[Onthebarricades] Ecological protests, October 2007

[Andy]

*  UK:  Greenpeace protesters scale power plant

*  THAILAND:  Locals protest over steel plant, clash with supporters

*  US:  New nuclear reactor protested

*  KENYA:  GM crops law protested

*  US:  Banner drop at Chicago Board of Trade meeting

*  INDIA:  Tribal people rally against irrigation project

*  INDIA:  Tribal people rally against steel plants, demand resettlement

*  US:  Investment company gets "toxic toys" protest

*  AUSTRALIA:  Irrigation protests continue

*  AUSTRALIA:  Protesters against pulp mill occupy bridge

*  AUSTRALIA:  High school students join pulp mill protest

*  NEW ZEALAND:  Greens hold fancy dress protest

*  US:  Bank of America protested with banner drop over coal

*  UK:  Wind turbines protested over ecosystem impact

*  PUERTO RICO:  Hundreds protest state massacre of pets

*  AUSTRALIA:  Greenpeace target GM crops

*  AUSTRALIA:  Protest over project targeting islands

*  AUSTRALIA:  Protest group formed to target dam scheme

*  JAPAN:  TV star joins protest to save dolphins and whales from slaughter

http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5jsxDqqtiCQt5CKz-F3lo3V6c0p6A


18 held in power plant protest
Oct 8, 2007
A total of 18 people have been arrested following a protest at a power 
station, police said.
Around 26 Greenpeace members staged a protest at the Kingsnorth power 
station in Medway, Kent.
Six activists climbed a 200m-high smokestack at around 5am while 20 more 
chained themselves to the station's conveyor belt to prevent it burning 
coal.
They were urging Prime Minister Gordon Brown to reject plans for Britain's 
first new coal plant in more than 20 years.
Power company Eon wants to build a plant on the site that could supply 
electricity to 1.5 million homes.
But activists warn it will pump harmful carbon dioxide emissions into the 
atmosphere and create a precedent for more coal in the future.
Protester Ben Stewart, 33, who scaled a chimney at the site said: "We are 
facing a climate change emergency and we have not got the time to sit 
around. We have to force the issue.
"We want to have a planet we can live in and bring up children in. This will 
be difficult if countries like Britain build new coal-fired power stations."
A Kent Police spokeswoman said: "Officers do remain at the plant as there 
are protesters still at the site."

http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1095274/steel_protest_nearly_turns_violent/index.html

