ensure that all new buildings are built to zero-emission standards. Buildings should incorporate renewable power such as solar water heating and photovoltaics, along with state-of-the-art energy efficiency measures.
  
  
• End fuel poverty and encourage energy efficiency High energy-efficiency standards should be set for social housing, and financial incentives and grants provided to encourage energy efficiency improvements in existing buildings. Energy-efficient housing should be eligible for reductions in council tax and stamp duty. In addition, there should be zero VAT on energy-efficient building products.
  
  
• Support expansion of combined heat and power (CHP) generation. All new housing developments and public and commercial buildings should be required to include CHP plants for heating, hot water and electricity. The Government should fund changes to local electricity networks to encourage uptake of CHP and domestic renewable energy generation.

The government's climate targets:

• 60% reduction in CO2 by 2050
  
• 20% reduction in CO2 by 2020
  
• 10% of energy generated by renewables by 2010
  
• 10GW of combined heat and power (CHP) generation by 2010
  
• 20% improvement in energy efficiency in households by 2010
  

coral reef

Britain's leading environment and conservation groups are calling on John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, to prevent further oil exploration in the Atlantic Ocean, west of the Hebrides (the 'Atlantic Frontier'). The joint letter comes from the following organisations:

Environmental Investigation Agency
Friends of the Earth England and Wales
Friends of the Earth Scotland
Greenpeace
Marine Conservation Society
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
The Wildlife Trusts
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

In the letter, the organisations ask the Deputy Prime Minister to end oil drilling in the Atlantic Frontier on the grounds that it is damaging to marine wildlife, bad for the climate and has little economic justification.

Writing to John Prescott, the groups said:
"These wells should not be drilled. You are one of the few people who can prevent this haven for whales, dolphins, seabirds and coral reefs being needlessly scarred by oil explorationFar from being in the national interest, this destructive drilling is totally unnecessary as none of the oil found can safely be used as fuel. Your recent climate strategy made clear that a major shift away from fossil fuels is required to cut CO2 emissions by as much as 90%."

The Atlantic Frontier has been described as a "whale motorway" for migrating species, and has also been revealed as an important breeding and feeding ground for many whales and dolphins. Some 21 species of whale and dolphin are found there including endangered blue and fin whales and vulnerable sperm and humpback whales.

A copy of the letter is as follows:
Rt Hon John Prescott MP
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions
Eland House
Bressenden Place, London SW1
27 March 2000

Dear Deputy Prime Minister,
As Secretary of State for the Environment you have been an effective champion of environmental issues and have made real advances in climate protection and marine pollution. Some of this good work is about to be undone by the Department of Trade and Industry. With their consent, three new oil wells - the first wave of development - are about to be drilled in the pristine Atlantic Ocean west of Scotland.
These wells should not be drilled. You are one of the few people who can prevent this haven for whales, dolphins, seabirds and coral reefs being needlessly scarred by oil exploration.
As a result of a High Court ruling last November, all UK oil licensing is illegal until appropriate protection is provided under European Habitats Directive. But in the short space of time since the ruling, the necessary steps to apply the Directive have not yet been completed by your department. The DTI is ignoring this and putting coral reefs in particular under a very real threat. Far from being in the national interest, this destructive drilling is totally unnecessary as none of the oil found can safely be used as fuel. Your recent climate strategy made clear that a major shift away from fossil fuels is required to cut CO2 emissions by as much as 90%. This means that instead of exploring for new oil, reliance on fossil fuels must be phased out in an orderly way. Existing reserves of fossil fuels would, if burnt, produce at least twice as much carbon dioxide as can be tolerated if we are to prevent dangerous levels of climate change.

Nor is there a good economic case for allowing these wells. Employment in oil is in decline. For the long-term protection of jobs and the environment, Government money must switch from oil to clean renewable energy, such as wind, wave and solar power.
Please continue to support the protection of our marine environment and our climate by stopping this drilling.
Environmental Investigation Agency
Friends of the Earth England and Wales
Friends of the Earth Scotland
Greenpeace
Marine Conservation Society
RSPB
Wildlife trusts
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society