Christian Aid, Trócaire, Friends of the Earth and Eco-congregation invite you to ring the changes on climate chaos

From 3 – 14 December 2007 the UN Climate Change Conference will take place in Bali, Indonesia. World leaders will meet to discuss the roadmap for future global action to avert the worst ravages of climate change. The outcomes of this conference will have implications for everyone on the planet.

To coincide with the conference, an international day of action on 8 December has been announced. Marches and demonstrations will be taking place across the world, including in the UK and Ireland, which will illustrate the demand for strong action to be taken by governments on climate change.

In Northern Ireland Christian Aid, Trócaire, Friends of the Earth and Eco-congregation Ireland have teamed up to organise “Sound the Alarm for Climate Change.”

On 8 December activists will gather at St Anne’s Cathedral in central Belfast, bringing alarm clocks with them to compensate for a lack of bells, which will be set to go off at 2pm, to represent the 2 degrees temperature rise limit that cannot be exceeded if the world is to avoid catastrophic climate change. We hope to have members of the clergy from each of the four main Churches at the gathering, as well as a diverse range of activists and members of different congregations from across Northern Ireland.

We would like you to help to make this event a real success. Please try to come along to St Anne’s from 1.30pm on Saturday the 8th December and bring an alarm clock or your mobile phone. Bring along anyone else you can persuade to come and get them to bring something with an alarm too.

The QUB Greens will be heading along - watch out for the banner - and we urge as many people as possible, from all groups, to all political societies to come along to this. The NI executive refuse to discuss a climate bill - our heads of state won't be going to the UN summit in Bali. Our environment minister doesn't have a clue about the environment... please come along to St. Anne's and help them wake up!

Green Success!

In the recent Student Council elections, Adam McGibbon, Mark McCormick, Petrina Doyle and Conor Clerkin became the first Greens on the Student Council ever. Thanks to everyone who voted for us - 4 out of 5 in our first election isn't bad at all

On the student council your Green representatives will be working for a fair ethical union, increased environmental soundness and will be available to ALL students to represent them on the council. The Greens want to work with other non-sectarian and independent candidates to promote a more ethicial, tolerant and sustainable union. We will be happy to support any candidates who support these ideals. Please contact us!

John Gormley visits the QUB Greens

Green Party leader and Irish Minister for the Environment John Gormley visited Belfast on Thurs Nov 1st to meet the first ever Greens Society at Queens.

Minister Gormely said: "I'm delighted that the QUB Greens Society has proved so popular, recruiting 134 members in its first year, is really quite amazing and goes to show that young people in Northern Ireland understand and feel connected to Green politics."

QUB Greens spokesperson Mark McCormick said: "We are so pleased Minister Gormley took the time to come and meet us today and if we do as well as we expect in the University's Council elections, then it will again prove, that for young people, the future is the Green Party, it just doesn't carry the shackles of ethnic tensions which burdens the other main parties, it is not territorial but instead thinks globally and acts locally, it is the future."

The QUB Greens members spoke to Minister Gormley about the upcoming student council elections and how the Student Council has been plagued by 'party politics' in the past. They also discussed what plans they have for the year and how they will campaign to improve QUB's environmental performance. Before Minsiter Gormley left Queens to travel to Stormont the QUB Greens presented him with a QUB Teddy Bear to thank him for his visit!

Minister Gormley then went on to meet Green Party MLA Brian Wilson at the Stormont Assembly. The main focus of this meeting was the discussion of the Sellafield Nuclear Plant which poses a great threat to humans and the environment.



Minister Gormley said: "I note with concern reports that the THORP nuclear fuel reprocessing plant at Sellafield may restart operations. The Irish Government has consistently made clear to the UK Government its concerns regarding Sellafield. Our long held view is that it operates at an uneconomic, environmentally damaging level. That coupled with its poor track record in safety has been conveyed to the UK on a regular basis. The re-opening of THORP will merely contribute further to the continuing discharge of radioactive material to the Irish Sea. That is a concern for the people of the Irish Republic and I expect to the people of Northern Ireland."


For more information on Sellafield Nuclear Plant visit this link:
http://greens-in.org/article/952