Posted on: Tuesday, 9 October 2007, 12:00 CDT
Steel Protest Nearly Turns Violent
By Bangkok Post, Thailand
Oct. 9--Around 500 protesters rallied at the Natural Resources and 
Environment Ministry yesterday to protest against plans by the Sahaviriya 
Group to build a 500- billion-baht smelting plant in Prachuab Khiri Khan 
province.
The protest came even after Sahaviriya announced it would downsize the 
project to reflect concerns voiced by villagers.
The protest nearly turned violent after opponents confronted some 200 
villagers from Bang Saphan, Prachuab Khiri Khan, who turned out in support 
of the project. They favoured the new jobs expected to be created in the 
area.
Around 60 policemen were deployed at the ministry to prevent any violence 
between the two groups. However, they later dispersed after meeting with 
Kasemsun Chinnavaso, the secretary-general of the Natural Resources and 
Environment Policy and Planning Office (Onep).
Mr Kasemsun told smelter opponents that his agency, which is in charge of 
reviewing the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report and making 
recommendations to the NEB, had found some flaws in the project's EIA and 
already told the firm to revise it.
"We will exercise extra caution when considering the EIA once the firm 
resubmits it," Mr Kasemsun said.
Smelter opponents demanded the state agency reject the project's EIA report, 
saying it was unreliable and based on inaccurate information, according to 
the villagers. They also called on the government to investigate the private 
consultant firms hired by the steel giant to conduct the EIA report.
Under the environmental law, proposed construction projects will not be 
allowed to go ahead if the EIA and mitigation plans fail to get approval 
from the National Environment Board (NEB).
The protests began more than a year ago after environmentalists and social 
activists called for the venture to be scrapped due to fears of serious 
ecological impact in the area. Protesters also claimed that part of the 
project site encroached on public land.
The Sahaviriya Group (SGC) held a public hearing for the project on Friday, 
attracting about 250 villagers.
Pirote Mockdara, SGC's vice-president for special projects, said the company 
told villagers that it had agreed to eliminate 350 rai out of 1,500 rai 
planned from the project due to public concerns.
While the company insists that it has a proper legal title for all 1,500 rai 
originally proposed for phase one, it was willing to downsize the project to 
move forward, he said.
Under the original plan, the country's first upstream iron and steel 
smelting project would be built in five phases, each taking five years and 
with production capacity of five million tonnes per year per phase. The 
total project is estimated to be worth 500 billion baht, with a production 
capacity of 30 million tonnes per year once completed.
The new downsized plans for phase one will shift the project's location 
slightly to the north. SGC requested to withdraw its EIA submitted to Onep 
to reflect the modifications, and is expected to resubmit its proposals 
shortly.
"There is nothing wrong with the land, and we hold all of the title deeds 
legally. But we want to see our project moving forward instead of wasting 
times with this kind of issue," Mr Pirote said.
Company observers noted that the protesters seemed to be largely led by 
activists from a non-governmental organisation, with little participation by 
Bang Saphan villagers. SGC executives insist that they have been transparent 
about the project and were fully sensitive of the concerns of local 
villagers.
"We arranged over 20 public meetings, covering all relevant parties, 
including local schools, local businessmen, hotel and tourism business 
operators as well as farmers," one executive said.
"We have always received a good response. These protesters, who are led by 
the same activists, aren't even Bang Saphan villagers. For SGC, we will 
focus on the real villagers and try to live with them peacefully."
SGC, founded by Viriyaprapaikit family, has been active in the steel 
industry for decades. Its SET-listed affiliate Sahaviriya Steel Industries 
Plc has operated a hot-rolled steel complex in the area since 1990.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bay_environment/blog/2007/10/calvert_cliffs_protest.html

Calvert Cliffs protest

Maryland Public Interest Research Group, which launched a campaign in March 
to try to stop the construction of a third nuclear reactor in Southern 
Maryland, is holding another protest today.
MaryPIRG says it is planning an 11 a.m. event today (Oct. 11) on the 
Solomons Boardwalk in Solomons Island with three concerned residents of 
Calvert County, a Baltimore doctor from the group Physicians for Social 
Responsibility, and a representative of a group called Beyond Nuclear.
Johanna Neumann, a spokeswoman for MaryPIRG, said her group is concerned 
that the evacuation routes away from the nuclear reactors at Calvert Cliff, 
which have been operating for three decades, are not adequate, in part 
because reactors are on a peninsula and there's only one major route in and 
out.
Calvert County has strongly endorsed the construction of a third reactor, 
saying that the plant has proven its safety over many years of operation. 
Some supporters of nuclear power argue that reactors are a proven method of 
generating lots of electricity without producing any of the greenhouse gases 
that cause global warming.
But skeptics of an expansion of the nuclear industry worry about the 
proliferation of nuclear weapons around the globe, and the issue of where 
spent fuel rods should be stored.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200710111135.html

