[Onthebarricades] Ecological protests, December 2008

[global resistance roundup]

* AUSTRIA/TURKEY: Activists occupy bank in Ilisu Dam protest
* PHILIPPINES: Vigil at court over aerial spraying
* VIRGIN ISLANDS: Protest over building protest at beach
* BERMUDA: Beachside development faces protests
* CHINA: Protest erupts over sewage plant
* TAIWAN: Protesters demand action after gas leak
* TAIWAN: Police attack protests in defence of historic building
* INDIA: Hyderabad - Protest against water pollution
* INDONESIA: Environmentalists protest in Jakarta, paint globe
* BULGARIA: Ecologists protest forest law reform
* INDIA: Karnataka - Greens protest tree felling in Bangalore
* US: Seattle - Dozens protest Murray Island pier
* US: Utah - Protests "cause chaos" at auction as activist "buys" land
* UK: Thousands march against climate change
* POLAND: Greenpeace occupy power station
* POLAND: Thousands urge action on climate change at UN talks
* NEW ZEALAND: Toilets for parliament in climate change protest
* UK: Residents protest Tesco "megashed"
* UK: Santa protester targets EON
* FRANCE: Penguin protesters march in Paris
* US: California - Tree-sit protest continues
* IRELAND/UK: Protest over Belfast airport expansion
* UK: 'Plane Stupid' target Stansted, force 56 cancellations
* US: Florida - Rail expansion protested
* UK: Weymouth - Protesters in tree-sit, protest camp on planned road route
* US: Georgia - Political dismissal of conservation chief protested
* KOREA/CANADA: Politician sends protest letter over rebuilding
* AUSTRALIA: Tasmania - East Coast timber mill occupied
* UK: Manchester - Residents protest greenbelt erosion, racecourse
* AUSTRALIA: Protesters denounce low emissions targets; PM's office 
occupied, others sandbagged
* GERMANY: Protest against airport expansion






http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/245523,activists-seize-austrian-bank-to-protest-turkish-dam-project.html

Activists seize Austrian bank to protest Turkish dam project
Posted : Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:21:44 GMT
Author : DPA
Category : Australasia (World)

Australasia World News | Home

Vienna - Opponents of the Turkish Ilisu dam seized rooms in the 
Oesterreichische Kontrollbank AG (OeKB) in Vienna on Wednesday, calling 
on the bank to pull out of the project on ecological and cultural 
grounds. Austrian, German and Swiss export guarantees worth an estimated 
450 million euros (577 million dollars) underpin the financing of the 
project to dam the Tigris river in south-eastern Turkey and build a 
power plant.
Some 10 protesters from the organization ECA Watch had peacefully 
entered the bank's premises and called for talks with the management, 
Kontrollbank spokesman Peter Gumpinger said. "They will get them," he said.
"If it stayed involved, OeKB would share responsibility for 65,000 
people losing their homes, animal species becoming extinct and the most 
valuable cultural assets being destroyed, including Hasankeyf, one of 
the world's oldest cities," ECA Watch said in a statement.
In early October, Austria, Germany and Switzerland sent a warning letter 
to Turkey, calling on the country to fulfil ecological requirements and 
come up with a relocation plan for the affected population.
ECA Watch, which monitors export credit agencies like Kontrollbank, 
suspects that the bank has already decided to stay involved in the 
project, even before the letter's December 12 deadline for implementing 
the remedies.
Kontrollbank had not finished its evaluation yet, Gumpinger said. "Our 
reports will be critical and identify shortcomings," he said.






http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20081209-177068/Anti-aerial-spraying-protesters-arrested

Anti-aerial spraying protesters arrested
By Jeffrey M. Tupas
Mindanao Bureau
First Posted 23:05:00 12/09/2008

Filed Under: Protest, Health, Environmental Issues
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines -- Some 15 members of a nongovernment 
group called "Mamamayan Ayaw sa Aerial Spraying" (Citizens Against 
Aerial Spraying in banana plantations) were arrested Tuesday afternoon 
while they were singing Christmas carols during a protest action in 
front of the Court of Appeals building here.
The arrest happened on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Universal 
Declaration of Human Rights.
Senior Inspector Nerio Geroy, chief of Police Precinct 5, said the 
protesters were not arrested but merely invited for questioning.
But lawyer Jan Perry Eugenio, an official of the group Balaod Mindanao, 
said the anti-aerial spraying activists were peacefully holding their 
protest and were just exercising their right to free speech.
He said they were studying the possibility of filing charges against 
those who arrested the farmer-members of the anti-aerial spraying group.
"The arrest was illegal and the people were harassed. Right now, we are 
deliberating on filing charges against the arresting officers.
Non-government organizations have been campaigning for a ban on aerial 
spraying in banana plantations in Mindanao, saying the chemicals used 
are highly toxic and have long-term negative effects on the health of 
communities surrounding the plantations.





http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/index.pl/article_home?id=17630992

Residents protest Mandahl project
Development will destroy Mandahl area, residents claim
By TIM FIELDS
Monday, December 1st 2008

St. THOMAS - A large crowd gathered at Mandahl Bay beach on Sunday 
afternoon to voice their opposition to a development proposing to build 
homes, timeshares, commercial shops and a marina on more than 70 acres 
on the northeastern side of St. Thomas.
"This project is huge. It is gigantic," Jose Belcher, a St. Thomas 
resident said to the group of more than 80 residents who attended the 
meeting. "It's going to change the face of the North Side forever."
The project's developer - Mandahl Bay Holdings Inc. - will present its 
plans for the development at a public hearing before the St. Thomas 
Coastal Zone Management Committee in January. A specific date has not 
yet been scheduled.
Belcher said that the public must be cognizant of what is being 
proposed, what environmental damage the project could cause, and how it 
will affect the quality of life of hundreds of people who frequent 
Mandahl Bay with their families.
"No one person needs to represent what we're doing here. It will take 
the entire community," he said as many members of the crowd nodded in 
agreement.
While current development plans for the site have not been approved by 
CZM, plans to develop the area go back more than 40 years.
In 1964, former Gov. Ralph Paiewonsky signed a 99-year lease with a 
developer to build a hotel on the nearby island of Hans Lollick, and 150 
homes and marina at Mandahl Salt Pond. That project never got off the 
ground and the lease traded hands to others. In the 1970s, a new 
developer built a jetty that turned the sandy beach into a pile of 
rocks. Movement to build once again stalled, and the lease traded hands 
several times again.
Currently, Mandahl Bay Holdings Inc. seeks to build an 87-slip marina at 
Mandahl Salt Pond. The project will include some retail shops and will 
serve as a town center for the surrounding construction of a number of 
homes and timeshares.
On Sunday, residents took turns voicing their fears that the project 
could destroy the habitat by eliminating mangroves, eradicating 
endangered species that live in the area, and contaminate the hatchery 
where local fishermen find bait in order to make their living.
Some residents also expressed their deep-seated distrust of the V.I. 
government, saying that it has had a long history of turning a blind eye 
to developers.
"We are trying to preserve what we have here. We have to get up and 
start pushing back," resident Jack Diehl said.
The crowd showed its support and one man yelled out: "We will be left 
with a skeleton."
Anna Francis, who has lived in Mandahl since she was a child, said that 
residents must believe that they have a voice and to never doubt how 
much a small, but committed group, can change the world.
"Each of us has a responsibility to the environment," she said. "This is 
government land. The government has made a lot of mistakes, such as when 
they leased this land. The people were never consulted."
She urged the crowd to write to their senators and to Gov. John deJongh Jr.
St. Thomas resident Sean LaPlace spoke about his petition - currently 
circulating - to get the rock jetty removed.
"We demand our beach back. We have already lost many of our beaches," he 
said. "We may be in an economic crisis, but we are also in an 
environmental crisis."
The crowd gave LaPlace a round of applause.
 From Coki Point to Fortuna, St. Thomas is under siege by developers, 
Clarence Payne said.
He suggested that residents demand that Government House rescind the 
lease at once.
St. Thomas resident Cleone Beverhoudt, 75, spoke about saving the salt 
pond and how the marina would destroy the color and beauty of an area 
cherished by many families who have lived on St. Thomas for many 
generations.
She suggested the government buy the beach.
In November 2006, the government bought Lindqvist Beach for $8.9 million 
and transferred the 21.5-acre beachfront property to the Magens Bay 
Authority.
"As they saved Lindqvist Beach, let them save this one," Beverhoudt said.
- Contact Reporter Tim Fields at 774-8772 ext. 364 or e-mail 
tfields at dailynews.vi.






http://www.theroyalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/article.jsp?articleId=7d8c6333003000b&sectionId=60

(Bermuda)

Published: December 12. 2008 08:31AM
Objectors mull protests against Warwick Long Bay beach bar
________________________________________
By Amanda Dale
________________________________________

Warwick Long Bay Parking Lot where a proposed beach bar will be built.
Photo: Akil Simmons:

