UK
Extinction Rebellion install satirical signs as part of 'dirty water' protest (cloned)By Zoë Uglow | Reporter |
Wednesday 1st February 2023
amzoe.uglow@thepost.uk.com
One of the protestors at Bude Compass Point (XR North Cornwall )
Protestors against the dumping of sewage into local rivers installed satirical blue plaques in Camelford, Bodmin, Bude and other watery places on Saturday, January 28, to highlight the “shocking state of our waterways”.
Members of Extinction Rebellion and earth protectors from other environmental groups unveiled blue plaques near the rivers Camel, Neet and Stratton during a national day of action held across the UK.
The plaques, mainly aimed at the local MP for North Cornwall, intended to highlight what the group feel is the Government’s continued failure to tighten environmental regulations and stop profit-grabbing by water companies.
The plaques read variations on the theme of: “Scott Mann our Conservative MP voted to allow raw sewage to be dumped into the River Camel 20th October 2021.”
However, Scott Mann says these allegations are false and that he is “committed to seeing the end of combined sewer discharges over time”.
A spokesperson for XR North Cornwall said: “We’ve watched in horror as our rivers and seas have become open sewers since October 2021, when the government voted down a proposal to stop water companies pumping waste directly into our rivers and seas. They justified this by claiming that the proposal was too expensive. These plaques shine a light on the government’s failure to protect our waterways, the natural world, and all of us.
“The government’s failure to properly tackle the issue of sewage pollution has been hugely controversial. Last summer, over a hundred beaches were closed to the public after a series of sewage discharges by water companies left the sand and sea contaminated with human sewage.
“Meanwhile, only 14% of the UK’s rivers achieve “good” ecological status with pollution from agriculture, human sewage, roads, and single-used plastics creating a dangerous “chemical cocktail” in our waterways. In December the Environment Agency announced it was pushing back targets to clean up England’s rivers, lakes and coastal waters from 2027 to 2063, prompting outcry.”
Campaigner Etienne Stott, Olympic gold medal canoeist, added: “It’s disgusting, literally, to think what’s being pumped into our rivers. The government and the water companies aren’t going to clean up unless ordinary people put pressure on them. Extinction Rebellion can’t do this alone. We need everyone who cares about our rivers and seas to stand up with us and speak out. Today is just the first part of a bigger campaign to protect nature and our waterways.”
However, in response Mr Mann told the Post: “The allegation that Conservative MPs have “voted to dump sewage onto beaches” is false.
“Whist I agree that the amount of sewage discharged by water companies into our rivers and seas is unacceptable, this is the first Government to set out expectations that water companies must take steps to significantly reduce storm overflows. This instruction will now be put on an enhanced legal footing.
“It is only because of the increased monitoring of storm overflows – directed by this Government – that we know how bad the problem really is. Since 2016 the number of outflows monitored has increased from 6% to 90%. That is one of the main reasons why the numbers of incidents are ‘increasing’. Furthermore, since 2008 the percentage of bathing waters rated as excellent has increased from 53% to 72%.
One of the protestors at Bude Compass Point (XR North Cornwall )
Protestors against the dumping of sewage into local rivers installed satirical blue plaques in Camelford, Bodmin, Bude and other watery places on Saturday, January 28, to highlight the “shocking state of our waterways”.
Members of Extinction Rebellion and earth protectors from other environmental groups unveiled blue plaques near the rivers Camel, Neet and Stratton during a national day of action held across the UK.
The plaques, mainly aimed at the local MP for North Cornwall, intended to highlight what the group feel is the Government’s continued failure to tighten environmental regulations and stop profit-grabbing by water companies.
The plaques read variations on the theme of: “Scott Mann our Conservative MP voted to allow raw sewage to be dumped into the River Camel 20th October 2021.”
However, Scott Mann says these allegations are false and that he is “committed to seeing the end of combined sewer discharges over time”.
A spokesperson for XR North Cornwall said: “We’ve watched in horror as our rivers and seas have become open sewers since October 2021, when the government voted down a proposal to stop water companies pumping waste directly into our rivers and seas. They justified this by claiming that the proposal was too expensive. These plaques shine a light on the government’s failure to protect our waterways, the natural world, and all of us.
“The government’s failure to properly tackle the issue of sewage pollution has been hugely controversial. Last summer, over a hundred beaches were closed to the public after a series of sewage discharges by water companies left the sand and sea contaminated with human sewage.
“Meanwhile, only 14% of the UK’s rivers achieve “good” ecological status with pollution from agriculture, human sewage, roads, and single-used plastics creating a dangerous “chemical cocktail” in our waterways. In December the Environment Agency announced it was pushing back targets to clean up England’s rivers, lakes and coastal waters from 2027 to 2063, prompting outcry.”
Campaigner Etienne Stott, Olympic gold medal canoeist, added: “It’s disgusting, literally, to think what’s being pumped into our rivers. The government and the water companies aren’t going to clean up unless ordinary people put pressure on them. Extinction Rebellion can’t do this alone. We need everyone who cares about our rivers and seas to stand up with us and speak out. Today is just the first part of a bigger campaign to protect nature and our waterways.”
However, in response Mr Mann told the Post: “The allegation that Conservative MPs have “voted to dump sewage onto beaches” is false.
“Whist I agree that the amount of sewage discharged by water companies into our rivers and seas is unacceptable, this is the first Government to set out expectations that water companies must take steps to significantly reduce storm overflows. This instruction will now be put on an enhanced legal footing.