Kenya: MPs Pass Biosafety Law Amid Protest

The East African Standard (Nairobi)
12 October 2007
Posted to the web 11 October 2007
Nairobi
The Biosafety Bill sailed through the Second Reading in Parliament amid 
protests by a lobby group that filed a court case against the introduction 
of Genetically Modified Foods.
Debate over the Bill was concluded on Tuesday when the House was hit by a 
quorum hitch as Science and Technology Minister, Dr Noah Wekesa, was 
responding to members' contributions.
When the House resumed yesterday, the Bill was disposed off within five 
minutes, in what looked like hurrying up the matter before it is entangled 
in lengthy court process.
The Bill seeks to regulate the modification of genetic organisms besides 
setting modalities for the establishment of the national biosafety 
authority.
The Bill outlines strict measures under which businessmen can be allowed to 
import GMOs. The Bill outlines the policies and the framework on how 
activities related to GMOs would be handled.
It also provides for the establishment, powers and functions of the National 
Biosafety Authority, as the focal point on issues pertaining to genetically 
modified organisms.
A scientist appointed by the minister will chair the 14-member board of the 
authority.
A lobby group and 13 individuals have gone to High Court to seek a national 
referendum on whether genetically modified organisms and foods should be 
produced, marketed, consumed and used.
The lobby group, Africa Nature Stream, and 13 others filed an injunction 
blocking debate and enactment of the Bill pending hearing and determination 
of the case.
If the Bill were rushed through the Committee Stage next week, it would mean 
the court case would have been overtaken by events.
But if the House were adjourned before the Bill is scrutinised by the 
Committee of the Whole House, it would mean that the Bill dies with the 
Ninth Parliament and the court case could succeed to ensure the Tenth 
Parliament, without consultation, does not revisit the matter.
The lobbyists opposed to the Bill claim the Government and MPs are pushing 
for the legislation as agents of biotechnology multi-nationals that are 
largely American.
Challenging the move to introduce GMOs, they allege the genetically modified 
foods have been known to cause terminal illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, 
chronic fatigue and hepatitis C among others.
They argue that apart from USA, where genetically modified organisms and 
foods technology were pioneered, Western Europe and Japan have remained 
skeptical about their use and consumption "on account of their 
unquantifiable risks and long-term environmental hazards."
Further, they claim that western nations are asking their citizens to 
consume organic foods and urging third world countries to embrace 
genetically modified foods.
The 14 applicants are of the view that widespread use and application of the 
biotechnology will replace native animals, traditional foods, plants and 
herbs well known to have high medicinal and curative ingredients.

http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNewsAndPR/idUSN1026119720071010

Five arrested for 50-foot "green" protest at CBOT
Wed Oct 10, 2007 1:56pm EDT

By Karl Plume
CHICAGO, Oct 10 (Reuters) - Protesters draped a 50-foot banner on the 
Chicago Board of Trade building on Wednesday, accusing agribusiness giants 
ADM (ADM.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Bunge (BG.N: Quote, Profile, 
Research) and Cargill of destroying rainforests to produce renewable fuels.
Chicago police arrested four men and a woman on charges of reckless conduct, 
criminal trespass and criminal damage to property after four of the 
activists scaled the outside of CBOT building to the 23rd floor to hang the 
banner, while the fifth person coordinated the effort from the ground.
The protest came one day after an activist group ran a full-page 
advertisement in the Chicago Tribune calling the companies the "ABCs of 
rainforest destruction" for their role in expanding soy and palm oil 
plantations by clear-cutting rainforests.
A Bunge Ltd spokesman said he was aware of the accusations, but stressed the 
company's environmental and social record. An Archer-Daniels-Midland Co 
spokesman declined comment.
Cargill spokesman Bill Brady said: "We take our environmental footprint in 
the rainforest geographies very seriously. Cargill is committed to 
responsible economic development around the world."
Streets around the landmark building were gridlocked as morning rush hour 
traffic was diverted, while curious pedestrians gawked at the banner, which 
eventually became tangled in the wind before authorities removed it.
"The expansion of these commodity crops into the world's rainforests are 
causing mass destruction of rainforests, intensifying climate change and 
forcing communities off their land," said Leila Salazar-Lopez, director for 
the Rainforest Action Network's Stop Rainforest Agribusiness Campaign.
Soybean planting in South America has been growing rapidly as more of the 
oilseed, which is traded at the CBOT, is used in the production of biofuels. 
In the United States, ethanol is largely made from corn grown across a wide 
swath of the Midwest.
Wednesday's action raised concerns about CBOT building security, which has 
been heightened since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center 
and the Pentagon.
CBOT is a subsidiary of CME Group Inc (CME.N: Quote, Profile, Research).
CME Group spokesman Allan Schoenberg said the exchange was evaluating what, 
if any, changes to make to security policy.

http://newsrack.in/DisplayNewsItem.do;jsessionid=3FC61C701521D6024AEC46C3BE765EE9?ni=18.10.2007%2F58.statesman.crawler%2Fpage.news.php_clid%3D9_AMP_theme%3D_AMP_usrsess%3D1_AMP_id%3D173662

