Hi John,

 

I know it can be tough to believe in people-power sometimes. So I want to tell you the story about how peaceful protest can win.

 

It was 2007. And one cold October night, teams of Greenpeace activists – including me – entered the site of Kingsnorth coal power station in Kent.

 

One team shutdown the coal conveyor belts. Then six of us set about climbing the 200-metre tall chimney stack.

 

We took action because, back then, the UK government was determined to build a new fleet of coal power stations -- starting with expanding Kingsnorth.

 

After 24 hours shutting down the site, we were arrested. But by that stage, we’d achieved what we hoped -- stopping the coal plant belching out thousands of tonnes of carbon pollution. [1]

 

But the biggest victory was to come. After being taken to court for our protest, the jury decided our actions were a justified response to the climate crisis.

 

We were over the moon! The verdict sent a message to the government: the age of coal was over. Since that moment, no new coal plants have been built in the UK.

 

I want you to know that while news about our planet can be scary, Greenpeace is serious about winning. But in the face of the climate crisis, our people-powered movement must be braver and bolder than it's ever been. Can you chip in to help scale up our work?

I knew our protest might raise some eyebrows. I knew we might even be slated in newspapers or on TV. But I also knew the staggering amount of pollution pumped out by that power station, so I knew we were right to act.

 

At our court hearing, we used climate science to justify our actions -- and our key witness was leading climate scientist James Hansen. Taking a stand in front of the jury, he explained bluntly: "Somebody needs to step forward and say there has to be a moratorium, draw a line in the sand and say no more coal-fired power stations." [2]

 

Professor Hansen’s powerful words, together with other expert testimony, helped us win. And on the day the jury ruled in our favour, the case for coal collapsed.

 

Since then, the UK has moved drastically away from this dirty source of energy. But still, coal hasn’t disappeared completely.

 

Today, Boris Johnson’s government is failing to scrap plans for a new coal mine in Cumbria. It’s astonishing that a couple of months from now, the prime minister will host a global climate summit in Glasgow – then soon after, a huge coal mine could get the thumbs up.

 

Though hundreds of thousands of us have signed the petition to stop the Cumbria coal mine, we haven’t won this yet. So in the same way our campaign to stop a new power station at Kingsnorth was funded by Greenpeace supporters, can you help today?

Sometimes, reading news about the state of our planet can be bleak. Sometimes, it can be hard to find hope. But that’s why I wanted to share my story about what happened at Kingsnorth.

 

This wasn’t an overnight victory -- as grassroots groups had spent years resisting plans to expand coal power in the UK. But it was a victory that showed people power can win out, even when the odds seem stacked against us. 

 

Even when we are at our lowest, I want you to know that change is always possible. Let’s go out there and prove it.

 

Emily Hall

One of the Greenpeace ‘Kingsnorth Six’

 

NOTES

[1] 'Kingsnorth Six' tell their story - via the Guardian

[2] Not guilty: the Greenpeace activists who used climate change as a legal defence

 

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