Residents and environmental campaigners are ready to stage "on-site 
protests" against plans for a beach bar on the South Shore.
They say they will also mobilise public opinion against the 'Sandbar' 
through petitions and Town Hall meetings, as well as fighting any 
application for a liquor licence.
Opposition to the bar and restaurant, earmarked for Warwick Long Bay, 
escalated into direct action at a public meeting on Wednesday.
One resident said: "We are going to form an action group to galvanise 
public opinion against the development, with the help of BEST (Bermuda 
Environmental and Sustainability Taskforce).
"The group is going to organise a series of petitions, Town Hall 
meetings and on-site protests, and will object to any application for a 
liquor licence."
She said: "I don't know if you can describe the mood as militant, but 
people are very frustrated that the normal and due process was followed, 
the process of writing objections and then having the appeal rejected.
"In spite of the DAB (Development Applications Board) and an independent 
inspector opposing the bar, the Minister of the Environment has allowed 
it to proceed. People are angry that there is a Planning process in 
place which has rejected the bar, but it has then been approved."
Last night former UBP MP Quinton Edness said in order for the bar to go 
ahead, the law would have to be changed. Mr. Edness, a former Minister 
of Works, Agriculture and Housing, said the land at Warwick Long Bay 
would have to be delisted from the Bermuda National Parks Act 1986.
"The Long Bay development cannot take place just from the (Environment) 
Minister giving his approval," said Mr. Edness.
"Long Bay is a protected park listed in the schedule of the Parks Act, 
which means in order for development to take place on any portion of the 
Park an affirmative resolution has to be taken to the House of 
Parliament and debated to delist it from the schedule.
"Should the Government proceed with a development or sanction a 
development on a listed property, it will be violating its own law and 
so could be subject to a legal challenge."
Independent Senator Walwyn Hughes this week said the granting of a 
liquor licence would also break the law.
Sen. Hughes spoke out against the development at this week's Senate, 
saying he was "disappointed" with new Environment Minister Glenn 
Blakeney's upholding of the appeal.
"I would like to express my disappointment," he said. "This is something 
which disturbs a lot of people with environmental concerns. I think 
everybody knows that stretch of beach is a magnificent pristine area 
which falls in the National Parks scheme.
"I think a lot of people are concerned and disappointed that a decision 
was taken which overruled the decision of Planners, the DAB and an 
inspector as well.
"It is sad when you see these pristine areas developed," he said. "These 
areas are supposed to be kept as far as possible in their pristine 
state. It is hard to see how a bar and restaurant would fit into that."
Sen. Hughes said: "In the Liquor Licence Act there is a clause which 
precludes issuing a liquor licence other than a temporary licence, such 
as for a day. Section 22 (3a) of the Liquor Licence Act (1974) says a 
licence other than an occasional licence shall not be granted where the 
premises form part of a Park. And of course this area is in a Park area.
"It's difficult to see how that particular property can be used in this 
way unless the law is changed. This raises another issue which should 
have been taken into account when the application was considered."
Opposition Senator Michael Fahy added: "I support entrepreneurship, 
however this calls into question the Planning process. How is it we can 
have Planning officers recommend this should not be done and then we 
have a new Minister of the Environment override all those recommendations?
"I think we need to look at the Planning Act, at how a Minister can 
override decisions of those in the know."
Mr. Blakeney has upheld an appeal by developer Belcario Thomas following 
a DAB rejection of the 60-seat restaurant and cocktail bar.
The 'Sandbar' will be situated to the west of the Warwick Long Bay car 
park and will consist of a split-level wooden decking, with panels 
anchored into the sand to enable their removal in the event of a 
hurricane and the end of the summer season.
Mr. Thomas — the events' organiser behind Unite, says he aims to create 
an "ambient, Ibiza-type bar" and will follow Government conservation and 
environmental advice to make it "as environmentally-friendly as possible".
He says the 2, 500 sq ft development will be operational between May and 
November, with a mobile kitchen and 'Port-a-loo' toilets.
Planning officers refused permission for the 'Sandbar' as Warwick Long 
Bay is zoned as Open Space and a National Park Conservation Area.
The DAB report said: "Warwick Long Bay is the last of Bermuda's pristine 
beaches. The proposal will have a dominating and detrimental impact on 
the natural aesthetic of the beach."
It said the development was contrary to the Bermuda National Parks Act 
1986 and the Bermuda Plan 1992 Planning Statement.
There were 107 letters of objection to the 'Sandbar', and more than 80 
residents went on to protest Mr. Thomas' Planning appeal. Among the 
residents' concerns are noise, litter and potential parking overflow, 
while others have called the project an environmental "travesty".
Commenting on Mr. Blakeney's upholding of the appeal, BEST chairman 
Stuart Hayward said: "What is the point of laws and regulations and the 
expert counsel of Planners, conservation specialists, custodians of 
parklands and even an independent inspector, if a Minister can ignore it 
all, and in the process endorse the trashing of the very environment he 
is pledged to protect?"
Mr. Blakeney was last night off-Island but said: "I will be making a 
statement with regard to the Warwick Long Bay beach bar in due course."






http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/local/kaohsiung/2008/12/27/189444/Protests-erupt.htm

December 27, 2008 9:40 am TWN, The China Post newssd staff
Protests erupt over toxic Kaohsiung sewage plant
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan -- About 100 people clashed with police during a 
protest yesterday in Taliao Township, Kaohsiung Country as they tried to 
storm a sewage processing plant they say emits toxic gases, a local 
newspaper reported.
Some protesters climbed over a gate barring them from entering the 
facility, while some others broke the lock on a side door and opened it 
to allow the elderly and child protesters into the plant, the United 
Evening News said.
When police guarding the gate started to make arrests, a clash between 
the two sides erupted. No immediate injuries were reported.
They claimed the plant has emitted toxic gases three times this month, 
leaving almost 100 people hospitalized.
They also demanded that the plant cease operating immediately.
“Are they waiting for someone to die before stopping work,” some 
protesters were cited by the paper as saying.
They later took their protest to the office of the Tafa Industrial Zone, 
where the sewage processing plant is located.
They staged a sit-down protest on the road in front of the office, 
blocking all traffic.
The county's magistrate, Yang Chiu-hsing, later arrived to try to 
placate the protesters, promising the government will track down the 
source of the pollution.






http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2008/12/27/2003432200

Protesters demand action after third Taliao gas leak
SCHOOL SICKNESS: The violent protest broke out after dozens of students 
and teachers in Kaohsiung County were hospitalized after suffering 
nausea and dizziness
By Meggie Lu
STAFF REPORTER
Saturday, Dec 27, 2008, Page 2

Taliao Township residents clash with police while protesting outside 
Ta-fa Industrial Park yesterday. They were demanding that authorities 
investigate three gas leaks that caused dozens of schoolchildren and 
teachers to be hospitalized on Dec. 1, Dec. 12 and most recently on 
Thursday.
PHOTO: HUNG CHEN-HUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Approximately 500 people protested outside Ta-fa Industrial Park in 
Kaohsiung County’s Taliao Township (大寮) yesterday, demanding the 
government find the source of noxious gas that has leaked into nearby 
elementary and middle schools three times in the past month.
Among the protesters were the parents of pupils attending Chao-liao 
elementary and middle schools, local residents and students from the 
schools.

“If an answer [for dealing with the gas] is found we will go back to 
school, if not we will continue to stay away in case we get poisoned 
again,” one student said.

School officials said that attendance rates have dropped below 50 percent.

Three gas leaks caused dozens of school children and teachers to be 
hospitalized on Dec. 1, Dec. 12 and most recently on Thursday.

The affected individuals reported nausea, dizziness and tension in the 
chest.

Yesterday morning protesters demanded that a waste water treatment plant 
in the park be shut down, saying that the plant was the source of the gas.

The demonstration in the morning was tense. Because the protesters had 
gathered without applying for permission, the police demanded they 
disperse in accordance with the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法).

This drew a heated response from the protesters, who then clashed with 
police. Some protesters threw rocks at both the plant and the police. 
One protestor was detained.

“Must someone die before the factories cease operation?” said Taliao 
Township chief Huang Tian-huang (黃天煌).

The situation calmed when Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing 
(楊秋興) arrived at the site at around 11am.

“The gas came from a factory,” Yang said, adding that the waste water 
treatment plant was merely a downstream destination of the foul gas.

In the past, the county would ask factory owners to turn themselves in, 
Yang said. He said that in this case, however, as no factory had 
admitted fault, the culprit would have to be found by Environmental 
Protection Administration (EPA) investigaters.

The situation turned tense again in the afternoon when EPA Minister 
Steven Shen (沈世宏) arrived at the site.

Shen and Yang at one point argued when Shen said that the industrial 
park should be shut down for investigation.

“How can you say this kind of thing?” Yang asked, saying that Shen 
should apologize.

The two sat down to discuss the situation later after Shen retracted his 
statement.

Yang said that three chemical factories were suspected sources of the 
noxious gas, including one owned by the Chang-chun Group and 
Polyplastics’ Ta-fa Plant.

The results of the investigation would be released soon, EPA Deputy 
Minister Chang Tzi-chin (張子敬) said.







http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=142733&CtNode=39

Taiwan police disperses student protesters for Lo-Sheng Sanatorium 
relocation
12/03/2008 (Taiwan News)
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The controversial Lo-Sheng Sanatorium relocation 
has begun Wednesday. The police started to disperse hundreds of students 
on-site staging a protest.
Students had staged a sit-in in front of the Ministry of Health on 
Monday, asking Minister Yeh Chin-chuan (葉金川) to protect the cultural 
heritage of Lo-Sheng by reporting to related organizations to list the 
Sanatorium as historic monument.
The students brought forth four demands, asking that no construction be 
launched before Lo-Sheng designated as historic monument, residents stay 
in the old building, no fences be set up in the preserved area, and that 
an outreaching bridge be built before construction.
The land of Lo-Sheng Sanatorium is chosen to set up the Mass Rapid 
Transit Hsinchuan factory, and thus, its relocation has stirred 
controversies for years. Taipei County government recently asked the 
Sanatorium to dislodge on its own prior to December 1 and the land will 
be handed over to Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation.
Since 2004, social, student, human rights groups have demanded to 
preserve the Sanatorium. The residents and support groups have staged 
protests, proposed a co-existence plan with the MRT, and organized 
musical or cultural activities to raise awareness for the past five years.
According to its official website under the Ministry of Health, Lo-Sheng 
sanatorium, built in 1930, is the only government-run leprosy 
institution providing acute and long-term care exclusively for the 
patients with leprosy.
Lo-Sheng’s new building, Hueilong Branch in Gueishan Township, Taoyuan 
County, consists of two nine-story buildings, one designated for 
residents relocated from the old building. However, some residents are 
reluctant to move in because the new building design is inconvenient for 
electric wheelchairs.
by Taiwan News, Website Editorial Staff





http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2008/12/11/2003430813

Ma heckled by protesters during award ceremony
SURPRISE: After two members of a pro-Tibet group unfurled symbols of the 
region, a man interrupted Ma with accusations over the Lo Sheng Sanatorium
By Loa Iok-sin, Ko Shu-ling and Mo Yan-chih
STAFF REPORTERS
Thursday, Dec 11, 2008, Page 1

Pro-Tibet activists stage a protest during President Ma Ying-jeou’s 
speech at the Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award ceremony in Taipei 
yesterday.
PHOTO: CNA
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was heckled at the Asia Democracy and 
Human Rights Award ceremony in Taipei yesterday as pro-Tibetan and Lo 
Sheng preservation activists staged a surprise protest.
As Ma was being introduced to the audience, Taiwan Friends of Tibet 
(TFOT) members Tsai Chi-hsun (蔡季勳) and Yang Tsung-li (楊宗澧) took 
off their shirts and jackets to display T-shirts of the organization.

