A fracking recipe for disaster

Hastings based activists attended energy minister and local MP, Amber Rudd’s final surgery before the UN Climate Talks, declaring her policies ‘A Fracking Recipe For Disaster’. Here’s the report from ‘Don’t Frack With Sussex’ on their visit.

“On Friday afternoon, representatives of Hastings based activist group, ‘Don’t Frack With Sussex’, who a few weeks ago turned the Long Man of Wilmington into a protester, pulled off a cake-themed protest at Energy and Climate Change minister Amber Rudd’s final surgery in her Hastings and Rye constituency before the imminent UN climate change talks in Paris.

“Dressed as tea ladies and presenting Rudd with huge cakes bearing the messages, ‘STOP BACKING FRACKING’ and ‘START BEING GREEN’, the group descended upon the Minister’s office surgery to deliver a 1,069 (and rising) name petition of local people demanding that Rudd halts plans to frack in the UK and starts supporting renewable energy.

“Several sites in Sussex, including areas beneath the South Downs National Park, are earmarked for shale gas exploration under the government’s latest scheme. Rudd refused to pose for photographs, but spent 30 minutes with the artist-activists. The group also dished out spoof recipe cards, depicting Rudd’s Recipe For Disaster in a series of simple steps:

Step 1: Squirt chemical water under national parks until all shale gas is extracted and oil profits are gathered

Step 2: Set aside onshore wind power – the cheapest form of energy

Step 3: Take the fledging solar power industry that harnesses free, abundant energy and reduce funding by 87%

Step 4: Sprinkle a liberal amount of subsidies over the stand-alone nuclear industry

Step 5: Set global temperature to rise by more than 5 degrees C

Step 6: After just a few years, your environmental disaster will be ready to taste!

“Artist, Beccy McCray: “Amber Rudd’s policies are half-baked. She has cut solar energy subsidies by a staggering 87%. We’re here to turn up the heat on her and demand a more sustainable policy”.

“Charity Owner Janey Moffatt: “We’re here to say that renewable energy needs a bigger slice of the pie. Why are we investing in dirty, unsafe energy when there is free, abundant energy we could be putting into the mix?”

“Ad Exec, Mike Laloe: “It’s great that she’s closing coal power stations by 2025, but why then fund gas-power stations? She says there’s no money for renewable subsidies but we can find billions to guarantee so called Chinese investment in our nuclear power industry? How does that work?!!”

“‘Don’t Frack with Sussex’ say they will be keeping a close eye on Amber Rudd over the crunch UN summit and will be checking for inconsistencies, flakiness and any failure to rise to the occasion.

“Amber Rudd has tried to regain credibility in the fight against climate change, after cutting solar energy subsidies by 87%, a move which drew widespread criticism, including from Chief UN scientist Jacqueline McGlade:

“What’s disappointing is when we see countries such as the United Kingdom that have really been in the lead in terms of getting their renewable energy up and going — then we see subsidies being withdrawn and the fossil fuel industry being enhanced”. 

“But last week Amber Rudd delivered what she called a ‘reset’ of the UK’s energy policy, pledging to put coal-fired power stations out of use by 2025. However, her ongoing commitment to fracking and gas-fired power stations has led to widespread criticism. Green MP Caroline Lucas described her policy as “Like trying to go dry by switching from Vodka to Cider”.

“‘Don’t Frack with Sussex’s’ action comes at a time when over 1,000 jobs have already been lost since the announcement to reduce renewable subsidies with warnings of more to come.”

SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook.com/dontfrackwithsussex   @dontfracksussex

SIGN THE PETITION HERE. 

FURTHER LINKS:

The Guardian: UK to close all power plants in switch to gas and nuclear 

Financial Times : Top UN scientist attacks UK cuts to renewable energy subsidies

The Telegraph: 1000 jobs lost as solar firms go into administration

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