London Banner protest against Biomass Industry Conference
When? Wednesday, 11th April 2012, 5.30 pm
Where? Outside the Marriott Hotel, 147 Cromwell Road, Kensington, London SW5 0TH (between Earls Court and Gloucester Road tube stations) – click here for a google map.
Why?
On 11th and 12th April, the European Biomass to Power industry conference will be held in London. With an entrance fee of over £1,600 per person, the conference is aimed at large energy companies, consultancies and investors in ‘supply chains’, likely involving land-grabbing.
Two of the biggest EU carbon emitters – Vattenfall and RWE – will be represented: RWE have converted Tilbury Power Station from coal to biomass in an attempt to keep this polluting and inefficient plant open beyond 2015 and cash in subsidies. Vattenfall have bought shares in a plantation company in Liberia to supply their power stations in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.
Another company represented on the speakers’ list, called AfriRen, was set up to “provide European industry with stable long-term supplies of quality biomass” – from African countries.
Investments planned and furthered at the conference will mean more deforestation and climate change, more land-grabbing and more air pollution for UK communities.
Please bring a banner or placard and friends if you can and please help spread the word!
This protest is jointly organised by Biofuelwatch and Campaign Against Climate Change.
Logging in North Carolina: UK demand for bioenergy will speed up the destruction of forests in North America and other regions. Photo: Dogwood Alliance