A Tibetan flag and the slogan “free Tibet” in English and “independence 
for Tibet” in Chinese were printed on the front of the shirts.

Not long after Ma began his speech, Yang held up a Tibetan flag, while 
Tsai displayed a photo of the Dalai Lama.

Bodyguards immediately rushed toward the two, asking them to put away 
the flag and the photo, but Yang and Tsai refused.

Security agents left them alone as they sat down and protested silently.

Ma ignored the protest and delivered a speech about Taiwan’s human 
rights achievements.

However, in the middle of Ma’s speech, a man from the audience suddenly 
pulled out a banner and shouted “the government intrudes upon the human 
rights of patients at the Lo Sheng Sanatorium.”

He was immediately escorted away by security personnel.

The Lo Sheng Sanatorium was built in 1930 by the Japanese colonial 
authority to house lepers.

Part of the compound was demolished last week to make way for the 
construction of a Mass Rapid Transport maintenance deport.

Ma regained his composure and said the unexpected episode only proved 
that Taiwan was a true democracy.

He said, however, that all parades or assemblies must be conducted in a 
legal manner with respect for other people’s freedoms.

“We support legal activities, but we crack down on illegal ones,” he said.

“Taiwan must enter a new stage. Elections are only a form of democracy. 
A true democracy is one that protects the people’s freedom, rights and 
the rule of law,” Ma said.

During his speech, Ma said that he would sign two UN human rights 
declarations and send them to the legislature for approval.

Ma said the UN General Assembly adopted the International Convention on 
Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, 
Social and Cultural Rights in 1966, which were both signed by the 
Republic of China, but were never approved by the legislature.

They have been sent to the legislature for approval four times since 
2001, Ma said, but the attempts were never successful.

He said he discussed the matter with Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) 
yesterday morning and told him he would like the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs to submit the two conventions to the Executive Yuan for approval 
and then to the legislature.

“Once the legislature gives its endorsement, I will proclaim the two 
conventions and send them to the UN in accordance with international 
practice,” he said.

“We hope to apply international standards of human rights in the 
country,” he said.

The Ma administration has been harshly criticized over alleged human 
rights violations since Ma took office in May.

Many domestic and foreign human rights and media watch groups have 
expressed concern over alleged rights violations and restrictions on 
civil liberties since the visit of Association for Relations Across the 
Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) early last month.

Ma said yesterday that during the 38-year Martial Law era, civil 
liberties were restricted and political persecution was rife. The 
situation improved when he was minister of justice in 1993, he said, 
whereupon Taiwan was upgraded to a free country by international human 
rights organizations.

Since he took office in May, Ma said his efforts to protect human rights 
had never flagged.

Following the ceremony, Yang and Tsai told reporters they were curious 
to know when an “appropriate time” for the Dalai Lama to visit Taiwan 
would be.

“Ma said earlier [last week] that the timing is not appropriate for the 
Dalai Lama to visit Taiwan. I’d like to ask him: ‘When would be an 
appropriate time?’” Yang told reporters after leaving the ceremony.

“Anyone who supports the idea of peace and freedom should be able to 
visit the free country of Taiwan,” Tsai said.

The Tibetan religious leader should be allowed a visit at any time as 
long as he has a legal status, they said.

Ma’s rejection of the Dalai Lama’s proposed visit has received much 
criticism.

Ma said during an interview with FTV on Tuesday that his decision had 
nothing to do Beijing and that the “appropriate time” would be a time 
“that is convenient for both of them.”

At a separate event later yesterday, Ma offered an apology to the 
victims and family members of the 228 Incident, promising to bring 
ethnic harmony in Taiwan.

“Mistakes can be forgiven, but history cannot be forgotten. We should 
learn the lessons from history and prevent any violations of human 
rights in future,” Ma said while addressing the opening ceremony of an 
exhibition at the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum.

The 228 Incident refers to the KMT government’s bloody crackdown on 
demonstrators and the local elite under the administration of dictator 
Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石).

The exhibition featured a video series created by 29-year-old Ho Hsin-yi 
(何欣怡), 228 victim Wang Tien-teng’s (王添燈) great-granddaughter.

Her works portray the life of her grandmother and other family members 
and told the history of the 228 Incident through the eyes of the family 
members of a 228 victim.

Ma, who offered an apology to the victims and their family members when 
he was Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman, promised to 
institutionalize the protection of human rights in Taiwan.

The Cabinet is expected to approve the two treaties today and send them 
to the legislature for final approval, the president said.

A middle-aged man shouted at police outside the venue after being 
prevented from approaching while Ma was addressing the ceremony.

The man condemned the government for ignoring his rights.

Ma did not respond to the protest.

The exhibition at the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum ends on Jan. 31.






http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=153919

Protest against water discharge from Manchar into Indus Friday, December 
26, 2008
By our correspondent

HYDERABAD: A protest was staged here on Thursday against the discharge 
of toxic water of Manchar Lake into the River Indus. The protesters 
urged the government to take measures to stop the discharge to avoid 
spread of diseases among citizens.

The Association for Research and Development of Rural Areas organised 
the demonstration outside the Hyderabad Press Club. Speaking on the 
occasion, activists said the toxic water release of Manchar Lake was 
affecting the lives of millions of citizens of Hyderabad, Badin, Tando 
Mohammad Khan and other areas but the provincial government was not 
taking measures to solve the problem on a permanent basis.

They said the problem of Manchar Lake had not been solved because of the 
inefficiency of bureaucracy. They said those who could afford were 
purchasing mineral water. They demanded of the provincial government to 
resolve the issue as early as possible to save the lives of citizens.








Seven protests to enliven the capital today, beware

of traffic jams

Detik.com - December 16, 2008


Aprizal Rahmatullah, Jakarta -- It is as if Jakarta

is never free from the bustle of protest actions.

Today, seven groups of demonstrators are ready to

enliven the capital with the potential to create

traffic congestion.



Based on data compiled by the Metro Jaya regional

police Traffic Management Centre (TMC) website, for

Tuesday December 16, at 8.30am the Indonesian Metal

Workers Federation (FPMI) will be holding a

demonstration at the Central Jakarta Court of

Commerce.



Following on from this, for those of you who often

pass through the National Monument area in Central

Jakarta, it would be better to find and alternative

route, because between 9am and 12noon, four protest

actions will be held in the vicinity of the State

Palace.



The first group of protesters from the Block M

Melawai Market Traders Association, accompanied by

the Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta), will

be demonstrating at the city hall and the Jakarta

Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) on Jl.

Merdeka Selatan at 9am.



At 11am demonstrators from the Indonesian Forum for

the Environment (Walhi) will also hold a protest

action at the Jakarta city hall. Protesters from the

Indonesian Poor PeopleÂ’s Union (SRMI) National

Leadership Board meanwhile plan to visit the

Department of Home Affairs on Jl. Merdeka Utara at

9am.



Later in the afternoon, demonstrators from the

Student Alliance of Legal Concern (AMPH) will hold

an action at the Vice Presidential Palace, also on

Jl.

Merdeka Utara.



Then at 10am, the offices of the Finance Ministry's

Capital Markets Supervisory Agency (Bapepam-LK) on

Jl. Wahidin Raya will be visited by the Indonesian

General Insurance Association (AAUI) while the

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) building

will be visited by a group calling themselves the

Corruptor Eradication PeopleÂ’s Front (BRSK).

(ape/mad)



[Translated by James Balowski.]



****************************************************

=================^==================================

I N D O L E F T - News service > >

=================^==================================



Activists call for environmental justice, reject

REED



Detik.com - December 1-6, 2008



Andi Saputra, Jakarta -- Hundreds of environmental

activists from several different non-government

organisations held an action at the Hotel Indonesia

roundabout in Central Jakarta on December 6 in which

they painted a miniature globe on a 20 metre length

of white cloth symbolising a bomb that is about to

explode.



In addition to the globe, they also drew a fire

dragon symbolising the desire to burn down

Indonesia’s forests under which was written “No REDD

(reduction emissions from deforestation and

degradation)” and “Climate Justice 4 Indonesia”.



“We want world leaders to take immediate concrete

action in relation to climate change”, said Ade

Fadli, an activist from the Indonesian Forum for the

Environment (Walhi). “We want self-sufficiency in

energy, food an water”, said another activist

Andreas Iswinarto



A similar action was also held by around 300

Greenpeace activists who brought a banner with the

message “Action for Climate” and balloons with the

names of hazardous chemicals such as CO2 written on

them. They also handed out leaflets with warnings

about the dangers of climate change. (Detik.com,

6/12/2008)







http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=99955

Eco-activists Hit Sofia Streets to Protest against Forest Law Amendments
Society | December 19, 2008, Friday

Eco-activists gathered Friday in the center of Sofia to protest against 
the amendments in the forest law in Bulgaria. Photo by Nadya Kotseva 
(Sofia Photo Agency)
Bulgarian eco-activists joined the protests of the farmers and the 
students staged Friday in downtown Sofia to officially oppose to the 
amendments in the forest law.

The law, which has been adopted on Wednesday by the Agriculture 
Commission, legalize all current illegal deals with forests, later 
turned into resorts and allow the chair of the State Forest Agency to 
sell state forests without control, the environmentalists claim.

