We had a very productive and positive meeting with Anas Sarwar, MP for Glasgow Central and member of the International Development Select Committee on 2nd December. Mr. Sarwar was very supportive of our call to stop increasing the unjust debt of poor countries by providing climate finance as loans through the World Bank.

For more info and to take action now in support of this campaign, see www.wdm.org.uk/climatedebt

Bhopal, the Olympics and Corporate Injustice

In 1984, toxic gas leaked from the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, killing thousands. The survivors continue to campaign for justice from Dow chemicals, who are now sponsors of the 2012 London Olympics.

Come and hear Eurig Scandrett, lecturer in Sociology at Queen Margaret University and former head of community action at Friends of the Earth Scotland, talk on the continuing issues in Bhopal and what it tells us about corporate power and injustice more widely

Tuesday 29th November, 7pm, Lecture Theatre A, Boyd Orr Building, Glasgow University, University Avenue

A joint event with FoE Glasgow and Glasgow University Climate Action Society

North Ayrshire Council are about to make their decision on whether or not to support Ayrshire Power’s plans for a new coal-fired power station at Hunterston. More than 20,000 people have formally objected to this proposal (more than any other development in the history of Scottish planning), so now we need to make sure that North Ayrshire Council don’t ignore this huge level of opposition.

Wednesday 9th November, from 1pm

If you haven’t spotted it already, George Square is being occupied, along with cities around the world. It’s time for the 99% to make our voice heard.

Rally and assembly, Saturday 22nd October, 3pm in George Square

Bring the kids, bring a whistle, bring the love and make sure our voices are heard.

For more info, see www.occupyglasgow.org/

www.facebook.com/occupyglasgow

It rained all day, but they couldn’t drown out the angry voices chanting against the cuts! We joined the Put People First march on 1st October in Glasgow because the neo-liberal nonsense that is driving the ‘austerity’ programme in Westminster is the same crazy scheme to slash the state that has exacerbated poverty around the world over the last 30 years. We all need to stand together against unnecessary cuts, increased poverty, privatisation and the continual transfer of wealth from ordinary people to the financial elite.

At the heart of the climate crisis lies a fundamental injustice. While rich countries got rich on an economy built on fossil fuels, it is poorer countries who are now paying the price in the form of rising water levels and changing weather patterns.

Ahead of the next UN climate talks in Durban, come and hear global debt and climate activist Lidy Nacpil from the Philippines, Liz Murray from the World Development Movement and James Picardo from Jubilee Scotland talk about climate change, debt and Scotland’s role in bringing about climate justice.

Thursday 6th October, 7.30 – 9.30pm, Renfield Centre, Bath St, Glasgow

This is a free event. All welcome.

Please let us know you are coming - office@wdmscotland.org.uk, or phone 0131 243 2730, or sign up online at https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=177490538993976

Organised by World Development Movement and Jubilee Scotland

In this UK premiere, journey from your favourite restaurant to Kenya via the Amazon and Philippines to discover the social and environmental cost of the global food industry. Native tribes look on as huge tracts of rainforest are burned to grow soya. The livelihoods of local fishermen in Asia and subsistence farmers in Kenya are threatened as multinationals draw away their water supplies. Just who is paying for the food we love?

GFT, Saturday 1st October, 5:45pm

Followed by a discussion with leading food journalists and campaigners.

Takuu, a unique, centuries old island community in the Pacific Ocean, is going under water. This beautiful film gently explores the local response to this devastating news. One by one, families must choose between resettling to an alien mainland hundreds of kilometres away or staying to defend their culture, and watch their paradise disintegrate.

GFT, Saturday 24th September, 4pm

Followed by a discussion with leading international climate change campaigners.

Another chance to see Iciar Bollain’s superb film about the Cochabamba revolution, when mass protests overturned the privatisation of the state water company.  A timely reminder that multinational corporations would merrily privatise anything, even the rain, if they could make a profit from it.

GFT, Thursday 22nd September, 6pm

Followed by a Q&A with screenwriter Paul Laverty.

The next crucial stage in the battle to regulate speculation in food commodities and stop the bankers gambling on hunger will take place in Europe. In October, the EU will propose new rules on commodity speculation, so we need to make sure that our MEP’s are aware of the issues. WDM Scotland has invited them all to:

Regulation, Speculation and World Food Prices

Friday 16 Sept, 10:30-12:30, European Parliament Information Office, The Tun, Edinburgh EH8 8PJ

All the parties are sending someone, so why not come along and make sure they realise how important this is – European regulation has never been so interesting!

See http://www.wdm.org.uk/events/regulation-speculation-and-world-food-prices for more info…