Author: Ric Lander
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New Gas in the UK: Battlegrounds set at Balcombe and West Burton
The community campaign against Cuadrilla at Balcombe, Sussex, is at a critical point. Photos from Frack Off. As the drilling equipment rolls into rural Britain the public debate has begun, accompanied by frequent TV news reports balancing academic consensus against industry bravado. Scientific and economic clarity on the disastrous impact of New Gas drilling and…
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After 160 years Central Scotland has had enough
After 160 years Central Scotland has had enough Ric Lander, 11th June 2013. Originally published in Perspectives Magazine and on Bright Green. The central belt’s fossil-fuel industrialists: James ‘Paraffin’ Young; John (Lord) Browne, BP; Mark Lappin, Dart Energy. When new technology offers us great promise – and the new gas boom certainly does, offering up…
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Falkirk gas wells to release 5 tonnes of methane a day
• Information obtained by Frack Off Scotland reveals plans to release 7000 times more of the potent greenhouse gas than previously claimed. • Over 2500 residents have now signed up to support the Falkirk Against Unconventional Gas campaign. Airth, Falkirk. Photo by Richard Webb, Geograph (licensed under Creative Commons). Opposition is mounting against Australian company…
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7 Pillars of Awesome Events
Following a series of well received workshops on event planning for community groups (People & Planet Scotland Gathering, 2011; Strathclyde Sustainable Futures, 2012; Edinburgh Do, 2013) I’ve written up my golden rules for activist event planning for download. If you know someone who’s involved in community organising they should find it easy to use and…
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7 Pillars of Awesome Activist Events
You can also download this document as a printable PDF handout. I. Know your Aims II. Be Organised III. Have Good Content IV. Get the Practicalities Right V. Spread the Word For a rough guide this should take about 50% of the time VI. Stay Calm On the Day VII. Do the Follow Up
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Alys and Ric’s Favourite things to do in Auld Reekie
Sights in the Old and New Town All of the following are within walking distance of each other, but Edinburgh streets, closes and bridges can be confusing to navigate, especially in the Old Town, so do get a (free) map, available from Tourist Information next to Waverley Station, and most public buildings. City-centre Hills and…
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Eight steps to cut economic growth
Eight steps to cut economic growth, by George Osborne MP 1. Encourage savings and inheritance Encouraging people to pass on their wealth unused to the next generation is a great way to reduce the amount of money flowing through the economy. I’ve not yet been able to deliver my full plan for cutting growth in…
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Cairn Energy in the Arctic Casino
Founders and chair of the Greenland Oil Industry Association, Edinburgh based Cairn Energy are by far the most active oil company in Greenland. This report, written by Ric Lander for Friends of the Earth Scotland’s new Corporate Accountability campaign, details Cairn’s risky prospecting in the high Arctic. The briefing examines chemical spills, threats to marine…
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Is Britain becoming Gasland?
It’s not every day that you see images of farmland turned to wasteland, normally healthy people describing their unnatural diseases, and the killer: people’s tap water catching on fire. Welcome to Gasland, Josh Fox’s excellent 2010 flick about hydraulic gas fracturing, or “fracking”, in the US which has picked up laurels from numerous festivals not…
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RBS AGM: the Report Shareholders Won’t See
Loans to renewables dwarfed by oil and gas in Q4 2011 and Q1 2012 Taxpayer-funded RBS loans undermine Government climate policy No sign of change since Government bail-out As private shareholders gather for the RBS Annual General Meeting in Gogarburn today, there will be an elephant in the room. Majority shareholder, the UK Government, whose portion is…