Thursday, 18 October 2007

News Magazine

Tribals to protest against irrigation project

Statesman News Service
BARIPADA, Oct. 17: The tribals of Deuli are ready to create a stir against
the multi-crore Jambhira Medium Irrigation Project for displacing them.
Those engaged in mobilising the tribals said they are protesting under the
banner of Gana Abhijan Orissa (GAO).
According to the leaders of GAO: "We are not against development. But we
cannot remain silent while the people are suffering. They should be
properly compensated." They gave examples of the kind of compensation paid
to the displaced in Jajpur and other districts. Mr Sarat Kumar Nayak, a
local representative, stated that a five-point charter of demands will be
presented to the collector tomorrow. The demands include payment of Rs 1
lakh per acre from the oustees, Rs. 1 lakh for the construction of houses
where they would be settled, payment of subsistence allowance to each
displaced family for a year, government job for at least one member of
every family.

http://www.indiaenews.com/business/20071027/77383.htm

Chhattisgarh tribals plan rally against Tata, Essar plants

>From correspondents in Chhattisgarh, India, 02:30 PM IST
Tribals in Chhattisgarh's mineral-rich Bastar region have planned a rally 
next month against the proposed projects of Tata Steel and Essar Steel and 
are also demanding the rehabilitation of the nearly 50,000 people displaced 
due to Maoist violence.
The rally will be held Nov 5 at Jagdalpur town, district headquarters of 
Bastar district, under the banner of Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Mahasabha, an 
umbrella group of tribal organisations.
Manish Kunjam, national president of the Mahasabha, said nearly 100,000 
tribal men and women were expected to attend the rally to oppose the planned 
integrated steel plant of Tata Steel in Bastar district and of Essar Steel 
in neighbouring Dantewada district.
'Tribals will not hand over their land at any cost to Tata Steel for its 
proposed five million tonne per annum (mtpa) project and also to Essar Steel 
for its 3.2 mtpa project,' Kunjam told IANS Saturday.
Tata Steel had inked a deal with the Chhattisgarh government in June 2005 to 
set up the five-mtpa plant at Lohandiguda block in Bastar with an investment 
of Rs.100 billion.
Essar had similarly signed a deal to invest Rs.70 billion for a two-phased 
3.2-mtpa steel plant at Dhurli and Bhansi villages in Dantewada. The 
district has large fine quality iron ore stocks at Bailadila hills.
Kunjam also said that they sought the rehabilitation of the people displaced 
due to increased Maoist violence after the launch of a civil militia 
movement against the rebels.
'The Mahasabha seeks early rehabilitation of about 50,000 people displaced 
due to a fallout of the civil militia movement, Salwa Judum, launched in 
June 2005 and another 50,000 people who were forced to flee their native 
villages and are presently living in bordering Andhra Pradesh as refugees 
due to authorities' excesses,' he said.

http://blogs.reuters.com/reuters-dealzone/2007/10/15/kkr-gets-toxic-protest-at-its-doorstep/

VIDEO-KKR gets 'toxic' protest
October 15th, 2007, filed by Michael Flaherty
The private equity protest movement moved to New York's West 57th Street on 
Monday, this time appearing on the doorstep of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
The video clip here shows a group of speakers outside KKR's building at 9 
West, including New York City council member Melissa Mark-Viverito. It then 
follows the group to 9 West's entrance where it tried to get in. The clip 
ends with Emily McKhann, chief executive of The Motherhood, a nonprofit 
organization for mothers.

The title of Monday's event: Toys R Toxic? Barbarbians in the Playroom-The 
KKR and Toys "R" Us connection to toxic and dangerous toys.
About two-dozen or so protesters gathered in front of the slick, 9 West 
office building to call on KKR to adopt a "code of conduct" to protect 
children from lead-tainted toys.

Toys R Us agreed to be bought by KKR, Bain Capital and Vornado Realty Trust 
in March 2005 for $6.6 billion. The toy maker pulled vinyl baby bibs from 
shelves after testers found too much lead in them.

