Feature story - September 6, 2002
While government delegates returned home from the failed Earth Summit, some of the dirty industry lobbyists that ensured that no action was taken by the Summit hot footed it to the World Petroleum Congress taking place in Rio de Janeiro. Yes, the same place where 10 years ago the first Earth Summit brought hope that finally the world was waking up to see the damage we are causing to the world's environment.
Activists hung a banner across the arms of the Christ statue on Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro to protest against the world leaders' failure to secure the future of the planet.
Obviously they are very happy having prevented the summit from
agreeing any targets for clean green renewable energy. The oil
industry can continue to make billions of dollars of profit while
ignoring the growing devastation caused by climate change.
While oil industry fat cats are busy patting themselves on the
back, our activists were making clear that society will not allow
this dinosaur of an industry to continue business as usual letting
the planet burn.
Brazil suggested 10 percent of the world's energy should come
fromclean renewable sources by 2010. This proposal was shot down in
flames by the 'axis of oil' lead by the US government and its
backers including ExxonMobil and other oil producing states.
To demonstrate the huge disappointment with the failure of the
world's governments to save the planet, our activists hung a banner
stating "Rio+10 = 2nd Chance?" across the arms of the famous Christ
the Redeemer landmark in Rio. Ten years after the first Earth
Summit in Rio we are still no closer to preventing the destruction
of the planet.
A few of the nuclear industry lobbyists must have had the smiles
wiped off their faces pretty quickly after returning to the news
from the UK. The recently privatized British Energy is facing
bankruptcy after losses of £500 million last year. Ironically the
UK government split this supposedly 'profitable' part of the
nuclear industry during privatization from the less economic sector
of the industry. BE's huge debts pale when compared to the £2
billion in losses last year of government owned British Nuclear
Fuels.
These new losses show that despite 50 years of huge government
subsidies the UK nuclear industry is not only unprofitable, but
requires massive cash injections of billions just to keep
going.
Our activists, and other protestors, will be showing the
widespread public opposition to this unsafe, polluting and
uneconomic industry in the coming weeks with a protest flotilla in
the Irish sea against a shipment of nuclear fuel. The shipment is
being returned to Sellafield reprocessing plant from Japan after
safety documents for the shipment were forged.
With nuclear power in crisis and the effects of our reliance on
fossil fuels becoming undeniable, with more floods, storms and
droughts, it is surely time for the winds of change to usher in a
new clean green energy future for the world in the 21st century.
Governments and industry do not want to change so we need to make
it happen for the good of the planet.
Get active:
Ensure the
UK chooses renewable energy not nuclear.
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