Welcome
Minister of State for Climate Change Gregory Barker, Bexhill’s MP, faced questions from a local coalition of charities and environmental campaign groups at an ‘African Climate Connection’ event ahead of the United Nations conference in Durban, South Africa. The event took place on Saturday 26 November at St Peter’s Church, Bexhill, a few days before Mr Barker flew to Durban to participate in the negotiations.
Gregory Barker said ‘I am concerned about the lack of urgency at the climate talks. The COP climate conferences are becoming a way of life for some people. We need to look at the science. In Durban I want to close the gap between countries’ pledges and what scientists say we need.’ He pledged to work for global agreement for a single legally binding treaty to keep temperature rises below 2° while acknowledging how difficult this will be. He also wanted to move forward the work on climate finance, adaptation and protection of forests started at Cancun.
The group called for the government to take a lead at the climate talks by ensuring more finance is made available for developing countries to adapt to the effects of climate change, develop low carbon economies and protect forests. To highlight their ‘No New Chains of Debt’ campaign, the Bexhill World Development Movement group presented Mr Barker with a long paper chain bearing messages demanding climate aid be given as grants, not as loans and for the money to be channelled through the new green climate fund instead of the World Bank. Denis Lucey of the WDM said, ‘Climate change has largely been caused by rich industrialised countries like the UK. Poor countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Mozambique desperately need funds to help them deal with climate change, but the World Bank loans being pushed by our government will only drive them deeper into poverty. We urged Greg Barker to take our concerns to the UN talks and help ensure that solutions to climate change also tackled poverty. Otherwise they wouldn’t work.’
- Gregory Barker accepts WDM paperchain of messages:
- Break the Chains of Debt.
Jack Doherty, local Fairtrade leader, asked the minister to take with him to Durban an apology from the developed world on the damage we have caused to the climate with our emissions.
Christian Ecology Link Secretary Barbara Echlin ended the meeting with a strong plea to the minister to fight hard for the vital global deal that the world needs if we are to avoid climate chaos, storms and droughts.
The event was attended by over 60 people and supported by a mix of local branches of national charities and agencies, and locally based groups: Bexhill Environmental Group, Cafod, Christian Aid, Christian Ecology Link, Fairtrade Bexhill, Friends of the Earth, Operation Noah, Rother Environmental Group, Tearfund, United Nations Association and World Development Movement.
Local WDM members with the Mayor of Bexhill and Greg Barker, MP for Bexhill and Minister for Climate Change, in One World Week
Denis Lucey said, ” Climate change has largely been caused by rich industrialised countries like the UK. Poor countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Mozambique desperately need funds to help them deal with climate change, but the World Bank loans being pushed by our government will only drive them deeper into poverty. We are asking Greg Barker to take our concerns to Westminster and help ensure that solutions to climate change also tackle poverty. Otherwise they won’t work”.
Summer 2011: Our summer campaign was against food speculation. View this new video from Australia.
July 2011: Bexhill Mayor at WDM stall
July 2011: Amber Rudd, MP for Hastings and Rye
July 2011: Hastings Mayor at WDM stall
You too can join the campaign against food speculation. Sign the WDM petition online – now! Then sign this French petition against land grabs in Madagascar.
A Challenge to our MP
We call on Greg Barker, our local MP, to reflect the voices of hundreds of his constituents as he leads debate on a new Government Bill in Parliament. Local people have backed a petition expressing their concern that the Government’s Energy Bill is too weak to deliver the energy savings in homes and communities needed to cut rising fuel bills and dangerous climate changing emissions.
Mr Barker has a crucial role in shaping the legislation as Climate Change and Energy Minister. He has already listened to constituents and nationwide calls for improvements to the Bill – for which we congratulate him. However, we need him to go further. In particular:
· Give councils the independent advice they need to tackle climate change, and ensure every council has a plan to help communities go green.
· Protect tenants from living in cold, energy-leaking rented homes by 2016, and strengthen energy efficiency standards over time.
· Ensure that Government has a plan for every home to be insulated.