"After taking possession of the lands, the investors just clear the 
forests to build them up," the rally organizers explained.

They assume the MPs are to adopt yet another draft, which provides for 
tax concessions to save more than BGN 200 M to the investors.

"This money will help them construct ski tracks and facilities," the 
ecologists said.

Firday's protest actions are continuation of those staged Thursday 
evening in downtown Sofia. Then the activists brought drums and brooms 
to sweep "the garbage in the state institutions."






http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/17/stories/2008121751800800.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Greens protest tree felling on Seshadri Road
Staff Reporter
BANGALORE: Members of Hasiru Usiru, an umbrella organisation of several 
non-governmental organisations and civil society organisations, gathered 
in front of Freedom Park to protest the felling of trees on Seshadri Road.
Six mature trees lining the road faced the axe on Monday even as 
environmentalists claimed that proper permission had not been sought for 
the felling. However, M.R. Suresh, BBMP Tree Officer, told The Hindu 
that he had granted permission following the committee’s approval.
Petitioners, who had filed the PIL leading to the constitution of the 
Empowered Committee on Road Widening, have written to the BBMP 
Commissioner and Deputy Conservator of Forests (BBMP) alleging “no 
consensus was arrived at”.
“The minutes of this meeting have still not been prepared for 
endorsement by the Empowered Committee, thereby there could not have 
been any decision to proceed with the tree felling,” the letter stated.
“This is part of the corridor which has to be widened and need to ease 
the congestion at the Maharani Circle. It was clearly deliberated at the 
meeting held on December 10.
It was opposed only by two members out of seven committee members 
present. If this majority vote is not a decision then what is?” Mr. 
Suresh asked. The petitioners have asked for an immediate stop to tree 
felling and any other work related to it.









http://www.kirotv.com/news/18229595/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=news

Dozens Gather To Protest Controversial Pier On Maury Island
Posted: 12:26 pm PST December 8, 2008
SEATTLE -- A pier protest brought dozens of people to Maury Island 
Monday morning.
They gathered on land and at sea near Sandy Shores Beach.
Chopper 7 over the protest showed the words ‘island for sale’ with ‘sold 
out’ displayed in the sand.
People were protesting the building of a dock for an expanded gravel 
mine on the eastern rim of the island.
Glacier Northwest crews began laying booms in the water last Friday, 
following one of the longest environmental battles in the island's history.
When it’s done, the steel dock will be 305 feet long and will go right 
over a state-owned aquatic reserve.






http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/21/tim-dechristopher-throws-_n_152661.html

Tim DeChristopher Throws Utah Oil And Gas Drilling Leases Auction Into Chaos
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PAUL FOY | December 19, 2008 08:53 PM EST |

SALT LAKE CITY — An environmental activist tainted an auction of oil and 
gas drilling leases Friday by bidding up parcels of land by hundreds of 
thousands of dollars without any intention of paying for them, a federal 
official said.
The process was thrown into chaos and the bidding halted for a time 
before the auction was closed, with 116 parcels totaling 148,598 acres 
having sold for $7.2 million plus fees.
"He's tainted the entire auction," said Kent Hoffman, deputy state 
director for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in Utah.
Hoffman said buyers will have 10 days to reconsider and withdraw their 
bids if they think they paid too much.
Tim DeChristopher, a 27-year-old University of Utah economics student, 
said his plan was to disrupt the auction and he feels he accomplished 
his goal.
DeChristopher won the bidding on 13 parcels, auction records show, and 
drove up the price of several other pieces of land.
"I thought I could be effective by making bids, driving up prices for 
others and winning some bids myself," the Salt Lake City man said.
Some bidders said they were forced to bid thousands of dollars more for 
their parcels, while others fumed that they lost their bids.
Story continues below
"We were hosed," said Jason Blake of Park City, a consulting geologist 
who was outbid on a 320-acre parcel. "It's very frustrating. I hope the 
guy is prosecuted."
Several bidders said they hadn't decided whether they would withdraw 
their bids. Some said they may reluctantly hold on to their leases _ 
despite the higher cost _ out of concern that the parcels might not go 
up for auction again under President-elect Barack Obama's administration.
BLM criminal investigators questioned DeChristopher, who says he expects 
to be charged. He was released and the case was referred to federal 
prosecutors for possible fraud charges, said Melodie Rydalch, a 
spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office.
"I'm willing to deal with that," DeChristopher said.
Other bidders at the auction had complained about DeChristopher as 
unfamiliar and bidding in an unconventional fashion, which raised 
suspicions, said Terry Catlin, leader of the BLM's Utah Energy Team.
DeChristopher snapped up 22,500 acres of land around Arches and 
Canyonlands parks but said he could afford to pay for only a few of 
those acres. He owes $1.7 million on all of his leases.
The sale of the leases has drawn complaints from environmental groups 
and scathing criticism from actor Robert Redford.
Activists said the sale would threaten Utah's wild lands and spoil the 
view from some of the state's spectacular national parks with drilling rigs.
"If we're going to sacrifice public lands, let's do it with some 
deliberation, not in a hasty way," said Joseph Flower, a University of 
Utah biology student who was among about 100 protesters outside the auction.
The bureau already had pulled some parcels from the sale in response to 
complaints from the National Park Service and others. Ultimately, the 
agency dropped more than half the 359,000 acres first proposed for auction.
Selma Sierra, who heads the BLM in Utah, said only 6 percent of lease 
parcels would ever see drilling because of the "costly and speculative" 
nature of the business. The federal government also typically imposes 
environmental safeguards on drilling parcels, Sierra said.
"Facts of the lease sale have been mischaracterized in the public forum, 
sowing confusion and misunderstanding," Sierra said.
Conservation groups sued Wednesday challenging 80 of the 132 lease 
parcels set to go up for bid, but the groups reached an agreement with 
the BLM one day later allowing the auction to go forward, according to 
the National Resources Defense Council.
The agreement filed with the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., 
stipulated that the government wouldn't issue leases on the 80 parcels 
for 30 days, giving a federal judge time to consider whether to block 
the leases.





http://www.blnz.com/news/2008/12/03/Government_backs_plan_drill_Utah_8435.html

Groups protest drilling-lease auction in Utah
PAUL FOY
AP News
Dec 04, 2008 22:25 EST
Conservation groups filed formal protests Thursday against what they 
call a "fire sale" of oil-and-gas drilling leases in Utah being 
conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.
The Sierra Club, The Wilderness Society and the Southern Utah Wilderness 
Alliance filed their objections to drilling in 100,000 acres of wild 
land in eastern Utah.
The BLM has already pulled nearly 100,000 acres from the Dec. 19 
auction, leaving more than 276,000 acres up for bid.
The BLM has been under intense pressure — first from the National Park 
Service and now from conservation groups — to cull a list of auction 
parcels in Utah's final oil-and-gas lease sale of President George W. 
Bush's administration.
Last week, the BLM pulled drilling leases that were located on and 
around the borders of Arches National Park, Dinosaur National Monument 
and Canyonlands National Park, all in Utah.
Then, on Tuesday, the BLM removed some auction parcels from Nine Mile 
Canyon, home to thousands of ancient rock art panels, and nearby 
Desolation Canyon on the Green River, while continuing plans to lease 
other parcels near both canyons and in other wild areas of Utah.
"This is the Christmas sale, the Bush administration's last great gift 
to the oil and gas industry," said Stephen Bloch, an attorney for the 
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
The conservation groups object to leasing around Desolation and 
Labyrinth canyons, a favorite of Green River rafters, and other parcels 
near Canyonlands National Park. They were joined by the Colorado-based 
Outdoor Industry Association, which filed its own objections.
"Our businesses and livelihoods rely on the remote nature of these 
stretches of river and their abundance of wildlife, natural quiet, clean 
air, dark skies and wild qualities," said Amy Roberts, vice president of 
government affairs for the organization, which represents 4,000 
manufacturers, distributors and retailers.
Separately, the fishermen's group Trout Unlimited said it was objecting 
to lease sales near the remote Deep Creek Mountains in Utah's western 
desert. Trout Unlimited says drilling threatens recovery programs for 
native Bonneville cutthroat trout.
Terry Catlin, energy team leader for the Utah office of the BLM, 
acknowledged that pressure placed on the agency after it announced its 
original leasing plans influenced the bureau's two reversals over the 
past 10 days.
"I think clearly it's a factor, especially in terms of another Interior 
agency raising concerns. We took the Park Service concerns quite 
seriously, and you see the result on the parcels that were dropped," she 
said.
The BLM has set Dec. 12 for announcing what additional parcels, if any, 
it plans to drop from the auction.






http://www.loughboroughecho.net/news/national-news/2008/12/06/protest-wants-climate-change-action-73871-22420409/

Protest wants climate change action
Dec 6 2008
Thousands of environmental campaigners marched to Westminster to demand 
the Government take more action against climate change.
The colourful procession was part of a global day of action which saw 
protests in many other countries across the world.
Protesters gathered in Grosvenor Square and marched to Parliament Square 
where they were addressed by speakers including Liberal Democrat leader 
Nick Clegg and Green MEP Caroline Lucas.
Kate Tansley, spokeswoman for Campaign for Climate Change, which 
organised the march, said the protest was to highlight four main issues.
"There are four 'no' issues and one 'yes' one," she said. "These are no 
to a third runway at Heathrow and the general expansion of aviation, no 
to coal, and no to agro-fuels.
"It's good to have a more positive message though, and that is yes to 
investment in renewable energy and all the green jobs that it would bring."
Protesters both on foot and on bicycles carried banners and placards, 
with many dressed up in colourful and elaborate costumes. Many turned 
out to represent different environmental organisations and charities 
from around the country.
Organisers said 10,000 people took part in the event. Police said there 
were 5,000 people involved.
Phil Thornhill of Campaign against Climate Change said: "Changes need to 
be made urgently before a lot of people suffer, especially the most poor 
and vulnerable countries. They are already suffering because of the 
lifestyles of people in the richer countries, but we will all end up 
suffering eventually.
"This is a global disaster waiting to happen. The scale of what will 
happen unless something is done is unimaginable. The Government needs to 
listen up."





http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/world/europe/environmental-campaigners-protest-in-the-uk-14097063.html?r=RSS

Environmental campaigners protest in the UK.
Saturday, 6 December 2008
Environmental campaigners in the UK have been protesting against global 
warming at Westminster.
They are demanding policies to match what they call the British 
Government's rhetoric on climate change.
It's all part of a worldwide day of action, across more than ninety 
countries.
Spokesperson Phil Thornhill has said "there has to be more than just words"







http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2008-12/2008-12-03-voa2.cfm?CFID=156577373&CFTOKEN=27144851&jsessionid=0030b053b5eb1ab4ace7685d1c695654483f

Greenpeace Protesters Perch on Polish Coal Plant Smokestack
By VOA News
03 December 2008

Greenpeace activists display a small banner "Quit Coal" as they occupy 
one of the chimneys of the Patnow power plant near Konin, Poland, 02 Dec 
2008
Protesters from the environmental group Greenpeace claimed a 
150-meter-tall smokestack at a Polish power plant Tuesday, vowing to 
perch there until the government cuts back on coal usage.

