ZAD DU CARNET: A BASTION OF RADICALISM ON THE LOIRE ESTUARY

Posted on October 22, 2020 by Norwich Radical in Inter|national and tagged biodiversity, capitalism, climate crisis, development, Extinction Rebellion, extractivism, featured, France, green capitalism, greenwash, Loire, occupy, radical ecology, renewable energy, ZAD, ZAD du Carnet.

by Yali Banton-Heath

Graffitied in swirly red French handwriting, on the wide concrete track that leads through the camp, is the motto: ‘Nous sommes toutes des enfantes du Carnet!’: we are all children of the Carnet. The Carnet is a stretch of land on the Loire Estuary, next to the Saint-Nazaire seaport and downstream of France’s sixth largest city, Nantes. The 110 hectare area which incorporates 51 hectares of wetland and is home to hundreds of species of wildlife, many of which are endangered and on the brink of local extinction, is under threat of development. With a nationwide shift towards supporting green energy projects, and the Saint-Nazaire seaport earmarked as a prime location for offshore wind farms, the Carnet has been chosen as the site for a new ‘green energy industrial park.

HOPE NOT LOST FOR THE U.S. CLIMATE MOVEMENT

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Norwich Radical in Inter|national and tagged climate, climate action, climatepolicy, colorado, energy, fossil fuels, fracking, globalwarming, midterms, renewable energy, Sunrise Movement, U.S..

by Sam Alston

Last November saw climate activist attempt to use USA state elections in order to pass through a number of climate friendly referendums. Almost all of the measures fell victim to the huge expenditures spent by fossil fuel companies on counter campaigns. However, those concerned with the fate of the planet had reasons to be optimistic, as climate change begins to emerge as an issue on the USA political agenda.

“I LIKE MY REVOLUTIONS TO BE FUN” – AN INTERVIEW WITH BEANS ON TOAST

Posted on December 1, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Arts, Music That Matters and tagged activism, alternative, anti-capitalism, Beans on Toast, Bobby Banjo, Brexit, capitalism, Cushty, DIY, Donald Trump, Essex, festivals, folk, Frank Turner, free party, Giant Wafer Studios, Glastonbury, Independent Venue Week, inequality, interview, Jenna Jones, jeremy corbyn, Labour, live music, london, Manchester attacks, Matt Millership, music, music venues, musicians, Naomi Klein, No Logo, Norwich Waterfront, poverty, protests, renewable energy, royal wedding, She Drew The Gun, Skinny Lister, social media, songwriting, squats, tony blair, Tristan Ivemy, Wales, Will Varley, Xtra Mile.

by Rowan Gavin

Today, Essex-born folk singer Beans On Toast releases his ninth album, ‘Cushty’. Last night, I saw Beans play live for the ninth-ish time (if I’m honest, I’ve lost count, but the symmetry is pleasing). If you’ve been to a British festival in the past decade you’ve probably run into Beans as well – he’s the kind of musician who pops up everywhere. With a new album out every year since 2009, he’s perpetually turning up in your town on tour, or supporting one of his many musical friends, or appearing at festivals you didn’t know he was on the bill for.

DIRTY MONEY – HOW ETHICAL ARE OUR UNIVERSITIES’ INVESTMENTS?

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Student and tagged BHP Billiton, BP, business, climate change, curriculum, direct action, divestment, education, energy, energy policy, Erasmus University, ethical investment, ethics, ExxonMobil, fossil free, fossil fuel industry, fossil fuels, global, global community, global warming, growth, higher education, hunger strike, innovation, investment, King's College London, lobbying, local, money, morality, non-profit universities, Norwich University of the Arts, occupation, People & Planet, progress, renewable energy, renewables research, research, research funding, Rio Tinto, Roger Hallam, Rotterdam School of Management, Shell, student activism, students, sustainability, tuition fees, universities, university community, University of East Anglia, venture capital.

by Laura Potts

Each university is different from one another. Moreover, they are very different from most other institutions of all types. On one hand they are educational institutions; on the other they are businesses. As businesses they make investments, though this is not something we would usually think of as a priority of educators. It is worth taking the time to investigate what your university is truly involved with and if their investments are ethical, not only for moral peace of mind but also to have a clearer idea of what your tuition fees are being put toward.

