from the top of the Didcot tower

Twenty-five climate campaigners have begun their second day occupying one of Britain's dirtiest power stations.

Ten protestors spent the night in an improvised 'climate camp' on top of Didcot power station chimney, while a further 15 spent the night chained to the station's coal conveyor belts.

Last night, one of the protestors confronted Tony Blair who was visiting a local science centre. A question from Ben Stewart was transmitted from the power station chimney to Blair in the local ITV studio. He asked Mr Blair,

"On Monday you described climate change as a catastrophic threat to our civilization. Since then 60,000 tonnes of CO2 has been emitted into the atmosphere from this smokestack beside me. That's more than the 29 least polluting countries in the world combined. And of course with this power station 2/3 of the energy it generates is immediately wasted in the form of waste heat escaping up these huge cooling towers below me, so my question is very simple. How an earth can you claim to be a world leader on climate change when coal fired power stations like this one that burn coal and waste 2/3 of it continue to exist a decade into New Labour rule?"

The campaigners are demanding that the government phases out inefficient coal fired power stations like Didcot and instead backs more efficient localised - or "decentralised" - power generation.

Laura Yates Greenpeace climate campaigner said, "Today Tony Blair is set to talk to the German Chancellor in order to facilitate international leadership on climate change, yet at home he is still allowing outdated inefficient dinosaurs like Didcot to emit millions of tonnes of CO2 every year. He talks the talk but since he came to power UK CO2 emissions have gone up and coal burn has increased."

The 25 Greenpeace volunteers invaded the Didcot coal-fired power station at 5:30am yesterday morning, (2/11/2006). They immobilised the huge conveyor belts that carry coal into the plant by hitting emergency stop buttons and attaching themselves to machinery. A second group climbed the 200 metre high chimney, and set up a climate camp at the top. The climbers also painted 'Blair's legacy' on the side of the chimney stack.

Tomorrow will see 1,000s of people descend on Trafalgar Square to call for greater action to tackle climate change. The event organised by the group Stop Climate Chaos begins at 1pm and is expected to be the biggest ever public demonstration on climate change.

Didcot is the second most polluting power station in Britain[1], behind Drax in Yorkshire . The Oxfordshire facility was targeted because - like most of the Britain's power stations - two-thirds of the energy it generates is wasted, making a massive contribution to climate change.

The occupation comes in the week Sir Nicholas Stern released his ground-breaking study, warning of a global catastrophe if carbon emissions are not slashed. On Monday Tony Blair said: "This disaster is not set to happen in some science fiction future many years ahead, but in our lifetime." Meanwhile his government continues to allow inefficient power stations like Didcot to dominate the UK's electricity industry.

Most British power stations waste two-thirds of the energy they generate in the form of heat escaping up their cooling towers. By locating smaller generators close to where energy is used, the heat created in power stations can be captured and used to heat our homes. So-called 'decentralised energy' is already working in many European countries and powering cities like Copenhagen and Malmo. Along with a range of renewable energy technologies it is the key to modernising the electricity industry and slashing its massive contribution to global climate change. Woking Council has reduced its carbon footprint by 77% by employing decentralised technologies.

For more information, contact the Greenpeace Press office onsite. Video and stills are available. Campaigners are available for interview.

[1] Didcot A and B (the gas and coal stations taken together) represent the second largest point source of CO2 in the UK (9.3 million tonnes a year) after Drax in Yorkshire. Source: EU emissions Trading figures

Didcot coal field

Twenty-five climate campaigners arrested

Twenty-five climate campaigners were arrested at 5.30pm today (3/11/06) after ending their two day occupation of one of Britain's dirtiest power station (1).

Ben Stewart one of the protestors said, "Since being here we have halved Co2 emissions from this power station by stopping coal entering the facility. We've forced Tony Blair to answer direct questions from us about his climate trashing policies and shown that there is a cleaner, more efficient way of generating energy."

"Tomorrow we hope to be going to Trafalgar Square to take part in the Stop Climate Chaos rally, it should be the biggest public show of support for action against climate change ever and we ask everyone else who cares to come along too."

He concluded, "As long as the threat of climate change continues, our campaign to encourage government and industry to shift towards cleaner decentralised energy will continue and we will be keeping up the pressure."

The 25 Greenpeace volunteers invaded Didcot coal-fired power station at 5:30am on Thursday morning, (2/11/2006). Fifteen of the volunteers immobilised the huge conveyor belts that carry coal into the plant by hitting emergency stop buttons and attaching themselves to machinery. A second group of ten climbed the 200 metre high chimney, and set up a climate camp at the top.

On Thursday night, one of the protestors confronted Tony Blair who was visiting a local science centre. A question from Ben Stewart was transmitted from the power station chimney to Blair in the local ITV studio (2).

The group are demanding that the Government phases out inefficient coal fired power stations and instead backs more efficient localised - or "decentralised"- power generation.

The Didcot site is the second most polluting power station in Britain[1], behind Drax in Yorkshire. The Oxfordshire facility was targeted because - like most of the Britain's power stations - two-thirds of the energy it generates is wasted, making a massive contribution to climate change.