Dollar General, another KKR portfolio company, recalled nearly 400,000 key 
chains in April for lead paint poisening and recalled more toys earlier this 
month.
KKR owns Toys R Us with two other firms, and it's barely owned Dollar 
General for more than a few months. And several retailers, from toy makers 
to pet food sellers to drug makers have been caught up in the Chinese-made 
tainted product recalls that began earlier this year.
But the protest group that descended on 9 West on Monday chose to focus 
their attention squarely on KKR. After a few speeches, the group tried to 
enter the building, causing security guards to scramble. Two guys held the 
doors inside, while the main security person stood in front, refusing to let 
the group in.
He took some lip from some of the protesters, but it was a civil affair, 
ending with the group chanting "KKR. We'll be back" as they walked away. 
That's after chanting "KKR. Toxic Toys" on their approach.
A KKR spokesman declined to comment.
The event comes on the heels of several protests organized by union groups 
that are opposed to the private equity industry's history of slashing jobs 
to increase profits at their portfolio companies. Union groups have 
protested at private equity firms/events in other New York spots and 
Washington D.C. The Carlyle Group has also taken its lumps from union 
protesters.
KKR took some heat from some critics who said they overpaid for Dollar 
General at the time of the deal. Now they're taking some heat just a few 
month's after the deal closed.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/17/2061552.htm

Riverland grower to join water protest
Posted Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:24am AEST
Map: Renmark 5341
A South Australian Riverland grower will join a group of Victorian 
irrigators at a rally at Parliament House in Canberra next week.
Renmark almond grower Jim Beleharis says he wants to make the Federal 
Government accountable for what he says is decades of mismanagement of the 
river system.
Mr Beleharis says no-one has taken responsibility for the water crisis so 
far.
"If you're faced with an issue and people to address it and the right people 
address it, you think to yourself, 'well there is a problem but we're 
working through it'," he said.
"Here we've got a crisis on our hands bigger than this country's ever seen, 
except for perhaps the world wars, and everybody's just shrugging their 
shoulders and passing the buck."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/23/2066875.htm

Farmers say Parliament House protest a success
Posted Tue Oct 23, 2007 7:00am AEST
Murray Valley irrigators who protested in Canberra yesterday say their trip 
was worthwhile, despite not being able to meet federal politicians.
About 300 people rallied outside Parliament House yesterday to protest 
against the $10 billion federal water plan, environmental watering and the 
management of the Murray-Darling Basin during the drought.
Wakool Mayor and group spokesman Ken Trewin says the rally attracted plenty 
of national media attention and efforts will continue to get the plight of 
irrigators onto the election agenda.
"We're not going to give up, as their lives and their futures are literally 
on the line for our farming communities - not politicians," he said.
"It's time the politicians listened to us on the ground. So we're going to 
drive it very vigorously over this next four weeks."

http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/17/2061560.htm

Bridge protest over pulp mill
Posted Wed Oct 17, 2007 8:29am AEST
Map: Bell Bay 7253
Anti-pulp mill protesters have scaled the Batman Bridge over the Tamar River 
in northern Tasmania.
The site is close to the area proposed for Gunns' proposed $1.7 billion pulp 
mill.
The three protestors work in the tourism industry and say they have enough 
provisions to last until Friday.
Group spokesman, Holger Strie says they will come down when they're ready.
"We're pretty safe at the moment," he said. "The bridge is barricaded as 
well.
"We're going to come out when we're ready and that will probably be Friday 
at this stage.
"We've got enough food and water up here so we're going to sit tight and we 
will come down peacefully."
Police say the Batman Bridge remains open to traffic.

http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/19/2063867.htm

High school students join mill protest
Posted Fri Oct 19, 2007 10:24am AEST
Map: Hobart 7000
Tasmanian high school, college and university students are the latest to 
protest against the proposed Gunns pulp mill.
They will take to the streets on the first of next month and rally outside 
the Tasmanian Parliament.
A new protest group, Students Against the Pulp Mill, has called on students 
to show dissent by walking out of class.
A spokeswoman, Amyris Cauchi, says many students are not old enough to vote 
in the federal election but will have to live with the pulp mill.
"The pulp mill is something that's a big concern for us because it's our 
future and we don't want our future to be ruined by something that may not 
be sustainable," she said.
A spokeswman for the Education Minister says in the case of younger 
students, any decision to stop classes rests with the school and the 
parents.

