Climate Camp 2006

Mandy Meikle, Depletion Scotland

Back in May, I gave one of my 'why Peak Oil is a climate change issue' talks at Scotland's biannual activists' gathering, the Big Blether. While there, I met some people working on a very ambitious project - a 10-day Camp for Climate Action somewhere in the Megawatt Valley near Leeds. This camp would be a chance for those concerned about climate change who have never really been involved with campaigning before to meet up with seasoned activists and attend workshops, culminating with some campaigning on nearby Drax power station. Drax is a coal-fired power station which according to the media is both "Britain's largest single polluter", producing 20.8 million tonnes of CO2 per year, and the "cleanest and most efficient coal-fired power station" [Independent 31 Aug. 2006). A reminder of how polluting coal is. 

I was asked to take a workshop on Peak Oil at the climate camp and, with my usual trepidation over public speaking, I sighed and agreed. My first talk on Peak Oil was back in May 2004, at a 1-day conference in Edinburgh on oil and conflict. Since then, I have spoken at several events hoping to explain why Peak Oil is a climate change issue. I've met those who dismiss climate change, believing Peak Oil to be a far bigger problem, and those who dismiss Peak Oil (or welcome it!) because they think climate change is the real concern. I see Peak Oil and climate change as being inextricably linked and equally scary. In these talks, I try to explain how our addiction to oil has grown, why demand reduction is the only way forward and that we are increasingly turning to coal and non-conventional oils as supplies of conventional oil are constrained - we're certainly not voluntarily reducing demand. I'm just one of many people doing this kind of thing and I think it's working. I meet far fewer from the 'either/or' camp these days, but I did wonder if I was pushing my luck expecting agreement at the climate camp. Given that changes in our climate seem to be happening at a faster rate than scientists expected, it must be comforting for some to think that we are running out of oil. I don't like to shatter dreams, but needs must!

So, a friend and I travelled down to Selby on Sunday 27 August, not really sure what to expect. We only stayed for 2 days, having other commitments, but in retrospect I do wish I could have stayed for longer. The organisation of the camp was impressive. The site was split into 7 or 8 neighbourhoods, each of which held a morning meeting. Someone from each neighbourhood would then feed back at the Site meeting. There were also teams of volunteers dedicated to site infrastructure, kitchens, communications, legal matters, first aid and various other tasks. And the few workshops I attended were on the whole really good, on nuclear power and weapons, how to make biodiesel and why it's not the answer (my favourite workshop title!), climate science, green buildings and the history of radical climate action in Europe.

The Peak Oil workshop went well too, thanks to the audience's willingness to lead discussion and ask questions after the talking part was over. Attendance started off at six or seven, but by the end there were more than 20 people ranging in knowledge from none at all to someone involved with PowerSwitch, an excellent UK Peak Oil website with news, information on what you can do, facts & figures, regional contacts, forums and lots of other information. And I was interviewed by IndyMedia, another first. Although when I say 'interviewed', it was more just me trying to remember and summarise my 2-hour workshop into 5 minutes - I don't think the interviewer asked me many questions.

And now it's all over. I would like to think a climate camp could become a regular feature in the activists' calendar but I can only imagine how much organising it took and I fully understand anyone who feels once was enough. But such convergences are a great thing. It's important to meet like-minded people and have a chance to debate issues, such as at Peak Speak 2 in July. So if anyone reading this has the urge to organise an event but isn't sure where to start, join a group which already exists and is working on issues you feel strongly about, e.g. transport, local food, energy descent and so on. I've recently joined my local Greenpeace group, to get involved with their decentralised energy campaign but that's for another time...