In June this year, Friends of the Earth Scotland became the first Scottish NGO (and the first environmental NGO in the UK) to intervene in a case at the UK Supreme Court. The case relates to insurance claims by victims of asbestos exposure who suffer from pleural plaques – scarring of the lungs – an apparently asymptomatic condition. The insurers are challenging the validity of a 2009 Act of the Scottish Parliament that ensures individuals can sue for damages if they contract the condition.
An interesting case, but what on earth has it got to do with Friends of the Earth Scotland, you might think? Continue reading →
It’s been pointed out endlessly, not the least by the Scottish Government, that we have a world leading climate law in Scotland. The targets in the act are good and necessary, but what we need now is action, and funding in place, to be able to reach those targets.
As part of the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS) coalition, we are putting pressure on the government to live up to the intentions in the climate act, and start budgeting accordingly. SCCS have submitted evidence to the Finance Committee, highlighting transport and homes as two main areas where funding in the coming budget will make a huge difference. Part of our argument has been that if we don’t start to budget to reach our emissions targets, it will be immensely expensive for all of us eventually, not just economically but health-wise and environmentally. Continue reading →
Last December, I graduated with a Masters in Environmental Law, but felt unemployable. What I needed was some hands-on work experience where I could see what environmental campaigners do, and have a go at campaigning myself.
So when I came across an internship in the Projects and Campaigns team at Friends of the Earth Scotland, I jumped at the chance. Juliet, head of Projects and Campaigns, assured me that this would be no boring internship. Continue reading →
Posted in Activism
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Tagged biomass, volunteer
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Young Friends of the Earth Europe have an annual summer camp which is a fantastic opportunity for campaigners aged 18-30 to get together for training and skill share sessions that help build their internal organisations and the European network as a whole.
Three Young Friends of the Earthers, Natascha, Antony and myself travelled to the small and picturesque village of Ónod in the north east of Hungary to attend the camp. Continue reading →
Do the green thing and take part in this year’s Pedal for Scotland bike ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh, get fit and raise funds for the environment, all at the same time. Friends of the Earth Scotland is one of the nominated charities in the freshnlo Pedal for Scotland cycle challenge 2011. Sign up to one of the rides and start training now, and don’t forget to let us know that you have chosen Friends of the Earth Scotland as your charity. Continue reading →
The Fukushima nuclear disaster in March this year, while ongoing, has slipped down the news agenda over the summer. It has been pushed outside our immediate attention by the economy and the News International hacking scandal. As late as today (2 August) The Guardian reported that Fukushima radiation reaches lethal levels. If you needed a reminder why we don’t need nuclear power, Fukushima was the worst kind of wake-up call. I feels like the past coming back to haunt us, but Friends of the Earth Scotland are calling to action to stop nuclear power in Scotland. Continue reading →
I recently blogged about the importance of tapping into a certain public spirit or desire for change at a given point of time, to run a winnable campaign. 
This ‘zeitgeist’ was critical in explaining the success of the UK and Scottish campaigns to introduce climate change legislation, and I think this is further illustrated by the success of UK Uncut. Who’d have thought an anarchic group of left-wing, former climate activists would convince George Osborne to clamp down on tax avoidance? Well, by tapping into the public’s concerns of the time, using some ingenious protest tactics, and offering a positive solution, they’ve succeeded (albeit not to the extent everyone would have liked). Continue reading →
I spent some time this morning making my first ever deputation to a full meeting of the City of Edinburgh Council. The Council will vote this evening on whether to scrap or continue with the troubled Edinburgh Tram project.
I was arguing in favour of continuation, alongside our colleagues at Transform Scotland, who made the factual case in favour of the trams based on transport and economic arguments. I spoke more on the environmental and social arguments.
Continue reading →
Friends of the Earth Scotland protest back in 2005
Tomorrow morning (28 June), a minor member of the royal family will visit Glasgow to officially open the M74 northern extension, a five-mile, six-lane elevated urban motorway that Friends of the Earth Scotland has long opposed and that should never have been built.
A Public Local Inquiry into the project in 2005 considered the transport, environmental, business and community impacts of the new road and ruled against building it. The Inquiry report stated that building the road would have “very serious undesirable results” and that the economic and traffic benefits of the project would be “limited, uncertain and ephemeral”. Yet Scottish Ministers ignored the Inquiry report and approved construction anyway. Continue reading →
I am writing this just after I’ve sat down on the high speed ‘railjet’ from Budapest to Munich. I’m on the start of the long trip back across Europe after speaking at a climate law seminar organised by Friends of the Earth Hungary. Along with Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland we were asked to speak about our Climate Change Act and the reasons for our campaigning success. This follows a similar recent trip to Madrid. Continue reading →
