- Kids voice their opposition to a polluting power station in the UK. Photo: UK Indymedia
By WIETSE, UK Indymedia
Last year was the hottest year ever in the United Kingdom (UK). Recently the government and the media have been paying a lot of attention to climate change. Even UK Prime Minister Tony Blair said that it is “the biggest threat mankind faces.”
Many people in the UK are changing the way they use energy. They are bicycling, buying food from local producers and recycling their waste. People are also angry. They have directed their anger at politicians who talk about these problems but do little to prevent them.
Hundreds of people came together and set up the “Climate Camp” last August to say they had had enough. The camp was held in the north of England near the coal-powered Drax power station, a station that has produced much pollution. A group of kids marched to the gates of the power station to demand that it be shut down.
Other people blockaded a nuclear power station, which meant that no one could enter or leave the station. In September, a large group of children and adults occupied a runway at East Midlands Airport near Nottingham to demand a stop to short-haul flights. These are flights that only go a short distance, and passengers and cargo could easily take lower-polluting modes of transportation, such as trains.
Many groups have been set up in the UK to actively fight climate change. The Climate Camp is taking place again this year, and many groups from all over the country are already taking part in organizing it.