The activists hung a banner reading "quit coal, save the climate" on the 
chimney at the Patnow power plant, near the town of Konin.

Greenpeace is demanding the Polish government agree to European Union 
efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which many scientists say is 
a major cause of global warming.

Poland depends on coal for about 95 percent of its electricity.

While the government agrees more is needed to fight pollution, it is 
reluctant to phase out coal, fearing it would cripple the economy.






http://www.roguegovernment.com/news.php?id=13148

Climate Protesters Demand Swift UN Action Published on 12-06-2008 Email 
To Friend Print Version

Source: Reuters

POZNAN, Poland (Reuters) - Thousands of climate protesters, some dressed 
as polar bears, devils or penguins, demanded on Saturday swifter action 
from the United Nations to combat global warming.
Outside U.N.-led talks in Poland aimed at pushing 187 countries toward 
stiffer targets to fight global warming, some 1,000 demonstrators said 
governments were risking the planet's future by delaying action to 
squabble over who was to blame.
Several thousand more protesters took part in a march through London to 
demand "urgent and radical action" from the British government on 
climate change.
"So far I think it's going really slowly," Susann Scherbarth from 
Friends of the Earth in Germany said of the talks in the western city of 
Poznan.
She and other protesters in Poznan waved a banner reading: "Stop 
clowning around, get serious about climate action."
Others carried pictures of seas inundating cities and villages, and the 
suited hand of a businessman squeezing the planet.
The march fell short of organizers' predictions of a turnout of several 
thousand and many inside the talks did not see it.
"It's not a matter for negotiators, it's a matter for politicians. They 
are the ones who have been blocking the whole process," said Rae-Kwon 
Chung, South Korea's climate change ambassador, adding that he was 
unaware of the event outside.
Marches, bicycle rides and other events were scheduled around the world 
on Saturday to mark a "Global Day of Action on Climate," said the Global 
Climate Campaign, an umbrella group for participants.
London police said between 4,000 and 5,000 people took part in a rally 
which organizers said was aimed at reminding governments not to let the 
issue of climate change slip down a global agenda dominated by the 
financial crisis.
"The current economic downturn does not make the catastrophic 
consequences of failing to deal with the climate crisis any less 
catastrophic," said Phil Thornhill, Britain's national coordinator of 
the Campaign Against Climate Change.
(Reporting Gerard Wynn and Megan Rowling, additional reporting by Kate 
Kelland in London, editing by Michael Roddy)





http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=108327

Activists join world protest
Monday, December 08, 2008
Activists from Fiji with their placards join protesters in Poland
FIJI activists joined their colleagues to protest against lack of action 
on climate change.
They joined the Greenpeace youth group ,Solar Generation, in Poznan, 
Polland, where the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 
(UNFCCC) was taking place.
Paul Yaqona was with the group carrying placards reading "Keitou 
vakabibi taka na veisau veilecayaki ni draki", asking world leaders to 
get serious about climate change.
Solar Generation was joined with Friends of the Earth, Project Hot Seat, 
Zieloni 2004 (the Polish Green Party), World Wide Fund for Nature, Oxfam 
and a number of non-government groups in Poznan's Plac Wolnosci commonly 
known as freedom square.
The march in Poznan coincided with similar activities around the world, 
aimed at convincing governments that strong, decisive action must be 
taken to address the threat posed by climate change.
Another Pacific islander, Leah Wickham, said she wanted to remind global 
governments their responsibility, especially to the young generation and 
the Pacific.
"We will be the ones left to clean up the mess if they do not get 
serious and take immediate steps to reduce greenhouse emissions," she said.
"The people of the Pacific are innocent victims of climate change 
brought about by massive emissions from developed countries. We are at 
risk of losing the islands we call home, our culture and our identity if 
this meeting does not deliver real greenhouse emission reductions."







http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp081212111700.clyogoyhp1&show_article=1

A protester demands concrete action against climate change

A protestor demanding action on climate change in Poznan during UN talks 
on December 6, 2008. Ministers from around the world on Friday were due 
to wrap up 12 days of talks by endorsing a work programme leading to a 
new pact on climate change by December 2009.







http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10547266&ref=rss

Toilet protest flushed out of Parliament
4:25PM Tuesday Dec 09, 2008

Security today pulled the chain on a protest timed to coincide with the 
opening ceremony of Parliament.
Greenpeace had placed 36 toilets on the lawn in front of Parliament. In 
each was a globe representing the earth and placards urged: "don't flush 
our climate down the John".
Greenpeace campaigner Simon Boxer said the protest was happy to move 
once asked and the protest resumed on an adjacent street.
The goal was to highlight the issue before the Governor-General Anand 
Satyanand's speech from the throne outlining the government's agenda for 
the next three years but also to draw attention to United Nations 
climate talks in Poland.
"We want John Key to start taking climate change seriously, we want him 
also to instruct the New Zealand delegation in Poland to take it 
seriously and commit to reductions in emissions immediately," Mr Boxer said.
Greenpeace also ran ads in newspapers - a yellow sticker reminder note 
said United States president-elect Barack Obama had called looking for 
climate change allies. However he realised he had rung the wrong number.
Labour leader Phil Goff took delight in reading the note during a motion 
in Parliament congratulating Mr Obama on his win.
National is holding a parliamentary committee inquiry into climate 
change policy but will not re-litigate the science that blames humans 
for global warming.
The National government has put the emissions trading scheme (ETS) on 
hold while it conducts a complete review.
- NZPA







http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/dec/03/tesco-andover-megashed

Protests over supermarket 'megashed' rejected
• Rob Evans
• The Guardian, Wednesday 3 December 2008
Local councillors have paved the way for a controversial Tesco goods 
depot despite opposition from residents who have dubbed it a "megashed".
The supermarket chain's lorries are forecast to drive in and out of the 
planned depot at a rate of one a minute of every hour, day and night, 
365 days a year. A campaign against the depot by residents in Andover, 
Hampshire, has been supported by the AA and two former transport 
secretaries. Some residents, however, back the depot, which Tesco says 
will bring up to 1,200 jobs to the area.
On Monday evening, Andover councillors approved developers' plans for 
the site, next to the busy A303. Tesco wants a warehouse there to enable 
it to transport goods to its supermarkets. Edmund King of the AA had 
warned that there were already big problems on the A303, particularly in 
summer when there is chronic congestion with tailbacks of 10 to 15 miles.
Tesco described the centre as being of "key importance on our 
distribution infrastructure plans", according to Department for 
Transport documents. The documents, released under the Freedom of 
Information Act, show that Tesco lobbied the transport minister, Jim 
Fitzpatrick, as it was "keen to progress" the centre.
Residents who oppose the plans say juggernauts coming in and out of the 
depot would cause an unacceptable amount of congestion and noise. 
Andover councillors gave permission after local officials judged the 
A303 would be able to absorb the lorries from the site safely and easily.
The developers, Goodmans, have made a number of concessions, including 
agreeing to pay £4.9m to improve the roundabout by which lorries will 
drive on to the A303 from the site.
Yesterday, Tesco said it wanted to open the warehouse at Andover, 
provided that some obstacles could be overcome. The supermarket chain 
has had some contractual difficulties with the developers.





http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7758267.stm

Monday, 1 December 2008
E-mail this to a friend
Printable version


Coal plant protesters target E.ON

Protesters dressed as Father Christmas were made to leave
Environmental protesters have been arrested after demonstrating at an 
energy company's headquarters.
Eight protesters dressed as Father Christmas protested in the reception 
area of the E.ON offices at Westwood Business Park, near Coventry.
They were demonstrating against the firm's plans to build the UK's first 
new coal-fired power station for 24 years in Kingsnorth, Kent.
West Midlands Police said four protesters had been arrested.
E.ON is currently awaiting permission from the government to build the 
station in Kent, where environmental campaigners staged a protest in 
August.





http://www.breitbart.com/image.php?id=iafp081201062757.1e1ncrzhp0&show_article=1

Demonstrators dressed up as penguins attend a protest around climate 
change in Paris

Demonstrators dressed up as penguins attend a protest around climate 
change on November 29 in Paris. Representatives from almost every 
country on the planet are set to start 12 days of tough talks in Poland 
aimed at getting the ball rolling for a new global climate change pact.





http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,465888,00.html

Talks Fail to End Tree-Sitting Protest at University of California Santa 
Cruz
Friday, December 12, 2008 | FoxNews.com

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Mediation talks have failed to end the nearly 
14-month anti-development protest in redwood trees at University of 
California, Santa Cruz.
Representatives of the Science Hill tree-sitters and the university 
chancellor's office ended Wednesday night without resolution.
Protest spokeswoman Jennifer Charles says the university refused to back 
off north campus development. The redwoods must be cut down so 
construction can begin this spring on the new university biomedical 
facility.
University spokesman Jim Burns says it's hoped tree-sitters will leave 
voluntarily. A judge ordered them out of the trees in March and the 
mediation sessions were designed to end the protest peacefully.