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/536641/1427769

Greens hold fancy dress protest
Nov 3, 2007 12:28 PM

Green Party members are holding a bloody bad taste fancy dress BBQ today 
outside a Wellington furniture store.
They are hoping to draw attention to the sale of suspect Kwila furniture.
Party co-leader Russel Norman says it's in bad taste to sell furniture made 
from timber taken from the rainforests of Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
He says our government and the World Bank have both produced reports showing 
most of the logging in these two countries is illegal.
Norman says they are dressed up in old-style Hawaiian shirts, 80's 
jump-suits with their Kate Bush music blaring in the background and giving 
away vegetarian sausages, while encouraging the public to support New 
Zealand manufacturers who use sustainable sources of timber.

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2007/10/22/daily15.html

Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Activists arrested at BofA protest
Charlotte Business Journal - by Rich Thomaselli Staff Writer

Two protesters were arrested Tuesday morning after accessing an uptown 
construction site, scaling a 70-foot crane and unfurling a banner protesting 
Bank of America Corp.'s alleged funding of mountaintop coal removal.
The two men were charged with trespassing and breaking and entering.
The protesters scaled the crane at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel construction site 
at College and Trade Streets before hanging a 50-foot banner at 6:15 a.m. 
that read "Bank of America: Funding Coal, Killing Communities."
The construction site is across College Street from BofA's corporate 
headquarters tower on Tryon Street.
Another two Rainforest Action Network representatives at the site were 
arrested, says Sam Haswell, a spokesman for the San Francisco-based 
environmental group.
"As far was we're concerned, it was a success," Haswell says. "No doubt it 
got the attention of people around Charlotte and Bank of America officials, 
and that was the point. We needed to amplify our message that they're 
financing an archaic practice."
Rainforest Action Network claims BofA (NYSE:BAC) has invested billions of 
dollars in companies that practice mountaintop removal of coal in the 
Appalachian region of the United States.
"The reality is that, as a country, over 50 percent of the electricity we 
all consume comes from coal," says BofA spokeswoman Eloise Hale. "Bank of 
America is aggressively investing in and financing the development and use 
of cleaner, renewable energies."
Initial calls to police falsely claimed the men were stuck in the crane.
The banner remained aloft for nearly two hours until police and firemen 
forced the men down.
The protest caused a traffic bottleneck around BofA's corporate 
headquarters. Police were forced to close College Street between Second and 
Fifth streets. Police also closed the Trade and College street intersection 
for one block in each direction.
By 9:07 a.m., all streets were re-opened. One city of Charlotte policeman 
remained stationed in front of the main entrance to BofA's headquarters. A 
single Mecklenburg County sheriff's car was parked nearby.
Reach banking reporter Rich Thomaselli at (704) 973-1119 or 
rthomaselli at bizjournals.com.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/14/nbook114.xml