The occupation comes in the week Sir Nicholas Stern released his ground-breaking study, warning of a global catastrophe if carbon emissions are not slashed. On Monday Tony Blair said: "This disaster is not set to happen in some science fiction future many years ahead, but in our lifetime." Meanwhile his government continues to allow inefficient power stations like Didcot to dominate the UK's electricity industry.

Most British power stations waste two-thirds of the energy they generate in the form of heat escaping up their cooling towers. By locating smaller generators close to where energy is used, the heat created in power stations can be captured and used to heat our homes. So-called 'decentralised energy' is already working in many European countries and powering cities like Copenhagen and Malmo. Along with a range of renewable energy technologies it is the key to modernising the electricity industry and slashing its massive contribution to global climate change. Woking Council has reduced its carbon footprint by 77% by employing decentralised technologies.

For more information, contact the Greenpeace Press office onsite on 07717 704577 or in the office on 020 7865-8255 or. Video and stills are available. Campaigners are available for interview.

Notes

[1] Didcot A and B (the gas and coal stations taken together) represent the second largest point source of CO2 in the UK (9.3 million tonnes a year) after Drax in Yorkshire. Source: EU emissions Trading figures

[2] All 25 people have been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass and criminal damage.

[3] Watch the television interview in which Tony Blair's is questioned by one of the protestors

[4] A full briefing on decentralised energy and the inefficiencies of coal, detailing a set of six government policies that make it more financially attractive to burn coal rather than gas and renewables: Blair's legacy - 10 years of hot air can be downloaded as a pdf here.

Climate campaigners shut down one of UK's biggest power stations

Greenpeace sets up 'climate camp' on top of 200 metre chimney

One of Britain's dirtiest power stations has been shut down by climate change campaigners.

Thirty Greenpeace volunteers invaded the Didcot coal-fired power station at 5:30am this morning, 2/11/2006. They have immobilised the huge conveyor belts that carry coal into the plant by hitting emergency stop buttons and attaching themselves to machinery. A second group is climbing the 200 metre high chimney, and will set up a climate camp at the top.

The Didcot site is the second most polluting power station in Britain[1], behind Drax in Yorkshire. The Oxfordshire facility was targeted because - like most of the Britain's power stations - two-thirds of the energy it generates is wasted, making a massive contribution to climate change. The campaigners are demanding that the Government phases out these kind of coal fired power stations and instead backs localised - or "decentralised" - power generation, which is much more efficient.

The occupation comes in the week Sir Nicholas Stern released his ground-breaking study, warning of a global catastrophe if carbon emissions are not slashed. On Monday Tony Blair said: "This disaster is not set to happen in some science fiction future many years ahead, but in our lifetime." Meanwhile his government continues to allow inefficient power stations like Didcot to dominate the UK's electricity industry.

Most British power stations waste two-thirds of the energy they generate in the form of heat escaping up their cooling towers. By locating smaller generators close to where energy is used, the heat created in power stations can be captured and used to heat our homes. So-called "decentralised energy" is already working in many European countries and powering cities like Copenhagen and Malmo. Along with a range of renewable energy technologies it is the key to modernising the electricity industry and slashing its massive contribution to global climate change. Woking Council has reduced its carbon footprint by 77% by employing decentralised technologies.

Greenpeace campaigns director Blake Lee-Harwood, who is part of the team that shut Didcot's conveyor belt, said: "Power stations like this are energy dinosaurs. This one power station emits over six millions tonnes of CO2 a year, that's more than the 29 lowest polluting countries put together. And, shockingly, Didcot could halve its emissions overnight if it switched from burning coal to gas."

He added:

"The fact that outrageously inefficient coal fired power stations like this still exist after a decade of New Labour rules is a potent symbol of Tony Blair's failure to tackle climate change. That's why we've shut it down."

Ben Stewart, occupying the 200m smokestack, added: "We hear a lot of fine talk from Tony Blair, but in reality C02 emissions have gone up under Labour while the climate crisis deepens. His legacy will be climate chaos. We'll leave this power station when he pledges to ditch these dinosaurs and start investing in cutting edge decentralised energy."

He added:

"Ministers are about to jet off to in the international climate talks in Nairobi to boast about their leadership on climate change, but the rest of the world will never take them seriously while they're letting CO2 emissions from inefficient power stations rise in the UK. Everyone who cares about climate change should come down and join the thousands who will be gathering in Trafalgar Square on Saturday to demand action to stop climate chaos."

Under Tony Blair:

• The use of coal for electricity generation has gone up from 47.3 to 52.5 million tonnes a year;
  
• Between the second quarters of 2005 and 2006 coal-burn for electricity rose by 10.5%
  
• UK Co2 eimissions have risen since 1997, from 549 million tonnes CO2 to 561.5 million tonnes of CO2. C02 emission in 2005 were only 5.5% below 1990 levels, way off the government's target of a 20% cut by 2010.

For more information, contact the Greenpeace Press office.
Video and stills available. Campaigners available for interview.

A full briefing on decentralised energy and the inefficiencies of coal, detailing a set of six government policies that make it more financially attractive to burn coal rather than gas and renwables: Blair's legacy - 10 years of hot air can be downloaded as a pdf here.