BIG ENERGY PROFITS FROM NORFOLK’S OFFSHORE EFFORTS

Posted on May 25, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Community and tagged big business, Blakeney Point, Campaign to Protect Rural England, Centrica, climate change, Community, CPRE, Dalcour Maclaren, Danish government, DONG Energy, East Green Energy, gas, Goldman Sachs, Green Britain Centre, Green Home Energy Solutions, hydropower, norfolk, Norfolk Energy Futures, oil, Race Bank, renewable energy, solar power, wind farm, wind turbines.

by Joe Burns

27 km north of Blakeney Point in Norfolk there’s a wind farm called Race Bank. The project has been in development for over a decade and has just started producing electricity. After the first of 91 turbines were installed, the farm began to successfully generate electricity and will be able to support the electricity needs for almost half a million homes once all 91 turbines are finished and operating.

This is great news. Why exactly? Well the project will result in over 830,000 tonnes of annual CO2 savings and will operate for 25 years. Plus it’s good to see another addition to the UK’s already successful and world leading wind farms, and there are plans for more. It’s also encouraging to see major international energy companies fight for the biggest wind turbines possible, as when they are far out at sea, campaign groups can’t really complain about their views being ruined.Continue Reading

OBAMA’S COMPLICATED ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Norwich Radical in Inter|national, Perspectives and tagged barack obama, Donald Trump, environment, environmental sustainability, green energy, oil, Paris Climate Agreement, politics, president obama, renewable energy, scott pruitt, US Politics.

by Tara Debra G

By the time you are reading this, Trump will be president of the United States. Soon Scott Pruitt will be head of the EPA (or behead the EPA). As I’m writing this, Obama is singing his swan song and making his final goodbyes as President. The gulf of time between me writing and you reading is small but salient. It is the time to reflect upon what it is Obama leaves in his wake. Contradiction has characterized so many aspects of Obama’s presidency, but what of his environmental record? Well – it’s complicated.

BRITAIN’S FUTURE PROSPERITY REQUIRES REVOLUTION. A RENEWABLES REVOLUTION.

Posted on December 14, 2016 by Norwich Radical in Inter|national and tagged borders, Britain, british politics, climate, climate change, climate crisis, coal, community energy, ecotricity, electricity, emissions, energy, environment, environmental, environmental sustainability, environmentalism, gas, immigration, international, inter|national, migration, nuclear, oil, ovo, renewable, renewable energy, solar, Sports Direct, wind, work, workers.

By Natasha Senior

It’s high time we talked about our future. Forget about border control or the free market, they offer no insight. If we want this tumultuous, divisive year to mean something, we need to think bigger, bolder and shape our decisions around our vision. Let’s talk about an end to the draconian sweatshop conditions, imposed by the likes of Sports Direct, who have exploited free movement of labour to keep profits high and wages low. Immigration control is a quick fix and a distraction. They will always find a way to exploit and profit. What if instead we did away with these common low-skilled low-wage jobs, altogether. What if we put our faith in British industry again, but instead of labourers going down into the stuffy pits, lining their lungs with coal dust, they were breathing the cool, crisp air on the surface on a wind farm. I am talking about creating a thriving, prosperous renewable energy industry.Continue Reading

PAINTING PICTURES OF THE FUTURE – ADRIAN RAMSAY ON ZERO CARBON BRITAIN

Posted on October 21, 2016 by Norwich Radical in Inter|national and tagged Adrian Ramsay, arts, CAT, centre for alternative technology, climate, climate change, environment, environmental, environmental movement, environmental sustainability, environmentalism, fossil fuels, Green, green movement, international, renewable, renewable energy, renewables, sustainability, sustainable, technology, Wales, Zero carbon britain.

by Olivia Hanks

The green movement is a tough place to be right now. With the Conservative government announcing another environmentally disastrous policy just about every week, from Hinkley to Heathrow via fracking in Lancashire, cuts to renewables and planning deregulation, activists could be forgiven for feeling a bit despondent. But Adrian Ramsay, CEO of the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), is philosophical when I ask if morale has been hit by this wave of irresponsible policy-making.