Christopher Booker's notebook

By Christopher Booker
Last Updated: 1:37am BST 15/10/2007

Storm of protest over turbines gathers force
A Government inspector gave the go-ahead last month to 10 giant wind 
turbines at Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex, famous for its 7th-century Anglo-Saxon 
chapel, the oldest in Britain.
Each 400ft turbine will be as high as Salisbury Cathedral, visible for 
miles. The scheme was opposed by almost everyone in the area, including 
Maldon council, whose head of planning, James Doe, said: "Once built, the 
windfarm will change the historic landscape of the area for years to come, 
with historic landmarks such as St Peter's Chapel irreparably harmed."
The inspector, Philip Major, claimed on the other hand that, although there 
would be "a major change" to the area's appearance, its "essential 
character" would not be lost, and that the "elegant" turbines would not harm 
the setting of St Peter's. Thus the majority of those who will actually have 
to live in the turbines' shadow thought one way, while a single individual 
who may never visit Bradwell again thought the opposite. Naturally his view 
prevailed.
All over Britain scores of similar battles are taking place, as the 
Government desperately fights to meet its EU-imposed target that, by three 
years' time, 10 per cent of our energy must come from renewable sources. At 
the moment that figure is less than 5 per cent (only 1 per cent from wind). 
The only way the Government can see to meet its target is by forcing through 
permission for as many as 8,000 more turbines.
Little noticed, however, was a recent recommendation from Ofgem, which 
regulates gas and electricity industries, that the Government should end its 
Renewables Obligation, under which the wind industry receives a hidden 
subsidy of nearly £1 billion a year (eventually due to rise to a staggering 
£32 billion a year), paid by all of us through higher electricity bills. 
This compels the electricity companies to buy all the power generated from 
wind at around twice the normal market price.
Without a subsidy, as the British Wind Energy Association pointed out, the 
industry would become so "uneconomic" that investment would dry up.
One reason this drama does not receive more national attention is that it is 
being chiefly fought out through local battles, which attract only local 
coverage. Just occasionally a campaign hits the headlines, such as that over 
Glyndebourne opera house's plan to build a single, comparatively small 
turbine next to the Sussex Downs. But this is insignificant beside other 
proposals, such as the 130 turbines, each 450ft high and requiring 30 miles 
of new roads, that threaten to destroy many square miles of ancient peat bog 
at Strathspey.
In Devon residents are fighting 22 vast turbines planned around Knowstone. 
In west Cumbria they are opposing 21 giants planned to dwarf six villages. 
In Dumfriesshire they are shocked by the prospect of the 71 monsters 
recently approved by the Scottish Executive near Moffat.
In the past year or two, however, a significant change has come over the 
nature of these battles. No longer are communities objecting to wind 
turbines just because they represent colossal intrusions into some of our 
wilder, more beautiful landscapes. The penny is dropping that subsidised 
windpower is an expensive way to generate only pitifully small amounts of 
electricity, and that the CO2 emissions it saves are derisory (when it was 
recently boasted that the hundreds of turbines in Wales save 200,000 tons of 
CO2 a year, an expert pointed out that a single coal-fired power station in 
Glamorgan emits this amount every week).
So locked is our Government into the vain dream of meeting its EU target 
that it is prepared to bend normal planning rules and flout local democracy 
in every direction, to force through as many schemes as it can. But people 
are at last waking up to the fact that windpower has become one of the most 
lucrative confidence tricks of our age.
When even Ofgem calls for an end to the subsidy system as "the most costly 
and inefficient form of lowering CO2 emissions" yet devised, the days of the 
"great wind scam" may at last be numbered.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22626267-1702,00.html

Hundreds protest Puerto Rican 'pet massacre'
By John Marino
October 22, 2007 08:45am
Article from: Reuters

HUNDREDS of people, angered over an alleged "pet massacre" in Puerto Rico's 
northwest town of Barceloneta, joined in a protest march on Sunday from the 
island's Supreme Court to its Capitol.
Many in the crowd of about 500 brought dogs and wore T-shirts reading, "I'm 
a animal lover" or "I love mutts." Others held signs with slogans like "stop 
animal abuse" and "justice for the pets of Barceloneta."
The October 8 and 10 raids, in which authorities seized around 80 pets from 
their owners at three public housing projects in Barceloneta, stirred 
widespread anger.
Residents say many of the animals were later thrown off the 50-foot 
(15-metre) Paseo del Indio highway bridge outside of town to their deaths.
"I'm here because we have to stop the abuse against dogs and other animals," 
said dog owner Mari Luz Santiago.
Fellow protester Ramon Martinez added: "If what they say is true, that's an 
action that's unfitting for any civilized country."
Mayor Sol Luis Fontanes ordered the raids after instituting a no-pet policy 
at the projects, though commonwealth and federal housing officials say they 
had no rules barring pets.
Forty-five residents filed a $22.5 million federal lawsuit on Friday against 
the town, the Public Housing Administration, the owner of an animal control 
company and several others.
The suit claims at least 50 of the pets were beaten, drugged and then thrown 
to their deaths from the bridge.
Animal Control Solutions President Julio Diaz, whose company was contracted 
by the municipality, said municipal officials delivered the pets to his 
firm, which then euthanized the animals humanely.
Mr Diaz said many pet corpses below the bridge were decomposed and probably 
killed before the raids, but some residents told of rescuing pet survivors 
and identifying bodies.