http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7793432.stm

Saturday, 20 December 2008
Protest at runway extension plan
Campaigners stage a protest at Belfast City Airport over fears a runway 
extension would mean an increase in plane noise.
Campaigners opposed to a runway extension at George Best Belfast City 
Airport have held a protest at the airport.
The airport has applied to extend the runway, but residents' groups fear 
this would lead to larger planes and an increase in noise.
If planning permission is granted, the runway would be extended by 590 
metres in the direction of Belfast Lough.
The protest did not cause any disruption to passengers.
George Best Belfast City Airport's chief executive Brian Ambrose said: 
"Once again, I would reiterate that the extension will enable the same 
aircraft to fly further and offer greater efficiencies for inbound 
aircraft."
The extension is being sought to allow planes to take off with greater 
amounts of fuel onboard, he said.
"The growth of aviation and continued development at the airport under 
our new owners will continue to be transparent and handled in a manner 
sensitive to our location and environment," added Mr Ambrose.
Belfast City Airport Watch (BCAW) has described the proposed extension 
as an "irreversible nightmare" for east and south Belfast.





http://news.softpedia.com/news/039-Plane-Stupid-039-Protests-at-Stansted-Airport-in-the-UK-99660.shtml

'Plane Stupid' Protests at Stansted Airport in the UK
The organization warns about dangerous climate change
By Tudor Vieru, Science Editor
10th of December 2008, 07:15 GMT

Members of the environmental organization “Plane Stupid,” which focuses 
its efforts primarily on reducing the amounts of pollution that 
commercial flights emit in the atmosphere, invaded one of the runways of 
England's Stansted airport in Essex on Monday morning and chained 
themselves to the tarmac. They argued that each passenger flight was 
responsible for approximately 41.58 tons of carbon dioxide being 
released in the air, and that the recently government-approved expansion 
plan for the airport totally disregarded the environment.

“We are genuinely grateful for the level of support from people who have 
agreed with us that desperate times call for desperate measures. We have 
used this action to ask for everyone to 'please, do something'. We hope 
that all those that have expressed support for today's action will now 
think about what they are going to do to ensure the survival of our 
planet and people on it,” says an entry on the organization's blog.

Plane Stupid representatives say that they chose this particular airport 
because the UK government recently approved an expansion plan for it, 
which would increase the number of people its terminals could handle 
yearly from 25 million to 35 million, meaning that an extra 23,000 
commercial flights would have to be added to cope with the new numbers.

“We’re here because our parents’ generation has failed us and it’s now 
down to young people to stop climate change by whatever peaceful means 
we have left. We’re afraid of what the police might do to us, we’re 
afraid of going to jail but nothing scares us as much as the threat of 
runaway climate change,” one of the protesters told BBC.

Passengers who were due to embark on their flights early Monday morning 
formed long queues, and many of them were angry that the airport 
officials hadn't notified them about the protest and the delay it 
caused. In the end, 57 people were arrested and later released, most of 
them charged with “aggravated trespassing.”





http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081209/NEWS04/812090306/-1/NEWS09

December 9, 2008 3:00 a.m.
U.K. tarmac protest forces 56 cancellations
RAPHAEL G. SATTER
Associated Press
LONDON –Environmental protesters cut through the perimeter fence at 
Britain’s third-largest airport Monday and occupied the tarmac, forcing 
the cancellation of more than 50 flights and raising questions over the 
vulnerability of airports.
Two waves of protesters arrived at Stansted Airport before dawn. The 
first group used an old fire truck to provide cover as they sliced 
through the perimeter fence. A second group ran through the gap. The 
protesters then chained themselves together and erected a barrier around 
themselves.
It took nearly five hours to clear the tarmac. Police arrested 57 people.
“If they can do it, I’m sure there would be nothing to stop terrorists,” 
said Terry Purton, 61, a passenger whose flight to Bratislava, Slovakia, 
was delayed.
The action – meant to protest a possible second runway at Stansted and 
escalating carbon emissions – caused 56 cancellations and extensive 
delays. The British government is also considering adding another runway 
to Heathrow Airport, already Europe’s busiest.





http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/stories/2008/12/29/daily12.html?ana=from_rss

Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Protest slated on commuter rail component
Orlando Business Journa

Jacksonville Business Journal
A proposed 318-acre Winter Haven terminal will replace CSX's existing 
Orlando terminal, enabling the company to shift freight traffic to 
another line to make way for the commuter trains that eventually will 
run from DeLand to Poinciana.
Winter Haven homeowners concerned about an intermodal facility being 
built near their neighborhood are expected to conduct a protest outside 
CSX Corp. headquarters Dec. 30.
The proposed 318-acre Winter Haven terminal will replace CSX's existing 
Orlando terminal, enabling the company to shift freight traffic to 
another line to make way for the commuter trains that eventually will 
run from DeLand to Poinciana.
The proposed $650 million commuter rail project was stopped dead in its 
tracks in May when the state Legislature failed to approve CSX’s deal to 
sell the 61 miles of track for the project. The deal faced opposition on 
two fronts — Polk County officials were concerned over what they said 
would be an increase in freight train traffic to the proposed intermodal 
rail yard in Winter Haven and trial lawyers were wary of the 
legislation's provisions to shield CSX from liability in accidents 
involving passengers.
The protestors, who live in Sundance Ranch Estates, said they’ve asked 
to sit down with executives with the Jacksonville-based rail company but 
have not gotten a response.
The group plans to demonstrate what an intermodal facility would sound 
like and show how it would affect their neighborhood.
CSX Spokesman Gary Sease said the railroad did communicate with the 
homeowners until the homeowners filed a lawsuit and communication had to 
cease.
Further, he said the project has already been through all the public 
hearings and has received all the appropriate approvals for the project 
scheduled to start construction in 2009 and be complete in 2010. The 
terminal is expected to employ between 900 and 1,100 during construction 
and 110 when it opens.
“We think we’ll be a good neighbor,” Sease said.
CSX (NYSE: CSX) acquired the 318-acre property that was formerly a waste 
water treatment plan in September 2007.





http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/415195.html

Weymouth tree protesters still in trees
tree pixie | 12.12.2008 17:05
Weymouth tree protest activists still in trees

Activists still in the trees,supplies running low.See article on 
indymedia about 20 entries below this for more info.The last 
communication said they hoping to make it through to weekend and others 
will come as reinforcements and resupply.Support these hardcore 
frontline winter pixies.
On site mobiles ( batteries getting low) 07792717821 / 07807952822
Just get in da van and get there now
tree pixie





https://www1.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/westcountry/2004/08/296017.html

B | 09.08.2004 15:21 | Ecology | London | West Country
Protesters have set up a new camp on proposed route of Weymouth relief 
road. They urgently need tools and support!

Activists have been in occupation of an area of woodland on the route of 
the Weymouth Relief Road since the beginning of July. Now they have 
withdrawn from the woods and set up a site in a prominent place at the 
beginning of the proposed road route. The road, which would cut through 
areas of outstanding natural beauty and ancient woodland in its proposed 
length of 6 km, was due to be built a decade ago but was shelved due to 
fierce opposition from activists and locals. Now they are trying to push 
it through again and activists hope to raise awareness of the damage it 
will cause by building defences at the beginning of the route. They have 
erected a tower which is highly visible from the surrounding area. They 
could do with a visit. The site is really close to the beach!





http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/415041.html

URGENT Tree Protest Weymouth -Aroooga URGENT
Tree Pixie | 11.12.2008 14:27
Action in the trees now get there.

Urgent many trees being cut down some over 400 years old. For another un 
needed road.There was a camp at the site 12 years ago with some of the 
fairmile posse there.Which won and camp dismantled ..now roadbuilders , 
the council and homegrown Timber company are at it again.
The site is ...two mile copice next to the railway line weymouth..
3 activists currently in trees with security around.... any old tree 
protesters dust off your harnesses and get there. Or any new recruits 
next generation welcome.
On site mobiles ( batteries getting low) 07792717821 / 07807952822
Just get in da van and get there now.
Tree Pixie







http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/12/11/atlanta_preservation_chief.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=13

Preservation chief’s layoff protested
By CATHERINE FOX
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Preservation advocates and several Atlanta City Council members are up 
in arms over the dismissal of the city’s top preservation official, 
concerned that future stewardship of historic buildings and 
neighborhoods is being jeopardized.
A dozen people, among them preservation leaders and residents of 
historic districts, appealed to the City Council’s Community 
Development/Human Resources committee Tuesday to rehire Karen Huebner, 
executive director of the city’s Urban Design Commission.
Huebner was one of the 222 city employees laid off recently as the city 
sought to offset a $50 million budget shortfall.
Those protesting Huebner’s dismissal found a sympathetic ear in council 
member Ivory Lee Young.
“Karen has served neighborhoods in every quadrant of the city,” Young 
said. “Her institutional knowledge can’t be replaced.
“I understand economics, but it’s a matter of priorities. In this case, 
they’ve made a mistake. I’m going to exhaust every means personal, 
professional and political to reverse that decision.”
The commission is comprised of an 11-member, mayor-appointed citizen 
board, supported by the department Huebner has run for 20 years.
Among its duties is the regulation of 54 officially landmarked buildings 
and 15 districts; it reviews and oversees all potential changes with an 
eye on preserving their character, and, often, their existence. Its 
mission to preserve and protect the city’s architectural heritage often 
pits the UDC against developers and sometimes even city government.
The most recent brouhaha concerns the Georgia Tech Foundation’s desire 
to raze the 1927 Renaissance-style Crum & Forster Building in Midtown.
“Even those who didn’t like the decisions, they had great respect for 
the way she does business,” said John Threadgill, an urban planner with 
EDAW, a landscape architecture and urban design firm, and a former UDC 
chairman. “I know Karen both as an applicant for approvals and as a 
commission member. She has all the characteristics you want from a 
person in public service.”
Threadgill, senior urban designer in EDAW’s San Francisco office, also 
noted the elimination of another UDC position, that of inspector Sandra 
Griffin. “That position is critical,” said Threadgill. “Without 
enforcement, the UDC’s actions aren’t worth a whole lot.”
A statement issued by the department of planning and community 
development asserted its commitment to the UDC’s mission, with 
assurances that the remaining staff had the expertise to carry it out. 
It also noted: “The position of executive director was not eliminated. 
It is our hope and intent to fill the position once the economy recovers 
and city revenues improve.”
In appearing before the committee, preservation leaders argued that 
disabling the commission — now down to three staff members — would have 
larger ramifications because of its supporting role in tourism and real 
estate development.
“High and stable property values — and higher property taxes — in a lot 
of historic neighborhoods is due to the design standards set and 
enforced by the UDC,” said Mark C. McDonald, president and chief 
executive of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.
“A weakened UDC bodes badly for historic preservation in the city,” said 
Kevin Kuharic, historic Oakland Cemetery’s director of restoration and 
landscapes.
“In other cities like Savannah where preservation is a way of life, it 
wouldn’t matter as much,” he says.
“Atlanta needs that layer of protection and guidance. We can look to the 
past and see what happened without it.”
— Staff writer Eric Stirgus contributed to this article.





