As the second week of the UK's major climate change trial begins, support from advocates for public health grows daily including from Jenny Griffiths OBE, Geoff Meaden and Cathy McCormack.
The Climate9 trial is the first major British Climate trial since the failure of the Copenhagen process. The 9 Britons are facing charges of Breach of the Peace and Vandalism after closing down Aberdeen Airport in March 2009 to challenge polluting industries and their impacts for climate change. The defendants are pleading not guilty on the grounds that people must be able to peacefully assemble to raise their concerns in tackling climate change and how it impacts the health of communities locally and globally livinh eith increasing pollution, fuel poverty and the social impacts of climate change. The Climate9 have assembled a witness list of world-renowned experts in climate change and its poverty and health implications. The following statements uphold the concern coming from the health profession.
“We ... believe that climate change is the public health challenge of the 21st century and that, unless decisive action is taken now, the world will face global public health and environmental catastrophe.” Statement dated 22 January 2008 signed by 21 health leaders, including the Presidents of the Faculty of Public Health, Royal College of Physicians of London, and Association of Directors of Public Health, the Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation and 17 others.
Jenny Griffiths OBE, Independent Health Consultant, Climate and Health Council.
“Climate change is an unfolding public health catastrophe which is already killing people and damaging the health of populations around the world. Aviation makes a significant contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Dan Glass and his colleagues are public health advocates who deserve our support.”
Joanna Santa Barbara , physician, member of OraTaiao (Climate and Health) in New Zealand, and on the faculties of both McMater University in Canada and University of Otago in New Zealand.
“I see the threat of Climate Change as unprecedented in human history, and extremely grave.I think aviation is a significant contributor to this threat, and believe there is an urgent need to reduce its use in human and freight transport. The official fora convened by states to address this, such as the December 2009 meeting in Copenhagen, have left those people throughout the world who see the danger and care about averting it in despair. The impotence and timidity of states is appalling. As with almost all important social changes, it is up to non-violent people’s action to stir states to act. Climate 9 are to be congratulated.”
Cathy McCormack long term campaigner on housing, health, poverty and climate change and author of ‘The Wee Yellow Butterfly’'
“I first made these links between our sick houses, our sick children and the sickness of the planet away back in the 198O’s. Our ten year campaign resulted in our solar housing project completed in 1992. It demonstrated a fifteen % reduction in C02 0mmission - evidence that when the people at the grassroots actually get listened too, then the benefits go far beyond our own social and economic environment. I have been working to support this young generation of campaigners because my journey over the world in search of answers to the ‘insanity’ of our lived reality has convinced me; that for the very first time in the history of human ecology that our children could be the first generation to be denied a future. It really scares me that these brave young people could end up in jail because they want to try and save our planet and its people. The trial also has serious implications for other peaceful and non-violent campaigners who seem to now be regarded as terrorist. In my view it is not the Climate9 who should be on trial but all of us. Either through ‘commission’ or ‘omission’ we are all guilty of playing our part in the destruction of our planet and its people."
Juliana Napier from the Climate9 Defence Committee said,
“This trial has been attracting huge interest not just from climate change experts but from people across the world struggling with the increasingly desparate health impacts brought by runaway climate change. Messages of support have been pouring in for the Climate9.”
The trial is expected to last around two weeks. Daily updates on www.climate9.com
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