http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/23/2067318.htm?section=justin

Three arrested in GM crop protest
Posted Tue Oct 23, 2007 11:04am AEST

A Greenpeace activist dressed as a cow protests at the headquarters of milk 
giant Murray Goulburn in Melbourne. (AAP: Julian Smith)
Map: Melbourne 3000
Three Greenpeace activists have been arrested during a protest at Murray 
Goulburn's Melbourne headquarters.
Protesters went into the building demanding the co-operative support bans on 
genetically engineered food crops.
Police had to forcibly remove three campaigners from the premises, but 
several protesters remain outside.
Campaigner, Louise Sales, says the dairy giant supports the reintroduction 
of GE crops for use in stock feed.
"Murray Goulburn play a pivotal role in the dairy industry not only in 
Victoria but also in all of Australia," she said.
"We think its important that they support clean healthy food for consumers 
and stand up for farmers and protect our GE free status," she said.
"So I had a brief interchange with the managing director but he was fairly 
hostile and wasn't really ready to engage," Ms Sales said.
"So we will continue to pursue a meeting with Murray Goulburn to talk about 
their policy," she said.

http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/2007/s2070135.htm

Kimberley protest over gas proposal
Thursday, 25/10/2007
Protestors have disrupted a public meeting in Broome, angry at plans for a 
multi-billion dollar gas development on the Kimberley coast.
The protestors called on Japanese company Inpex to abandon its plans for a 
liquified natural gas plant on the isolated Maret Islands.
They held up signs in Japanese saying "Shame on Inpex" and "Hands off the 
Marets", which spokesman Kevin Blatchford says was an attempt to highlight 
the issue overseas.
"We're going to take the fight to Japan," he says.
"The Japanese people need to realise how precious the Kimberley is to us 
here in Australia.
"Now, yes we want to give them their gas, but what we're saying is this 
company doesn't need to destroy the values of the wilderness when they have 
an alternative".

http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/10/25/2069792.htm

New protest group may be formed to fight Traveston dam
Posted Thu Oct 25, 2007 9:16am AEST
A gathering of anti-Traveston Crossing dam campaigners will take place 
tonight in Maryborough, in south-east Queensland, to decide whether or not 
to establish another protest group to fight the State Government's proposed 
dam.
Tiaro Shire councillor Darryl Stewart says the dam's environmental impact 
statement prompted the move because he says it downplays the impacts a dam 
would have on the lower reaches of the Mary River.
Cr Stewart says a new group would focus on the area between Tiaro and the 
river mouth and would work closely with other groups waging campaigns 
against the dam.
"The Great Sandy Straits group is a fairly small one which has only been 
recently started and we'll certainly be looking at working very closely with 
them in getting the message out to the general public," he said.
"The impacts are going to be absolutely huge and the more people we can have 
involved in fighting the proposal the better."

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/4258166a5620.html

Heroes star Hayden joins whale protest (+photos)
Stuff.co.nz | Thursday, 1 November 2007Heroes star Hayden Panettiere has 
joined a high-profile protest in Japan at the site where thousands of pilot 
whales are slaughtered every year.
Panettiere joined Logie award-winning Australian actor Isabel Lucas and 
other celebrities and professional surfers to form a floating circle on surf 
boards offshore near the coastal village of Taiji.
The pre-dawn protest was staged in recent days and it sparked a heated 
confrontation with local fishermen.
Some fishermen in the town kill dolphins and pilot whales in hunts that use 
fishing boats and metal noise-makers to herd the animals into netted coves 
and bays where they are held captive before being killed.
"I couldn't believe how red the water was," Panettiere said in a media 
statement issued through the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
"The whales were so scared. Hopefully their deaths won't be in vain."
Lucas said the fishermen kept "revving their engines and driving towards 
us."
"We couldn't save these whales, but hopefully shining the light on their 
deaths will save others."
-With AAP and SMH.