“It is only because of the increased monitoring of storm overflows – directed by this Government – that we know how bad the problem really is. Since 2016 the number of outflows monitored has increased from 6% to 90%. That is one of the main reasons why the numbers of incidents are ‘increasing’. Furthermore, since 2008 the percentage of bathing waters rated as excellent has increased from 53% to 72%.
“Yet again, another vote recently took place in Parliament that was engineered for political purposes. The measures supported by opposition MPs would not have banned sewage overflows – as some are falsely claiming. It is estimated that the proposals would have cost £12,000-£21,000 per household. Conservative MPs have voted to amend plans, not block them.
“We removed the sections that would have meant massive bills for households across the UK. These votes are cynical party politics at its worst, not a serious debate about solving the problem.
“I understand how emotive and important a subject this is. I am committed to seeing the end of combined sewer discharges over time and to placing the obligation for dealing with the issue squarely on the water companies — not Cornish taxpayers.”
Extinction Rebellion ‘suffragettes’ chain themselves in Barclays’ Guildford branch
Friday 3rd February 2023
Three women, dressed as suffragettes, chained themselves together in the window of Barclays in Guildford (Extinction Rebellion )
Three Extinction Rebellion (XR) activists dressed as suffragettes chained themselves together inside Barclays Bank in Guildford on Monday – supported by XR members from Farnham and Haslemere.
They were protesting against the bank’s continuing use of customers’ money to fund the exploration and extraction of coal, gas and oil, and in solidarity with the seven women from XR who received a combined suspended jail sentence of two years last week at Southwark Crown Court for breaking the windows of Barclays HQ in Canary Wharf in April 2021.
The activists claim Barclays is the UK and Europe’s largest financier of fossil fuels. Since 2021, it says, when the International Energy Agency concluded there could be no new oil, gas or coal development if the world was to reach net zero by 2050, Barclays has invested more than 19 billion dollars in fossil fuels.
Since the Paris Climate Agreement in 2016, its total investment in fossil fuels is more than 166 billion dollars.
This is the second time Barclays Bank on North Street in Guildford has been targeted. In November XR protesters glued themselves to the windows of the bank as part of a nationwide protest against Barclays’ funding of the fossil fuel industry.
The three women, dressed as suffragettes, chained themselves together in the window of the bank, with placards stating: “This Bank Funds Fossil Fuels”, “Move Your Money” and “Barclays are Climate Criminals” placed at their feet.
Other members of XR were inside and outside the branch explaining to customers and passers-by why they were taking action.
One protester, Jenny Condit, 73, from Haslemere, said: “I am taking action because it’s past time for the leading banks to stop financing the fossil fuel industry which is destroying our future.
“Barclays is the only one of the five leading UK high street banks to continue financing new fossil fuel projects.
“As the largest UK bank, and the largest financer of oil and gas of all European banks, Barclays is the number one climate criminal in this part of the world. Barclays has a choice who to lend to and who to do other business with as well.
“They can survive and even thrive without enabling the destructive behaviour of oil and gas companies.
“But we, and life on our planet, cannot thrive unless the age of oil and gas comes to an end. So Barclays has a choice, but so do we. Let’s move our banking business to other providers who show more concern for our future.”
Farnham resident Clive Teague, 74, said: “My wife and I wrote to Barclays asking them to stop financing fossil fuels because of the severe, widespread and irreversible impacts they have on our climate. They did not reply, so after nearly 50 years as a customer we moved to a more sustainable bank.”
Barclays say they will reach net zero in carbon emissions by 2050 in line with the Paris Agreement, and promise to spend an average of £8.3billion per year on green finance up to 2030.
However, according to XR, in the four years after the Paris Agreement they spent more than double this in funding fossil fuel companies, an average of £22 billion per year.
A Barclays spokesman said the bank would not comment directly on the protest, but defended its climate record, saying it has invested £175m of its own capital “into innovative, green start-ups”.
This is the second time Barclays Bank on North Street in Guildford has been targeted. In November XR protesters glued themselves to the windows of the bank as part of a nationwide protest against Barclays’ funding of the fossil fuel industry.
The three women, dressed as suffragettes, chained themselves together in the window of the bank, with placards stating: “This Bank Funds Fossil Fuels”, “Move Your Money” and “Barclays are Climate Criminals” placed at their feet.
Other members of XR were inside and outside the branch explaining to customers and passers-by why they were taking action.
One protester, Jenny Condit, 73, from Haslemere, said: “I am taking action because it’s past time for the leading banks to stop financing the fossil fuel industry which is destroying our future.
“Barclays is the only one of the five leading UK high street banks to continue financing new fossil fuel projects.
“As the largest UK bank, and the largest financer of oil and gas of all European banks, Barclays is the number one climate criminal in this part of the world. Barclays has a choice who to lend to and who to do other business with as well.
“They can survive and even thrive without enabling the destructive behaviour of oil and gas companies.
“But we, and life on our planet, cannot thrive unless the age of oil and gas comes to an end. So Barclays has a choice, but so do we. Let’s move our banking business to other providers who show more concern for our future.”
Farnham resident Clive Teague, 74, said: “My wife and I wrote to Barclays asking them to stop financing fossil fuels because of the severe, widespread and irreversible impacts they have on our climate. They did not reply, so after nearly 50 years as a customer we moved to a more sustainable bank.”
Barclays say they will reach net zero in carbon emissions by 2050 in line with the Paris Agreement, and promise to spend an average of £8.3billion per year on green finance up to 2030.
However, according to XR, in the four years after the Paris Agreement they spent more than double this in funding fossil fuel companies, an average of £22 billion per year.
A Barclays spokesman said the bank would not comment directly on the protest, but defended its climate record, saying it has invested £175m of its own capital “into innovative, green start-ups”.
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