http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200812/200812090007.html

Canadian Envoy in Protest at Village Development Plan
In an unprecedented move, Canadian Ambassador Ted Lipman has written to 
the office of Seongbuk District in Seoul to protest against a local 
redevelopment plan.
The Seoul metropolitan government on Monday said Lipman wrote to 
Seongbuk District office chief Seo Chan-gyo on Nov. 19 saying the plan 
to demolish single-story houses in Seongbuk 2 zone to build apartments 
near the Seoul castle walls will "damage the beauty of the castle walls 
that represent 600 years of history and have boundless potential as a 
tourist attraction."
Lipman said it was surprising that the local government has not sought 
views from diplomats living close to the area and added the quality of 
life and characteristics of Seongbuk-dong should be taken into 
consideration if redevelopment is inevitable.
The Seongbuk District office said it cannot halt the plan since it has 
been legally approved but promised to reflect the diplomats' views in 
the redevelopment process.
The Seoul metropolitan government's housing bureau chief Kim Hyo-soo 
replied on Dec. 5, saying Seongbuk-dong "has tradition and natural 
beauty but is at the same time crowded with dilapidated houses and 
narrow roads, which are inaccessible to fire engines in case of fire." 
He promised to "discuss ways to maintain its local identity seriously."
The ambassadors from 30 countries including Venezuela and Australia are 
nearby, and many besides Lipman have reportedly protested against the 
plans to the central and Seoul metropolitan governments.





http://www.examiner.com.au/news/local/news/environmental-issues/protestors-occupy-east-coast-timber-mill/1387620.aspx

Protestors occupy East Coast timber mill
16/12/2008 12:02:00 PM
A group of 15 activists has occupied a Gunns Ltd woodchip mill on the 
State's East Coast, in a move that Premier David Bartlett described as 
"bizarre".
A Tasmania Police spokesman said the protestors had entered the 
Triabunna woodchip mill early this morning and had chained themeselves 
to equipment and machinery.
The protestors also hung a banner above a woodchip pile reading "Gunns 
Ltd = Climate Criminals".
Huon Valley Environment Centre spokesman Warrick Jordan said the protest 
had been launched to decry the Federal Government's carbon pollution 
reduction scheme white paper.
"The CPRS white paper makes it plain that the Federal Government is not 
committed to 'serious and credible' emissions reductions,'' Mr Jordan said.
"There is a failure by policy makers to grasp that we are facing a 
climate emergency.
"The policies proposed by the white paper will result in the 
disappearance of Tasmania's unique alpine ecosystems, the collapse of 
the Barrier Reef, and the salination of Kakadu.''
Still Wild Still Threatened spokeswoman Ula Majewski said the logging, 
burning and woodchipping of old growth forests in Tasmania released 
massive quantities of carbon.
"The Tasmanian Government has publicly expressed a will to address 
climate change,'' Ms Majewski said.
"If the Bartlett Government is serious about addressing climate change 
then it will legislate an end to old growth logging.''
However, Premier David Bartlett said the protest was bizarre.
"Protestors in Tasmania who are targetting the forestry industry clearly 
have absolutely no understanding of climate change science or climate 
change accounting,'' Mr Bartlett said.
"The forestry industry in Tasmania is a carbon emission positive for 
Tasmania. The forestry industry sequesters far more carbon than it 
emits, by far. So this is one of the most bizarre protests that I have 
seen.''





http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24810151-29277,00.html?from=public_rss

Seven face charges over mill protest
AAP
December 16, 2008 06:54pm
SEVEN anti-logging activists have been charged with trespass over a dawn 
raid on a Tasmanian pulp mill.
Fifteen activists from the Still Wild, Still Threatened action group 
launched the protest to express their anger over the Federal 
Government's "pitiful'' targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The group stormed the Gunns woodchip mill at Triabunna, on Tasmania's 
east coast, about 4.45am (AEDT) today, their spokeswoman Ula Majewski said.
Ms Majewski said seven of the activists chained themselves to equipment 
at the mill, halting production and backing up scores of laden log trucks.
Police Inspector Andrew Fogarty said four protesters secured themselves 
to logging vehicles.
Three others climbed operational equipment used to distribute wood chips 
into stock piles where they secured themselves to the railing, he said.
"The seven protesters were removed from their positions by specially 
trained Search and Rescue personnel using cutting equipment,'' Insp 
Fogarty said.
"The seven protesters were arrested by police and taken to Bellerive 
Police Station where they were charged with trespassing.
"All were bailed to appear at Hobart Court of Perry Sessions on February 
10.''
Insp Fogarty said the protesters present at the mill were "extremely 
well behaved and polite''.

"There was no conflict between any of the parties today and this was 
because the protesters, logging contractors, police and Gunns staff 
behaved very well and avoided potential problems''.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Monday said his government would seek to 
reduce the nation's carbon emissions by five per cent of 2000 levels by 
2020.
The target would rise to 15 per cent if a global pact on climate change, 
including major emitters, is signed.
The targets are well below what scientists say nations must achieve to 
avert catastrophic climate change.
A Gunns Ltd spokesman said the company planted about 15 million tree 
seedlings a year, more than any other company in Australia.





http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/12/16/2447195.htm

Protesters shut down woodchip mill
Posted Tue Dec 16, 2008 8:00am AEDT
Updated Tue Dec 16, 2008 9:41am AEDT

Protesters have chained themselves to the woodchip mill's conveyor belt. 
(ABC News: David Hudspeth)
• Map: Triabunna 7190
Forest activists in Tasmania have shut down operations at Gunns' 
woodchip mill at Triabunna on the state's east coast in response to the 
Federal Government's white paper on climate change.
A group of 15 activists entered the mill this morning and seven chained 
themselves to conveyor belts.
Warwick Jordan from the group, Still Wild Still Threatened, says they 
are protesting at Gunns' leading role in producing carbon emissions from 
logging, burning and woodchipping old growth forests.
"Gunns Limited are driving the logging of old growth forests in Tasmania 
and it appears that logging of old growth forests is the elephant in the 
room in terms of carbon emissions," he said.
"The emissions from old growth logging aren't accounted for by current 
figures and this allows the woodchipping industry to pretend that 
they're carbon neutral when they aren't," he said.
A spokesman for Gunns says the company plants about 15 million seedlings 
a year, more than any other company in Australia.
Local police are at the scene and a search and rescue team is being sent 
from Hobart.




http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24818627-29277,00.html?from=public_rss

Seven arrested at anti-logging protest in Tasmania
By Paul Carter
AAP
December 18, 2008 02:05pm
SEVEN protesters have been arrested after blocking access to a forest 
harvesting area in Tasmania's southwest.
The anti-logging activists, arrested during a protest near Maydena 100km 
west of Hobart, have been taken to Bridgewater police station, police said.
Officers are still working to remove one person who is staging a 
tree-sitting protest at the site.
The activists are members of the Still Wild, Still Threatened group that 
raided a Gunns Ltd pulp mill at Triabunna, on the state's east coast, on 
Tuesday.
Tuesday's protest was over the Federal Government's white paper on 
climate change and Gunns' forestry practices, and also resulted in seven 
arrests following a six-hour halt to production.
Early this morning, Still Wild, Still Threatened activists said the 
Maydena protest had halted logging of carbon-dense, old-growth forests 
in an area called the Wedge.
"The Tasmanian and Australian governments continue to condone the 
industrial scale logging of our precious old-growth and 
high-conservation value forests," activist spokesman Christo Mills said.
"An Australian National University study released in August has shown 
that some of these forests store up to 10 times more carbon than 
previously thought."
Mr Mills said his band of "forest defenders" would continue to take 
peaceful action against the ongoing destruction of Tasmania's precious 
forests.





http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/s/1086060_silent_protest_over_racecourse?rss=yes

Silent protest over racecourse
Alice Hutton
December 18, 2008
THE campaign against plans to build a £100m racecourse on greenbelt land 
will heat up when activists stage a silent protest.

Campaigners from RAGE, Residents Against Greenbelt Erosion, will gather 
with their placards outside Salford Civic Centre on Chorley Road, 
Swinton, prior to the meeting of Salford planning committee.

The committee will be considering the proposal by Peel Holdings, which 
includes the £100m racecourse, six storey 6,000 seat stadium, 18 hole 
golf course, hotel and traffic access for an estimated 10,000 cars at 
Salford Forest Park.

Protestors argue the scheme will cause traffic chaos, increasing air 
pollution and destroying the last remaining greenbelt in the Salford area.

Councillor Robin Garrido, Chairman of RAGE, hopes the protest will be a 
demonstration of the strength of feeling among Salford residents.

He said: "The protest is to show Salford council the high level of 
support against the application. The building of this complex will 
massively decrease people's quality of life.

