Campers at Climate Camp Cymru near Merthyr Tydfil have upped the ante and have set off to enter Ffros-y-fran open cast coal mine, just yards from the camp.
Jill Lloyd said,
“We have been talking to local people at the camp, in the town and on the housing estates. The story is the same everywhere — people feel abandoned and used. Their hillside is being ripped apart, a massive incinerator is proposed and a third phase of this monstrous coal mine is now on the horizon, with plans to destroy the peaceful wooded hillside opposite.
“This action wasn’t planned at the start of the camp, but we feel it is important to show our opposition to the mine with a ‘climate stroll’ to symbolically reclaim the land for the community
“We have been hearing about people with respiratory conditions such as asthma which have started or worsened since the mine opened, people unable to put their washing out because it gets black, vegetables coated in filthy dust.”
Wales could soon be self-sufficient in clean energy but is still generating fossil fuels for England. The coal from Ffos y Fran will generate the same amount of CO2 per year as Mozambique. We have to stop climate change, not make it worse. Coal is nearly all carbon and must be left in the ground.
Angharad Jones said:
“Reclaiming the land is a symbolic act. Coming here has been a real lesson for us, and we feel privileged to be part of the resistance to this mine. We have had talks from scientists and ecologists, but the most memorable lessons came from the local residents.
History has shown that changes can be made by ordinary people doing extraordinary things. The suffragettes and the civil rights movement took action that was often illegal but very necessary. As our politicians fail us, we need deeds and not words.”
Between now and the Copenhagen climate summit in December, activists will take decentralised or collective action in Wales against the root causes of climate change.
Contact
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Notes for editors
Climate Camp Cymru is being held in a green field near Merthyr Tydfil between 13 – 16 August. For maps and site information, go to www.climatecampcymru.org
Access for journalists is restricted to the hours of 11am – 1pm on Saturday, but there is an edge of site media area where filming can take place at any time.
6 comments ↓
Wicked pics! Keep up the good work guys. I am with you in spirit. Loads of love from Babs xxxx
but you didn’t reclaim the mine did you, if you didn’t enter it! Please be more careful with your headlines – you rock, without over-egging what you’ve done. All good things to you.
Solidarity
Jill Lloyd said “…a third phase of this monstrous coal mine is now on the horizon, with plans to destroy the peaceful wooded hillside opposite…” but i’m not sure what she means this area of the site IS the THIRD and FINAL phase of land reclaimation. She should have done some research before making statements like this.
You guys are great but attempting to walk onto the site got one of you arrested.
Brillaint camp guys really enjoyed my visit, but make sure those making statements know what they are talking about.
Stay safe
USMC
we were told by many that a new phase was planned, to extend the open cast and the wooded hillside was one of two areas this was proposed for. Even some employees of Miller Argent who told us about it were opposed to it. It was talked about by many, and we were told that the company were publicising a retail development to be built after this proposed phase was over.
No planning has been put in, I understand for this next phase, hence the term ‘on the horizon’. You are right to request we get facts straight, so thanks, and I agree that we should not have headlined reclaim Ffos-y-fran, the original wording was ‘reclaim the land’.. and some people did go on the site and got stopped and searched.. but basically thanks for the comments.
your welcome – i really did enjoy my day, it was just a few comments like that that i thought needed to be brought to peoples attention.
It would have been interesting to have had an open debate with someone from the coal/oil/gas/mining industry simply to see what their views on climate change were and how much they believe can be done about it. its these industries that will in the end be the driving force behind any large scale industrial change.
stay safe
usmc
I pass through this monstrosity of supposidly ‘strip mining’ to and from my place of work via the bogey road, the amount of material now being dumped on the Nant-y-Fynn side of the valley is absolutely criminal! No longer can you enjoy the view of this beautiful little valley basically untouched by man other than farming.Will all this waste be be returned to the ground ? I doubt this very much it looks as if we have three extra ‘mountains of MAN made WASTE to put up with again. I class this as FLY TIPPING ON AN INDUSTRIAL SCALE!
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