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To: schnews-l@gn.apc.org
Subject: schnews 379
Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2002 18:04:53 -0000

BNRR protest report - 22 October 2002

Last Tuesday (22nd October) workers on the Birmingham Northern Relief Road were able to enjoy an unscheduled break when a dozen people stormed the construction site of a bridge over a canal and disabled diggers and a crane. The protesters say it represents the start of a new phase of the campaign against car culture and climate change in the face of a renewed road building program under the Labour Government. The action happened one day before the start of the British International Motor Show and the UN climate conference in New Delhi, India (COP 8).

At the Motor Show in Birmingham, Europe s largest car show, actions continued highlighting how the car industry is part of the problem of climate change.

It s not just people in the west who have been protesting against climate change. Those communities most affected (mostly in southern countries) met at a Climate Justice Summit held at the same time as the UN climate conference to provide a platform for climate change impacted communities from around the world. The negotiations to solve the climate change crisis have been hijacked by corporations and industrialised nations, especially the US. These meetings resemble a trade meeting to push globalisation over developing countries rather than a meeting to address the genuine needs of people, said Medha Patkar of the India Climate Justice Forum. The summit was followed by a 5, 000 strong rally in New Delhi.

And while the people directly affected by climate change met to discuss the issues affecting them the world s Governments met to carve-up another commodity - the earth s climate. The conference looks like being yet another failed opportunity, with the initial draft resolution in combating climate change being described as unacceptable and worthless . Expect more storms and floods of hot air from the conference which finishes today.

http://www.corpwatchindia.org
Car show actions - http://www.anticarshow.net

* 600 protesters managed to shut down all 28 Esso petrol stations in Luxembourg last Saturday in a climate change protest by Greenpeace.

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