Save the planet – a message from another world

The first member of a remote Colombian tribe ever to set foot in Britain brings a stark ecological warning.Jacinto Zarabata sits in a suburban back garden in north London and unselfconsciously uses a stick to probe the inside of a gourd, which is shaped like a rather phallic mushroom with a bright yellow cap. The first member of the Kogi people of Colombia ever to visit Britain is wearing traditional rough cotton clothes and has a cloth bag slung over each shoulder as he chews toasted coca leaves.

Tamwed Barn Dance in Lydford

Tamwed links with and supports communities in isolated areas of rural South India. One of our projects is helping people to produce food crops and medicinal herbs that can adapt to the changing climate.

Climate change enlightenment was fun while it lasted. But now it’s dead

George Monbiot writing in the Guardian, 20 Sep 2010. The closer it comes, the worse it looks. The best outcome anyone now expects from December’s climate summit in Mexico is that some delegates might stay awake during the meetings. When talks fail once, as they did in Copenhagen, governments lose interest. They don’t want to be associated with failure, they don’t want to pour time and energy into a broken process. Nine years after the world trade negotiations moved to Mexico after failing in Qatar, they remain in diplomatic limbo. Nothing in the preparations for the climate talks suggests any other outcome.

Dartmoor & Exmoor Low Carbon Festival 2010

Dartmoor and Exmoor Low Carbon Festival 2010, 06 – 10 October – Exmoor, 09 – 10 October – Dartmoor, Family fun days, a food festival, an eco-fashion event, a variety of guided walks and tours plus a series offree community events are on offer at this year’s Low Carbon Festival on Exmoor and Dartmoor. The Festival follows on from the success of the inaugural Dartmoor and Exmoor Low Carbon Festival in 2009. A series of free events and guided tours across both National Parks will highlight what measures are being taken to reduce carbon emissions and how we can adapt to the ever growing pressures on our resources.

Local talk on offsetting carbon emissions

“Wondered about offsetting your carbon emissions? Why, how, and does it make sense anyway?”. Thursday 9th September. The Community Club (opp Post Office) Moretonhampstead. Talk starts 7.30pm. Come early for home-grown Refreshments. Talk and Refreshments – Free. Moreton Action Group for Sustainability (MAGS) is hosting this talk by inspirational thinker, speaker, and practical engineering-based Antony Turner. The current theory and practise of carbon offsetting is a contentious subject which Antony will put in perspective, summarize and give us his conclusions based on his own work in this area over the last 7 years. Anyone who is interested in reducing carbon emissions is very welcome to come to this event. No booking necessary, but if you want further details phone Liz Prince on 01647 440690.

The Sky is Falling

“The Sky is Falling!”
Henny Penny calls. An acorn has just landed on her head and, panicking, she hurries of to warn all her friends of the impending doom. The beginning of this well known children’s story has passed into the English language as indicating a hysterical or mistaken belief that disaster is imminent. There are some that believe the news of recent years about global warming and climate change and how it will effect peoples around the world is just one such mistaken belief. They deny it is happening and even if it is, we had nothing to do with it and couldn’t change things even if we wanted to.

Change your world from Sustrans

Take a walk. Get on your bike. Choose the bus or train. Pledge a journey and let’s see how many times we can get around the world by 4 July. Join in Change Your World. Make a journey by foot, bike or public transport and help us clock up enough miles to complete our virtual trip around the world. Show your support by pledging one of your journeys – then tell Government they must act too.

International climate change action (? or spin)

The first formal United Nations climate change talks since Copenhagen have concluded in Bonn, Germany last week. Detailed discussion progressed between over 180 countries on key climate issues such as mitigation, finance and governance. Meanwhile, the European Union ambition on the move to 30% has received a boost, with Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Chris Huhne stating ‘a move to 30% is achievable, right for the climate and right for our economies’.

World Environment Day 2010 – Sat 5 June

Westden endorses the United Nations’ World Environment Day (WED) 2010 which is aimed to be the biggest, most widely celebrated, global day for positive, environmental action.

Our debate, our questions. Vote now…

38 Degrees: In just 3 days we’ll get our chance to put our questions to Ed Miliband (Labour), Oliver Letwin (Conservatives) and Danny Alexander (Liberal Democrats). We’ve teamed up with The Guardian to host a different kind of election debate next Monday lunchtime. [1] 38 Degrees members’ suggestions for questions to the manifesto writers have been flooding in.

Growth isn’t possible…

Four years on from nef’s Growth isn’t Working, this new report goes one step further and tests that thesis in detail in the context of climate change and energy. It argues that indefinite global economic growth is unsustainable. Just as the laws of thermodynamics constrain the maximum efficiency of a heat engine, economic growth is constrained by the finite nature of our planet’s natural resources (biocapacity).

Climate Change update talk at the Wharf, Tavistock

At 7pm on Sunday, 28 March 2010, The Friends of the Wharf are hosting Professor Philip Chris Reid, Professor of Oceanography at the University of Plymouth to give a review of the current status of Climate Change as presented to UNESCO in Paris, 2009.

Global Warming Time Bomb

A cut down version of James Hansen’s recent book Global Warming Time Bomb is available from Columbia University.

The Earth Charter Initiative

“The Earth Charter Initiative” is an extraordinarily diverse, global network of people, organizations, and institutions that participate in promoting and implementing the values and principles of the Earth Charter. The Initiative is a broad-based, voluntary, civil society effort. Participants include leading international institutions, national governments and their agencies, university associations, non-government organizations and community-based groups, city governments, faith groups, schools and businesses – as well as thousands of individuals.

13 million people sign up to Avaaz petition – why don’t you?

The Copenhagen climate summit ended up in failure: an unambitious, non-binding accord that leaders themselves admit won’t come close to tackling climate change. Sign the petition.

Watch ‘The Age of Stupid’ on BBC iPlayer now

Watch ‘The Age of Stupid’, Franny Armstrong’s latest project starring Pete Postlethwaite on BBC Iplayer. Climate change has devastated the world – why did we do nothing?

Act on Copenhagen updates…

Click on the banner above for updates from the Copenhagen conference.

Transition Tavistock Open Space Event

On Sunday 15 November 2009, Westden attended the Transition Tavistock Open Space Event in the Parish Rooms, Tavistock. The afternoon was hosted by the Transition Tavistock steering group using the Open Space Format.

ActionAid UK: helping schools deal with climate change

ActionAid helping schools live with climate change.

DevonCAN – Climate Action Network

Devon Climate Action Network is for groups and individuals in Devon who are working towards climate change mitigation and adaptation.