Statement on new coal power stations in the UK, February 2009

Full Statement on new coal power stations in the UK in a letter to Ed Miliband, UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change signed by 34 organisations based in the global south, February 2009

The changing of the world's climate, primarily caused by the rich world's consumption of fossil fuels, is already impacting negatively on many impoverished communities and indigenous peoples across the global South. Yet it is countries in the global North, with 18 per cent of the world's population, who are historically responsible for 70 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels.

Through increased floods, droughts, sea-levels and disease, hundreds of millions of people face having their livelihoods destroyed the more global temperatures increase.

Urgent action is therefore needed by the global North to:

· invest in appropriate energy efficiency and safe, clean and community-led renewable energy

· radically reduce wasteful consumption

· promote financial transfers from North to South, based on the repayment of climate debts and subject to democratic control, in order to fund adaptation and mitigation in the global South.

We are therefore alarmed that the UK government is considering allowing new coal power stations to be built, such as at Kingsnorth in Kent. Coal power is the most climate polluting way to generate electricity. We are further concerned about any attempt to 'offset' the emissions of coal power stations through the Clean Development Mechanism, which has continuously had negative impacts on communities in the global South whilst failing to cut emissions.

New coal power stations in the UK will exacerbate the impacts of climate change on impoverished communities in the global South and prevent the UK from developing sustainable ways of creating a low carbon economy which could be used elsewhere in the world. A decision to support new coal power stations will confirm the UK as a climate criminal in the international climate change negotiations.

Communities in the global South face the worst impacts of climate change unless radical action is taken now to cut emissions. We call on you to ban the building of new coal power stations in the UK, including at Kingsnorth in Kent.

Signed:

Third World Network Focus on the Global South Oilwatch International World Rainforest Movement Climate Network Africa The Agency for Co-operation & Research in Development (ACORD), Africa The Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) Arab Climate Alliance Southern African Faith Communities' Environment Institute Pacific Indigenous Peoples Environment Coalition Fahamu VOICE, Bangladesh Fórum Brasileiro de ONGs e Movimentos Sociais (FBOMS – Brazilian Forum of NGO’s and Social Movements), Brazil Friends of the Earth Brazil The NGO Forum on Cambodia, Cambodia CENSAT Agua Viva, Colombia CESTA, El Salvador Unidad Ecológica Salvadoreña (Salvadorean Ecological Unit), El Salvador Water Initiatives Orissa, India Global Climate Campaign, India National Forum of Forest People and Forest workers, India Paryavaran Mitra, India Centre for Environmental Concerns, India Corporate Accountability Desk of the Other Media, India South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People, India Serikat Petani Indonesia (Indonesian Peasant Union), Indonesia Walhi, Indonesia IndyACT, Lebanon Philippine Climate Watch Alliance, Philippines Center for Environmental Concerns, Philippines Groundwork, South Africa Yonge Nawe Environmental Action Group, Swaziland Climate and Development Initiatives, Uganda Uganda Coalition for Sustainable Development, Uganda

The World Development Movement is a member of the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition – the UK’s largest group of people dedicated to action on climate change.

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