5 WAYS WE CAN REALLY TAKE BACK CONTROL AFTER BREXIT

Posted on July 15, 2016 by Norwich Radical in Inter|national and tagged Brexit, bristol pound, british politics, Community, conservatives, cooperatives, energy, energy cooperatives, EU, EU referendum, Europe, european union, international, inter|national, local, local communities, local currency, localism, neighbourhood plans, politics, power, renewable energy, theresa may, Tories, Vote Leave, westminster.

By Olivia Hanks

When a vote to ‘take back control’ has given us a new Prime Minister elected by no one – not even by her own party, let alone the country – it’s tempting to give up on it all in despair and just run around collecting imaginary monsters instead. Those, at least, we can control.Continue Reading

GENERATION PARK NORWICH: TOO BIG TO FAIL?

Posted on June 9, 2016 by Norwich Radical in Community and tagged Amber Rudd, angel of the north, Axis, backers, BH, biomass, biomass power station, Buro Happold, BWSC, CHP, clive lewis, co2, community benefit, CRed, E.ON, East of England Development Agency, EEDA, energy, environment, Environmental Sciences, EON, fantasy, generation park, GPN, Green, incinerator, investment, Jaywick, John Schellnhuber, Kevin Tovey, NCC, New Norwich Power (N2P) Limited, norfolk, norwich, Norwich City Council, NPH (Norwich) LLP, Pelco (Distribution) LLP, PensionDanmark, power plant, Regional Development Agency, renewable energy, Suzanne Jones, Trevor Davis, UEA, University of East Anglia, world landmark.

by Suzanne Jones

In March this year the Evening News reported that Generation Park Norwich (GPN) had run out of money, leaving its backers (Norwich (NPH) LLP) with debts of £3M. The ‘green’ credentials of UEA, the leading advocate of the scheme, had been further undermined by the complete failure of their own biomass project, at a cost of £10M, and were first reported in the Norwich Radical in August 2015.

Norwich City Council (NCC) seemed to be back to square one after spending 12 years and £700k of public funds trying to come up with a viable use for the Utilities Site, to the east of the city centre. To quote Clive Lewis, the Norwich South MP, the whole scheme seemed to be ‘dead in the water’ before it had even got off the drawing board.

Yet now, like a phoenix from the incinerator’s ashes, it has miraculously risen again; ‘mysterious’ new backers have emerged, and things are back on track for the planning application to finally be heard in July or August. How is it that proposals which have been dogged by controversy, bankruptcy and delay refuse to die? Are there reasons why Generation Park Norwich (GPN) is just too big to fail?Continue Reading

renewable energy

ZAD DU CARNET: A BASTION OF RADICALISM ON THE LOIRE ESTUARY

HOPE NOT LOST FOR THE U.S. CLIMATE MOVEMENT

DIRTY MONEY – HOW ETHICAL ARE OUR UNIVERSITIES’ INVESTMENTS?

BIG ENERGY PROFITS FROM NORFOLK’S OFFSHORE EFFORTS

OBAMA’S COMPLICATED ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY

BRITAIN’S FUTURE PROSPERITY REQUIRES REVOLUTION. A RENEWABLES REVOLUTION.

PAINTING PICTURES OF THE FUTURE – ADRIAN RAMSAY ON ZERO CARBON BRITAIN

5 WAYS WE CAN REALLY TAKE BACK CONTROL AFTER BREXIT

GENERATION PARK NORWICH: TOO BIG TO FAIL?

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