"If built, the only thing on the horizon between Manchester and Wigan 
will be concrete. We're talking traffic pollution and life pollution."

At the meeting Cllr Garrido will ask Salford council members to refuse 
the application, which will then be considered at a Public Inquiry.

The meeting will be held at 9.30am.





http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/777/40121

Protesters condemn 5% carbon emission targets

Rachel Evans, Sydney
17 December 2008

On 15th December Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced a criminally paltry 
5% carbon emission target to the National Press Club. Three female 
protestors in the audience yelled “shame” and were wrestled away by 
security.
Further protests took place that day, with a “step-in” protest inside 
Rudd’s Queensland electoral office and 50 people protesting outside 
Penny Wong’s office in Adelaide. On December 16, more than 150 people 
protested in three separate actions in Sydney. The actions took place 
outside the offices of Environment Minister Peter Garrett, Federal MP 
for Sydney Tanya Plibersek and the Commonwealth Government building in 
the Sydney CBD.

Garrett’s office was targeted by a “Last Dance of the Barrier Reef” 
where protesters, dressed to symbolise the Great Barrier Reef, withered 
and died as a paper-maiche “Peter Garrett” fed the hunger of the mining 
industry. A letter was read out to “Peter” that announced that “5% 
targets are 100% pathetic”.

The letter also stated: “Last year, you and the Rudd Government were 
elected in the world’s first climate election on a platform of a 20% by 
2020 emissions reduction target. This is a broken promise, and we will 
not forget.” The statement pointed out that prominent Australian 
scientist Tim Flannery had labelled UN climate negotiations “our last 
chance as a species” and called stalling negotiations a “suicidal tactic”.

Two representatives handed over the letter to Garrett’s staff members, 
who were non-committal on where the real Garrett was hiding.

Tanya Plibersek’s offices were targeted by the Balmain-Rozelle Climate 
Action Group with 30 people appearing dressed in flippers and snorkels. 
The NSW Greens organized an action outside Commonwealth Government 
Office with 80 people. The action was part of a “Step it up” campaign 
against the Rudd government’s inadequate targets.

A statement on the NSW Greens website argued: “The targets means the 
Australian Government is willing to sacrifice the Great Barrier Reef to 
appease the big polluting companies that are fuelling global climate 
change.”

An organiser of the protest outside Peter Garrett’s office, Maria White, 
told the crowd: “Mr Garrett, Mr Rudd and all those in the Australian 
government you are on notice; half measures on climate change are not 
good enough. We will continue to visit Garrett and others over the next 
12 months in the lead up to the UN climate summit in Copenhagen next 
December. Emissions must start to rapidly decline from 2010 – before the 
next Federal election."

[Climate action groups from across Australia will plan for further 
action at Australia’s Climate Action Summit in Canberra in February 
2009. For more information visit www.climatesummit.org.au].





http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2008/1217/1229035812721.html

Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Australians protest at PM's climate plan
CANBERRA – Environmentalists staged protests in Australia’s major cities 
yesterday to demand tougher greenhouse emissions targets after prime 
minister Kevin Rudd promised to curb emissions by 5-15 per cent by 2020.
Mr Rudd announced the new targets on Monday, angering green groups but 
winning support from business, as he unveiled details of a carbon 
trading scheme set to start in July 2010, just months before he is due 
to call national elections.
Analysts said the cautious carbon targets were designed to appease 
business and protect jobs in the face of the global economic slowdown, 
and could help Rudd’s re-election hopes.
“He’s made a decision based on winning votes, rather than winning 
plaudits from the green movement,” Monash University political analyst 
Nick Economou said.
The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper said Mr Rudd had failed to show 
leadership on climate change, while the Age newspaper’s political editor 
Michelle Grattan said Mr Rudd’s plans were aimed at securing 
conservative political support in parliament.
“Kevin Rudd’s emissions trading blueprint is laden with caution rather 
than vaulting ambition, as the government tries to navigate through a 
dreadful economic outlook and a hostile senate,” Grattan wrote.
Mr Rudd won power in November 2007, in part on the back of his promise 
to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, which commits developed nations to curb 
greenhouse emissions blamed for global warming, and his promise to 
introduce carbon trading in 2010.
But green groups wanted Australia, the world’s biggest coal exporter, 
and which also relies on coal for its own electricity generation, to set 
an example for developing countries by promising to curb emissions by at 
least 25 per cent by 2020.
Protesters placed sandbags around ministers’ offices in Sydney to 
highlight the risk of rising sea levels, while in the southern city of 
Melbourne protesters carried a white flag and said the government had 
surrendered on climate change.
“I think it is an appalling and disgusting failure by the Rudd 
government in their duty to this nation’s future,” Australian Greens 
leader Bob Brown told reporters.
The government defended the targets, saying Australia would cut 
emissions by up to 15 per cent if UN climate talks in Copenhagen in late 
2009 agree on tough global targets for beyond 2012, when the Kyoto 
climate agreement expires.
“What we’ve been determined to do is to strike the right balance, to 
find the right policy that will drive the change that is required in the 
Australian economy over time,” climate change minister Penny Wong said.
Mr Economou said protests from environment groups would not seriously 
damage Mr Rudd’s electoral standing, with economic management and the 
global slowdown now taking precedence as an issue over the environment.
“The onset of the global financial crisis has re-cast the political 
debate,” he said. – (Reuters)






http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuId=28&ContentID=113287

Protesters occupy PM Rudd's office
15th December 2008, 11:45 WST

A group of protesters is occupying the Brisbane electorate office of 
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.
The protesters, from the Brisbane Southside Climate Action Group, 
described the government's emissions targets announced on Monday as weak.
“These are not good enough,” spokeswoman Kristy Walters said.
“We're asking for a 50 per cent target by 2020 and peak carbon emissions 
by 2010.
“It will only lead to climate chaos and the loss of national icons such 
as the Great Barrier Reef and the Kakadu wetlands.”
The group arrived at 11.45am (AEST) (9.45 Perth time) shortly after Mr 
Rudd's announcement, made at the National Press Club in Canberra.
Five members of the group are staging a sit-in in the foyer of Mr Rudd's 
office.
They were met by a staff member who invited them to put their questions 
in writing to the prime minister.
About 10 other group members are outside the office holding banners and 
giving out leaflets.
Acting Senior Sergeant Trevor Mergard told the protesters they were 
welcome to stay so long as they did not obstruct public access.
AAP






http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=697384&rss=yes

MPs' offices to be sandbagged in protest
06:05 AEST Tue Dec 16 2008
The offices of MPs around Australia will be sandbagged in a graphic 
protest by environmental group Friends of the Earth (FOE).
FOE members are angered by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's announcement on 
Monday that federal government will seek to cut Australia's carbon 
emissions by five per cent by 2020, spokesman Damien Lawson says.
 From 10am (AEDT) on Tuesday, mock climate emergency services workers 
will begin sandbagging MPs' electoral offices to protect them from 
rising sea levels FOE says will result from climate change.
"A five per cent target locks Australia into runaway climate change. 
This target will not stop drought, it will not save the Great Barrier 
Reef, and it will not prevent ice melting and the sea rising," Mr Lawson 
said.
"This is an emergency and the government must act within this term. Our 
carbon emissions must peak in the next year and then continuously 
decrease if we are to have any hope of avoiding catastrophic climate 
change."
Mr Lawson said emissions cuts of 40 to 50 per cent by 2020 were needed, 
and the government should also consider former US vice-president Al 
Gore's call for a 100 per cent switch to renewable energy by the same year.
In Melbourne, the protests will target the electoral offices of Finance 
Minister Lindsay Tanner, Wills MP Kelvin Thomson, Tourism Minister 
Martin Ferguson and Health Minister Nicola Roxon.
The Melbourne action will be part of protests around Australia over the 
next two days, with sit-ins and protests planned at the electoral 
offices of MPs including Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Climate Change 
Minister Penny Wong and Environment Minister Peter Garrett, Mr Lawson said.





http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/415428.html

frankfurt / germany: protest against airport extension
no airport extensions! | 15.12.2008 11:16 | Climate Chaos | Ecology | World
On Sunday, 14.12. about 150 people demonstrated in the forest of 
Kelsterbach (near Frankfurt / Main) against the construction of the new 
runway north of the current airport site.

To familiarize with the surrounding of the forest, which fraport (the 
company which runs the airport) wants to destroy and in view of the area 
which probably will be cleared first, the demonstration moved trough the 
forest towards the airport grounds, along the current path to where the 
road Okrifteler crossed the motorway 3 and the fast-train tracks. 
Throughout the Kelsterbacher forest are the preparatory measures 
(removal of munitions, sub-wood and animals) largely completed. Among 
the preparatory measures include marking work on the trees. These were 
from the demonstrators numerous and varied with paint and spray cans 
supplemented, so that the orientation for forestry workers in the forest 
in the future will be more difficult.

At the bridge on the ICE route had already posted the cops and blocked 
the transition towards soundproofing wall of the airport. Under the 
observation of a police helicopter there was a short rally, while on the 
road Okrifteler many new slogans against the expansion were painted.

The forest walk was a good step from the activist lethargy of the past 
few months!

Upcoming events:

4th January 2009: The first colourful walk in the forests in the new 
year will again explore the area and make the extent of forest 
destruction clear. Meeting: 14 clock Forest Camp

 From the 12th January 2009: possible grubbing beginning, Day X
Day X is the day on which the site is fenced and / or with the clearing 
work is begun. Get on the alarm lists (soon under 
www.waldbesetzung.blogsport.de or in the forest camp)!

14th January 2009: demonstration together with pupils, students and 
others against the Hessian conditions in Frankfurt. Check: www.14januar.de

Even between the years, there will be activities around the camp and 
against the expansion type. Keep you updated on 
www.waldbesetzung.blogsport.de or www.flughafen-bi.de

Smash Fraport!
no airport extensions!
e-mail: -
Homepage: http://www.waldbesetzung.blogsport.de