[1] Didcot A and B (the gas and coal stations taken together) represent the second largest point source of CO2 in the UK (9.3 million tonnes a year) after Drax in Yorkshire. Source: EU emissions Trading figures

A coal power station

Three world leaders in food and soft drinks today promised to phase out the powerful global warming gases, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in their refrigeration equipment (1). The announcement comes 11 years after Greenpeace showed the world that the future of cooling could become climate-friendly.

In a joint conference in Brussels, Unilever, Coca-Cola and McDonald's presented their programme for the beginning of the end of HFCs. Their initiative is supported by Greenpeace and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The companies' pledges are a further response to Greenpeace demands made in the run-up to the Sydney Olympics in 2000, when the global environmental organisation called on each of these market leaders to commit to an HFC-free future. Within a month of Greenpeace launching a hard-hitting consumer campaign, Coca- Cola promised a phase-out in time for the Athens Olympics. Seven years earlier, in 1993, Greenpeace had proved HFCs were unnecessary for refrigeration, when it developed and marketed Greenfreeze, the world's first CFC- and HFC-free refrigerator. Greenfreeze revolutionised the technology and became an industry standard in domestic refrigeration (2).

Gerd Leipold, Executive Director of Greenpeace International said:

"Greenpeace welcomes the commitments made by Unilever, Coca-Cola and McDonald's. We call on their competitors, such as Nestle, Pepsi and Burger King, to follow suit. But corporate action is only half the picture. For a complete solution, governments must act. Politicians can't sit back and wait for the market to deliver, because on its own, it won't."

As of 2005, Unilever Ice-Cream will purchase only HFC-free ice-cream cabinets. Already, some 14,000 units have been replaced. Coca-Cola will convert millions of drinks-vending machines around the world to non-HFC refrigerants. McDonald's will make changes in some 30,000 restaurants, converting its 11 types of refrigeration units - including air-conditioning, walk-in-freezers, salad and drinks coolers - to alternative refrigerants.

Behind all three companies stand major technology suppliers, which have made these technologies available thanks to multi-million-Euro investments. As the companies presented their phase-out strategies at today's conference, the suppliers presented their technologies, based on natural hydrocarbons, CO2 and Stirling.

"But three companies are not going to prevent climate change. At expected rates of usage, by 2050 HFCs will contribute as much to global warming as all the private cars on the planet today," concluded Leipold.

Further information
Please contact Katharine Mill, Greenpeace Media Officer based in Brussels, 0032 496 156 229 or Greenpeace UK Press Office on 0207 865 8255

Greenpeace briefing: "The cool story of the phase out of CFC and HFC in refrigeration" available at www.greenpeace.org.uk or from the Greenpeace Press Office

Notes to Editors:
(1) HFCs are far more potent for global warming than the best-known greenhouse gas, CO2. They were introduced by the chemical industry 15 years ago, around the time CFCs started to be regulated under the Montreal Protocol.
(2) Greenpeace developed the Greenfreeze technology together with the East German company FORON, having opposed the introduction of HFCs from the start. Now an industry standard in Europe, China, Japan, Latin America and Australia, it has sold some 120 million models to date. Outside the US, Greenfreeze established itself as the leading technology for domestic fridges.
(3) Greenpeace demands that:

• Governments phase-out HFCs immediately, or, where no immediate substitutes exist, specific phase-out dates are fixed. No time frame should exceed five years.
• Governments tax the use of HFCs until phase-out. The tax would be based on global warming potential and, thus, on environmental impact of applications.
• The Parties to the Montreal Protocol stop the funding of HFC projects through the Multilateral Fund and dramatically accelerate the phase-out of HCFCs. Governments establish a compensatory fund into which HFC-producers pay, to compensate for environmental and human health cost arising from the extensive use of HFCs.
• The European Union introduce immediate phase-out dates for HFCs in all applications in its proposed Fluorinated Gases Regulation.

   

Heysham: Run by British Energy

The High Court today gave Ecotricity and Greenpeace leave to proceed with a Judicial Review of the government's decision to loan £650 million of taxpayers money to private nuclear generator British Energy. The case will be heard the week of 27th January, 2003.

Ecotricity and Greenpeace argued in court that the loan was a breach by the UK Government of European Union law, which requires member states to get EU approval before providing state aid to companies (1). They also argued that the loan is distorting the electricity market and damaging renewable energy companies like Ecotricity.

Greenpeace Campaigner Emma Gibson said, "We are delighted to be able to go court to try and get this money paid back into the public purse. Greenpeace believes the loan is not only unlawful, but that it is distorting the market and damaging truly clean energy providers like Ecotricity."

She continued, "The fact is the public don't want nuclear power and we don't need it to power Britain. Nuclear power does not add up and to keep it going can only mean pumping millions of taxpayers money into a nuclear black hole for years to come. We hope that our challenge to the Government today shows them that Greenpeace and the public will fight their plans for a new generation of nuclear power stations every step of the way."

Dale Vince, Managing Director, Ecotricity, "I am sure that this news will be welcomed by the public, who don't want to pay for nuclear power and would rather see renewable energy take its place."