These measures would support local efforts by Rother District Council to tackle fuel poverty and would help to create green jobs across the District.
Greg Barker made clear his commitment to these issues at a recent public meeting in Battle. Now we’re asking him to ensure the Government’s Energy Bill delivers the legacy of decent standard homes and effective council action on climate change needed.
Brenda Pollack (Friends of the Earth, South East Regional Campaigner)
Barbara Echlin (Christian Ecology Link and Operation Noah)
Christina Lucey (CAFOD)
Denis Lucey (WDM)
Christopher Strangeways (Rother Environmental Group)
Wendy Gubby (Christian Aid)
Allan Bula (Bexhill and Hastings United Nations Association)
Public Meeting with Gregory Barker, MP, Minister for Energy and Climate Change
Meeting the Minister
A public meeting in Battle, Sussex, on 20th May gave constituents a chance to challenge our MP, Gregory Barker, the Minister for Climate and Energy. This meeting was arranged by local representatives of the national organizations who are part of the Stop Climate Chaos coalition, and members of local environmental groups: Bexhill Environmental Group, Cafod, Christian Aid, Christian Ecology Link, Friends of the Earth, Operation Noah, Rother Environmental Group, Tearfund, United Nations Association, and the World Development Movement.
Paul Cook, of the Tear Fund, pressed the Minister to urge the World Bank to invest in renewable energy and stop subsidising fossil fuel. Martyn Williams, of Friends of the Earth, encouraged him to improve insulation standards for existing homes. Chris Rowland of OVESCo, an agency for sustainable energy, pressed him to continue the provision of feed-in tariffs for renewable sources of electricity.
TARGETTING BARCLAYS
- Targetting Barclays
April 2011 was a month of action against Barclays. Barclays Capital is the UK’s prime culprit in food speculation, creating hunger by pushing up the price of key staple foods. Food prices have risen in the UK, but the effect in poorer countries has been devastating. There people are forced to spend most of their income on food just to stay alive. Barclays AGM was held in London on 27 April, so the local WDM group held a surprise stunt outside Barclays Bank, Bexhill on Tuesday 19 April. Local WDM chairman Denis Lucey dressed up as a banker, with a Barclay Eagle mask to attract attention.
Bexhill was privileged to stage a session on Tackling Global Hunger on Saturday 12 March, organised by local groups WDM and Bexhill Fairtrade as part of discovering how to solve a most urgent and drastically worsening problem of our age.
- Heidi Chow
Before a large, inquiring audience, Heidi Chow of the World Development Movement gave a series of insights into the futures contracts which were brought in over 200 years ago to help farmers manage their risks. These contracts, which safeguarded basic foods, were deregulated in the 1990s, resulting in reckless speculation by wealthy bankers, causing the price of basics such as wheat, maize and rice to escalate.There is no shortage of food in the world but high prices mean that there is starvation. The reality of poverty and how earnings are spent was illustrated by a lady working on a rubbish tip in Kenya and having to spend most of her income on a bag of maize, with little left for other necessities; equivalent to someone here earning £300 a week and having to pay £250 for bread. An important point emphasised by Heidi is that money is not the answer to world poverty. Systems and attitudes have to change. She urged those present to support WDM’s campaign for regulation of reckless speculation on food by wealthy bankers.
- Alex Yeboah-Atari
Alex Yeboah-Atari was able to explain just how fair trading has changed the whole quality of life, educational , medical and environmental on the Banana Estates at the River Volta in Ghana. He wanted to pass on appreciation to all for supporting Fairtrade. He showed how it does work.
- Hannah Reed with Alex and the Mayor of Bexhill
Hannah on behalf of Fairtrade Foundation congratulated Bexhill on their wonderful promotion of Fairtrade. She emphasised that in times of economic downturn like the present one, it’s no use telling people to tighten their belts if there is no room left to tighten! Fairtrade is a robust economic model; where it is in operation there is far less reliance on aid, so trade not aid is the answer.
The Mayor, Councillor Jimmy Carroll, welcomed our learned and personable visitors to our town and thanked them for their contributions.
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