Jonathon Porritt in Sheffield for the Love, Anger and Betrayal book launch.

by Graham Wroe Jonathan Porritt visited Sheffield on Monday, 8th December, to launch his new book, Love, Anger and Betrayal. Jonathon was influential in my joining the Ecology (now Green) Party back in the early 80s, and his first book, Seeing Green, cemented my belief in the green manifesto. Since then, Jonathon has gone onContinueContinue reading “Jonathon Porritt in Sheffield for the Love, Anger and Betrayal book launch.”

Police waste £3m arresting climate protesters while the real criminals continue to overheat the planet.

By Graham Wroe In August 2024, Reclaim the Power was organising a climate protest camp near Drax Power Station, the UK’s single largest carbon emitter. But it never happened as police arrested many of the organisers before it began. The protest camp was to involve “six days of workshops, communal living and direct action toContinueContinue reading “Police waste £3m arresting climate protesters while the real criminals continue to overheat the planet.”

Case Thrown Out for Drax 15 After £3m Police Operation to Prevent Protest

Last August Reclaim the Power were organising a climate protest camp near Drax. But it never went ahead as police arrested many of the organisers before it was even set up. Today the charges against 15 people, including 5 from Sheffield, accused of ‘going equipped to lock on’ were thrown out on the second dayContinueContinue reading “Case Thrown Out for Drax 15 After £3m Police Operation to Prevent Protest”

The UK is now in a water crisis.

It’s been a strange summer with hardly any rain. I started picking blackberries in July, which is unheard of. Many of my pears are already harvested,  the apples need picking too, and it’s only mid-August! With reservoirs at record lows and stream flows exceptionally low, England is desperate for rain. Dave Kaye, Yorkshire Water’s directorContinueContinue reading “The UK is now in a water crisis.”

Protest in Leeds highlights huge subsidies for wood-burning power station

Sheffield XR members joined climate activists from around the North of England in Leeds to express their anger about continuing subsidy of the Drax power station, which has already received £7bn of public money since 2012 (1). Accompanied by music and Extinction Rebellion’s ‘Discobedience’ dancers, they shared information with people in busy City Square aboutContinueContinue reading “Protest in Leeds highlights huge subsidies for wood-burning power station”

Axe Drax!

27 arrests foil Climate Camp but real climate criminals are given Government subsidies. A week-long climate camp planned by Reclaim the Power, to raise awareness of the climate-damaging wood-burning power station near Selby in North Yorkshire had to be cancelled following the arrest of 22 of the organisers and the confiscation of toilets, wheelchair rampsContinueContinue reading “Axe Drax!”

If governments are serious about the climate crisis, there can be no new investments in oil, gas and coal.

Robert Smith asks why we shouldn’t develop the UK’s remaining coal reserves (Sheffield Star 3/10/23). He is right to wish for an energy policy where we become far less reliant on other countries to keep our lights turned on. But we can have that by investing in renewable technologies that will be cheaper and farContinueContinue reading “If governments are serious about the climate crisis, there can be no new investments in oil, gas and coal.”

Destroying Ancient Forests is not renewable.

Much of the electricity you use in your house originates from Drax Power Station at Selby. It produces 6% of the country’s electricity. You’ve probably seen the six boilers, each as high as a 15-storey office block, and the main chimney which is taller than the London Eye. Drax claims to produce renewable energy byContinueContinue reading “Destroying Ancient Forests is not renewable.”

Paul Brown needs to get his facts right on climate change.

A letter to the Sheffield Star Firstly he seems to believe we have stopped burning coal. There are still three coal power stations in the UK. Globally we are consuming more coal than ever, despite the urgent need to reduce it. Coal is the single largest source of carbon emissions and consumption increased by 9%ContinueContinue reading “Paul Brown needs to get his facts right on climate change.”